Gujarat: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}

| demographics1_footnotes  = <ref name="PRS">{{Cite web |title=Gujarat Budget Analysis 2022-2023-PRS India |url=https://prsindia.org/files/budget/budget_state/gujarat/2022/Gujarat_State%20Budget%20Analysis%202022-23.pdf |website=PRS Legislative Research |accessdate=8 May 2022}}</ref><ref name="RBI">{{Cite web |title=Per Capita Net State Domestic Product - State-wise (At Current Prices) |url=https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/PublicationsView.aspx?id=20414 |website=[[Reserve Bank of India]] |accessdate=21 January 2022}}</ref>

| demographics2_info1      = [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]<ref name="langoff">{{Cite web |date=16 July 2014 |title=50th Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India |url=http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM50thReport.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160708012438/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM50thReport.pdf |archive-date=8 July 2016 |access-date=6 November 2016 |page=118}}</ref>

| demographics2_info2      = [[Hindi]]<ref name="Benedikter2009">{{Cite book |last=Benedikter |first=Thomas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vpZv2GHM7VQC&pg=PA89 |title=Language Policy and Linguistic Minorities in India: An Appraisal of the Linguistic Rights of Minorities in India |publisher=LIT Verlag Münster |year=2009 |isbn=978-3-643-10231-7 |page=89 |access-date=13 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425230812/https://books.google.com/books?id=vpZv2GHM7VQC&pg=PA89 |archive-date=25 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

| blank_info_sec2          = {{increase}}0.672<ref>{{Cite web |title=Human Development Indices (5.0) |url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/shdi/IND/?levels=1%2B4&interpolation=1&extrapolation=0&nearest_real=0&years=2019%2B2014%2B2009%2B2004%2B1999%2B1994%2B1990 |access-date=17 February 2022}}</ref>

| blank1_info_sec2        = 82.4%<ref>{{Cite web |title=Household Social Consumption on Education in India |url=http://mospi.nic.in/sites/default/files/publication_reports/Report_585_75th_round_Education_final_1507_0.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102082546/http://mospi.nic.in/sites/default/files/publication_reports/Report_585_75th_round_Education_final_1507_0.pdf |archive-date=2 November 2020 |access-date=17 February 2022}}</ref>

| blank2_info_sec2        = 919 [[females|♀]]/1000 [[males|♂]]<ref name="pc-census2011">{{Cite web |title=Census 2011 (Final Data) – Demographic details, Literate Population (Total, Rural & Urban) |url=http://planningcommission.gov.in/data/datatable/data_2312/DatabookDec2014%20307.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127163347/http://planningcommission.gov.in/data/datatable/data_2312/DatabookDec2014%20307.pdf |archive-date=27 January 2018 |access-date=3 October 2018 |website=planningcommission.gov.in |publisher=Planning Commission, Government of India}}</ref>

| region = Gujarat<ref name="ToI2016">{{Cite web |date=14 January 2016 |title=Gujarat forgets state bird, tree and flower |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Gujarat-forgets-state-bird-tree-and-flower/articleshow/29893945.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227222448/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Gujarat-forgets-state-bird-tree-and-flower/articleshow/29893945.cms |archive-date=27 December 2016 |access-date=14 July 2017 |website=The Times of India}}</ref>

| song = "[[Jai Jai Garavi Gujarat]]" by [[Narmad]]<ref name="DeshGujarat2011">{{Cite web |date=7 May 2011 |title=Newest version of Jay Jay Garvi Gujarat song launched(Video) |url=http://deshgujarat.com/2011/05/07/newest-version-of-jay-jay-garvi-gujarat-song-launchedvideo/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161113115131/http://deshgujarat.com/2011/05/07/newest-version-of-jay-jay-garvi-gujarat-song-launchedvideo/ |archive-date=13 November 2016 |access-date=12 November 2016 |website=DeshGujarat }}</ref>

| fruit = [[Mango]][[File:Mangoes pic.jpg|50px|left]]<ref name="Nri Gujarati News">{{Cite web |title=Which is State Fruit of Gujarat India – Mango (Keri) |url=http://www.nrigujarati.co.in/Topic/3631/1/which-is-state-fruit-of-gujarat-india-mango-keri-verities-photos-types-of-mango-images.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031530/http://www.nrigujarati.co.in/Topic/3631/1/which-is-state-fruit-of-gujarat-india-mango-keri-verities-photos-types-of-mango-images.html |archive-date=1 December 2017 |access-date=14 July 2017 |website=Nri Gujarati News }}</ref>

'''Gujarat''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|ɡ|ʊ|dʒ|ə|ˈ|r|ɑː|t}}, {{IPA-gu|ˈɡudʒəɾɑt|lang|Gujarat.ogg}}) is a [[States of India|state]] along the [[Western India|western coast]] of [[India]]. Its coastline of about {{convert|1600|km|mi|abbr=on}} is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the [[Kathiawar]] peninsula. Gujarat is the [[List of states and union territories of India by area|fifth-largest Indian state by area]], covering some {{convert|196024|km2|mi2}}; and the [[List of states and union territories of India by population|ninth-most populous state]], with a population of 60.4&nbsp;million. It is bordered by [[Rajasthan]] to the [[northeast]], [[Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu]] to the south, [[Maharashtra]] to the southeast, [[Madhya Pradesh]] to the east, and the [[Arabian Sea]] and the [[Pakistan]]i province of [[Sindh]] to the west. Gujarat's [[capital city]] is [[Gandhinagar]], while its largest city is [[Ahmedabad]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gujarat Population 2018 |url=http://worldpopulationreview.com/territories/gujarat-population/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125015346/http://worldpopulationreview.com/territories/gujarat-population/ |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=24 January 2018 |website=worldpopulationreview.com}}</ref> The [[Gujarati people|Gujaratis]] are indigenous to the state and their language, [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], is the state's official language.

The state [[List of Indus Valley civilisation sites#List of Indus Valley sites discovered|encompasses 23 sites]] of the ancient [[Indus Valley civilisation]] (more than any other state). The most important sites are [[Lothal]] (the world's first dry dock), [[Dholavira]] (the fifth largest site), and [[Gola Dhoro]] (where 5 uncommon seals were found). Lothal is believed to have been one of the world's first [[Historical ports|seaports]].<ref name="kulke">{{Cite book |last=Kulke |first=Professor of Asian History Hermann |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RoW9GuFJ9GIC |title=A History of India |last2=Kulke |first2=Hermann |last3=Rothermund |first3=Dietmar |date=2004 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-415-32920-0 |pages=26–27 |language=en}}</ref> [[Gujarat Sultanate|Gujarat's]] coastal cities, chiefly [[Bharuch]] and [[Khambhat]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Baṭṭūṭa |first=Ibn |title=The Rehla of Ibn Battuta (India, Maldive Islands and Ceylon) |last2=Husain |first2=Mahdi |publisher=Oriental Institute |year=1976 |location=Baroda |pages=172}}</ref> served as ports and trading centres in the [[Maurya Empire|Maurya]] and [[Gupta Empire|Gupta]] empires, and during the succession of royal [[Saka]] dynasties in the [[Western Satraps]] era.<ref name="Hinduism and modernity">{{Cite book |last=David Smith |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x-aRSuypah8C&pg=PA62 |title=Hinduism and modernity |date=2003 |publisher=Blackwell |isbn=978-0-631-20862-4 |location=Oxford |page=62 |quote=Surat was then the place of embarkation of pilgrims to Mecca; known as Bab al-Makkah or the Gate of Mecca, it was almost a sacred place for the Muslims of India. More to the point it was the main city for foreign imports, where many merchants had their bases, and all the European trading companies were established. Its population was more than 100, 000.}}</ref><ref name="books.google.com">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lJtRAQAAIAAJ |title=The journal of Asian studies, Volume 35, Issues 1–2 |year=1975 |quote=For a pious emperor, Surat had more than economic and political importance; it was the port from which the hajj (pilgrimage) ships left Mughal India for the Red Sea. The port was variously known as Bab-al-Makkah, the Bab-ul-Hajj, the Dar-al-Hajj, and the Bandar-i-Mubarak. |access-date=22 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304110046/https://books.google.com/books?id=lJtRAQAAIAAJ |archive-date=4 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Along with [[Bihar]], [[Mizoram]] and [[Nagaland]], Gujarat is one of four Indian states to [[Alcohol prohibition in India|prohibit the sale of alcohol]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 April 2016 |title=States with total and phase-wise prohibition of alcohol in India |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/bihar-liquor-ban-states-having-total-prohibition-gujarat-kerala/ |access-date=2 August 2021 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> The [[Gir Forest National Park]] in Gujarat is home to the only wild population of the [[Asiatic lion]] in the world.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mukherjee |first=Aeshita |last2=Borad |first2=C.K. |date=1 October 2004 |title=Integrated approach towards conservation of Gir National Park: the last refuge of Asiatic Lions, India |url=https://doi.org/10.1023/B:BIOC.0000040009.75090.8c |journal=Biodiversity & Conservation |language=en |volume=13 |issue=11 |pages=2165–2182 |doi=10.1023/B:BIOC.0000040009.75090.8c |issn=1572-9710 |s2cid=35893400}}</ref>

 

The [[economy of Gujarat]] is the [[List of Indian states and union territories by GDP|fourth-largest in India]], with a [[List of Indian states and union territories by GDP|gross state domestic product (GSDP)]] of {{INRConvert|19.44|t|lk=r|year=2021}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gujarat Budget Analysis 2022-23 |url=https://prsindia.org/files/budget/budget_state/gujarat/2022/Gujarat_State%20Budget%20Analysis%202022-23.pdf |access-date=18 February 2022 |website=PRS Legislative Research |language=en-US}}</ref> and has the country's [[List of Indian states and union territories by GDP per capita|10th-highest GSDP per capita]] of {{INRConvert|243.761|k}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GSDP Per Capita |url=http://mospi.nic.in/sites/default/files/press_releases_statements/State_wise_SDP_28_02_2020.xls}}</ref> Gujarat ranks [[List of Indian states and territories by Human Development Index|21st among Indian states and union territories in human development index]].<ref name="snhdi-gdl">{{Cite web |title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database |url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923120638/https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/ |archive-date=23 September 2018 |access-date=25 September 2018 |website=Global Data Lab |publisher=Institute for Management Research, Radboud University}}</ref> The state traditionally has low unemployment and is widely considered one of the most industrially developed states of India and a manufacturing hub.<ref name="Gujarat_hub">{{Cite web |title=Periodic Labour Force Survey (2017-18) |url=http://www.mospi.gov.in/sites/default/files/publication_reports/Annual%20Report%2C%20PLFS%202017-18_31052019.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704192359/http://www.mospi.gov.in/sites/default/files/publication_reports/Annual%20Report%2C%20PLFS%202017-18_31052019.pdf |archive-date=4 July 2019 |access-date=3 May 2019 |publisher=[[Ministry of Labour and Employment (India)|Ministry of Labour and Employment]] |page=212}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=M Saraswathy |date=5 February 2020 |title=Electronic appliance makers eye Gujarat as new manufacturing hub |url=https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/companies/electronic-appliance-makers-eye-gujarat-as-new-manufacturing-hub-4909051.html |access-date=4 March 2017 |publisher=[[CNBC TV18]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pradeep Udhas |title=Accelerating growth in Gujarat |url=http://www.in.kpmg.com/pdf/Gujarat.pdf |access-date=4 July 2020 |publisher=[[KPMG]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tomar |first=Anita |last2=Oza |first2=Dr. Heena |date=September 2015 |title=Green supply chain management practices implementation and effect on organizational performance of ISO14001 certified manufacturing companies of India |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337562800 |journal=Abhinav International Monthly Refereed Journal of Research in Management & Technology |publisher=Abhinav Publication |volume=4 |issue=9 |pages=21 |issn=2320-0073 |access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref>

Gujarat is derived from the Pratihar dynasty of gurjars, who ruled Gujarat in the 8th and 9th centuries CE.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d8yFaNRcYcsC |title=Gujarat, Part 1 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |year=2003 |isbn=978-81-7991-104-4 |quote=The Gurjars of Chitrakuta and Gurjars of lta were mentioned in Rashtrakuta inscriptions}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gujarat Government |title=Gujarat state official site |url=http://www.gujaratindia.com/about-gujarat/history-1.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203081044/http://www.gujaratindia.com/about-gujarat/history-1.htm |archive-date=3 February 2010 |access-date=21 January 2010 |quote=The State took its name from the Gurjara, the land of the [[Gujjar]], who ruled the area during the 700s and 800s.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ramesh Chandra Majumdar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8QhuAAAAMAAJ |title=The History and Culture of the Indian People:The classical age |last2=Bhāratīya Itihāsa Samiti |publisher=G. Allen & Unwin |year=1954 |page=64}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Gujarat |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Gujarat |access-date=27 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019053624/https://www.britannica.com/place/Gujarat |archive-date=19 October 2016 |quote=Gujarat draws its name from the Gurjara, who ruled the area during the 8th and 9th centuries CE. |url-status=live}}</ref> Parts of modern [[Rajasthan]] and Gujarat have been known as ''Gurjaratra'' or ''Gurjarabhumi'' for centuries before the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] period.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ramesh Chandra Majumdar |title=The History and Culture of the Indian People: The classical age |last2=Achut Dattatrya Pusalker |last3=A. K. Majumdar |last4=Dilip Kumar Ghose |last5=Vishvanath Govind Dighe |last6=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan |publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan |year=1977 |page=153}}</ref>

| title = [[Indus Valley civilisation]]

| image1 = DHOLAVIRA SITE (24).jpg|caption1=[[Dholavira]], one of the largest cities of Indus Valley civilisation, with [[stepwell]] steps to reach the water level in artificially constructed reservoirs<ref name="news">{{Cite journal |last=Takezawa |first=Suichi |title=Stepwells -Cosmology of Subterranean Architecture as seen in Adalaj |url=http://news-sv.aij.or.jp/jabs/s1/jabs0208-019.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=The Diverse Architectural World of the Indian Sub-Continent |volume=III |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720175341/http://news-sv.aij.or.jp/jabs/s1/jabs0208-019.pdf |archive-date=20 July 2011 |access-date=18 November 2009}}</ref>

Gujarat was one of the main central areas of the Indus Valley civilisation, which is centred primarily in modern [[Pakistan]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 October 2017 |title=Devdutt Pattanaik explores Gujarat through the ages and finds, in its archaeology, its myths and legends, its cultures and histories, a microcosm of the multilayered country he loves |url=https://www.cntraveller.in/story/india-via-gujarat/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027131256/https://www.cntraveller.in/story/india-via-gujarat/ |archive-date=27 October 2017 |access-date=27 October 2017}}</ref> It contains ancient metropolitan cities from the [[Indus Valley]] such as [[Lothal]], Dholavira and [[Gola Dhoro]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 October 2017 |title=Where does history begin? |url=https://www.cntraveller.in/story/india-via-gujarat/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027131256/https://www.cntraveller.in/story/india-via-gujarat/ |archive-date=27 October 2017 |access-date=27 October 2017}}</ref> The ancient city of Lothal was where India's first port was established.<ref name=kulke /> The ancient city of Dholavira is one of the largest and most prominent archaeological sites in India, belonging to the Indus Valley civilisation. The most recent discovery was Gola Dhoro. Altogether, about fifty Indus Valley settlement ruins have been discovered in Gujarat.<ref name="mapsofindia.com">{{Cite web |title=History of Gujarat |url=http://www.mapsofindia.com/gujarat/history/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526165223/http://www.mapsofindia.com/gujarat/history/ |archive-date=26 May 2010 |access-date=16 July 2010 |publisher=Mapsofindia.com}}</ref>

The early history of Gujarat includes the imperial grandeur of [[Chandragupta Maurya]] who conquered a number of earlier states in what is now Gujarat. Pushyagupta, a [[Vaishya]], was appointed the governor of [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]] by the Mauryan regime. He ruled Girinagar (modern-day [[Junagadh]]) (322 BCE to 294 BCE) and built a dam on the Sudarshan lake. Emperor [[Ashoka]], the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, not only ordered his edicts engraved in the rock at Junagadh, but also asked Governor Tusherpha to cut canals from the lake where an earlier Mauryan governor had built a dam. Between the decline of Mauryan power and Saurashtra coming under the sway of the [[Samprati]] Mauryas of [[Ujjain]], there was an [[Indo-Greek]] defeat in Gujarat of [[Demetrius I of Bactria|Demetrius]]. In 16th century manuscripts, there is an apocryphal story of a merchant of King [[Gondophares]] landing in Gujarat with [[Apostle Thomas]]. The incident of the cup-bearer torn apart by a lion might indicate that the port city described is in Gujarat.<ref>The Acts of Judas Thomas, M.R. James, Tr. by M.R. James, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924.</ref><ref>Medlycott, A. E. [http://www.indianchristianity.com/html/chap4/chapter4a.htm India and the Apostle Thomas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924034342/http://www.indianchristianity.com/html/chap4/chapter4a.htm |date=24 September 2015 }}</ref>

| image1 = Gujuras of Sindh Circa AD 570-712.jpg|caption1=Coin of the Gujuras of [[Sindh]], [[Chavda dynasty]], circa 570–712 CE. Crowned [[Sasanian Empire|Sasanian]]-style bust right / Fire altar with ribbons and attendants; star and crescent flanking flames.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CNG: eAuction 343. INDIA, Post-Gupta (Gujura Confederacy). Gujuras of Sindh. Circa AD 570-712. AR Drachm (25&nbsp;mm, 3.84 g, 9h). |url=https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=277200 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811103733/https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=277200 |archive-date=11 August 2017 |access-date=15 July 2017 |website=cngcoins.com}}</ref>

