Gujarat state India

Gujarat state India:

Other States

Area : 1.96.025 sq km

Population: 5,05,96,992; growth rate (1991-2001): 22.48%

Density per sq km: 258

Sex ratio (females per 1,000 males): 921

Literacy rate: 69.97% (males: 80.50%; females: 58.60%)

Capital: Gandhinagar

No. of Districts: 25

Legislature: Unicameral

Principal Language: Gujarati

Important Cities, Towns and Religious/Tourist Places:

Ambaji (religious Place), Ahmedabad-situated on the river Sabarmati (Jami Masjid, Teen Darwaza, Bhadra Fort, Tomb of Ahmed Shab Abdali, Shaking Minarets, Hathee Singh Temple, Kankaria Lake, Sabarmati Ashram); Amreli, Banaskantha, Bharuch (Broach), Bhadreshwar (religious place), Bhavnagar, Bhuj, Cambay (Old sea port of Ahmedabad), Dang, Dwarka (Hindu religious place and closely related to Krishan) Girnar (religious Place); gandhinagar (the capital city), Godhra, Himatnagar, Jamnagar (Princely state of Jadeja Rajputs prior to Independence, Junagadh (temple-studded Girnar Hill, departure point for visit to Gir Forest, Uparkot Fort, Mahabat Maqbara), Karwar (port and beach), Kheda, Kutch (wild ass sanctuary), lothal (related to Indus Valley sites of Mohenjodaro and Harappa (both in pakistan), Mehsana, Modhera (Sun Temple built by king Bhimdev I), Panchmahals, Palanpur, Palitana (religious Place), Patan (ancient Hindi capital before being sacked by mahmud of Ghazni), Pavagadh (religious place), Porbandar (birth place of Mahatma Gandhi), Rajkot (once capital of Saurashtra), sasan (GIr Lion Sanctuary), Sabarkantha, Satpura (bill station), Shamlaji (religious Place), Somnath (religious place, famous for somnath Temple built of gold by Somraj, the moon God himself, also associated with Rawana, Krishna, Bhimdev, Mahmud of Ghazni was an unwelcome visitor who descended from his Afghan kingdom and looted the fabulous from his Afghan kingdom and looted the fabulous wealth and destroyed the temple), surat (on the banks of river Tapti), Surendranagar, Taranga (religious place), Vadodara (Baroda) (former capital of Princely Gaekwad state, Sayaji Bagh, Baroda Museum, Maharaja Fatehsinh Museum, Laxmi Vilas Palace), Valsad, Veraval (was major seaport for Mecca Pilgrims).

Judicature: High Court at Ahmedabad

Location:

Located in western India, Gujarat is bounded north by Pakistan and Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh in the east, Maharashtra in the southeast and Arabian Sea in the west.

History:

The history of Gujarat is legendary. It is believed that Lord Krishna left Mathura to settle at Dwarka, now in Gujarat. It was always prominent in both the ancient and medieval periods of history. During the British rule and after independence, it remained part and parcel of the Bombay Presidency when on May 1, 1960, as a result of the Bombay Reorganization Act, 1960,as a result of the Bombay Reorganization Act, 1960, the State of Gujarat was formed from the north and west (predominantly Gujarati-speaking) portion of Bombay State, the remainder being renamed the State of Maharashtra.

Gujarat consists of the following districts of the former State of Bombay:

Banaskantha, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Ahmedabad, Kheda, Panch Mahals, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surqat6, Dangs, Amreli, Bhavangar, Kachch, Gandhinagar and Valsad.

Economy:

Gujarat is the main producer of tobacco, cotton and groundnut. The other cash crops are isabgol, sugarcane, mangoes and bananas. Bajra, jowar, maize, rice and wheat are the main food crops. Forests cover 10 percent of the area of the State which produce khair and sadad. Gujarat is recognised as one of the leading industrialised States in the Country. The important industries of Gujarat are textiles, inorganic chemicals such as caustic soda and soda, Petro-chemicals, drugs and pharmaceuticals, electronic and electrical goods, machine tools, cement, sugar, oil and natural gas. The Sardar Sarovar (Narmada) Project has the tremendous irrigation potential.

The main airport : Ahmedabad which has got the status of an international airport. Besides 40 ports, Kandla is the major port which occupies a leading position in the country.