Gujarat borders Pakistan to the north west and the state of Rajasthan to the north and northeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, Maharashtra and the Union territories of Diu, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the south. Historically, the North was known as Anarta, the Kathiawad peninsula, "Saurastra", and the South as "Lata".Gujarat was also known as Pratichya and Varuna.The Arabian Sea makes up the states western coast. Its capital, Gandhinagar is a planned city and is located near Ahmedabad, the commercial center of Gujarat. Gujarat has an area of 75,686 sq mi (196,077 km2).
Gujarat borders Pakistan to the north west and the state of Rajasthan to the north and northeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, Maharashtra and the Union territories of Diu, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the south. Historically, the North was known as Anarta, the Kathiawad peninsula, "Saurastra", and the South as "Lata". Gujarat was also known as Pratichya and Varuna. The Arabian Sea makes up the state's western coast. Its capital, Gandhinagar is a planned city and is located near Ahmedabad, the commercial center of Gujarat. Gujarat has an area of 75,686 sq mi (196,077 km2).
Indian Independence movement
Mahadev Desai reading out a letter to Mahatma Gandhi from the viceroy at Birla House, Bombay, 7 April 1939.Leaders like Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Morarji Desai, K.M. Munshi, Narhari Parikh, Mahadev Desai, Mohanlal Pandya, Bhulabhai Desai and Ravi Shankar Vyas all hailed from Gujarat. As well, Mohammed Ali Jinnah's, Pakistan's first Governor-General, father was from an area which later became Gujarat. Gujarat was also the site of some of the most popular revolts, including the Satyagrahas in Kheda, Bardoli, Borsad and the Salt Satyagraha.
Post Independence
After Indian Independence and the partition of India in 1947, the new Indian government grouped the former princely states of Gujarat into three larger units; Saurashtra, which included the former princely states on the Kathiawad peninsula, Kutch, and Bombay state, which included the former British districts of Bombay Presidency together with most of Baroda state and the other former princely states of eastern Gujarat. In 1956, Bombay state was enlarged to include Kutch, Saurashtra, and parts of Hyderabad state and Madhya Pradesh in central India. The new state had a mostly Gujarati-speaking north and a Marathi-speaking south. Agitation by Marathi nationalists for their own state led to the split of Bombay state on linguistic lines; on 1 May 1960, it became the new states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The first capital of Gujarat was Ahmedabad; the capital was moved to Gandhinagar in 1970.
Geography
Geography of Gujarat. Gujarat is the westernmost state of India. It is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west and southwest, and Pakistan to the northwest. The state of Rajasthan is to the northeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and Maharashtra and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the south and southeast of Gujarat.
Climate and natural features
The relief is low in the most parts of the state and involves diverse climate conditions.The winters are mild, pleasant, and dry with average daytime temperatures around 83oF(30oC) and nights around 53oF (12oC) with 100 percent sunny days and clear nights. The summers are extremely hot and dry with daytime temperatures around 105oF (41oC) and at night no lower than 85oF(29oC). The time just before the monsoon the temperatures are similar to above but with high humidity which makes the air feel hotter. Relief comes when the monsoon season starts around in mid June. The day temperatures are lower to around 95oF(35oC) but humidity is very high and nights are around 80oF (27oC). Most of the rainfall occurs in this season, and the rain can cause severe floods. The sun is often occluded during the monsoon season. Though mostly dry, it is desertic in the north-west, and wet in the southern districts due to heavy monsoon season.
Demographics
The population of the Gujarat State was 50,671,017 as per the 2001 census data. The density of population is only 258 persons per km2. and compares favourably with the other states of the country.
Its official and primary language is Gujarati. About 89.1% of the population of Gujarat are Hindu. Muslims account for 9.1%, Jain 1.0% and Sikh 0.1% of the population. Amongst Hindus the deity of Krishna is famously worshipped in His form of Shrinathji throughout Gujarat. Gujarat is the birthplace of Gandhi. Gujarat is also the birthplace of the Swaminarayan sect of Hinduism.