The Kshatrapa dynasty was replaced by the [[Gupta Empire]] with the conquest of Gujarat by [[Chandragupta Vikramaditya]]. Vikramaditya's successor [[Skandagupta]] left an inscription (450 CE) on a rock at Junagadh which gives details of the governor's repairs to the embankment surrounding Sudarshan lake after it was damaged by floods. The [[Anarta]] and [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]] regions were both parts of the Gupta empire. Towards the middle of the 5th century, the Gupta empire went into decline. Senapati Bhatarka, the general of the Guptas, took advantage of the situation and in 470 set up what came to be known as the [[Maitraka]] state. He shifted his capital from Giringer to [[Valabhi]], near [[Bhavnagar]], on Saurashtra's east coast. The Maitrakas of Vallabhi became very powerful with their rule prevailing over large parts of Gujarat and adjoining [[Malwa]]. A university was set up by the Maitrakas, which came to be known far and wide for its scholastic pursuits and was compared with the noted [[Nalanda University]]. It was during the rule of Dhruvasena Maitrak that Chinese philosopher-traveler [[Xuanzang]]/ [[I Tsing]] visited in 640 along the [[Silk Road]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mote |first=Sally Hovey Wriggins ; with a foreword by Frederick W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RwQLAAAAYAAJ |title=Xuanzang : a Buddhist pilgrim on the Silk Road |date=1996 |publisher=Westview Press |isbn=978-0-8133-2801-0 |location=Boulder, Colo. |access-date=22 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304110046/https://books.google.com/books?id=RwQLAAAAYAAJ |archive-date=4 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Gujarat was known to the [[ancient Greeks]] and was familiar with other Western centers of civilisation through the end of the European [[Middle Ages]]. The oldest written record of Gujarat's 2,000-year maritime history is documented in a Greek book titled ''[[Periplus of the Erythraean Sea|The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea]]: Travel and Trade in the Indian Ocean by a Merchant of the First Century''.<ref>{{Citation |last=Vashi |first=Ashish |title=Saga of Barygaza |date=21 October 2010 |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-10-21/ahmedabad/28239734_1_bharuch-port-book |work=[[The Times of India]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121042919/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-10-21/ahmedabad/28239734_1_bharuch-port-book |quote="The book describes an episode of a foreigner bringing costly gifts for kings, saying, "And for the King there are very costly vessels of silver, singing boys, beautiful maidens for the harem, fine wines, thin clothing of the finest weaves, and the choicest ointments." |access-date=19 August 2014 |archive-date=21 January 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=William H. Schoff |title=The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea: Travel and Trade in the Indian Ocean by a Merchant of the First Century |url=http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/periplus/periplus.html |year=1912 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224165507/http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/periplus/periplus.html |place=New York |format=digitalized |quote=As a sign of these places to those approaching from the sea there are serpents, very large and black; for at the other places on this coast and around Barygaza, they are smaller, and in color bright green, running into gold&nbsp;... Now the whole country of India has very many rivers, and very great ebb and flow of the tides; increasing at the new moon, and at the full moon for three days, and falling off during the intervening days of the moon. But about Barygaza it is much greater, so that the bottom is suddenly seen, and now parts of the dry land are sea, and now it is dry where ships were sailing just before; and the rivers, under the inrush of the flood tide, when the whole force of the sea is directed against them, are driven upwards more strongly against their natural current, for many stadia. |access-date=1 October 2013 |archive-date=24 February 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In the early 8th century, the [[Arabs]] of the [[Umayyad Caliphate]] established an empire in the name of the rising religion of [[Islam]], which stretched from Spain in the west to Afghanistan and modern-day Pakistan in the east. Al-Junaid, the successor of [[Muhammad ibn Qasim|Qasim]], finally subdued the Hindu resistance within [[Sindh]] and established a secure base. The Arab rulers tried to expand their empire southeast, which culminated in the [[Caliphate campaigns in India]] fought in 730; they were defeated and expelled west of the [[Indus]] river, probably by a coalition of the Hindu rulers [[Nagabhata I]] of the [[Gurjara-Pratihara]] dynasty, [[Vikramaditya II]] of the [[Chalukya]] dynasty and [[Bappa Rawal]] of the [[Guhila dynasty]]. After this victory, the Arab invaders were driven out of Gujarat. General [[Avanijanashraya Pulakeshin|Pulakeshin]], a Chalukya prince of [[Lata (region)|Lata]], received the title ''Avanijanashraya'' (refuge of the people of the earth) and honorific of "Repeller of the unrepellable" by the Chalukya emperor [[Vikramaditya II]] for his victory at the battle at [[Navsari]], where the Arab troops suffered a crushing defeat.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Blankinship |first=Khalid Yahya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pNGq6sU-xbgC&pg=PA187 |title=The end of the jihād state : the reign of Hishām ibn ʻAbd al-Malik and the collapse of the Umayyads |publisher=State University of New York Press |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-7914-1828-4 |location=Albany |page=189 |quote=The Syrian troops became increasingly reluctant to serve on the ill-omened Indian front, which seemed, after so many failures, to be well on its way to becoming the worst front. |access-date=19 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304110046/https://books.google.com/books?id=pNGq6sU-xbgC&pg=PA187 |archive-date=4 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In the late 8th century, the Kannauj Triangle period started. The three major Indian dynasties – the northwest Indian Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty, the south Indian [[Rashtrakuta Dynasty]] and the east Indian [[Pala Empire]] {{ndash}} dominated India from the 8th to 10th centuries. During this period the northern part of Gujarat was ruled by the north Indian Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty and the southern part of Gujarat was ruled by the south Indian [[Rashtrakuta Dynasty]].<ref name="ReferenceC">Ancient India by Ramesh Chandra Majumdar p. 366</ref> However, the earliest epigraphical records of the Gurjars of [[Bharuch|Broach]] attest that the royal bloodline of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty of [[Gurjaras of Lata|Dadda I, II and III]] (650–750) ruled south Gujarat.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Manjulal Ranchholdlal Majmudar |title=Historical and cultural chronology of Gujarat, Volume 1 |publisher=Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda |year=1960 |page=147}}</ref> Southern Gujarat was ruled by the south Indian [[Rashtrakuta dynasty]] until it was captured by the south Indian ruler [[Tailapa II]] of the [[Western Chalukya Empire]].<ref name="Gajrani 32">History, Religion and Culture of India, by S. Gajrani p.32</ref>

[[Zoroastrians in Iran|Zoroastrians]] from [[Greater Iran]] migrated to the western borders of South Asia (Gujarat and [[Sindh]]) during the 8th or 10th century,<ref name="Hodivala 1920 88">{{harvnb|Hodivala|1920|p=88}}</ref> to avoid [[Persecution of Zoroastrians|persecution]] by Muslim invaders who were in the process of conquering Iran. The descendants of those Zoroastrian refugees came to be known as the [[Parsi]].<ref name="boy148">{{harvnb|Boyce|2001|p=148}}</ref><ref name="khan17">{{harvnb|Khanbaghi|2006|p=17}}</ref><ref name="jack">{{harvnb|Jackson|1906|p=27}}</ref><ref name="bleek212">{{harvnb|Bleeker|Widengren|1971|p=212}}</ref>

Subsequently, [[Lata (region)|Lāṭa]] in southern Gujarat was ruled by the [[Rashtrakuta dynasty]] until it was captured by the [[Western Chalukyas|Western Chalukya]] ruler [[Tailapa II]].<ref name="Gajrani 32" /><ref name="Wink1991">{{Cite book |last=André Wink |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bCVyhH5VDjAC&pg=PA283 |title=Al- Hind: The slave kings and the Islamic conquest. 2 |publisher=BRILL |year=1991 |isbn=978-90-04-09509-0 |pages=283 |access-date=17 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304110046/https://books.google.com/books?id=bCVyhH5VDjAC&pg=PA283 |archive-date=4 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Chaulukya dynasty<ref name="horace_glossary_punjab_nwfp">{{Cite book |last=Rose |first=Horace Arthur |title=Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North West Frontier Province |last2=Ibbetson |publisher=Asian Educational Services |year=1990 |isbn=978-81-206-0505-3 |page=300}}</ref> ruled Gujarat from c. 960 to 1243. Gujarat was a major center of Indian Ocean trade, and their capital at [[Anhilwara]] ([[Patan, Gujarat|Patan]]) was one of the largest cities in India, with a population estimated at 100,000 in the year 1000. After 1243, the Solankis lost control of Gujarat to their feudatories, of whom the [[Vaghela dynasty|Vaghela]] chiefs of [[Dholka]] came to dominate Gujarat. In 1292 the Vaghelas became tributaries of the [[Seuna Yadavas of Devagiri|Yadava]] dynasty of [[Daulatabad, Maharashtra|Devagiri]] in the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]]. Karandev of the [[Vaghela dynasty]] was the last Hindu ruler of Gujarat. He was defeated and overthrown by the superior forces of [[Alauddin Khalji]] from Delhi in 1297. With his defeat, Gujarat became part of the [[Delhi Sultanate]], and the Rajput hold over Gujarat would never be restored.

Fragments of printed cotton from Gujarat have been discovered in Egypt, providing evidence for medieval trade in the western Indian Ocean.<ref name=Barnes2017/> These fragments represent the Indian cotton traded in Egypt during the [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid]], [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubid]] and [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluk]] periods, from the tenth to sixteenth centuries. Similar Gujarati cotton was also traded as far east as Indonesia.<ref name="Barnes2017">{{Cite journal |last=Barnes |first=Ruth |year=2017 |title=Indian Cotton for Cairo: The Royal Ontario Museum's Gujarati Textiles and the Early Western Indian Ocean Trade |journal=Textile History |volume=48 |issue=1 |pages=15–30 |doi=10.1080/00404969.2017.1294814 |issn=0040-4969 |s2cid=194752057}}</ref>

=== Muslim rule ===

After the [[Ghoris]] had assumed a position of Muslim supremacy over North India, [[Qutbuddin Aibak]] attempted to conquer Gujarat and annex it to his empire in 1197, but failed in his ambitions.<ref name="Handbuch der Orientalistik">{{Cite book |last=Schimmel |first=Annemarie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TYImm1TnemwC&pg=PA65 |title=Handbuch der Orientalistik |date=1980 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-06117-0 |location=Leiden |page=65}}</ref> An independent Muslim community continued to flourish in Gujarat for the next hundred years, championed by Arab merchants settling along the western coast. From 1297 to 1300, [[Alauddin Khalji]], the Turko-Afghan [[Sultanate of Delhi|Sultan of Delhi]], destroyed the Hindu metropolis of [[Anhilwara]] and incorporated Gujarat into the [[Delhi Sultanate]]. After [[Timur]] sacked [[Delhi]] at the end of the 14th century, weakening the Sultanate, Gujarat's Muslim [[Khatri]] governor Zafar Khan Muzaffar ([[Muzaffar Shah I]]) asserted his independence, and his son, Sultan [[Ahmed Shah of Gujarat|Ahmed Shah]] (ruled 1411–1442), established [[Ahmedabad]] as the capital. [[Khambhat]] eclipsed Bharuch as Gujarat's most important trade port. Gujarat's relations with [[Egypt]], which was then the premier Arab power in the Middle East, remained friendly over the next century and the [[Egyptian people|Egyptian]] scholar, ''Badruddin-ad-Damamimi'', spent several years in Gujarat in the shade of the Sultan before proceeding to the [[Bahmani Sultanate]] on the Deccan Plateau.<ref name="wink143">{{Cite book |last=Wink |first=André |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nyYslywJUE8C&pg=PA143 |title=Indo-Islamic society: 14th - 15th centuries |date=1990 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-13561-1 |pages=143 |language=en |quote=Zafar Khan Muzaffar, the first independent ruler of Gujarat was not a foreign muslim but a Khatri convert, of a low subdivision called Tank, originally from Southern Punjab.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Muhammed Ibrahim Dar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m6gBAAAAMAAJ |title=Literary and Cultural Activities in Gujarat Under the Khaljis and Sultanate |date=1952 |publisher=Bazm-i-Ishaʻat, Ismail Yusuf College |page=51 |access-date=22 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304110046/https://books.google.com/books?id=m6gBAAAAMAAJ |archive-date=4 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Shah e Alam]], a famous Sufi saint of the [[Chishti]] order who was the descendant of Makhdoom [[Jahaniyan Jahangasht]] from [[Bukhara]], soon arrived in a group that included Arab theologian ''Ibn Suwaid'', several [[Sayyid]] Sufi members of the [[Abu Bakr al-Aydarus|Aydarus family]] of [[Tarim, Yemen|Tarim]] in [[Yemen]],<ref name="Sufiorders">J. Spencer Trimingham, John O. Voll, ''The Sufi Orders in Islam'', pg 73</ref> Iberian court interpreter ''Ali al-Andalusi'' from [[Granada]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Subrahmanyam |first=Muzaffar Alam, Sanjay |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9mmLOKuzT-IC&pg=PA41 |title=Writing the Mughal world : studies on culture and politics |date=2012 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-15811-4 |location=New York |page=41}}</ref> and the Arab jurist ''Bahraq'' from [[Hadramaut]] who was appointed a tutor of the prince.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Richard Maxwell Eaton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j2F9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA127 |title=The Sufis of Bijapur, 1300–1700: Social Roles of Sufis in Medieval India |date=8 March 2015 |publisher=Princeton University Press, 2015 |isbn=978-1-4008-6815-5 |page=127}}</ref> Among the illustrious names who arrived during the reign of [[Mahmud Begada]] was the philosopher ''Haibatullah Shah Mir'' from [[Shiraz]], and the scholar intellectual ''Abu Fazl Ghazaruni'' from [[Persia]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Achyut Yagnik |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ivMAUx6Hdl8C&pg=PT57 |title=Ahmedabad: From Royal city to Megacity |date=2 February 2011 |publisher=Penguin UK, 2011 |isbn=9788184754735 |access-date=18 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mansooruddin Quraishi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=20UDAAAAMAAJ |title=Muslim education and learning in Gujarat, 1297–1758 |publisher=Faculty of Education and Psychology, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda |year=1972 |page=47 |access-date=22 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304110046/https://books.google.com/books?id=20UDAAAAMAAJ |archive-date=4 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> who tutored and adopted [[Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak]], author of the ''[[Akbarnama]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Alvi Azra |title=Socio Religious Outlook of Abul Fazl |publisher=Vanguard Books |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-210-40543-7 |location=Lahore Pakistan |page=6}}</ref> Later, a close alliance between the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[Turkish people|Turks]] and Gujarati sultans to effectively safeguard [[Jeddah]] and the [[Red Sea]] trade from Portuguese [[imperialism]], encouraged the existence of powerful [[Rumi]] elites within the kingdom who took the post of [[viziers]] in Gujarat keen to maintain ties with the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman state]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Giancarlo Casale |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xf3h3Z1YQtIC&pg=PA104 |title=The Ottoman Age of Exploration |date=2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-979879-7 |page=104}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ali Anooshahr |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pTN8AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA43 |title=The Ghazi Sultans and the Frontiers of Islam: A Comparative Study of the Late Medieval and Early Modern Periods |date=2008 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-04134-3 |page=43 |quote=Nevertheless, there were indeed people in India, specifically in Gujarat, who by about 1486 knew the Ottomans as the primary Ghazi sultans of western domains of the abode of Islam, and had tried to elevate their own standing by posing as comrade ghazis fighting irreligion in the east.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HKmXcBCKEcAC&pg=PA7 |title=India's naval traditions : the role of Kunhali Marakkars |date=1997 |publisher=Northern Book Centre |isbn=978-81-7211-083-3 |editor-last=Kurup |editor-first=K.K.N. |location=New Delhi |page=7 |quote=Gujarati merchants had very long-standing relations with the Persian Gulf and Red Sea regions. Aden, Ormuz, and Mecca were frequently visited by them. They took gold, quicksilver, vermilion, copper, rose-water, camlets, scarlet-in-grain, coloured woollen cloth, glass beads and weapons which were brought by merchants from Cairo to Aden. The above mentioned items were collected by merchants from Italy, Greece, and Damascus. Horses from various parts of Arabia and Persia, especially from Ormuz, were brought by the Gujarati merchants to India.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Arthur Percival Newton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y-08AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA23 |title=The Cambridge History of the British Empire |date=1936 |publisher=CUP Archive |page=23 |quote=The annual pilgrimages of Indian Muslim to Mecca, whose route lay through Gujarat (which was called the Gate of Mecca) had been for some years interrupted by the domination of the Arabian Sea by the Portuguese and also by the disorder prevailing in Gujarat. |access-date=24 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ho |first=Engseng |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YMcZU0VHdG0C&pg=PA122 |title=The graves of Tarim genealogy and mobility across the Indian Ocean |date=2006 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-93869-4 |location=Berkeley |page=122 |quote=From the other direction, the enhanced security of the Hejaz provided not only profits for Gujarati merchants but succor for Gujarat's Muslim sultans. In times of insecurity, Gujarati sultans would send their families and treasures to the Hejaz for safekeeping&nbsp;... the sultanate indeed fell, in 1573, and the triumphant emperor Akbar, retained his services giving him charge of pious endowments in Gujarat dedicated to Mecca and Medina.}}</ref>

