Situated on the western coast of India,
the name of the state is derived from Gujjaratta,
which means the land of the Gujjars. It is
believed that a tribe of Gujjars migrated
to India around the 5th century AD. The real
cultural history of these people, however,
is believed to have begun much earlier. Many
Indus Valley and Harappan centers have been
discovered in the state like Lothal, Dholavira,
Rangpur, Lakhabaval, Amri, and Rozdi and established
the earliest known history of Gujarat to around
3000 BC to 2200 BC. At that point of time,
Lothal was the main port of this civilization.
With the advent of the Yadava tribe led by
Lord Krishna, some 3,500 years ago, came the
glorious days for Gujarat. It was followed
by 100 years of Lord Krishna's rule.
It is believed that Ashoka, the Mauryan king
extended his kingdom to Gujarat. The fall
of the Maurya Empire led the small kingdoms
to establish their power in this state from
time to time. The state achieved a high level
of prosperity during the time of Solankis
from the 9th century. In the 12th century
AD, Allauddin Khilji, the Sultan of Delhi
defeated the Waghela king of Gujarat and a
long era of Muslim rule over Gujarat started.
The Marathas ended the Muslim rule in the
18th century only to be handed over to the
British in the early 19th century. Surat was
the center of the first factory of the East
India Company in India and after the First
War of Independence in 1857, the region came
under the British monarchy along with the
rest of the country.
Gujarat was a part of the erstwhile Mumbai
state till 1960, when the people of Gujarat
decided to have their own state on the basis
of their distinct language and culture. This
led to formation of the two new states of
Gujarat and Maharashtra.
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