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About Gujarat |
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Gujarat was one of the centers of the first Indian civilization known as the Harappan Civilization, as revealed by the findings of the excavators and archaeologists. It also formed an integral part of the great Indian dynasties of the ancient times, including the Mauryas and the Guptas. The interregnum between these two empires was dominated by Saka rulers, historically known as Western Satraps or Kshatraps. However, as the local people here believe and the very name of the state suggest, its foundation was laid by a tribe of Gujjars, who are supposed to have come here around the fifth century AD. When the Guptas ceased to be a power in the sixth century, one of its general, named Senapati Bhatarka held sway over Gujarat and laid the foundation of Maitraka kingdom.
Maitrakas ruled from a place near modern Bhavnagar known as Valabhipur, and wielded great power over a large part of the present state as well as Malwa. They set up a university that rose in fame next only to the Nalanda university, and it was during their reign that the famous Chinese traveler Huen Tsang visited India in 640 AD. Parts of Gujarat during this period were also ruled by Pratiharas, Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas.
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After the fall of Maitrakas, Solanki dynasty was founded by Mulraj, the adopted son of the last Chavada ruler during the tenth century. By this time, Gujarat had become a major center of maritime trade and its capital Patan, then known as Anhilwara, was among the largest cities of the country. The richness of the state, manifested ostensibly by the opulence of the Somnath temple, attracted foreign invasions led by the infamous Mahmud of Ghazni in 1026. His expeditions caused much devastation to Gujarat in general and the temple in particular.
Solanki dynasty was followed by the Vaghelas, who later accepted the sovereignty of the Yadava dynasty of Devagiri, before being overthrown by the armies of Alauddin Khilji in 1297. With this defeat, the Rajput lost their power over Gujarat once and for all, and the region became a part of the expanding Sultanate of Delhi. Zafar Shah was made a viceroy of the Sultanate in Gujarat and was vested with powers to rule the region, of course, under the Sultans in Delhi. But he started ruling on his own in later years, and became the first sultan of Gujarat. Ahmed Shah was his successor who founded the new city of Ahmedabad and made it the capital of his kingdom. Gradually Ahmedabad developed into a thriving city to parallel Delhi in political and economical importance. Gujarat attained new heights in trade, commerce and political power during the regime of Mahmud Shah, the successor of Ahmad Shah.
Though Gujarat was lost in the hands of the Mughals, after the defeat of Bahadur Shah, the last Sultan, it did not lose its importance in the politics and economy of the contemporary India. It continued to flourish as the chief commercial center of the country even when it came under the dominance of the Marathas in 1758. One faction of the Maratha clans known as Gaekwads established their hold over Baroda, which brought them in direct confrontation with the Peshwas. Internal conflicts among the Marathas, compounded by their defeat in the third Anglo Maratha War paved the way for the British to bring Gujarat under their subjugation. The Gaekwads and several other princes came into subsidiary alliances in return for restricted autonomy, while other parts of the state were annexed and ruled directly by the British. The Portuguese who were the first European to enter the state had already acquired some enclaves lying along the coastal region. Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli were among them.
Gujarat is known as a home to a large number of freedom fighters that gave their lives fighting against the oppressive rule of the British. Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, was born here and made it his launching pad to start movements that stirred the nation, like Satyagraha and the Salt Satyagraha. Gujarat, then administratively under the Bombay Presidency, led successfully the nation to achieve its independence from the British in 1947. Post Independence, the Bombay Presidency was bifurcated into two new states, and Gujarat came into existence as a homeland for Gujarati speaking natives, the other state being Maharashtra. Ahmedabad was its first capital, which later was shifted to Gandhinagar, one of the three planned cities of India.
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