71% of Hindus in Gujarat speak Gujarati while the other 29% speak Hindi. Almost 88% of the Muslims speak Gujarati while the rest speak Urdu. Almost all of the Jains speak Gujarati (a few speak Marwari as well). Parsi Zoroastrians also speak Gujarati as their native language.Marathi is spoken by a large number of people in Vadodara and Surat
Besides Gujarati the Kutchi language is widely spoken in the Kutch District.
Gujarat as a heavily industrialized state of India, attracts lots of outsiders from various parts of India.
Tourism
Statue of Unity
Business Tourism
Gujarat is one of the most industrialized states in the country. There are many Indian and global companies located in Gujarat and the area has seen double digit GDP growth in past decade. It is also known as "Growth Engine of India".
Vibrant Gujarat is biennial investors' summit held by the government of Gujarat. The event is aimed at bringing together business leaders, investors, corporations, thought leaders, policy and opinion makers; the summit is advertised as a platform to understand and explore business opportunities in the state. It has become a model for economic success for many states. According to the list of the top 10 Indian cities by GDP in 2009, based on a PricewaterhouseCoopers study, Ahmedabad ranks 7th in India with an annual GDP of 59 billion USD.
Gujarat International Finance Tec-City is an under-construction city in Gujarat. It will be located next to the Sabramati river, 12 km north of Ahmedabad and 8 km South of Gandhinagar, the political capital of the state. It will be built on 500 acres (2.0 km2) of land. Its main purpose is to provide high quality physical infrastructure, so that finance and tech firms can relocate their operations there from Mumbai, Bangalore, Gurgaon and other regions where infrastructure is either inconsistent or very expensive.
Hill Stations
Beaches
Ahmedpur Mandvi Beach - Ahmedpur Mandvi Beach is situated on the coastline of the state of Gujarat and is one of the finest beaches in India. It is located in Ahemdpur Mandvi, which is the historic port town of Maharao of Kutch.
Chorwad Beach - Chorwad Beach of Gujarat is another splendid beach situated on the west coast of India. It is situated at a distance of 66 km from Junagadh. Chorwad has a high potential of attracting both domestic as well as international tourists. The beach constitutes of rocky hills and presents opportunity for thrilling boat rides.
Diu Beach - Diu beach is situated off the Saurashtra coast and is connected to the state of Gujarat via a causeway. Diu is a secluded island and does not have much population. This makes it the place ideal for a serene vacation, away from the worries of daily life.
Gopnath Beach - Gopnath Beach is situated in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat. It comes into Talaja Taluka. It is located on the coast of the Gulf of Kambhat, at a distance of 75 km from the city of Bhavnagar. and 22 Km. away from Talaja. Gopnath is a pristine beach known for its natural beauty. There is nice fort of king of Gohilvad in Gopnath.
Kutch Mandvi Beach - Kutch Mandvi is an important beach in Gujarat, situated at Mandvi. Mandvi is the historic port town of Maharao of Kutch, located at a distance of 75 km from Bhuj. Kutch Mandvi was once inhabited by the Maharao of Kutch and was an important seaport.
Umbergam Beach - Umargam is about 6 km from Umargam Road railway station on Mumbai-Surat rail section . This region was part of Thane district prior to creation of Gujarat in 1960.
Umargam is situated on the southern bank of Nargol creek. It was a small village about two centuries ago, serving as a transit point for exporting marine products from the fishing port Nargol on the Northern Bank of the creek.
TITHAL Beach (Valsad) tithal beach 5 km from Valsad. It is only beach of the world which has only temple which is on the shore of Beach.
Archeological and Heritage tourism
Within Gujarat there are a wide variety of historic forts, palaces, mosques, temples, and places of historical importance in India's struggle for independence. Many of this palaces and forts have been converted into heritage hotels to keep tourists close to the vibrant history of Gujarat. For example, Laxmi Vilas Palace, Vadodara is reputed to have been the largest private dwelling built at the time and it is four times the size of Buckingham Palace in London. These sites are under-developed and are considered to have huge development potential. World heritage sites like Lothal, Dholavira and Champaner are also located within Gujarat or nearby.
