Gujarat People

The majority of the population is of Indo-Aryan origin. Nearly 20% of the people are tribal and the Bhils, Kolis, Dhubla, Naikda and Macchi-Kharwa are some of the tribes which can be still found in Gujarat. The Aryans were the first people to come from the north who either conquered or drove away the Bhils, the traditional rulers of Gujarat. Kolis are also equally important and occupy an intermediate social position between the Aryans and the Bhils. Aryans are now commonly recognized as Hindus. The immigration during the medieval period brought Islam and Zoroastrianism to Gujarat and initiated the growth of a multi-religious society. The peninsula of Kathiawar is named after the Kathis who came to Saurashtra at the close of the fourteenth century. Their origin is not fully known but it is possible that they were driven southwards by the Muslim invaders. Khachar and Chotila were the most important seats of the Kathis. Worshippers of the Sun, they were essentially nomadic and had developed, among other pastoral occupations, the art of horse-breeding. Successive waves of immigrants from other parts of India have led to a superimposition of different communities and cultures in Kathiawar. The powerful royal families, which conquered Saurashtra later on established their rule over there. 'Rabaris' are community of cattle-breeders who have migrated from Sindh and Marwar and claim a Rajput ancestry. The Rabaris stand out prominently by their features and dress and lead a nomadic life. The tribal people in the hilly areas do subsistence farming. Rice, jowar, bajra, and groundnut are the main crops grown by them. The tribals engage themselves in wood-cutting with which they descend to the small towns for getting the daily necessaries of life. Many of them are engaged in forest industry, where they collect lac and toddy.
The Gujaratis, the people of Gujarat, are found all over the state. These people trace their lineage from the Gurjars. They are believed to have come to India with the Huns and while passing through Punjab, settled in Gujarat. Gujaratis were highly influenced by the cultural waves from the mainland and accepted the monarchies that ruled over them. Various Hindu traditions like Shavism and Vaishnavism were adopted by Gujarat which in turn developed its own galaxy of saints and devotees and its own art and culture. Today, the word Gujarati does not provide any definite association with a particular stock, a tribe of immigrants or a specific group of people. The Kutchis, who were the natives of the peninsula of Kutch, have their own dialects. The Kutchis are both Hindus and Muslims and a large number of them have migrated from Sindh. The Jadeja Rajputs, the Lohanas and even the Muslims many of whom are 'Maldharis', the cattle-breeders, came from Sindh. Gujarati males generally wear dhoti, long or short coat and turban cap. Nowadays, pants are becoming common instead of dhoti. The women wear saree and blouse. Parsi males wear pants, long coat and a headgear. The Parsi women's clothes are identical with those of the Hindu women with a slight difference marked by long sleeves of the blouse and a scarf on the head. With the changing times, the ornaments of the women are also changing. They have become simpler and meager. They generally wear rings, ear-rings, bangles and slender chains. Bangles made of ivory and dyed in red, with a gold chip, are presented to the bride by her maternal uncle on the occasion of her marriage.

Fauna in Gujarat

Gujarat is very rich in animal life. The forest areas of the Gir in Saurashtra, Panchmahals and Dangs have herds of gazelles, black buck and spotted deer. The Asiatic lion is now localised in the Gir forest, which has also smaller mammals including langurs and blue bulls. Gujarat having an extensive coastline, perennial rivers and lakes and ponds are rich in a variety of fish. Besides Asiatic lion, tiger, panther, cheetah, wolf, jackal, fox, Civet, greyish langur, rabbit and porcupine are also found in the forest areas of the state. The wild ass is a distinctive species found only in Gujarat, in the Rann of Kutch. The thick forests of Dang, which receive maximum rains and have abundant greenery, are the home of beautiful birds such as Trogon, hornbills, barbets, babblers, racket-tailed drongos and minivets. The Saras, pea-fowls, red-wattle lapwings, parakeets, babblers and mynas are mostly found in the plains. The extensive coastal regions of the state give shelter to various birds like plovers, stints, sand pipers, curlews, lesser flamingoes, terns and gulls. During the winter, flocks of migratory birds came to Gujarat from faraway countries, like the pied-crested cuckoo, rosy pelicans, white storks, Brahmany duck, demoiselle cranes, common cranes, ducks, coots, snipes, moorhens, curlews and stints. During monsoons, the great and the little Rann of Kutch, serve as breeding ground for flamingoes, pelicans and avocets. While drier areas of Kutch and north Gujarat serve as haunt to grey partridges, larks, white-ear bulbuls, finch larks and sand-grouses.

