History of Gujarat

History of Gujarat The history of Gujarat dates back to 3500 years. The Harappa and Mohenjodaro civilization can be known from the archaeological findings at Lothal near Dhandauka in Ahmedabad district and Razdi in Saurashtra. The history of Gujarat flows through the dynamic kingdoms and principal states of Saurashtra. According to the legends, the Somnath shore temple was built by Soma, the moon god himself to mark the creation of the Universe. The Lord Krishna’s kingdom was also built at Dwaraka in Gujarat. Gujarat was also present in the exploitation of the great Buddhist emperor Ashoka and his Rock Edicts can be seen near Junagarh. Later, Gujarat

also suffered invasions from Mahmud of Ghazni who demolished the Somnath Temple and carried away gold with him. Gujarat was also a battlefield at the time of the war between the Mughals and Marathas. It was also the earliest contact point with the West at Surat where the British set up their first commercial outpost in the 16th century. Daman and Diu, the two small Portuguese enclaves survived within Gujarat for over 450 years till 1961 when these were liberated by the Indian Army. During the British Raj, Gujarat was part of the larger Bombay Presidency and was ruled from Mumbai, and became a separate state in 1960 when the Indian States were divided on the basis of language. More...