Cultural tourism
Gujarat is well known for its rich culture. The folk arts of Gujarat form a major part of the culture of the state. It preserves the rich tradition of song, dance, drama as well. Handicrafts include Bandhani, patolas of Patan, kutchhi work, Khadi, bamboo craft, block printing, embroidery, woodcraft, metal crafts, pottery, namda, rogan painting, pithora and many more handicrafts. The Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch, Mughals and British as well as Parsis have left their mark on Gujarat's culture.
Religious tourism
Gujarat- Home to multitude devotional centres and temples with Famous Regious Centers like Dwarka, Dakor, Ambaji, Palitana, Mahudi, Shankheshwar, Somnath, Shamlaji, Bahucharaji, Pavagadh, Kabirvad, Sun Temple, Modhera, Akshardham (Gandhinagar), Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad, Jain temples, Hindu Temples and Sudama Mandir.Ashapura mataji madh- Kutch, Swaminarayan Mandir - Bhuj, Narayan Sarovar, Tulsi Shyam, Sattadhar, Lojpur, Junagadh Buddhist Cave Groups etc.
Wildlife tourism
Gujarat is habitat for the world's rarest as well large number of Fauna & Flora, Fauna includes Asiatic Lions, Wild Ass, Blackbuck, Bears, Monkeys, Nilgai, Paradise Flycatcher, Chinkara, Dolphins, Whale Shark and Migratory Birds like Flamingos, Pelican, Storks. Flora includes species of Khair, Sadad, Timru, Babul, Salai, Khakro, Ber, Asundro and Bordi. The state also has National park. Sanctuaries at Gir National Park, Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch, Vansda National Park, Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, Kutch Bustard Sanctuary and Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar.
Fairs and Festivals
Gujarat celebrates unique festivals like "Global Garba" (October-November,all over the state), "Kite Festival (Makar Sankranti,11-15 January, Ahmedabad), "Kankaria Carnival" (25-31 December, Ahmedabad), "Rann Utsav" (November-December, Kutch), "Modhera Dance Festival" (3rd week January, Modhera) and fairs like Tarnetar Fair (August, Tarnetar) & Vautha Mela (November, Vautha).
Medical tourism
Ahmedabad leading city of the state is the most preferred place for medical tour or medical treatments in India. With world class health facilities and affordable cost, the city is becoming one of the most sought medical tourism center in the country. The 108 Service is the highly appreciated 'Medical at doorstep' Service. More than 1500 foreigners visit the state per year for various treatments in the state. Ahmedabad Civil Hospital is the biggest hospital in Asia located at Ahmedabad. There are many new upcoming hospitals coming in the city too.
Royal Orient Train
The Royal Orient Train is an Indian luxury tourism train that runs between Gujarat and Rajasthan, covering important tourist locations in the two states. The train started in 1994-95 as a joint venture of the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat and the Indian Railways. There are 13 coaches in the train, named after erstwhile kingdoms of Rajputana. The coaches provide five-star hotel comforts to passengers. Cabins are furnished in a palatial style and have spacious baths attached. There are multi-cuisine restaurants that offer Rajasthani, Gujarati, Indian, Chinese and continental cuisine. The Royal Orient train also has a bar on board, as well as a lounge in every coach where passengers can read books and magazines, watch television, listen to music and interact with other passengers. Other facilities include an intercom, channel music, TV, DVD system and a massage-cum-beauty parlor. The Royal Orient offers a 7-day/8-night package that covers important heritage tourist locations in Rajasthan and Gujarat. The train starts from Delhi Cantonment station and has stops at Chittorgarh, Jaipur, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Junagarh, Veraval, Sasan Gir, Mandvi, Palitana and Sarkhej. ROYAL ORIENT is no longer available.