Rivers in Gujarat

The Banas in the north, originating in the Siranva hill in Sirohi in Rajasthan, flows by the foothills of Abu and disappears in the desert. The Saraswati takes its birth at Koteshvar near Ambaji, flows by Siddhpur and Patan and merges into the desert. The Sabarmati, one of the biggest rivers of north Gujarat, originates from the Dhebar lake in Rajasthan and flows towards the Gulf of Cambay. The Hathmati, Vatrak, Mazam, Meshvo, Shedhi, Khari and the other rivulets also join it. The three virgin rivers of the north and the Sabarmati with its tributaries are the daughters of the Aravalli ranges, while the Mahi and Narmada with their families originate from Madhya Pradesh. The Narmada, one of the biggest and holiest river along with the only tributary, Karjan, meets the sea, about 16 kms. from Broach. The Tapi takes its birth in the Satpura ranges near Betwa and enters Gujarat at Kakarapar. It flows around Surat and Rander and falls into the sea. The Mindhola, Purna, Ambika, Vanki, Auranga, Vapi, Par, Kolak and Damanganga are the rivers of south Gujarat, which originates in the Sahyadri. Most of the rivers of Saurashtra and Kutch dries up in the summer. The rivers which originate in the central Saurashtra in the Chotila range flow to the south into the desert of Kutch. Only the Aji, Machhu and Brahmani are northward flowing rivers. The rivers originating in the Girnar and Gir namely, the Ojhat, Kamb, Surekh, Somal, Sangwada, Hirani, Kapila and Saraswati flow into the sea. The Saraswati and Vastu are sacred rivers. Though Kutch has many rivers, they are small and do not have much water. The Khari flowing by Bhuj meets the desert and Magh and Tara empty their waters in the Gulf of Cambay. The Rudramata has been bunded for irrigation, providing the only irrigation project in Kutch.

Gujarat Geography

Gujarat is situated on the west coast of India. It is bounded in the west by the Arabian sea, in the north-west by Pakistan, in the north by Rajasthan, in the east by Madhya Pradesh and in the south and south-east by Maharashtra. The state of Gujarat occupies the northern extremity of the western sea-board of India. It has the longest coast line of 1290 kms. The state comprises of three geographical regions. The peninsula, traditionally known as Saurashtra, is essentially a hilly tract sprinkled with low mountains. Kutch on the north-east is barren and rocky and contains the famous Rann (desert) of Kutch, the big Rann in the north and the little Rann in the east. The mainland extending from the Rann of Kutch and the Aravalli Hills to the river Damanganga is on the whole a level plain of alluvial soil.

Climate of Gujarat

The climate of Gujarat is moist in the southern districts and dry in the northern region. The Arabian sea and the Gulf of Cambay reduce the temperature and makes the climate more pleasant. The year can be divided into four seasons which are the winter season from November to February, the summer season from March to May, the south-west monsoon season from June to September and the intervening month of October. The average rainfall in Gujarat varies from 33 to 152 cms. The southern region of the state has an average rainfall ranging from 76 to 152 cms, Dang district have the highest average of about 190 cms. The northern district have a rainfall ranging from 51 to 102 cms. The rainfall in the southern highlands of Saurashtra and the Gulf of Cambay is approximately 63 cms while the other parts of Saurashtra have a rainfall less than 63 cms. The semi-desert area of Kutch has a very low average rainfall. Certain areas in Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Banaskantha, Panchmahal, Surendranagar, Jamnagar and Kutch districts receives very less or no rains. As the Tropic of Cancer passes through the northern border of Gujarat, the state has an intensely hot or cold climate. But the Arabian sea and the Gulf of Cambay in the west and the forest covered hills in the east soften the rigors of climatic extremes.

