Gujarat Tourism - Gujarat Travel Guide

Area: 196,024 km²

Population: 6.27 crores

Language: Gujarati, Hindi

Capital: Gandhinagar

Best Time to Visit: October to March

Gujarat, a state located at the Western tip of India where people speak their first word “Aavo Padharo”. Aavo Padharo are the words of welcome in the language of Gujarat because this is the only place where these words chime truly and the guest is 'God' and the people of Gujarat are gregariously friendly, inviting and will tempt you to come again and again. The unique natural and man-made countryside of the Gujarat that is from outpourings of the volcanoes to fossil fields and from the fine art of the Neolithic cave artist to the stone masterpieces of a chain of cultured structural design.

Historical Facts

The history of Gujarat is as old as the beginning of Indus Valley Civilization and it was culminated with the conquest by the Muslim rulers from central Asia. Some of the ancient cities of Indus Valley Civilization are in Gujarat as Lothal, Dholavira, and Gola Dhoro. Before 11th century, there was an era of Gupta Dynasty and Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty. Later Muslims came to Gujarat and the first Muslim who was victorious in Gujarat was Mahmud of Ghazni, whose invasion successfully ended the rule of the Solankis. Since its ancient history, Gujarat was enriched by their commercial activities which attracted many European powers too. The first European power to arrive in Gujarat was Portugal. It acquired lot of the Gujarat coastal areas, including the Daman and Diu and the Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Later, the British East India Company rooted an industry in Surat in 1614, which formed their first foot in India. The rule of the British officials paved one of the many paths to the modern day’s contemporary Gujarat. Also, the role of Gujarat in Indian independence can never be kept aside. The greatest freedom fighter of India was great Mahatma Gandhi, born in Gujarat. He was joined by other Gujarati Indian freedom fighters like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Morarji Desai, KM Munshi, Narhari Parikh, Mahadev Desai and Ravi Shankar Vyas. Mahatma Gandhi led the Salt Satyagraha in Gujarat which was a movement of nonviolent protest against the British salt tax in colonial India. It was one of the most observable images of Gujarat during the days prior to independent India.

Economy of Gujarat

The economy of Gujarat is one of the most affluent state economies of India. The Gross domestic product (GDP) of Gujarat is twice as fast as of the country. The economy of Gujarat is affluent because of rapid industrialization. The major income creation from agriculture comes from cotton. The agricultural economy of Gujarat is mainly reliant upon the recurrent cotton yields. Gujarat ranks high in the manufacturing sector.

Cultural Facts

State of Gujarat boasts of a prosperous rituals, traditions and legacy. The Gujaratis have preserved the ancient art and craft techniques and still practice them with great willpower. They are proud of their customs and traditions and follow them with extreme pride. The character of Gujarat is clearly evident from the variation of fairs and festivals celebrated in this state. Therefore, Gujarat has a cultural variety which is an exceptional characteristic of this state. The various song, dance and drama forms practiced in Gujarat are famous throughout India and abroad. The most attractive thing is that the origin of some performing arts as old as the ancient era of Lord Krishna. The folk drama popular in Gujarat is known as Bhavai. Other popular folk dances of Gujarat are Dandiya, Garba, Garbi, Tippani Nritya, Siddi, Padhar Nritya, Dangi Nritya and some other local tribal dances.

Geography Facts

Gujarat has 7% of overall geographical region under forest which makes 4 National parks and 21 sanctuaries. Gujarat is the only habitat of Asiatic Lions and is the only current natural habitat of lions outside the Africa continent. In the South-West part of the Gujarat there exist Gir Forest National Park which covers only part of the lions' habitat and the other big cats can also be found in this National Park as Leopards. Leopards can be found across the large plains of Saurashtra and South Gujarat mountains. Major mountain-ranges of India like Aravalli, Sahyadri, Vindhya and Satpura are found in Gujarat. Girnar is the famous and tallest mountain of Gujarat and Saputara happens to be the only hill-station here in Gujarat. Narmada River is the biggest river of Gujarat followed by Tapi, even though Sabarmati covers longest area in the state.

The coast line of Gujarat stretches up to 1600 kms and is one of the longest in india. Gujarat is consecrated with a number of beaches in India like the beach of Ahmedpur, Mandvi, Beyt Dwarka Beach, Chorwad Beach, Gopnath Beach, Somnath and Veraval Beach. Other than the forest area, Gujarat has some of the tourist destinations like Jami Masjid, Sidi Saiyyed Mosque, Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum, Buddhist Cave Monastery, and Durbar Hall Museum.

Gujarat Foods

Gujarati cuisine is more or less strictly vegetarian but it is pleasantly appetizing and most of the cuisines are served traditionally on large silver platters along with rice and a variety of wheat breads. A wide range of seasonal vegetables, a sensible use of spices and herbs, and a light touch make authentic Gujarati cuisine a gourmet's delight. Gujarati snacks (farsans) are delicious. Some common dishes includes Khaman Dhokla, a salted steamed cake, made from chickpea flour, Doodhpak, Amras, Sev-Ganthia, Paunk, Kadhi and Shrikhand. Desserts are generally made from local sugar cane, jaggery, milk, almonds, and pistachios were initially served at occasion of weddings and several family occasions as an instant liveliness booster for relatives travelling long distances to attend. Now days, sweets are more characteristically made from milk, sugar and nuts are to be served as part of a Thali and Magas and Ghooghra are dry sweets which are loved by the people of Gujarat.

So, what else an individual can ask for, tour to Gujarat tries to fulfill every type of demand. Become a part of Gujarat and get fascinated with its eternal sweet charm.