[[Humayun]] also briefly occupied the province in 1536, but fled due to the threat [[Bahadur Shah of Gujarat|Bahadur Shah]], the Gujarat king, imposed.<ref>{{Cite book |last=A.V. Williams |url=http://www.ibiblio.org/britishraj/Jackson3/chapter09.html |title=Chapter 9 – The Ebb of the Tide – Humayun – 1530–1556 A.D. |page=228 |access-date=30 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003111225/http://www.ibiblio.org/britishraj/Jackson3/chapter09.html |archive-date=3 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Sultanate of Gujarat]] remained independent until 1572, when the Mughal emperor [[Akbar]] conquered it and annexed it to the [[Mughal Empire]].<ref name="sen2">{{Cite book |last=Sen |first=Sailendra |title=A Textbook of Medieval Indian History |publisher=Primus Books |year=2013 |isbn=978-93-80607-34-4 |pages=115–116}}</ref>

The [[Surat]] port (the only Indian port facing west) then became the principal port of India during Mughal rule, gaining widespread international repute. The city of Surat, famous for its exports of silk and [[diamonds]], had reached a par with contemporary [[Venice]] and [[Beijing]], great mercantile cities of Europe and Asia,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Poros |first=Maritsa V. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_tm_n7uSXT8C&pg=PT30 |title=Modern migrations : Gujarati Indian networks in New York and London |date=2011 |publisher=Stanford University Press |isbn=978-0-8047-7222-8 |location=Stanford, Calif. |quote=Indeed, Fernand Braudel likened Surat to some of the great mercantile cities of Europe and Asia, such as Venice and Beijing&nbsp;... Godinho estimated that Surat's population was more than 100, 000, with people from all over the world residing in the city or frequenting it for business. He even claimed that it surpasses our "Evora in grandeur"}}</ref> and earned the distinguished title, ''Bab al-Makkah'' (Gate of Mecca).<ref name="Hinduism and modernity" /><ref name="books.google.com" />

Drawn by the religious renaissance taking place under Akbar, [[Mohammed Ghaus]] moved to Gujarat and established spiritual centers for the [[Shattari]] Sufi order from Iran, founding the [[Ek Toda Mosque]] and producing such devotees as [[Wajihuddin Alvi]] of Ahmedabad whose many successors moved to [[Bijapur]] during the height of the [[Adil Shahi dynasty]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Richard Maxwell Eaton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j2F9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA127 |title=The Sufis of Bijapur, 1300–1700: Social Roles of Sufis in Medieval India |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2015 |isbn=9781400868155 |page=60}}</ref> At the same time, Zoroastrian high priest [[Azar Kayvan]] who was a native of [[Fars province|Fars]], immigrated to Gujarat founding the Zoroastrian school of [[Illuminationism|illuminationists]] which attracted key Shi'ite Muslim admirers of the [[Safavid]] philosophical revival from [[Isfahan]].

Many of these "foreign merchants" were transient visitors, men of [[South Arabia]]n and [[Persian Gulf]] ports, who migrated in and out of Cambay with the rhythm of the monsoons. But others were men with Arab or Persian patronyms whose families had settled in the town generations, even centuries earlier, intermarrying with Gujarati women, and assimilating everyday customs of the Hindu hinterland.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dunn |first=Ross E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZF2spo9BKacC&pg=PA218 |title=The adventures of Ibn Battuta, a Muslim traveler of the fourteenth century |publisher=University of California Press |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-520-05771-5 |location=Berkeley |page=218 |access-date=19 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304110046/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZF2spo9BKacC&pg=PA218 |archive-date=4 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Age of Discovery]] heralded the dawn of pioneer Portuguese and Spanish long-distance travel in search of alternative [[trade routes]] to "[[Indies|the East Indies]]", moved by the trade of [[gold]], [[silver]] and [[spices]]. In 1497, Portuguese explorer [[Vasco da Gama]] is said to have discovered the [[Discovery of the sea route to India|Europe-to-India]] sea route which changed the course of history, thanks to [[Kutchi people|Kutchi]] sailor Kanji Malam, who showed him the route from the East African coasts of [[Mozambique]] sailing onwards to [[Calicut]] off the [[Malabar coast]] in India.<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 October 2010 |title=Gujarati showed Vasco 'da' way |work=[[The Times of India]] |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-10-03/ahmedabad/28223775_1_gama-vasco-da-gujarati |url-status=dead |access-date=1 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001090714/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-10-03/ahmedabad/28223775_1_gama-vasco-da-gujarati |archive-date=1 October 2013 |quote=Historians have differed over the identity of the sailor, calling him a Christian, a Muslim and a Gujarati. According to another account, he was the famous Arab navigator Ibn Majid. Some historians suggest Majid could not have been near the vicinity at the time. German author Justus says it was Malam who accompanied Vasco&nbsp;... Italian researcher Sinthia Salvadori too has concluded that it was Malam who showed Gama the way to India. Salvadori has made this observation in her 'We Came In Dhows', an account written after interacting with people in Gujarat.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=N. Subrahmanian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CbgBAAAAMAAJ |title=Homage to a Historian: A Festschrift |last2=Tamil̲an̲pan̲ |last3=S. Jeyapragasam |publisher=Dr. N. Subrahmanian 60th Birthday Celebration Committee |year=1976 |page=62 |access-date=19 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304110046/https://books.google.com/books?id=CbgBAAAAMAAJ |archive-date=4 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Darwis Khudori |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R6zZAAAAMAAJ |title=Rethinking solidarity in global society : the challenge of globalisation for social and solidarity movements: 50 years after Bandung Asian-African Conference 1955 |publisher=Strategic Information and Research Development Centre |year=2007 |isbn=978-983-3782-13-0 |location=Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia |page=35 |access-date=1 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304110046/https://books.google.com/books?id=R6zZAAAAMAAJ |archive-date=4 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Later, the Gujarat Sultanate allied with the [[Ottomans]] and [[Mamluks|Egyptian Mamluks]] naval fleets led by governor-generals [[Malik Ayyaz]] and [[Amir Husain Al-Kurdi]], vanquished the Portuguese in the 1508 [[Battle of Chaul]] resulting in the first Portuguese defeat at sea in the [[Indian Ocean]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Peter Padfield |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ACI-AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA62 |title=Tide of Empires: 1481–1654 |publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul |year=1979 |isbn=978-0-7100-0150-4 |page=62 |access-date=19 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102052018/https://books.google.com/books?id=ACI-AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA62 |archive-date=2 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

To 16th-century European observers, Gujarat was a fabulously wealthy country. The customs revenue of Gujarat alone in the early 1570s was nearly three times the total revenue of the whole [[Portuguese empire]] in Asia in 1586–87, when it was at its height.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pearson |first=M. N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yVPn43u846AC&pg=PA108 |title=Merchants and rulers in Gujarat: the response to the Portuguese in the sixteenth century |publisher=University of California Press |year=1976 |isbn=978-0-520-02809-8 |edition=illustrated |location=Berkeley |page=109}}</ref> Indeed, when the British arrived on the coast of Gujarat, houses in [[Surat]] already had windows of [[Venetian glass]] imported from [[Constantinople]] through the [[Ottoman empire]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Goody |first=Jack |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xXsaTLDG5HcC&pg=PA113 |title=The East in the West |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-521-55673-6 |edition=1998 Repr. |location=Cambridge |page=113 |access-date=19 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304110046/https://books.google.com/books?id=xXsaTLDG5HcC&pg=PA113 |archive-date=4 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1514, the Portuguese explorer [[Duarte Barbosa]] described the cosmopolitan atmosphere of [[Rander]] known otherwise as ''City of Mosques'' in Surat province, which gained the fame and reputation of illustrious Islamic scholars, Sufi-saints, merchants and intellectuals from all over the world:<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-rQBAAAAYAAJ |title=Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Gujarát Surat and Broach Volume 2, Part 1 of Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Bombay (India : State) |date=30 April 2007 |publisher=Printed at the Government Central Press |page=299 |format=Digitized |access-date=19 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304110046/https://books.google.com/books?id=-rQBAAAAYAAJ |archive-date=4 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The conquest of the Kingdom of Gujarat marked a significant event of Akbar's reign. Being the major trade gateway and departure harbour of pilgrim ships to Mecca, it gave the Mughal Empire free access to the Arabian sea and control over the rich commerce that passed through its ports. The territory and income of the empire were vastly increased.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tsukasa Mizushima |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L2OeBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA88 |title=Hinterlands and Commodities: Place, Space, Time and the Political Economic Development of Asia over the Long Eighteenth Century European Expansion and Indigenous Response |last2=George Bryan Souza |last3=Dennis O. Flynn |date=2014 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=9789004283909 |page=88}}</ref>

For the best part of two centuries, the independent [[Khatri]] [[Sultanate of Gujarat]] was the cynosure of its neighbours on account of its wealth and prosperity, which had long made the Gujarati merchant a familiar figure in the ports of the Indian Ocean.<ref name="wink143" /><ref name="Mehta1991">{{Cite book |last=Mehta |first=Makrand |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9lz3gNDMbWEC&pg=PA21 |title=Indian Merchants and Entrepreneurs in Historical Perspective |date=11 January 1991 |publisher=Academic Foundation |isbn=978-81-7188-017-1 |page=1}}</ref> Gujaratis, including Hindus and Muslims as well as the enterprising [[Parsi]] class of [[Zoroastrians]], had been specialising in the organisation of overseas trade for many centuries, and had moved into various branches of commerce such as [[commodity trade]], [[brokerage]], [[money-changing]], [[money-lending]] and [[banking]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Haider |first=Irfan Habib with contributions from Najaf |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K8kO4J3mXUAC&pg=PA171 |title=Economic history of medieval India, 1200–1500 |last2=Khan |first2=Iqtidar Alam |last3=Moosvi |first3=Shireen |last4=Prasad |first4=Pushpa |date=2011 |publisher=Pearson Education |isbn=978-81-317-2791-1 |location=New Delhi |page=171 |access-date=22 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304110046/https://books.google.com/books?id=K8kO4J3mXUAC&pg=PA171 |archive-date=4 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

By the 17th century, [[Arab (Gujarat)|Chavuse]] and [[Baghdadi Jews]] had assimilated into the social world of the Surat province, later on their descendants would give rise to the [[David Sassoon (treasurer)|Sassoons]] of Bombay and the [[Ezra Mir|Ezras]] of Calcutta, and other influential Indian-Jewish figures who went on to play a philanthropical role in the commercial development of 19th-century British Crown Colony of [[Shanghai]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lentin |first=Sifra Samuel |title=India's Jewish heritage: ritual, art, & life-cycle |date=2002 |editor-last=Weil |editor-first=Shelve |location=Mumbai |pages=22–35 |language=en |chapter=The Jewish presence in Bombay}}</ref> Spearheaded by [[Khoja]], [[Mustaali|Bohra]], [[Bhatia caste|Bhatiya]] [[shahbandar]]s and Moorish [[nakhuda]]s who dominated sea navigation and shipping, Gujarat's transactions with the outside world had created the legacy of an international transoceanic empire which had a vast commercial network of permanent agents stationed at all the great port cities across the [[Indian Ocean]]. These networks extended to the [[Philippines]] in the east, [[East Africa]] in the west, and via maritime and the inland caravan route to [[Russia]] in the north.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bwJD2WBNtNMC&pg=PA28 |title=The South Asian Diaspora: Transnational Networks and Changing Identities |publisher=Routledge |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-134-10595-3 |editor-last=Rajesh Rai |page=1 |access-date=19 October 2015 |editor-last2=Peter Reeves |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304110046/https://books.google.com/books?id=bwJD2WBNtNMC&pg=PA28 |archive-date=4 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Jama Masjid, Ahmedabad 01.jpg|thumb|[[Jama Mosque, Ahmedabad|Jama Masjid]], Ahmedabad]]

Even at the time of [[Tomé Pires]]' travel to the [[East Indies]] in the early 16th century, Gujarati merchants had earned an international reputation for their commercial acumen and this encouraged the visit of merchants from [[Cairo]], [[Armenia]], [[Ethiopian Empire|Abyssinia]], [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]], [[Shiraz]], [[Turkestan]] and [[Gilan Province|Guilans]] from Aden and Hormuz.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Freeman-Grenville |first=G.S.P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3fKoAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA250 |title=Historical atlas of Islam |last2=Munro-Hay |first2=Stuart Christopher |date=2002 |publisher=Continuum |isbn=978-0-8264-1417-5 |edition=Rev. and expanded |location=New York [u.a.] |page=250 |access-date=22 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304110046/https://books.google.com/books?id=3fKoAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA250 |archive-date=4 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Pires noted in his ''Suma Orientale'':<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bwJD2WBNtNMC&pg=PA28 |title=The South Asian Diaspora: Transnational Networks and Changing Identities |publisher=Routledge |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-134-10595-3 |editor-last=Rajesh Rai |page=31 |access-date=19 October 2015 |editor-last2=Peter Reeves |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304110046/https://books.google.com/books?id=bwJD2WBNtNMC&pg=PA28 |archive-date=4 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Gujarat was one of the twelve original [[subah]]s (imperial top-level provinces) established by [[Mughal Emperor]] (''Badshah'') [[Akbar]], with seat at Ahmedabad, bordering on [[Thatta]] (Sindh), [[Ajmer]], [[Malwa]] and later Ahmadnagar subahs.

[[Aurangzeb]], who was better known by his imperial title [[Alamgir I|Alamgir]] ("Conqueror of the World"), was born at [[Dahod]], Gujarat, and was the sixth Mughal Emperor ruling with an iron fist over most of the Indian subcontinent. He was the third son and sixth child of [[Shah Jahan]] and [[Mumtaz Mahal]]. At the time of his birth, his father, Shah Jahan, was then the Subahdar (governor) of Gujarat, and his grandfather, [[Jehangir]], was the Mughal Emperor. Before he became emperor, Aurangzeb was made Subahdar of Gujarat subah as part of his training and was stationed at Ahmedabad. Aurangzeb was a notable expansionist and was among the wealthiest of the Mughal rulers, with an annual yearly tribute of £38,624,680 (in 1690). During his lifetime, victories in the south expanded the Mughal Empire to more than 3.2&nbsp;million square kilometres and he ruled over a population estimated as being in the range of 100–150&nbsp;million subjects.

In his letter, Aurangzeb wrote:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ashish Vashi |date=1 May 2012 |title=Aurangzeb loved Dahod till the end |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/1682952/report-aurangzeb-loved-dahod-till-the-end |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927142458/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/1682952/report-aurangzeb-loved-dahod-till-the-end |archive-date=27 September 2013 |access-date=4 October 2013 |website=Daily News and Analysis |quote=Eminent historian Manekshah Commissariat has quoted from this letter in his book 'A History of Gujarat: Mughal period, from 1573 to 1758'.}}</ref>

When the cracks had started to develop in the edifice of the [[Mughal Empire]] in the mid-17th century, the [[Maratha]]s were consolidating their power in the west, [[Chatrapati Shivaji]], the great Maratha ruler, attacked Surat in southern Gujarat twice first in 1664 and again in 1672.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Patel |first=Aakar |date=6 April 2012 |title=Blame the British Raj on bankers – Livemint |url=http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/zgaDxyMuIrH3QWHElwkX3M/Blame-the-British-Raj-on-bankers.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807152732/http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/zgaDxyMuIrH3QWHElwkX3M/Blame-the-British-Raj-on-bankers.html |archive-date=7 August 2017 |access-date=7 August 2017 |website=livemint.com |publisher=Livemint}}</ref> These attacks marked the entry of the Marathas into Gujarat. However, before the Maratha had made inroads into Gujarat, the Europeans had made their presence felt, led by the Portuguese, and followed by the Dutch and the English.

The [[Peshwa]]s had established sovereignty over parts of Gujarat and collected taxes and tributes through their representatives. [[Damaji Rao Gaekwad]] and [[Kadam (clan)|Kadam]] Bande divided the Peshwa territory between them,<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/60443/8/08_chapter%204.pdf |title=MULTIPLE AUTHORITIES – DISPUTED SOVEREIGNTY |access-date=7 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807152712/http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/60443/8/08_chapter%204.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> with Damaji establishing the sway of [[Gaekwad dynasty|Gaekwad]] over Gujarat and making [[Baroda]] (present day [[Vadodara]] in southern Gujarat) his capital. The ensuing internecine war among the Marathas was fully exploited by the British, who interfered in the affairs of both Gaekwads and the Peshwas.