Gujarat History

The history of Gujarat that dates back to 3500 years can be known from the archaeological findings at Lothal near Dhandauka in Ahmedabad district and Razdi in Saurashtra. The earliest stone age settlements in Gujarat are situated on the margins of the South Asian zone. Some of these settlements are located at Rojadi near Rajkot and Adamgarh, near the Gujarat-Madhya Pradesh border, Sabarmati and Mahi rivers in the south. The Indus Valley and Harappa civilization has been discovered at Lothal, Rangpur, Amri, Lakhabaval and Rozdi. In 1954, these sites were discovered as one of the most remarkable Indus Valley sites in India. It seemed probably that they came by sea, occupying a settlement that was already well-established before they colonized it. The main Harappan occupation lasted from 2450 BC to 1900 BC, followed by a 300 year period of decline. In 1988, an exciting new Harappa civilization was discovered at Kuntasi, the head of the Gulf of Kutch, 30 km from Morvi in Rajkot district. Kuntasi was a port, and had a “factory” associated with it. It seems that this site hold more clues to the Harappan religious beliefs and practice. A copper ring and a spiral motif was discovered at Kuntasi, which describes about the importance of the site as a port for trade. The unusual double fortification belongs to two separate periods, the first from 2200 BC and the second from between 1900 and 1700 BC. The Rock edicts in the Girnar Hills also indicated that the Mauryan emperor Ashoka extended his domain into Gujarat. The Sakas or Scynthias (130-390 AD) controlled it after the fall of the Mauryan Empire and under Rudradaman, their empire contained Malwa, Saurashtra, Kutch and Rajasthan. During the 4th and 5th centuries it formed part of the Gupta Empire which was succeeded by the Maitraka dynasty. The Gurjara-Pratiharas ruled during the 8th and 9th centuries and were replaced by the Solanki dynasty, under whom Gujarat extended its territorial area. This was later ruled by the Vaghela dynasty before defeated by the Ala-ud-din Khalji, and the Muslim rule followed after this. Ahmad I, the first independent Muslim ruler of Gujarat founded Ahmedabad in 1411.

Information about Gujarat

General Information about Gujarat
Area : 196,024 square kms.
Capital : Gandhinagar
Language : Gujarati
Districts : 25
Best time to Visit : October to March

Gujarat is one of the most diverse states in India. Gujarat derives its name from the word 'Gujaratta'. Gujaratta means the land of gurjars. The gurjars were a sub-tribe of the Huns who ruled the area during the 8th and 9th centuries AD. They passed through Punjab and settled in some parts of western India, which came to be known as Gujarat. The state of Gujarat is an industrially advanced state. The state of Gujarat is not a popular tourist destination among foreign and Indian tourists, but still holds an important place in India. Gujarat is bounded by the Arabian Sea in the west, by Rajasthan in the north and northeast, by Madhya Pradesh in the east and by Maharashtra in the south and south east. The state has an international border and has a common frontier with Pakistan at the northwestern fringe. It is situated on the north end of the west coast of India and covers an area of 196,024 square km. Gandhinagar, located near Ahmedabad is the state capital of Gujarat. The people of Gujarat are also known to be a successful business community. At present, Gujarat comprises of 25 districts. The official and primary language spoken is Gujarati. The state of Gujarat is known all over the world for its holy temples, historic capitals, wildlife sanctuaries, beaches, hill resorts, fascinating handicrafts, mouth watering cuisine and colourful lifestyle of the people of Gujarat. This state can also be visited during your trip to Mumbai or Rajasthan. The best time to visit Gujarat is from October to March.