Economy
Gujarat has some of the largest businesses in India. Major agricultural produce of the state include cotton, groundnuts, peanuts, dates, sugar cane, milk & milk products. Industrial products include cement, and petrol.
* 39% of India's Industrial Output
* 10% of its Mineral Production
* 80% of India's Salt production
* 20% of its exports
* 25% of its textile production
* 40% of India's pharmaceutical products
* 67% petrochemical production
* Largest Sea shore, 1670 km.
The world's largest ship breaking yard is in Gujarat near Bhavnagar at Alang. Reliance Petroleum Limited, one of the group companies of Reliance Industries Limited founded by Dhirubhai Ambani operates the oil refinery at Jamnagar which is the world's largest grass-roots refineries. The company has also planned another SEZ(special economic zone), in Jamnagar.
Gujarat ranks first nationwide in gas-based thermal electricity generation with national market share of over 8% and second nationwide in nuclear electricity generation with national market share of over 1%.
Over 20% of the S&P CNX 500 conglomerates have corporate offices in Gujarat.
As per RBI report, in year 2006-07, 26% out of total bank finance in India was in Gujarat.
Industrial growth
Major resources produced by the state include cotton, peanuts, dates, sugarcane, and petrol. The state is rich in calcite, gypsum, manganese, lignite, bauxite, limestone, agate, feldspar and quartz sand and successful mining of these minerals is done in their specified areas. Gujarat produces about 90% of India's required amount of Soda Ash and gives the country about 66% of its national requirement of salt. It is one of India's most prosperous states, having a per-capita GDP significantly above India's average. Kalol Khambat and Ankaleshwar are today known for their oil and natural gas production. "Dhuvaran" has a thermal power station, which uses coal, oil and gas. The Tarapur nuclear station in Maharashtra supplies the remaining power. Also on the Gulf of Khambat, 50 kilometers southeast of Bhavnagar, is the Alang Ship Recycling Yard (the world's largest). General Motors produces the "Astra" car at Halol near Vadodara. Jalalpur is a large town of Gujarat, where several small and large textile industrial units have been established. Surat, a city by the Gulf of Khambat, is a hub of the global diamond trade.
During the period 1960-90, Gujarat established itself as a leader in various industrial sectors - Textiles, Engineering, Chemicals, Petrochemicals, Drugs & Pharmaceuticals, Dairy, Cement & Ceramics, Gems & Jewellery, etc. Post-liberalization period saw Gujarat's State Domestic Product (SDP) rising at an average growth rate of 14% per annum in real terms (from 1994 -2002). Gujarat achieved as much as 35% of augmentation in its power generation capacity during the period 1995-96 and 2000-01. The producers (IPPs) have contributed significantly in this addition. As a matter of fact Gujarat is one of the first few states in India to have encouraged private sector investment and are already in operation. In addition the liquid cargo (Chemicals) handling port at Dahej is also set up in joint sector and made operational. At an investor's summit entitled Vibrant Gujarat arranged between January 10, 2007 to January 13, 2007, at Science City, Ahmedabad, the state government signed 104 Memoranda of Understandings for Special Economic Zones totalling worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore. However, most of the investment was from domestic industry. In the forth Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit held at Science City, Ahmedabad in January 2009, there were 600 Foreign delegates. In all 8668 MOUs worth Rs 12.5 lakh cr were signed, estimated to create 25 lakh new job oppurtunities in the state. (Source: Wikipedia)
Nav Durga Bengali Charitable Trust
Plot no. 44-48, Aakashdarshan Society
Near Shravan Chowkdi
Dahej Bypass Road, Bharuch, Gujarat - 392001
Email Id: contactus@aagamani.org
Mobile: 9824345452 (Susanta Haldar)
Bank of Baroda
A/C no.: 10600100024283
IFSC code: BARB0CHAVAJ (0 is digit zero)
Cheque to be issued favouring "Durga Puja Seva Trust Bharuch"