In [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]], as elsewhere, the Marathas were met with resistance.<ref name="cpc">{{Cite book |last=Behera |first=Deepak Kumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R--XMUsk7sIC&pg=PA198 |title=The concept of tribal society |last2=Pfeffer |first2=Georg |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |year=2002 |isbn=9788170229834 |page=198}}</ref> The decline of the [[Mughal Empire]] helped form larger peripheral states in Saurashtra, including [[Junagadh State|Junagadh]], [[Nawanagar State|Jamnagar]], [[Bhavnagar State|Bhavnagar]] and a few others, which largely resisted the Maratha incursions.<ref name=cpc />

17th-century French explorer [[François Pyrard de Laval]], who is remembered for his 10-year sojourn in South Asia, bears witness in his account that the Gujaratis were always prepared to learn workmanship from the Portuguese, and in turn imparted skills to the Portuguese:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rai |first=Rajesh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zb_X3L96AfgC&pg=PA31 |title=The South Asian diaspora transnational networks and changing identities |last2=Reeves, Peter |publisher=Routledge |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-203-89235-0 |location=London |page=31 |access-date=19 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304110046/https://books.google.com/books?id=zb_X3L96AfgC&pg=PA31&lpg=PA31 |archive-date=4 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

An epidemic outbreak in 1812 killed half the population of Gujarat.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Petersen |first=Eskild |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VPEjDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA8 |title=Infectious Diseases: A Geographic Guide |last2=Chen |first2=Lin Hwei |last3=Schlagenhauf-Lawlor |first3=Patricia |date=14 February 2017 |isbn=9781119085737 |page=8 |access-date=2 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903073809/https://books.google.com/books?id=VPEjDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA8 |archive-date=3 September 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

After [[Independence of India|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 (region)|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. Bombay state was enlarged to include Kutch, Saurashtra (Kathiawar) 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 Gujarati nationalists, the [[Mahagujarat Movement]], and Marathi nationalists, the [[Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti|Samyukta Maharashtra]], for their own states led to the split of [[Bombay state]] on linguistic lines; on 1 May 1960, it became the new states of Gujarat and [[Maharashtra]]. In [[1969 Gujarat riots|1969 riots]], at least 660 died and properties worth millions were destroyed.<ref name="Yasmeen2007">{{Cite book |last=Peer |first=Yasmeen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y0J4T6Rt-90C&pg=PA103 |title=Communal Violence in Gujarat: Rethinking the Role of Communalism and Institutionalised Injustices in India |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-549-51753-5 |pages=103–104 |access-date=6 February 2013}}</ref><ref name="LaurentChris2012">{{Cite book |last=Gayer |first=Lauren |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EpGLmAEACAAJ&pg=PA53 |title=Muslims in Indian Cities: Trajectories of Marginalisation |last2=Jaffrelot |first2=Christophe |date=30 May 2012 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-70308-6 |pages=53–60 |access-date=6 February 2013}}</ref>

The first capital of Gujarat was Ahmedabad; the capital was moved to Gandhinagar in 1970. ''[[Nav Nirman]] Andolan'' was a socio-political movement of 1974. It was a students' and middle-class people's movement against economic crisis and corruption in public life. This was the first and last successful agitation after the Independence of India that ousted an elected government.<ref name="it">{{Cite news |last=Shah |first=Ghanshyam |date=20 December 2007 |title=Pulse of the people |work=[[India Today]] |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/Pulse+of+the+people/1/2727.html |url-status=live |access-date=22 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917002911/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/Pulse+of+the+people/1/2727.html |archive-date=17 September 2012 }}</ref><ref name="avk">{{Cite book |last=Krishna |first=Ananth V. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8v7Vr2iQUHkC&pg=PA120 |title=India Since Independence: Making Sense Of Indian Politics |publisher=Pearson Education India |year=2011 |isbn=978-81-317-3465-0 |page=117}}</ref><ref name="bs">{{Cite news |last=Dhar |first=P. N. |year=2000 |title=Excerpted from 'Indira Gandhi, the "emergency", and Indian democracy' published in ''Business Standard'' |work=Business Standard India |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=http://business-standard.com/india/news/the-nav-nirman-movement/80363/ |access-date=23 November 2012 |isbn=978-0-19-564899-7}}</ref>

The [[Morvi dam failure]], in 1979, resulted in the death of thousands of people and large economic loss.<ref name="expi">{{Cite news |date=25 July 2012 |title=Book on 1979 Morbi dam disaster rubbishes 'Act of God' theory |work=[[The Indian Express]] |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/book-on-1979-morbi-dam-disaster-rubbishes-act-of-god-theory/979087/0 |url-status=live |access-date=18 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617040543/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/book-on-1979-morbi-dam-disaster-rubbishes-act-of-god-theory/979087/0 |archive-date=17 June 2013 }}</ref> In the 1980s, a [[Reservation in India|reservation policy]] was introduced in the country, which led to anti-reservation protests in 1981 and 1985. The protests witnessed violent clashes between people belonging to various [[Indian caste system|castes]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yagnik |first=Achyut |date=May 2002 |title=The pathology of Gujarat |url=http://www.india-seminar.com/2002/513/513%20achyut%20yagnik.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060322112252/http://www.india-seminar.com/2002/513/513%20achyut%20yagnik.htm |archive-date=22 March 2006 |access-date=10 May 2006 |publisher=Seminar Publications |location=New Delhi}}</ref>

The [[2001 Gujarat earthquake]] was located about 9&nbsp;km south-southwest of the village of [[Chobari]] in the [[Bhachau]] taluka of [[Kutch]] District. This magnitude 7.7 shock killed around 20,000 people (including at least 18 in South-eastern Pakistan), injured another 167,000 and destroyed nearly 400,000 homes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historic Earthquakes |url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/2001/2001_01_26.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101003339/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/2001/2001_01_26.php |archive-date=1 November 2014 |access-date=20 December 2014 |publisher=Earthquake.usgs.gov}}</ref>

In February 2002, the [[Godhra train burning]] led to statewide [[2002 Gujarat violence|riots]], resulting in the deaths of 1044 people – 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus, and hundreds missing still unaccounted for.<ref name="Riots toll">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4536199.stm BBC News. 11 May 2005] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226131020/http://news.indiainfo.com/2005/05/11/1105godhra-rs.html |date=26 February 2009}}, These figures were reported to the Rajya Sabha by the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Sriprakash Jaiswal in May 2005</ref> [[Akshardham Temple attack|Akshardham Temple was attacked]] by two terrorists in September 2002, killing 32 people and injuring more than 80 others. [[National Security Guard]]s intervened to end the siege killing both terrorists.<ref name="akshar">{{Cite news |last=Dasgupta, Manas |date=1 June 2010 |title=Death sentence for Akshardham temple attack convicts upheld |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/death-sentence-for-akshardham-temple-attack-convicts-upheld/article443455.ece |url-status=live |access-date=16 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203214449/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/death-sentence-for-akshardham-temple-attack-convicts-upheld/article443455.ece |archive-date=3 December 2013}}</ref> On 26 July 2008 a [[2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts|series of seventeen bomb blasts]] rocked the city, killing and injuring several people.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 July 2008 |title=17 bomb blasts rock Ahmedabad, 15 dead |publisher=CNN-IBN |url=http://www.ibnlive.com/news/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=26 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080628002847/http://www.ibnlive.com/news/index.html |archive-date=28 June 2008}}</ref>

Gujarat borders the [[Tharparkar District|Tharparkar]], [[Badin District|Badin]] and [[Thatta District|Thatta]] districts of [[Pakistan]]'s [[Sindh]] province to the northwest, is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the southwest, the state of [[Rajasthan]] to the northeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and by Maharashtra, the [[Union Territory]] of [[Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu]] to the south. Historically, the north was known as [[Anarta]], the Kathiawar peninsula, "Saurastra", and the south as "Lata".<ref>P. Page xvii ''Historical and Cultural Chronology of Gujarat'' edited by Manjulal Ranchholdlal Majmudar</ref> Gujarat was also known as Pratichya and Varuna.<ref>P. 391 ''The Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism'' by Benjamin Walker</ref> The Arabian Sea makes up the state's western coast. The capital, Gandhinagar is a [[planned city]]. Gujarat has an area of {{convert|75686|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}} with the longest coastline (24% of Indian sea coast) {{convert|1600|km}}, dotted with 41 ports: one major, 11 intermediate and 29 minor.

| footnote = Source:Census of India<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/A2_Data_Table.html |access-date=10 December 2019 |website=censusindia.gov.in}}</ref>

The population of Gujarat was 60,439,692 (31,491,260 males and 28,948,432 females) according to the 2011 census data.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gujarat Profile |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/censusinfodashboard/stock/profiles/en/IND024_Gujarat.pdf |access-date=16 March 2020 |website=censusindia.gov.in}}</ref> The population density is 308 persons per square kilometer (797.6/sq mi), lower than other Indian states. As per the census of 2011, the state has a sex ratio of 918 females for every 1000 males, one of the lowest (ranked 24) among the 29 states in India.

While Gujarati speakers constitute a majority of Gujarat's population, the metropolitan areas of Ahmedabad, [[Vadodara]] and [[Surat]] are cosmopolitan, with numerous other ethnic and language groups. [[Marwari people|Marwaris]] compose large minorities of economic migrants; smaller communities of people from the other states of India have also migrated to Gujarat for employment. [[Luso-Indian]]s, [[Anglo-Indian]]s, [[Jew]]s and [[Parsi]]s also live in the areas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Taraporevala |first=Sooni |title=Parsis – the Zoroastrians of India |url=http://www.the-south-asian.com/april2001/Parsis-Arrival%20in%20India.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170725090319/http://www.the-south-asian.com/april2001/Parsis-Arrival%20in%20India.htm |archive-date=25 July 2017 |access-date=7 August 2017 |website=the-south-asian.com}}</ref> [[Sindhi people|Sindhi]] presence is traditionally important here following the [[Partition of India]] in 1947.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to Indian Institute of Sindhology |url=http://www.sindhology.org/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218103548/http://sindhology.org/ |archive-date=18 December 2014 |access-date=20 December 2014 |publisher=Sindhology.org}}</ref> The [[Koli people|Koli]] forms the largest caste-cluster, comprising 24% of the total population of the state.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kumar |first=Rajneesh |date=13 December 2017 |title=गुजरात: बनिये का दिमाग़ और मियांभाई की बहादुरी |language=hi |work=BBC News हिंदी |url=https://www.bbc.com/hindi/india-42334430 |access-date=19 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Shah |first=Ghanshyam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Aou17T8KaEEC&q=koli+thakor&pg=PA297 |title=Caste and Democratic Politics in India |date=2004 |publisher=Permanent Black |isbn=978-81-7824-095-4 |language=en}}</ref>

According to 2011 census, the religious makeup in Gujarat was 88.6% [[Hindu]], 9.7% [[Muslim]], 1.0% [[Jain]], 0.5% [[Christians|Christian]], 0.1% [[Sikh]], 0.05% [[Buddhist]] and 0.03% others. Around 0.1% [[Irreligion|did not state any religion]].<ref name="census2011">{{Cite web |title=Population by religion community – 2011 |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01%20MDDS.XLS |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825155850/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01%20MDDS.XLS |archive-date=25 August 2015 |website=Census of India, 2011 |publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India}}</ref> Hinduism is the major religion of the state, as 88.6% population of the state is Hindu. [[Gujarati Muslims|Muslims]] are the biggest minority in the state accounting for 9.7% of the population. Gujarat has the third-largest population of [[Jain]]s in India, following Maharashtra and [[Rajasthan]].<ref name="census2011" />

|caption=Languages of Gujarat (2011)<ref name="census2011-langreport">{{Cite web |title=Language – India, States and Union Territories |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/C-16_25062018_NEW.pdf |access-date=19 October 2018 |website=Census of India 2011 |publisher=Office of the Registrar General |pages=13–14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=C-16 Population By Mother Tongue - Gujarat |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-2400.XLSX |access-date=16 March 2020 |website=censusindia.gov.in}}</ref>

[[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] is the official language of the state. It is spoken natively by 86% of the state's population, or 52&nbsp;million people (as of 2011).<ref name="langoff" />

Other major languages, according to the 2001 census, are [[Bhil language|Bhili]] (4.8%), [[Hindi]] (4.7%, includes speakers of the [[Rajasthani languages|Rajasthani]] varieties), [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] (1.9%, includes figures for [[Kutchi language|Kutchi]]), [[Marathi language|Marathi]] (1.5%) and [[Urdu]] (1.1%).<ref name="Language">{{Cite web |title=52nd REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR LINGUISTIC MINORITIES IN INDIA |url=http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525141614/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf |archive-date=25 May 2017 |access-date=16 February 2018 |website=nclm.nic.in |publisher=[[Ministry of Minority Affairs]] |page=94}}</ref>

People from the Kutch region of Gujarat also speak in the [[Kutchi language|Kutchi]] mother tongue, and to a great extent appreciate [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] as well. [[Memoni]] is the mother tongue of Kathiawar and Sindhi Memons, most whom are Muslims.

Almost 88% of the [[Gujarati Muslims]] speak Gujarati as their mother tongue, whilst the other 12% speak [[Urdu]]. A sizeable proportion of Gujarati Muslims are bilingual in the two languages; Islamic academic institutions (Darul Uloom) place a high prestige on learning [[Urdu]] and [[Arabic]], with students' memorising the Quran and ''ahadith'', and emphasising the oral and literary importance of mastering these languages as a compulsory rite of religion. Other native languages spoken in low proportions are [[Bhili language|Bhili]] and [[Gamit language|Gamit]].

The languages taught in schools under the [[three-language formula]] are:<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 March 2016 |title=52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India |url=http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525141614/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf |archive-date=25 May 2017 |access-date=15 February 2018 |website=nclm.nic.in |publisher=[[Ministry of Minority Affairs]] |page=96}}</ref>

After the [[independence of India]] in 1947, the [[Indian National Congress]] (INC) ruled the [[Bombay State]] (which included present-day Gujarat and Maharashtra). Congress continued to govern Gujarat after the state's creation in 1960.

During and after India's [[The Emergency (India)|State of Emergency of 1975–1977]], public support for the INC eroded, but it continued to hold government until 1995 with the brief rule of nine months by [[Janata Morcha]]. In the 1995 Assembly elections, the Congress lost to the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) led by [[Keshubhai Patel]] who became the Chief Minister. His government lasted only two years. The fall of that government was provoked by a split in the BJP led by [[Shankersinh Vaghela]]. BJP again won election in 1998 with clear majority. In 2001, following the loss of two assembly seats in by-elections, Keshubhai Patel resigned and yielded power to Narendra Modi. BJP retained a majority in the 2002 election, and Narendra Modi remained as Chief Minister. On 1 June 2007, Narendra Modi became the longest serving Chief Minister of Gujarat.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 July 2016 |title=Raman Singh breaks Modi's record to be longest serving BJP CM |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/raman-singh-breaks-modi-s-record-to-be-longest-serving-bjp-cm/story-5bakVFEDVU9MrSQIlDCYdK.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170514064535/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/raman-singh-breaks-modi-s-record-to-be-longest-serving-bjp-cm/story-5bakVFEDVU9MrSQIlDCYdK.html |archive-date=14 May 2017 |access-date=29 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Yahoo |url=http://in.news.yahoo.com/070606/43/6gpdc.html |access-date=7 February 2016}}{{dead link|fix-attempted=yes|date=February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Narendra Modi to complete 12 years as Gujarat's chief minister tomorrow |work=The Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Narendra-Modi-to-complete-12-years-as-Gujarats-chief-minister-tomorrow/articleshow/23610694.cms |url-status=live |access-date=29 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110050753/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Narendra-Modi-to-complete-12-years-as-Gujarats-chief-minister-tomorrow/articleshow/23610694.cms |archive-date=10 January 2017}}</ref> BJP retained the power in subsequent elections in 2007 and 2012 and Narendra Modi continued as the chief minister. After Narendra Modi became the prime minister of India in 2014, [[Anandiben Patel]] became the first female chief minister of the state. [[Vijay Rupani]] took over as chief minister and Nitin Patel as deputy chief minister on 7 August 2016 after [[Anandiben Patel]] resigned earlier on 3 August.

