West India · Gujarat
Gujarat
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia
About Gujarat
- Coastal
Where it is
Gujarat is a state in western India with the longest coastline of any Indian state, wrapped around the Gulf of Kutch and the Gulf of Khambhat on the Arabian Sea, from the salt flats of the Rann of Kutch to the Saurashtra peninsula; its capital is Gandhinagar.
History
Lothal and Dholavira were cities of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Later the Maitrakas of Vallabhi and the Chaulukya (Solanki) kings ruled here, then the Gujarat Sultanate, whose Ahmed Shah founded Ahmedabad in 1411, followed by the Mughals, the Marathas and the British. Mahatma Gandhi was born in Porbandar and began the Salt March from Ahmedabad in 1930, and Gujarat became a separate state on 1 May 1960.
People
Gujarati is the main language, with Kutchi and Sindhi spoken in Kutch, and the state's Hindu, Jain, Muslim and Parsi communities have a long tradition of trade and a large diaspora. Gujarati food is famous for dishes such as dhokla, thepla and undhiyu, and Navratri is celebrated with nine nights of garba.
Known for
- Gir, the last home of the Asiatic lion
- The white salt desert of the Rann of Kutch
- Navratri garba
- The temples of Somnath and Dwarka
- Patola silk and Kutch embroidery
Did you know?
The Gir forest of Gujarat is home to the only wild population of Asiatic lions in the world.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.