Land of the Mahatma and ancient monuments

Despite the communal riots of 2002 which cast a long shadow over Gujarat, its kinder and gentler image endures. The state attracts over a million domestic and foreign tourists annually Since the turn of the new century the western India state of Gujarat (pop. 60.4 million) has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. In particular the communal riots of 2002 allegedly conflagrated by the BJP state government has cast a long shadow over this region, until recently widely admired for its gentle, enterprising people and as the native state of Mahatma Gandhi. But despite its recently acquired notoriety, the state’s gentler, kinder image endures. This explains why Gujarat continues to attract over 36 million domestic and 16 million international tourists annually — an inflow which increases as the Navratri festival and Rann Utsav begins (October-February). Locationally situated in the area which hosted the Indus Valley and Harappan civilizations, even before the Aryan occupation, Gujarat is reported to have developed trade linkages with Sumer (Iraq) in the Persian Gulf as early as 1000-750 BC. Subsequently in 250 BC the mighty Emperor Asoka imposed his suzerainty over this west coast state and during Mauryan rule, the region experienced the benign influence of Buddhism. In 150 BC Bactarian Greeks under the leadership of Meander imposed their rule upon the region and continued to reign till about 40 AD. Later Scythians took over and ruled from about 130-390 AD. About a century later the Guptas kings established their supremacy over the region until 460 AD. Soon after fall of the Guptas, the Vallabhi dynasty took over and held sway from 500-700 AD. After the death of Harshvardhana, Gujjars kings reigned until 746 AD followed by Solankis until 1143. The era of Muslim rule in Gujarat began when Muhammud of Ghazni invaded the state and ransacked Somnath temple in 1024, precipitating the downfall of the Solanki dynasty. The conquest of the region by Ala-ud-din Khilji in 1288 formally imposed the rule of the Delhi sultanate which ruled Gujarat from 1298-1392. Ahmad Shah I, the first independent Muslim ruler of Gujarat founded the state’s premier city Ahmedabad in 1411. Two centuries of Mughal rule was terminated by the Maratha kings in the 18th century. The era of British rule in Gujarat began when the British East India Company sited its first headquarters in Surat in 1612. Following independence, the state of Gujarat was carved out from the north and west portions of the Bombay presidency on May 1, 1960. Ahmedabad Ahmedabad is a city that blends ancient heritage with a vibrant present. Built in 1411 by Sultan Ahmed Shah to serve as his capital, Ahmedabad has since transformed into a major textiles manufacturing centre and hosts prestigious educational institutions such as the Indian Institute of Management, National Institute of Design and the Mudra Institute of Communications, among others. Currently, though one can only see the ramparts of the 600-year-old Bhadra fort built by Ahmed Shah, eleven of the twelve gates have withstood the…