During the British Raj, Gujarati businesses served to play a major role to enrich the economy of [[Karachi]] and [[Mumbai]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Khaled Ahmed |date=23 February 2012 |title=Gujarat's gifts to India and Pakistan |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/340710/gujarats-gifts-to-india-and-pakistan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212110415/http://tribune.com.pk/story/340710/gujarats-gifts-to-india-and-pakistan/ |archive-date=12 February 2014 |access-date=16 February 2014 }}</ref> Major agricultural produce of the state includes cotton, [[peanut|groundnuts]] (peanuts), [[Date (fruit)|dates]], [[sugar cane]], milk and milk products. Industrial products include cement and [[gasoline|petrol]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 December 2008 |title=Reliance commissions worlds biggest refinery |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/reliance-commissions-worlds-biggest-refiner/402999/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516044443/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/reliance-commissions-worlds-biggest-refiner/402999 |archive-date=16 May 2013 |access-date=20 December 2014 |website=The Indian Express}}</ref>

Gujarat is ranked number one in the [[pharmaceutical industry in India]], with a 33% share in drug manufacturing and 28% share in drug exports. The state has 130 USFDA certified drug manufacturing facilities. Ahmedabad and Vadodara are considered as pharmaceutical hubs as there are many big and small pharma companies established in these cities.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 March 2021 |title=Despite Covid-19, fresh investments flowing into Gujarat's Pharma Sector |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/despite-covid-19-fresh-investments-flowing-into-gujarats-pharma-sector/articleshow/81488146.cms |access-date=3 May 2021 |publisher=timesofindia.indiatimes.com}}</ref>

Gujarat also contributes around 20% share in India's industrial production and merchandise exports. According to a 2009 report on [[economic freedom]] by the [[Cato Institute]], Gujarat is the most free state in India (the second one being [[Tamil Nadu]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Executive Summary |url=http://www.cato.org/economic-freedom-india/ExecutiveSummary.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130924142234/http://www.cato.org/economic-freedom-india/ExecutiveSummary.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2013 |access-date=20 December 2014 |publisher=Cato.org}}</ref> [[Reliance Industries]] operates the oil refinery at [[Jamnagar]], which is the world's largest grass-roots refinery at a single location. The world's largest shipbreaking yard is in Gujarat near Bhavnagar at [[Alang]]. India's only Liquid Chemical Port Terminal at [[Dahej]], developed by Gujarat Chemical Port Terminal Co Ltd. Gujarat has two of the three liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in the country (Dahej and Hazira). Two more LNG terminals are proposed, at [[Pipavav]] and [[Mundra]].

[[File:Adani Mundra Port Kutch Gujarat.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mundra Port]], Kutch]]

Gujarat has 85% village connectivity with all‐weather roads.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Uday Mahurkar |date=11 September 2006 |title=Gujarat – Physical fitness |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gujarat-ranks-best-when-it-comes-to-quality-of-roads/1/182220.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006074907/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gujarat-ranks-best-when-it-comes-to-quality-of-roads/1/182220.html |archive-date=6 October 2014 |access-date=20 December 2014 |website=India Today }}</ref> Nearly 100% of Gujarat's 18,000 villages have been connected to the electrical grid for 24-hour power to households and eight hours of power to farms, through the [[Jyotigram Yojana]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 October 2013 |title=Claim Check: Narendra Modi on Gujarat's Jyotigram Yojana |work=livemint.com |url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/NjBbkbKEVhIAYnW3iB7qtN/Claim-Check-Narendra-Modi-on-Gujarats-Jyotigram-Yojana.html |url-status=live |access-date=22 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202015558/http://www.livemint.com/Politics/NjBbkbKEVhIAYnW3iB7qtN/Claim-Check-Narendra-Modi-on-Gujarats-Jyotigram-Yojana.html |archive-date=2 February 2017}}</ref> {{As of|2015}}, Gujarat ranks [[States of India by installed power capacity|first nationwide]] in gas-based thermal electricity generation with a national market share of over 8%, and second nationwide in nuclear electricity generation with national market share of over 1%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Executive summary of month of November 2015 |url=http://www.cea.nic.in/reports/monthly/installedcapacity/2015/installed_capacity-11.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051607/http://www.cea.nic.in/reports/monthly/installedcapacity/2015/installed_capacity-11.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=22 January 2017 |website=cea.nic.in |publisher=Central Electricity Authority, Ministry of Power, Government of India}}</ref>

The state registered 12.8% agricultural growth in the last five years against the national average of 2%.<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 November 2010 |title=Gujarat Brand |work=Business Standard |agency=Press Trust of India |url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/modi-woos-investors-in-state-markets-brand-gujarat/415381/ |url-status=live |access-date=20 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012155436/http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/modi-woos-investors-in-state-markets-brand-gujarat/415381/ |archive-date=12 October 2012 }}</ref>

Gujarat records highest decadal agricultural growth rate of 10.97%. Over 20% of the ''S&P CNX 500'' conglomerates have corporate offices in Gujarat.<ref>{{Cite web |title=List of S&P CNX 500 conglomerates |url=https://www.nseindia.com/products-services/indices-nifty500-index |website=NSE India }}</ref> As per RBI report{{which|date=June 2022}}, in year 2006–07, 26% of total bank finance in India was in Gujarat.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

According to a 2012 survey report of the Chandigarh Labour Bureau, Gujarat had the lowest unemployment rate of 1% against the national average of 3.8%.<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 July 2012 |title=Survey says Gujarat has lowest unemployment; Narendra Modi is 'delighted' |url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/survey-says-gujarat-has-lowest-unemployment-narendra-modi-is-delighted-242173?pfrom=home-otherstories |url-status=live |access-date=11 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713222924/http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/survey-says-gujarat-has-lowest-unemployment-narendra-modi-is-delighted-242173?pfrom=home-otherstories |archive-date=13 July 2012 }}</ref>

[[Legatum Institute]]'s Global Prosperity Index 2012 recognised Gujarat as one of the two highest-scoring among all states of India on matters of social capital.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 2012 Legatum Prosperity Index |url=https://www.prosperity.com/download_file/view_inline/2837 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624103332/http://www.prosperity.com/download_file/view_inline/2837 |archive-date=24 June 2017 |access-date=29 April 2019 |publisher=Legatum Institute |page=20 |format=PDF}}</ref> The state ranks 15th alongside Germany in a list of 142 nations worldwide: higher than several developed nations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Archived copy |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gujarat-in-list-of-top-15-prosperous-states-globally_175965 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141220155532/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gujarat-in-list-of-top-15-prosperous-states-globally_175965 |archive-date=20 December 2014 |access-date=13 February 2013}}</ref>

The tallest tower in Gujarat, GIFT One was inaugurated on 10 January 2013. One other tower called GIFT Two has been finished and more towers are planned.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 January 2009 |title=India's tallest proposed building Diamond Tower showcased (video) |url=http://deshgujarat.com/2009/01/22/indias-tallest-proposed-building-diamond-tower-showcasedvideo/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006113234/http://deshgujarat.com/2009/01/22/indias-tallest-proposed-building-diamond-tower-showcasedvideo/ |archive-date=6 October 2014 |access-date=30 September 2014 |publisher=Deshgujarat.com}}</ref>

[[File:Nano.jpg|thumb|right|Shown here is the [[Tata Nano]], the world's least expensive car.<ref name="forbes.com">{{Cite news |last=Robyn Meredith |date=16 April 2007 |title=The Next People's Car |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/home/free_forbes/2007/0416/070.html |url-status=live |access-date=17 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118032004/http://www.forbes.com/home/free_forbes/2007/0416/070.html |archive-date=18 January 2012}}</ref> [[Sanand]], Gujarat, is home to Tata Nano.]]

Gujarat's major cities include Ahmedabad, [[Surat]], [[Vadodara]], [[Rajkot]], [[Jamnagar]] and [[Bhavnagar]]. In 2010, ''[[Forbes]]''{{'}} list of the world's fastest growing cities included Ahmedabad at number 3 after [[Chengdu]] and [[Chongqing]] from China.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kotkin |first=Joel |title=In pictures- The Next Decade's fastest growing cities |work=[[Forbes]] |url=https://www.forbes.com/2010/10/07/cities-china-chicago-opinions-columnists-joel-kotkin_slide_4.html |url-status=live |access-date=10 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014101651/http://www.forbes.com/2010/10/07/cities-china-chicago-opinions-columnists-joel-kotkin_slide_4.html |archive-date=14 October 2010 }}</ref><ref name="07 October 2010">{{Cite news |title=In Pictures: The Next Decade's Fastest-Growing Cities |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/2010/10/07/cities-china-chicago-opinions-columnists-joel-kotkin_slide_4.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014101651/http://www.forbes.com/2010/10/07/cities-china-chicago-opinions-columnists-joel-kotkin_slide_4.html |archive-date=14 October 2010}}</ref> 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. Jamnagar is the hub for manufacturing [[brass]] parts. Gujarat produces about 98% of India's required amount of soda ash, and gives the country about 78% of the national requirement of salt. It is one of India's most prosperous states, having a per-capita GDP significantly above India's average. [[Kalol (Panchmahal)|Kalol]], Khambhat, and [[Ankleshwar]] are today known for their oil and natural gas production. Dhuvaran has a thermal power station, which uses coal, oil, and gas. Also, on the Gulf of Khambhat, {{convert|50|km|mi}} southeast of Bhavnagar, is the Alang Ship Recycling Yard (the world's largest). [[MG Motor India]] manufactures its cars at Halol near [[Vadodara]], [[Tata Motors]] manufactures the [[Tata Nano]] from Sanand near Ahmedabad, and AMW trucks are made near [[Bhuj]]. [[Surat]], a city by the [[Gulf of Khambhat]], is a hub of the global diamond trade. In 2003, 92% of the world's diamonds were cut and polished in Surat.<ref name="time.com">{{Cite magazine |last=Adiga |first=Aravind |date=12 April 2004 |title=Uncommon Brilliance |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,501040419-610100,00.html |url-status=dead |magazine=Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100729170654/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,501040419-610100,00.html |archive-date=29 July 2010 |access-date=4 May 2010 }}</ref> The diamond industry employs 500,000 people in Gujarat.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lum |first=Kathryn |date=16 October 2014 |title=The rise and rise of Belgium's Indian diamond dynasties |publisher=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]] |url=http://theconversation.com/the-rise-and-rise-of-belgiums-indian-diamond-dynasties-32332 |url-status=live |access-date=17 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518054721/http://theconversation.com/the-rise-and-rise-of-belgiums-indian-diamond-dynasties-32332 |archive-date=18 May 2018}}</ref>

At an investor's summit entitled "Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor Summit", arranged between 11 and 13 January 2015, at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, the state government signed 21000 Memoranda of Understanding for Special Economic Zones worth a total of {{Indian Rupee}} 2.5&nbsp;million crores ([[Long and short scales|short scale]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title='Vibrant Gujarat' signs 21000 MoUs worth Rs 25 lakh cr |url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-01-12/news/57982792_1_lakh-crore-mous-narendra-modi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150115190330/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-01-12/news/57982792_1_lakh-crore-mous-narendra-modi |archive-date=15 January 2015 |access-date=20 December 2014 |website=The Economic Times Line}}</ref> However, most of the investment was from domestic industry.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Vibrant Gujarat sees one foreign investor, the Business Standard |url=http://www.business-standard.com/economy/storypage.php?leftnm=3&subLeft=1&chklogin=N&autono=271739&tab=r |url-status=dead |access-date=30 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108232701/http://www.business-standard.com/economy/storypage.php?leftnm=3&subLeft=1&chklogin=N&autono=271739&tab=r |archive-date=8 January 2009}}</ref> In the fourth Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit held at Science City, Ahmedabad, in January 2009, there were 600 foreign delegates. In all, 8668 MOUs worth {{Indian Rupee}} 12500&nbsp;billion were signed, estimated to create 2.5&nbsp;million new job opportunities in the state.<ref name="in.rediff.com">{{Cite web |date=10 March 2008 |title=Gujarat aims at 15% industrial growth: Rediff.com Business |url=http://in.rediff.com/money/2008/mar/10guj.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622031757/http://in.rediff.com/money/2008/mar/10guj.htm |archive-date=22 June 2011 |access-date=16 July 2010 |website=Rediff.com}}</ref> In 2011, Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit MOUs worth {{Indian Rupee}} 21&nbsp;trillion ({{USD}} 463&nbsp;billion) were signed.

Gujarat is a state with surplus electricity.<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 July 2014 |title=How Gujarat became a power surplus State |work=Business Line |url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/how-gujarat-became-a-power-surplus-state/article6105053.ece |access-date=16 February 2016}}</ref> The [[Kakrapar Atomic Power Station]] is a nuclear power station run by NPCIL that lies in the proximity of the city of Surat. According to the official sources, against demand of 40,793&nbsp;million units during the nine months since April 2010, Gujarat produced 43,848&nbsp;million units. Gujarat sold surplus power to 12 states: Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 March 2011 |title=Gujarat sold surplus power to 12 states |work=[[The Times of India]] |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-08/ahmedabad/28667798_1_surplus-power-industrial-units-uninterrupted-power-supply |url-status=dead |access-date=20 December 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708120149/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-08/ahmedabad/28667798_1_surplus-power-industrial-units-uninterrupted-power-supply |archive-date=8 July 2012}}</ref>

 

As of April 2022, the peak power requirement of state is 20,277 MW.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nair |first=Avinash |date=10 April 2022 |title=At 20,277 MW, Gujarat records highest power demand in a day |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/at-20277-mw-gujarat-records-highest-power-demand-in-a-day-7862053/ |access-date=30 May 2022 |work=The Indian Express}}</ref> Total installed power generation capacity is 44,127.43 MW. Of this 25,688.66 MW belongs to thermal power generation capacity while 17,879.77 MW belongs to renewable energy generation capacity. The rest 559 MW is nuclear power generation capacity.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 April 2022 |title=All India Installed Capacity (in MW) of Power Stations |url=https://cea.nic.in/wp-content/uploads/installed/2022/04/installed_capacity.pdf |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=Central Electricity Authority}}</ref> The renewable energy installed capacity includes 9,209 MW wind power and 7,180 MW solar power, as of March 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Balachandar |first=G. |date=19 April 2022 |title=Renewable capacity addition: Rajasthan and Gujarat pip Tamil Nadu and Karnataka |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/renewable-capacity-addition-rajasthan-and-gujarat-pip-tamil-nadu-and-karnataka/article65334361.ece |access-date=30 May 2022 |work=The Hindu Businessline}} {{subscription required}}</ref>

The total geographical area of Gujarat is 19,602,400 hectares, of which crops take up 10,630,700 hectares.{{Verify source|date=July 2013}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Agriculture and Co-operation Department, Government of Gujarat: Information, Statistics |url=http://agri.gujarat.gov.in/informations/statistics.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208034720/http://agri.gujarat.gov.in/informations/statistics.htm |archive-date=8 February 2013 |access-date=24 February 2013 |publisher=Agriculture and Co-operation Department, Government of Gujarat}}</ref> The three main sources of growth in Gujarat's agriculture are from cotton production, the rapid growth of high-value foods such as livestock, fruits and vegetables, and from wheat production, which saw an annual average growth rate of 28% between 2000 and 2008 (According to the [[International Food Policy Research Institute]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gujarat State Portal |url=http://www.gujaratindia.com/initiatives/initiatives.htm?enc=TEnmkal8rLd9cWRBUEX85lswwfZZ+o8b+w+YfQPy7dU93tk/rntr0H+OnwOK0bubU/5kzexyi+JTm2rA12QenK3wnOMJgYTOqvtfZeqRdaaFE5dh5rbDG2NUzRJa12on+xN1tLzJGwcCVbF2GvgkPA== |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102042740/http://www.gujaratindia.com/initiatives/initiatives.htm?enc=TEnmkal8rLd9cWRBUEX85lswwfZZ+o8b+w+YfQPy7dU93tk%2Frntr0H+OnwOK0bubU%2F5kzexyi+JTm2rA12QenK3wnOMJgYTOqvtfZeqRdaaFE5dh5rbDG2NUzRJa12on+xN1tLzJGwcCVbF2GvgkPA%3D%3D |archive-date=2 January 2013 |access-date=20 February 2013 |publisher=Government of Gujarat}}</ref> Other major produce includes bajra, groundnut, cotton, rice, maize, wheat, mustard, sesame, pigeon pea, green gram, sugarcane, mango, banana, sapota, lime, guava, tomato, potato, onion, cumin, garlic, isabgul and fennel. Whilst, in recent times, Gujarat has seen a high average annual growth of 9% in the agricultural sector, the rest of India has an annual growth rate of around 3%. This success was lauded by former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.<ref>{{Cite news |year=2012 |title=Gujarat's agriculture turnaround an eye opener for the entire nation: Dr. Kalam |work=IBTL for CNBC |url=http://www.ibtl.in/video/6413/gujarats-agriculture-turnaround-an-eye-opener-for-the-entire-nation-dr-kalam/ |url-status=dead |access-date=20 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130214033503/http://www.ibtl.in/video/6413/gujarats-agriculture-turnaround-an-eye-opener-for-the-entire-nation-dr-kalam |archive-date=14 February 2013}}</ref>

The strengths of Gujarat's agricultural success have been attributed to diversified crops and cropping patters; climatic diversity (8 climatic zones for agriculture); the existence of 4 agricultural universities in the state, which promote research in agricultural efficiency and sustainability;<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pattanayak |first=Debi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aQYICqUZJ8UC&pg=PA15 |title=Multilingualism in India |publisher=Multilingual Matters Ltd. |year=1990 |isbn=978-1-85359-072-6 |location=USA}}</ref> co-operatives; adoption of hi-tech agriculture such as tissue culture, green houses and shed-net houses; agriculture export zones; strong marketing infrastructure, which includes cold storage, processing units, logistic hubs and consultancy facilities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Modi |first=Narendra |title=Agricultural Exhibition and Conference |url=http://www2.kenes.com/agritech-asia/about/Pages/About_Gujarat.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629005930/http://www2.kenes.com/agritech-asia/about/Pages/About_Gujarat.aspx |archive-date=29 June 2013 |access-date=20 February 2013 |publisher=Agritech Asia}}</ref>

Gujarat is the main producer of tobacco, cotton, and groundnuts in India. Other major food crops produced are rice, wheat, ''jowar, bajra'', maize, ''tur'', and ''gram''. The state has an agricultural economy; the total crop area amounts to more than one-half of the total land area.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Gujarat State Agriculture Marketing Board |url=http://agri.gujarat.gov.in/gujarati/boards_corporations/gs-agri-mark-board/agri_profile.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204125421/http://agri.gujarat.gov.in/gujarati/boards_corporations/gs-agri-mark-board/agri_profile.htm |archive-date=4 February 2011 |access-date=16 July 2010 |publisher=Agri.gujarat.gov.in}}</ref>

Animal husbandry and dairying have played vital roles in the rural economy of Gujarat. Dairy farming, primarily concerned with milk production, functions on a co-operative basis and has more than a million members. Gujarat is the largest producer of milk in India. The [[Amul]] milk co-operative federation is well known all over India, and it is Asia's biggest dairy.<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 September 2006 |title=Amul to become world's largest liquid milk brand-Food-Cons. Products-News By Industry-News |work=The Economic Times |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Cons-Products/Food/Amul-to-become-worlds-largest-liquid-milk-brand/articleshow/1988793.cms |url-status=live |access-date=16 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518071424/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Cons-Products/Food/Amul-to-become-worlds-largest-liquid-milk-brand/articleshow/1988793.cms |archive-date=18 May 2014}}</ref> Among the livestock raised are, buffaloes and other cattle, sheep, and goats. As per the results of livestock census 1997, there were 20.97&nbsp;million head of livestock in Gujarat State. In the estimates of the survey of major livestock products, during the year 2002–03, Gujarat produced 6.09&nbsp;million tonnes of milk, 385&nbsp;million eggs and 2.71&nbsp;million kg of wool. Gujarat also contributes inputs to the textiles, oil, and soap industries.

The adoption of cooperatives in Gujarat is widely attributed to much of the success in the agricultural sector, particularly sugar and dairy [[cooperative]]s. Cooperative farming has been a component of India's strategy for agricultural development since 1951. Whilst the success of these was mixed throughout the country, their positive impact on the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat have been the most significant. In 1995 alone, the two states had more registered co-operatives than any other region in the country. Out of these, the agricultural cooperatives have received much attention. Many have focused on subsidies and credit to farmers and rather than collective gathering, they have focused on facilitating collective processing and marketing of produce. However, whilst they have led to increased productivity, their effect on equity in the region has been questioned, because membership in agricultural co-operatives has tended to favour landowners whilst limiting the entry of landless agricultural labourers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ebrahim |first=Alnoor |year=2000 |title=Agricultural cooperatives in Gujarat, India: Agents of equity or differentiation? |journal=Development in Practice |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=178–188 |doi=10.1080/09614520050010214 |s2cid=154497407}}</ref> An example of co-operative success in Gujarat can be illustrated through dairy co-operatives, with the particular example of [[Amul]] (Anand Milk Union Limited).

Amul was formed as a dairy cooperative in 1946,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bellur |first=Venkatakrishna |last2=Saraswathi P. Singh |last3=Radharao Chaganti |last4=Rajeswararao Chaganti |year=1990 |title=The white revolution—How Amul brought milk to India |journal=Long Range Planning |volume=23 |issue=6 |pages=71–79 |doi=10.1016/0024-6301(90)90104-C}}</ref> in the city of Anand, Gujarat. The cooperative, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.

(GCMMF), is jointly owned by around 2.6&nbsp;million milk producers in Gujarat. Amul has been seen as one of the best examples of cooperative achievement and success in a developing economy and the Amul pattern of growth has been taken as a model for rural development, particularly in the agricultural sector of developing economies. The company stirred the White Revolution of India (also known as [[Operation Flood]]), the world's biggest dairy development program, and made the milk-deficient nation of India the largest milk producer in the world, in 2010.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 December 2011 |title=India largest milk producing nation in 2010–11: NDDB |work=Hindustan Times |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Ahmedabad/India-largest-milk-producing-nation-in-2010-11-NDDB/Article1-785018.aspx |url-status=dead |access-date=23 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130426131554/http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Ahmedabad/India-largest-milk-producing-nation-in-2010-11-NDDB/Article1-785018.aspx |archive-date=26 April 2013}}</ref> The "Amul Model" aims to stop the exploitation by middlemen and encourage freedom of movement since the farmers are in control of procurement, processing and packaging of the milk and milk products.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Amul Model |url=http://www.amul.com/m/about-us |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306085945/http://www.amul.com/m/about-us |archive-date=6 March 2013 |access-date=23 February 2013 |publisher=Amul}}</ref> The company is worth 2.5&nbsp;billion US dollars ({{as of|2012|lc=y}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=News Release: Taste of India Continues to Commemorate its Producers |url=http://www.amul.com/files/pdf/ENGLISH-AGM-PRESS-RELEASE.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202224507/http://www.amul.com/files/pdf/ENGLISH-AGM-PRESS-RELEASE.pdf |archive-date=2 February 2013 |access-date=23 February 2013 |publisher=GCMMF}}</ref>

70% of Gujarat's area is classified as semi-arid to arid climatically, thus the demand on water from various economic activities puts a strain on the supply.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Suran |first=B |date=10 June 2012 |title=Is Agriculture in Gujarat on a Different Growth Trajectory? |journal=Social Science Research Network |publisher=National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) |ssrn=2080876}}</ref> Of the total gross irrigated area, 16–17% is irrigated by government-owned canals and 83–84% by privately owned tube wells and other wells extracting groundwater, which is the predominant source of irrigation and water supply to the agricultural areas. As a result, Gujarat has faced problems with [[overdrafting|groundwater depletion]], especially after demand for water increased in the 1960s. As access to electricity in rural areas increased, submersible electric pumps became more popular in the 1980s and 1990s. However, the Gujarat Electricity Board switched to flat tariff rates linked to the horsepower of pumps, which increased tubewell irrigation again and decreased the use of electric pumps. By the 1990s, groundwater abstraction rates exceeded groundwater recharge rate in many districts, whilst only 37.5% of all districts has "safe" recharge rates. Groundwater maintenance and preventing unnecessary loss of the available water supplies is now an issue faced by the state.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gulati |first=Ashok |url=http://www.gujaratcmfellowship.org/document/Agriculture/Agriculture%20Performance%20in%20Gujarat%20since%202000_IWMI%20&%20IFPRI%20Report-_May%202009.pdf |title=Agriculture performance in Gujarat since 2000 |publisher=International Water Management Institute & International Food Policy Research Institute |year=2009 |page=10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221231/http://www.gujaratcmfellowship.org/document/Agriculture/Agriculture%20Performance%20in%20Gujarat%20since%202000_IWMI%20%26%20IFPRI%20Report-_May%202009.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Sardar Sarovar Project, a debated dam project in the Narmada valley consisting of a network of canals, has significantly increased irrigation in the region. However, its impact on communities who were displaced is still a contested issue. Recently, in 2012, Gujarat began an experiment to reduce water loss due to evaporation in canals and to increase sustainability in the area by constructing solar panels over the canals. One megawatt (MW) solar power project set up at Chandrasan, Gujarat uses solar panels fixed over a 750-metre stretch of an irrigation canal. Unlike many solar power projects, this one does not take up large amounts of land since the panels are constructed over the canals, and not on additional land. This results in lower upfront costs since land does not need to be acquired, cleared or modified to set up the panels. The Chandrasan project is projected to save 9&nbsp;million litres of water per year.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sharma |first=D.C. |date=June 2012 |title=India Launches Solar Power Project |journal=Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment |volume=10 |issue=5 |page=230 |doi=10.1890/i1540-9295-10-5-228 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

The Government of Gujarat, to improve [[soil management]] and introduce farmers to new technology, started on a project which involved giving every farmer a [[Soil Health Card]]. This acts like a ration card, providing permanent identification for the status of cultivated land, as well as farmers' names, account numbers, survey numbers, [[soil fertility]] status and general fertiliser dose. Samples of land from each village are taken and analysed by the [[Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilisers|Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertiliser Corporation]], State Fertiliser Corporation and [[Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited|Indian Farmers Fertilisers Co-operative]]. 1,200,000 [[soil test]] data from the villages was collected as of 2008, from farmer's field villages have gone into a database. Assistance and advice for this project was given by local agricultural universities and crop and soil-specific data was added to the database. This allows the soil test data to be interpreted and recommendations or adjustments made in terms of fertiliser requirements, which are also added to the database.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Attri |first=S.D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tmqIGTngveIC&pg=PA266 |title=Challenges and Opportunities in Agrometeorology |publisher=Springer |year=2011 |isbn=978-3-642-19360-6 |location=Heidelberg |page=265}}</ref>

[[Gujarati literature]]'s history may be traced to 1000 CE. Well-known laureates of Gujarati literature are [[Hemchandracharya]], [[Narsinh Mehta]], [[Mirabai]], [[Akho]], [[Premanand Bhatt]], [[Shamal Bhatt]], [[Dayaram]], [[Dalpatram]], [[Narmad]], [[Govardhanram Tripathi]], Mahatma Gandhi, [[K. M. Munshi]], [[Umashankar Joshi]], [[Suresh Joshi]], [[Swaminarayan]], [[Pannalal Patel]] and [[Rajendra Shah (author)|Rajendra Shah]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gujarati Writers in India, Gujarati Novelists of India, Gujarati Poets |url=http://www.culturopedia.com/Literature/gujarati_gems.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502000438/http://www.culturopedia.com/Literature/gujarati_gems.html |archive-date=2 May 2014 |access-date=20 December 2014 |publisher=Culturopedia.com}}</ref>

[[Gujarat Vidhya Sabha]], [[Gujarat Sahitya Sabha]], and [[Gujarati Sahitya Parishad]] are Ahmedabad based literary institutions promoting the spread of Gujarati literature.

A notable contribution to Gujarati language literature came from the [[Bhagwan Swaminarayan|Swaminarayan]] paramhanso, like [[Brahmanand Swami]], Premanand, with prose like [[Vachanamrut]] and poetry in the form of [[bhajans]].<ref name="Williams">{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Raymond |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tPkexi2EhAIC |title=Introduction to Swaminarayan Hinduism |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-521-65422-7 |pages=187–190}}</ref>

Shrimad Rajchandra Vachnamrut and Shri [[Atma Siddhi]] Shastra, written in 19th century by Jain philosopher and poet [[Shrimad Rajchandra]] (Mahatma Gandhi's guru) are very well known.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shrimad Rajchandra |url=https://archive.org/details/shrimadvachanamrutweb |title=Shrimad Rajchandra Vachanamrut |access-date=14 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019221956/https://archive.org/details/shrimadvachanamrutweb |archive-date=19 October 2017 |url-status=live |via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Atma Siddhi |url=http://www.rajsaubhag.org/atmasiddhi/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214202803/http://www.rajsaubhag.org/atmasiddhi/ |archive-date=14 February 2018 |access-date=14 February 2018 |website=Shree Raj Saubhag}}</ref>

Mumbai theatre veteran, [[Alyque Padamsee]], best known in the English-speaking world for playing [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] in Sir [[Richard Attenborough]]'s ''[[Gandhi (film)|Gandhi]]'', was from a traditional Gujarati-Kutchi family from Kathiawar.<ref name=" Padamsee1999">{{Cite book |last=Padamsee |first=Alyque |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oWsdGDA2j8EC&pg=PA63 |title=A Double Life: My Exciting Years in Theatre and Advertising |last2=Prabhu |first2=Arun |date=11 January 2007 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-14-024071-9 |page=1}}</ref>

The [[Gujarati film industry]] dates back to 1932, when the first Gujarati film, ''[[Narsinh Mehta (1932 film)|Narsinh Mehta]]'', was released.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 March 2009 |title=Narsinh Mehta |url=http://gujaratirocks.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57:narsinh-mehta&catid=34:gujarati-films&Itemid=29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512105953/http://gujaratirocks.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57:narsinh-mehta&catid=34:gujarati-films&Itemid=29 |archive-date=12 May 2012 |access-date=12 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=4 May 2007 |title=NEWS: Limping at 75 |url=http://www.screenindia.com/old/fullstory.php?content_id=15692 |magazine=[[Screen (magazine)|Screen]]}}{{dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=22 April 2007 |title='Dhollywood' at 75 finds few takers in urban Gujarat |work=[[The Financial Express (India)|The Financial Express]] |url=http://www.financialexpress.com/printer/news/104966/}}</ref> After flourishing through the 1960s to 1980s, the industry saw a decline. The industry is revived in recent times. The film industry has produced more than one thousand films since its inception.<ref name="Thou2011">{{Cite web |date=29 July 2011 |title=Golly! Gujarati films cross 1k mark |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Golly-Gujarati-films-cross-1k-mark/articleshow/9401332.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018215219/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Golly-Gujarati-films-cross-1k-mark/articleshow/9401332.cms |archive-date=18 October 2015 |access-date=15 July 2015 |website=The Times of India }}</ref> The Government of Gujarat announced a 100% entertainment [[tax exemption]] for Gujarati films in 2005<ref name="Roy 2005">{{Cite news |last=Roy |first=Mithun |date=3 May 2005 |title=Crisis-hit Gujarati film industry gets 100% tax rebate |work=Business Standard India |url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/crisis-hit-gujarati-film-industry-gets-100-tax-rebate-105050301103_1.html |url-status=live |access-date=13 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714025118/http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/crisis-hit-gujarati-film-industry-gets-100-tax-rebate-105050301103_1.html |archive-date=14 July 2015 }}</ref> and a policy of incentives in 2016.<ref name="polic2016">{{Cite web |last=DeshGujarat |date=2 February 2016 |title=Gujarat govt announces new policy for incentives to Gujarati films |url=http://deshgujarat.com/2016/02/02/gujarat-govt-announces-new-policy-for-incentives-to-gujarati-films/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204040324/http://deshgujarat.com/2016/02/02/gujarat-govt-announces-new-policy-for-incentives-to-gujarati-films/ |archive-date=4 February 2016 |access-date=4 February 2016 |website=DeshGujarat }}</ref>

Gujarati folk music, known as ''Sugam Sangeet'', is a hereditary profession of the [[Barot (caste)|Barot]] community. [[Gadhvi]] and [[Charan]] communities have contributed heavily in modern times. The omnipresent instruments in Gujarati folk music include wind instruments, such as {{transliteration|gu|turi}}, {{transliteration|gu|bungal}}, and {{transliteration|gu|pava}}, [[string instrument]]s, such as the {{transliteration|gu|ravan hattho}}, {{transliteration|gu|ektaro}}, and {{transliteration|gu|jantar}} and percussion instruments, such as the {{transliteration|gu|manjira}} and {{transliteration|gu|zanz}} pot drum.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dance & Music |url=http://www.nri.gujarat.gov.in/gujarat-dances.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213195733/http://www.nri.gujarat.gov.in/gujarat-dances.htm |archive-date=13 February 2012 |access-date=14 February 2012 |publisher=NRI Division [[Government of Gujarat]]}}</ref>

The folk traditions of Gujarat include {{transliteration|gu|[[bhavai]]}} and {{transliteration|gu|[[Dandiya Raas|raas]]-[[Garba (dance)|garba]]}}. ''Bhavai'' is a folk theatre; it is partly entertainment and partly ritual, and is dedicated to [[Durga|Amba]]. The {{transliteration|gu|raas-garba}} is a folk dance done as a celebration of [[Navratri]] by Gujarati people. The [[folk costume]] of this dance is ''[[Gagra choli|chaniya choli]]'' for women and {{transliteration|gu|kedia}} for men. Different styles and steps of {{transliteration|gu|garba}} include {{transliteration|gu|dodhiyu}}, simple five, simple seven, {{transliteration|gu|popatiyu}}, {{transliteration|gu|trikoniya}} (hand movement which forms an imagery triangle), {{transliteration|gu|lehree}}, {{transliteration|gu|tran taali}}, butterfly, {{transliteration|gu|hudo}}, two claps and many more. {{transliteration|gu|Sheri garba}} is one of the oldest form of garba where all the women wear red patola sari and sing along while dancing. It is a very graceful form of garba.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Navratri |url=http://www.gujaratindia.com/about-gujarat/navratri.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725085151/http://gujaratindia.com/about-gujarat/navratri.htm |archive-date=25 July 2012 |access-date=12 February 2012 |publisher=[[Government of Gujarat]]}}</ref> ''[[Makar Sankranti]]'' is a festival where people of Gujarat fly kites. In Gujarat, from December through to ''Makar Sankranti'', people start enjoying kite flying. ''[[Undhiyu]]'', a special dish made of various vegetables, is a must-have of Gujarati people on ''Makar Sankranti''. Surat is especially well known for the strong string which is made by applying glass powder on the row thread to provide it a cutting edge.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kite Festival |url=http://www.gujaratindia.com/about-gujarat/kite-festival.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103200212/http://www.gujaratindia.com/about-gujarat/kite-festival.htm |archive-date=3 January 2012 |access-date=12 February 2012 |publisher=[[Government of Gujarat]]}}</ref>

Apart from Navratri and Uttarayana, [[Diwali]], [[Holi]], [[Janmashtami]], [[Mahavir Jayanti|Mahavir Janma Kalyanak]], [[Muslim holidays|Eid]], [[Chup Tazia|Tazia]], [[Paryushan]] and others are also celebrated.

Due to close proximity to the Arabian Sea, Gujarat has developed a mercantile ethos which maintained a cultural tradition of [[seafaring]], long-distance trade, and overseas contacts with the outside world since ancient times, and the diffusion of culture through Gujarati [[diaspora]] was a logical outcome of such a tradition. During the pre-modern period, various European sources have observed that these merchants formed diaspora communities outside of Gujarat, and in many parts of the world, such as the [[Persian Gulf]], Middle East, [[Horn of Africa]], Hong Kong, [[Indonesia]], and [[Philippines]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rai |first=Rajesh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zb_X3L96AfgC&pg=PA41 |title=The South Asian Diaspora: Transnational networks and changing identities |last2=Reeves |first2=Peter |publisher=Routledge |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-203-89235-0 |editor-last=Rajesh Rai, Peter Reeves |page=41 |quote=The Gujarati merchant diaspora can still be found in the littoral cities of West Asia and Africa on the one hand and in Southeast Asia on the other.}}</ref> long before the internal rise of the [[Maratha]] Dynasty, and the [[British Raj]] colonial occupation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 December 2012 |title=Even British were envious of Gujaratis |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-12-11/vadodara/35748553_1_gujaratis-maritime-history-subcontinent |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928112046/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-12-11/vadodara/35748553_1_gujaratis-maritime-history-subcontinent |archive-date=28 September 2013 |access-date=25 September 2013 |website=[[The Times of India]] |quote="Most people perceive that British dominated everything in the 19th century when the Indian sub-continent was under their control. But Gujarati merchants, especially those from Kutch, dominated the economy all along the East African coast. So while British were ruling, Gujaratis were making all the money," said Pearson." As financers, they (Gujarati merchants) had agents to collect tax, they had money to provide loans, they dominated the merchandise business and they were also into slavery business at [[Nairobi]], [[Mombasa]], [[Zanzibar]] on the East African coast and to some extent their influence was also on the South African region," he said. "In fact, the dominance of Gujarati merchants on economy was to such an extent that at one point of time the British even complained about it. They, however, couldn't make any difference as most of them were either administrators or soldiers," said Pearson}}</ref>

Early 1st-century Western historians such as [[Strabo]] and [[Dio Cassius]] are testament to Gujarati people's role in the spread of Buddhism in the Mediterranean, when it was recorded that the ''[[Shramana|sramana]]'' monk [[Zarmanochegas]] (Ζαρμανοχηγὰς) of [[Barygaza]] met [[Nicholas of Damascus]] in [[Antioch]] while Augustus ruled the Roman Empire, and shortly thereafter proceeded to [[Athens]] where he burnt himself to death in to demonstrate his faith.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Strabo, Geography, NOTICE. |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0239&layout=&loc=15.1.73 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081004061428/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0239&layout=&loc=15.1.73 |archive-date=4 October 2008 |access-date=20 December 2014 |publisher=Perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cassius Dio – Book 54 |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/54*.html |access-date=20 December 2014 |publisher=Penelope.uchicago.edu}}</ref> A tomb to the ''sramana'', was still visible in the time of [[Plutarch]],<ref>Plutarch. 'Life of Alexander' in The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans. (trans John Dryden and revised Arthur Hugh Clough) The Modern Library (Random House Inc). New York. p.850</ref> which bore the mention "ΖΑΡΜΑΝΟΧΗΓΑΣ ΙΝΔΟΣ ΑΠΟ ΒΑΡΓΟΣΗΣ" ("The ''sramana'' master from Barygaza in India").<ref>Elledge CD. Life After Death in Early Judaism. Mohr Siebeck Tilbringen 2006 {{ISBN|3-16-148875-X}} pp. 122–125</ref>

The progenitor of the [[Sinhala language]] is believed to have been [[Prince Vijaya]], son of King Simhabahu, who ruled Simhapura (modern-day Sihor near Bhavnagar).<ref>P. 25 ''Historical and cultural chronology of Gujarat, Volume 1'' by Manjulal Ranchholdlal Majmudar</ref> Prince Vijaya was banished by his father for his lawlessness and set forth with a band of adventurers. This tradition was followed by other Gujaratis. For example, in the [[Ajanta Caves|Ajanta]] frescoes, a Gujarati prince is shown entering [[Sri Lanka]].<ref name="ReferenceB">P. 4 ''Shyamji Krishna Varma, the unknown patriot'' by Ganeshi Lal Verma, India. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Publications Division</ref>

According to the ''India State of Forest Report 2011'', Gujarat has 9.7% of its total geographical area under forest cover.<ref name="State of forest report 2011">{{Cite press release |title=Forest and tree resources in states and union territories |publisher=Forest survey of India (Ministry of Environment and Forests) |url=http://www.fsi.org.in/cover_2011/gujrat.pdf |access-date=28 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523224905/http://www.fsi.org.in/cover_2011/gujrat.pdf |archive-date=23 May 2012 }}</ref> As per the districts, [[The Dangs]] has the largest area under forest cover. Gujarat has four national parks and 21 sanctuaries. It is the only home of Asiatic lions and outside [[Africa]], is the only present natural habitat of lions.<ref name="Singh2011">{{Cite journal |last=Singh, H. S. |last2=Gibson, L. |year=2011 |title=A conservation success story in the otherwise dire megafauna extinction crisis: The Asiatic lion (''Panthera leo persica'') of Gir forest |url=http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/lab/cons-lab/documents/Singh_Gibson_Biol_Cons_2011.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=144 |issue=5 |pages=1753–1757 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2011.02.009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808105532/http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/lab/cons-lab/documents/Singh_Gibson_Biol_Cons_2011.pdf |archive-date=8 August 2017 |access-date=18 July 2017}}</ref> [[Gir Forest National Park]] in the southwest part of the state covers part of the lions' habitat. Apart from lions, [[Indian leopard]]s are also found in state. They are spread across the large plains of Saurashtra and the mountains of South Gujarat. Other National parks include [[Vansda National Park]], [[Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar]] and [[Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch|Narara Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutchh, Jamnagar]]. Wildlife sanctuaries include [[Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary]], [[Porbandar Bird Sanctuary]], [[Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[Kutch Bustard Sanctuary]], [[Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary]], [[Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary]], Anjal, [[Balaram Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary|Balaram-Ambaji]], [[Barda Wildlife Sanctuary|Barda]], [[Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary|Jambughoda]], [[Khavda]], Paniya, [[Purna Wildlife Sanctuary|Purna]], Rampura, [[Ratan Mahal Wildlife Sanctuary|Ratan Mahal]], and Surpaneshwar.

In February 2019, a [[Bengal tiger]] claimed to be from [[Ratapani Tiger Reserve|Ratapani]] in Madhya Pradesh was spotted in the area of [[Lunavada]] in [[Mahisagar district]], in the eastern part of the state,<ref name="HT 02-2019">{{Cite news |date=18 February 2019 |title=Like humans, animals too have a right to migrate |work=The [[Hindustan Times]] |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/editorials/like-humans-animals-too-have-a-right-to-migrate/story-61db8VDgKftuIkBtPNO6eL.html |url-status=live |access-date=17 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227174147/https://www.hindustantimes.com/editorials/like-humans-animals-too-have-a-right-to-migrate/story-61db8VDgKftuIkBtPNO6eL.html |archive-date=27 February 2019}}</ref><ref name="DTE 02-2019">{{Cite news |last=Ghai |first=Rajat |date=12 February 2019 |title=Camera trap proves Gujarat now has tiger |work=[[Down To Earth (magazine)|Down To Earth]] |url=https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/camera-trap-proves-gujarat-now-has-tiger-63216 |url-status=dead |access-date=17 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212203213/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/camera-trap-proves-gujarat-now-has-tiger-63216 |archive-date=12 February 2019}}</ref> before being found dead later that month, likely from starvation.<ref name="TOI 03-2019">{{Cite news |last=Kaushik |first=Himashu |date=9 March 2019 |title=Tiger that trekked from MP to Gujarat died of starvation: Post-mortem report |work=The [[Times of India]] |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/68327799.cms |access-date=17 March 2019}}</ref>

Gujarat's natural environment includes the [[Great Rann of Kutch]] and the hills of [[Saputara]], and it is the sole home of pure Asiatic lions in the world.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 January 2010 |title=Amitabh Bachchan offers to become brand ambassador of Gujarat |work=[[The Times of India]] |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-01-07/india/28113940_1_brand-ambassador-harivansh-rai-bachchan-amitabh-bachchan |url-status=dead |access-date=14 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419042844/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-01-07/india/28113940_1_brand-ambassador-harivansh-rai-bachchan-amitabh-bachchan |archive-date=19 April 2013}}</ref> During the historic reigns of the sultans, Hindu craftsmanship blended with [[Islamic architecture]], giving rise to the [[Indo-Saracenic]] style. Many structures in the state are built in this fashion. It is also the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel]], great iconic figures of [[Indian independence movement|India's Independence]] movement. [[Amitabh Bachchan]] is currently the brand ambassador of Gujarat Tourism.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TAAI award for Gujarat Tourism |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/TAAI-award-for-Gujarat-Tourism/article20373068.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026035058/http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/economy/article2735467.ece?homepage=true |archive-date=26 October 2012 |access-date=10 December 2019 |website=@businessline}}</ref>

Gujarat has a variety of museums on different genres that are run by the state's Department of Museums located at the principal state museum, [[Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery]] in [[Vadodara]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Contact us |url=http://sycd.gov.in/museum/mus_contact_us.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103165553/http://sycd.gov.in/museum/mus_contact_us.htm |archive-date=3 November 2011 |access-date=14 February 2012 |publisher=[[Government of Gujarat]]}}</ref> which is also the location of the [[Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum]]. The [[Kirti Mandir, Porbandar]], [[Sabarmati Ashram]], and [[Kaba Gandhi No Delo]] are museums related to Mahatma Gandhi, the former being the place of his birth and the latter two where he lived in his lifetime. Kaba Gandhi No Delo in [[Rajkot]] exhibits part of a rare collection of photographs relating to the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Sabarmati Ashram is the place where Gandhi initiated the [[Dandi March]]. On 12 March 1930 he vowed that he would not return to the Ashram until India won independence.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gandhi |first=Mohandas |title=Gandhi Ashram Official Website |url=http://www.gandhiashram.org.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=41 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111205221519/http://www.gandhiashram.org.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=41 |archive-date=5 December 2011}}</ref>

Other well-known museums in the state include the [[Kutch Museum]] in [[Bhuj]], which is the oldest museum in Gujarat founded in 1877, the [[Watson Museum]] of human history and culture in [[Rajkot]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Watson Museum |url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/gujarat/rajkot/sights/other/watson-museum-library |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220115535/http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/gujarat/rajkot/sights/other/watson-museum-library |archive-date=20 February 2012 |access-date=14 February 2012 |publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]}}</ref> [[Gujarat Science City]] and [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial]] in Ahmedabad. In October 2018, the world's tallest statue commemorating the independence leader Sardar Patel was unveiled. At 182 metres tall the [[Statue of Unity]] is the newest tourist attraction with over 30,000 visitors every day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statue of Unity – Project Features, Progress & Major Facts |url=http://www.statueofunity.in/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327091552/http://www.statueofunity.in/ |archive-date=27 March 2019 |access-date=26 March 2019 |website=statueofunity.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=3 December 2018 |title=Statue of Unity now getting 30k daily visitors: Guj officials |work=The Economic Times |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/statue-of-unity-now-getting-30k-daily-visitors-guj-officials/articleshow/66920618.cms |url-status=live |access-date=26 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327151106/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/statue-of-unity-now-getting-30k-daily-visitors-guj-officials/articleshow/66920618.cms |archive-date=27 March 2019}}</ref>

Religious sites play a major part in the tourism of Gujarat. [[Somnath]] is the first of the twelve [[Jyotirlinga]]s, and is mentioned in the [[Rigveda]]. The [[Dwarkadheesh temple, Gujrat|Dwarakadheesh Temple]], [[Radha Damodar Temple, Junagadh]] and [[Dakor]] are holy pilgrimage sites with temples dedicated to [[Krishna|Lord Krishna]]. The [[Sun Temple, Modhera]] is a ticketed monument, handled by the [[Archaeological Survey of India]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sun Temple, Modhera |url=http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_tktd_gujarat_suntemple.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416092518/http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_tktd_gujarat_suntemple.asp |archive-date=16 April 2012 |access-date=14 February 2012 |publisher=[[Archaeological Survey of India]]}}</ref> Other religious sites in state include [[Ambaji]], [[Dakor]], [[Shamlaji]], [[Chotila]], [[Becharaji]], [[Mahudi]], [[Shankheshwar]] etc. The [[Palitana temples]] of [[Jainism]] on Mount [[Shatrunjaya]], [[Palitana]] are considered the holiest of all [[Tirtha (Jainism)|pilgrimage places]] by the [[Svetambara]] and [[Digambara]] [[Jain community]].<ref>{{Cite web |title="Murtipujakas, Jainism", ''Encyclopedia of World Religions'' (PHILTAR), University of Cambria |url=http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/jainism/murti.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013131021/http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/jainism/murti.html |archive-date=13 October 2007 |access-date=30 September 2014 |publisher=Philtar.ucsm.ac.uk}}</ref> Palitana is the world's only mountain with more than 900 temples.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 April 2013 |title=World's only mountain that has more than 900 temples |url=http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/JM-world---s-only-mountain-that-has-more-than-900-temples-4225137-PHO.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131121080531/http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/JM-world---s-only-mountain-that-has-more-than-900-temples-4225137-PHO.html |archive-date=21 November 2013 |access-date=6 February 2018}}</ref> The [[Sidi Saiyyed Mosque]] and [[Jama Masjid, Ahmedabad|Jama Masjid]] are holy mosques for Gujarati Muslims.

A five-day festival is held during [[Maha Shivaratri]] at the fort of [[Girnar]], Junagadh, known as the Bhavanth Mahadev Fair (Gujarati: ભવનાથ નો મેળો). The Kutch Festival or Rann Festival (Gujarati: કચ્છ or રણ ઉત્સવ) is a festival celebrated at Kutch during [[Mahashivratri]]. The ''Modhra Dance Festival'' is a festival for classical dance, arranged by the [[Government of Gujarat]]'s Cultural Department, to promote tourism in state and to keep traditions and culture alive.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Modhra Dance Festival |url=http://www.gujaratindia.com/about-gujarat/modhera-festival.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302202810/http://www.gujaratindia.com/about-gujarat/modhera-festival.htm |archive-date=2 March 2012 |access-date=14 February 2012 |publisher=[[Government of Gujarat]]}}</ref>

The [[Tarnetar]] Fair is held during the first week of ''Bhadrapad'', (September–October according to [[Gregorian calendar]]), and mostly serves as a place to find a suitable bride for tribal people from Gujarat. The region is believed to be the place where [[Arjuna]] took up the difficult task of piercing the eye of a fish, rotating at the end of a pole, by looking at its reflection in the pond water, to marry [[Draupadi]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tarnetar Fair |url=http://www.gujaratindia.com/about-gujarat/tarnetar-mela.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018082543/http://gujaratindia.com/about-gujarat/tarnetar-mela.htm |archive-date=18 October 2011 |access-date=14 February 2012 |publisher=[[Government of Gujarat]]}}</ref>

The Government of Gujarat has [[Alcohol laws of India|banned alcohol]] since 1960.<ref name="articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com">{{Cite web |title=Narendra Modi justifies gutkha ban in Gujarat |url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-10-02/news/34218094_1_gutkha-ban-gujarat-chief-minister-prohibition-policy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006174131/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-10-02/news/34218094_1_gutkha-ban-gujarat-chief-minister-prohibition-policy |archive-date=6 October 2014 |access-date=30 September 2014 |website=The Economic Times}}</ref> Gujarat government collected the ''Best State Award'' for 'Citizen Security' by IBN7 Diamond States on 24 December 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |title=STATE PROFILE |url=http://gujaratindia.com/state-profile/awards.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206120740/http://gujaratindia.com/state-profile/awards.htm |archive-date=6 February 2015 |access-date=20 December 2014 |publisher=Gujaratindia.com}}</ref>

There are two international airports ([[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport|Ahmedabad]] and [[Surat Airport|Surat]]), nine domestic airports ([[Bhavnagar Airport|Bhavnagar]], [[Bhuj Airport|Bhuj]], [[Jamnagar Airport|Jamnagar]], [[Kandla Airport|Kandla]], [[Porbandar Airport|Porbandar]], [[Rajkot Airport|Rajkot]], [[Vadodara Airport|Vadodara]], [[Amreli Airport|Amreli]], [[Keshod Airport|Keshod]]), two private airports ([[Mundra Airport|Mundra]], [[Mithapur]]) and three military bases ([[Bhuj Rudra Mata Air Force Base|Bhuj]], [[Jamnagar Airport|Jamnagar]], [[Naliya Air Force Station|Naliya]]) in Gujarat. Two more airports ([[Ankleshwar Airport|Ankleshwar]], [[Rajkot Greenfield Airport|Rajkot]]) are under construction. There are three disused airports situated at [[Deesa Airport|Deesa]], [[Mandvi]] and [[Mehsana Airport|Mehsana]]; the last serving as a flying school. Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Company Limited (GUJSAIL) has been established by the Government of Gujarat to foster development of aviation infrastructure in the state.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Gujarat {{!}} Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Company Limited |url=https://gujsail.gujarat.gov.in/gujarat.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521063246/https://gujsail.gujarat.gov.in/gujarat.htm |archive-date=21 May 2019 |access-date=21 May 2019 |website=gujsail.gujarat.gov.in}}</ref>

These airports are operated and owned by either the [[Airport Authority of India|Airports Authority of India]], [[Indian Air Force]], Government of Gujarat or private companies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Airports {{!}} Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Company Limited |url=https://gujsail.gujarat.gov.in/airports.htm |access-date=21 May 2019 |website=gujsail.gujarat.gov.in}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="GCAP">{{Cite web |title=Gujarat Civil Aviation Policy 2010 |url=http://cadgog.org/images/civil-aviation-policy-of-gujarat.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818221315/http://cadgog.org/images/civil-aviation-policy-of-gujarat.pdf |archive-date=18 August 2013 |access-date=19 April 2012 |publisher=Government of Gujarat}}</ref>

Gujarat comes under the [[Western Railway Zone]] of the [[Indian Railways]]. [[Ahmedabad Railway Station]] is the most important, centrally located and biggest railway station in Gujarat which connects to all important cities of Gujarat and India.[[Surat railway station]] and [[Vadodara Railway Station]] is also the busiest railway station in Gujarat and the ninth busiest railway station in India. Other important railway stations are [[Surat railway station|Palanpur Junction]], [[Bhavnagar Terminus]], [[Rajkot Railway Station]], [[Sabarmati Junction]], Nadiad Junction, Valsad Railway Station, Bharuch Junction, Gandhidham Junction, Anand Junction, Godhra Railway Station, etc. Indian Railways is planning a dedicated rail freight route Delhi–Mumbai passing through the state.

The {{convert|39.259|km|mi|abbr=on}} long tracks of the first phase of [[Metro-Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad|MEGA]], a [[rapid transit|metro rail system]] for Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar is under construction. It is expected to complete by 2024. The construction started on 14 March 2015.<ref name="DeshGuj32015">{{Cite web |last=DeshGujarat |date=14 March 2015 |title=First 6&nbsp;km works of Ahmedabad Metro to complete by September 2016:CM |url=http://deshgujarat.com/2015/03/14/first-6-km-works-of-ahmedabad-metro-to-complete-by-september-2016cm/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404045909/http://deshgujarat.com/2015/03/14/first-6-km-works-of-ahmedabad-metro-to-complete-by-september-2016cm/ |archive-date=4 April 2015 |access-date=12 April 2015 |website=DeshGujarat }}</ref><ref name="gujarat">{{Cite web |title=Gujarat plans 12 giant industrial hubs |url=http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/oct/21/slide-show-1-gujarat-plans-12-giant-industrial-hubs.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721034644/http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/oct/21/slide-show-1-gujarat-plans-12-giant-industrial-hubs.htm |archive-date=21 July 2011 |access-date=25 October 2010 |website=Rediff.com}}</ref>

Gujarat State has the longest sea coast of 1214&nbsp;km in India. [[Kandla Port]] is one of the largest ports serving Western India. Other important ports in Gujarat are the [[Port of Navlakhi]], [[Port of Magdalla]], [[Port Pipavav]], [[Jamnagar|Bedi Port]], Port of [[Porbandar]], Port of [[Veraval]] and the privately owned [[Mundra Port]]. The state also has [[RORO ferry service, Gujarat|Ro-Ro ferry service]].<ref>{{Citation |title=What is Gujarat's Ro-Ro ferry service? |date=22 October 2017 |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/what-is/what-is-gujarat-ro-ro-ferry-service-ghogha-dahej-4900767/ |work=[[The Indian Express]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022074819/http://indianexpress.com/article/what-is/what-is-gujarat-ro-ro-ferry-service-ghogha-dahej-4900767/ |access-date=22 October 2017 |archive-date=22 October 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

* Mofussil Services&nbsp;– connects major cities, smaller towns and villages within Gujarat.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=GSRTC Services |url=http://www.discoveredindia.com/gujarat/gujarat-state-road-transport-corporation/services.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503044915/http://www.discoveredindia.com/gujarat/gujarat-state-road-transport-corporation/services.htm |archive-date=3 May 2018}}</ref>

The [[Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board]] (GSHSEB) are in charge of the schools run by the Government of Gujarat. However, most of the private schools in Gujarat are affiliated to the [[Central Board of Secondary Education]] (CBSE) and [[Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations]] (CISCE) board. Gujarat has 13 state universities and four agricultural universities.

In the emerging area of legal education, a premier institution [[Gujarat National Law University]] was founded in the capital city Gandhinagar which started imparting education in 2004 and is ranked in top institutions in the country.

The [[Space Applications Centre]] (SAC) is an institution for space research and satellite communication in Ahmedabad, India, under the aegis of the [[Indian Space Research Organisation]] (ISRO). Dr. [[Vikram Sarabhai]], a renowned scientist, industrialist, and visionary Gujarati, played an important role in it. He also founded [[Physical Research Laboratory]], a research institute encompasses Astrophysics, Solar System, and cosmic radiation. He also envisioned [[Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad]], one of the internationally reputed management research institute that is located in Gujarat's commercial capital Ahmedabad and is the top ranked management institutes in the country.<ref>{{Cite news |title=India's top 50 business schools |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/HTEditImages/Images/top-50-business-school.jpg |url-status=dead |access-date=23 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201080409/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/HTEditImages/Images/top-50-business-school.jpg |archive-date=1 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Top B-schools in India |url=http://www.moneycontrol.com/mccode/bestbschools/top_b_schools_in_India.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218202628/http://www.moneycontrol.com/mccode/bestbschools/top_b_schools_in_India.php |archive-date=18 February 2012 |access-date=23 February 2012 |publisher=CNBC-TV18}}</ref>

[[Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute]] has been established under [[Council of Scientific and Industrial Research]] Government of India at Bhavnagar. It was inaugurated by Late Pandit [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], the [[List of Prime Ministers of India|first]] [[Prime Minister of India]] on 10 April 1954, with a view to carry out research on marine salt, and salt from inland lakes and sub-soil brine. It is working on [[reverse osmosis]], electro membrane process, salt and marine chemicals, analytical science, marine biotechnology, and other related fields. The [[Gujarat National Law University]] situated at Gandhinagar is the 5th Best Law School currently in India.

[[Gujarat Science City]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 June 2010 |title=Gujarat Science City |url=http://www.scity.org/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726171222/http://www.scity.org/ |archive-date=26 July 2010 |access-date=16 July 2010 |publisher=Scity.org}}</ref> is a government initiative to draw more students towards education in science, which hosts India's first [[IMAX]] 3D theatre, an energy park, a hall of science, an [[amphitheatre]], and dancing [[musical fountain]]s among others. [[Institute of Management under Nirma University]] is constantly ranked among the top MBA colleges in India. [[International Institute of Management and Technical Studies]] affiliated with [[Gujarat Knowledge Society]], [[European Association for Distance Learning]], [[Association of Indian Management Schools]] and [[Ahmedabad Textile Industry's Research Association]] has performed globally for its [[higher education]] certification courses for working professionals. [[IIMT STUDIES]] also launched [[GET SET GO]] programme in 2013 in affiliation with [[Gujarat Technological University]] and [[Gujarat Knowledge Society]], [[Department of Technical Education]]- [[Government of Gujarat]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=GUJARAT TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY |url=http://www.gtu.ac.in/circulars/14May/13052014.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140802142737/http://www.gtu.ac.in/circulars/14May/13052014.pdf |archive-date=2 August 2014 |access-date=20 December 2014 |publisher=Gtu.ac.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Gujarat Knowledge Society |url=http://gksgujarat.org/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217081456/http://gksgujarat.org/ |archive-date=17 December 2014 |access-date=20 December 2014 |publisher=Gksgujarat.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=IIMT -International Institute of Management and Technical Studies-Distance Education Distance Learning Institute |url=http://iimtstudies.edu.in/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218123529/http://iimtstudies.edu.in/ |archive-date=18 December 2014 |access-date=20 December 2014 |publisher=Iimtstudies.edu.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS) |url=http://www.aims.org.in/cmspage.php?sid=UzI0NDQ= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224112241/http://www.aims.org.in/cmspage.php?sid=UzI0NDQ= |archive-date=24 December 2014 |access-date=20 December 2014 |publisher=Aims.org.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=India |url=http://www.eadl.org/members/india/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102052018/http://www.eadl.org/members/india/ |archive-date=2 January 2016 |access-date=20 December 2014 |publisher=Eadl.org}}</ref> [[B.K. School of Business Management]] is ranked sixth in financial management. [[K. S. School of Business Management]] is also an MBA college in [[Gujarat University]] providing a five-year integrated MBA course. [[Shanti Business School]] in Ahmedabad is a business school offering a post-graduate diploma in management through a corporate citizenship initiative.

*[[Dhirubhai Ambani]], founder of [[Reliance Industries]]; from [[Chorvad]], Gujarat<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 January 2020 |title=Dhirubhai Ambani – The founder of Reliance |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dhirubhai-Ambani |access-date=20 May 2020 |website=Britannica |language=en-US}}</ref>

*[[Mahatma Gandhi]], spearheaded the [[Indian independence movement]] against [[British India|British colonial rule]]; Gujarati<ref>{{Cite web |title=Modern Gujarat |url=https://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/gujarat/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405024600/https://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/gujarat/ |archive-date=5 April 2018 |access-date=4 April 2018 |publisher=Mapsofindia.com}}</ref>

*[[Narendra Modi]], 14th and current [[Prime Minister of India]]; from [[Vadnagar]], Gujarat<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 May 2020 |title=narendra modi |url=https://www.narendramodi.in/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002045436/https://www.narendramodi.in/ |archive-date=2 October 2019 |access-date=21 May 2020 |website=narendramodi.in}}</ref>

*[[Azim Premji]], software magnate and chairman of [[Wipro Limited]]; ethnically Gujarati<ref>{{Cite news |last=Patel, Aakar |date=16 May 2016 |title=The Muslim businessmen of India |work=DNA |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/comment_the-muslim-businessmen-of-india_1383602 |url-status=live |access-date=4 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203054158/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/comment_the-muslim-businessmen-of-india_1383602 |archive-date=3 February 2013}}</ref>

*[[Shrimad Rajchandra]], poet, philosopher and reformer best known as the spiritual guru of Mahatma Gandhi<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jathar, Dnyanesh |date=16 July 2016 |title=Indian who inspired Gandhi |work=The Week |url=http://www.theweek.in/theweek/statescan/mahatma-gandhis-mentor-shrimad-rajchandra.html |url-status=live |access-date=4 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217195207/http://www.theweek.in/theweek/statescan/mahatma-gandhis-mentor-shrimad-rajchandra.html |archive-date=17 February 2018}}</ref>

*[[Vikram Sarabhai]], "father of the Indian space programme"; from Ahmedabad<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=30 December 2013 |title=Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian Space Program passed away 45 years ago |url=https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/vikram-sarabhai-the-father-of-the-indian-space-program-passed-away-45-years-ago-3695105.html |url-status=dead |magazine=First Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405024557/https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/vikram-sarabhai-the-father-of-the-indian-space-program-passed-away-45-years-ago-3695105.html |archive-date=5 April 2018 |access-date=4 April 2018}}</ref>

*[[Amit Shah]], 31st and current [[Minister of Home Affairs (India)|Current Home Minister of India]], former [[Minister of State]], Government of Gujarat; born in [[Mumbai]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Balan |first=Premal |date=10 July 2014 |title=Amit Shah: An organisation man at helm |work=Business Standard India |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/amit-shah-an-organisation-man-at-helm-114071000099_1.html |access-date=15 February 2021}}</ref>

*[[Jamsetji Tata]], pioneer industrialist, founder of the [[Tata Group]]; from a [[Parsi]] family of [[Navsari]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tata Steel |url=http://www.tatasteel100.com/people/index.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208061222/http://www.tatasteel100.com/people/index.asp |archive-date=8 December 2014 |access-date=20 December 2014 |publisher=Tatasteel100.com}}</ref>

*[[Shyamji Krishna Varma]], an Indian revolutionary fighter, an Indian patriot, lawyer and journalist From Kutch

*[[New Jersey]], [[United States]] (September 2019)<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 September 2019 |title=Gujarat, New Jersey ink sister state MoU |work=Business Standard India |agency=Press Trust of India |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/gujarat-new-jersey-ink-sister-state-mou-119092100944_1.html |access-date=12 April 2020}}</ref>

*[[Delaware]], [[United States]] (September 2019)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gujarat Govt, Delaware State of America sign MoU for sister state |url=http://www.newsonair.com/Main-News-Details.aspx?title=Gujarat-Govt,-Delaware-State-of-America-sign-MoU-for-sister-state&id=371134 |access-date=12 April 2020 |website=newsonair.com}}</ref>

*[[California]], [[United States]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4 {{!}} Senate Office of International Relations |url=https://soir.senate.ca.gov/scr42001 |access-date=13 April 2020 |website=soir.senate.ca.gov}}</ref>

*[[Hyōgo Prefecture]], [[Japan]] (November 2019)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Japan Information & Study Centre |url=https://www.japancentreatama.com/ |access-date=13 April 2020 |website=Japan Information and Study Centre}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Experts |first=Disha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h_yzDwAAQBAJ&q=gujarat+sister+state+hyogo&pg=PA65 |title=Quarterly Current Affairs Vol. 3 - July to September 2019 for Competitive Exams |date=25 September 2019 |publisher=Disha Publications |isbn=978-93-89418-63-7 |language=en}}</ref>

*[[Guangdong]], [[China]] (2014)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Panda |first=Jagannath P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zi8lDwAAQBAJ&q=gujarat+sister+state&pg=PA28 |title=India-China Relations: Politics of Resources, Identity and Authority in a Multipolar World Order |date=4 October 2016 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-317-56381-5 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=IANS |date=7 June 2019 |title=Gujarat, Guangdong look to strengthen trade relations |work=Business Standard India |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/gujarat-guangdong-look-to-strengthen-trade-relations-119060800006_1.html |access-date=12 April 2020}}</ref>

*[[Astrakhan Oblast]], [[Russia]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Upadhyay |first=Dadan |last2=RIR |first2=specially for |date=9 December 2015 |title=Modi to reconnect in Russia with Astrakhan |url=https://www.rbth.com/economics/cooperation/2015/12/09/modi-to-reconnect-in-russia-with-astrakhan_548683 |access-date=12 April 2020 |website=rbth.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Upadhyay |first=Dadan |date=16 January 2017 |title=Russia, India turn to Gujarat to help increase trade turnover |url=https://www.rbth.com/economics/business/2017/01/16/russia-india-turn-to-gujarat-to-help-increase-trade-turnover_681841 |access-date=12 April 2020 |website=rbth.com}}</ref>

* {{Citation |last=Bleeker |first=Claas Jouco |title=Historia Religionum: Religions of the present |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3rrQY1tzLQUC&pg=PP1 |volume=II |pages=715 |year=1971 |publisher=Brill |isbn=9789004025981 |last2=Widengren |first2=Geo}}

* {{Citation |last=Boyce |first=Mary |title=Zoroastrians, their religious beliefs and practices |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a6gbxVfjtUEC&q=Zoroastrians%2C%20their%20religious%20beliefs%20and%20practices&pg=PP1 |pages=252 |year=2001 |edition=2nd |place=New York |publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul |isbn=9780415239028}}

* {{Citation |last=Hodivala |first=Shahpurshah Hormasji |title=Studies in Parsi History |url=https://archive.org/details/studiesinparsihi00hodiuoft |pages=349 |year=1920 |place=Bombay |publisher=Captain Print Works}}

* {{Citation |last=Jackson |first=Abraham Valentine Williams |title=Persia past and present: a book of travel and research, with more than two hundred illustrations and a map |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R9coAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP1 |pages=471 |year=1906 |publisher=The Macmillan Company}}

* {{Citation |last=Khanbaghi |first=Aptin |title=The fire, the star and the cross: minority religions in medieval and early |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7iAbUEaXnfEC&pg=PP1 |pages=268 |year=2006 |edition=reprint |publisher=I.B.Tauris |isbn=9781845110567}}