Ancient History Of Gujarat. Useful For All Compititive Exam.
There are no written records of the ancient period. The earliest known history is about Chandragupta Maurya having conquered parts of this region around 322 BC to 294 BC. He deputed Pushyamitra who ruled the region from Junagadh. Emperor Ashoka too left his legacy here in the form of the edits on the rocks near Junagadh.
At around the same time Demetrius from Greek made incursions into Gujarat but could not establish a strong foothold.
Around 10 AD it was the Sakas who ruled parts of Gujarat for about 400 years. Mahakshatrap Rudradaman I founded the Kardamaka dynasty that held sway over regions extending from Bharuch to Punjab. With the decline of the Guptas it was left to Senapati Bhatarka, a general in the Gupta army to declare independence and establish his own Maitrak kingdom around 470 AD, with their capital located in Valabhipur near Bhavnagar. The Maitrakas held sway over regions extending up to the Malwa plateau and were also renowned for their scholarly pursuits. The dynasty lasted from 475 to 767 AD. The Gurjara Pratiharas dominated from 8th to 9th century AD after which the Solankis took over.
Rajputs rules Gujarat from 960 to 1243 AD. The Solankis, descended from the Chalukyas that ruled parts of Western and Central India from 10th to 13th centuries, established supremacy in this region. Mulraj I overthrew the Chavdas and established supremacy in Anhilwad Patan, later going on to found the city of Siddhpur. Under his rule Gujarat flourished as a centre of arts and commerce. His successors included Karndev I who ruled from 1064 to 1094 AD and expanded the territory to include Konkan areas even as he went about building temple and founding Karnavati that later came to be known as Ahmedabad. However, he was defeated and killed by Dushshal Chauhan. However, his son Siddhraj Jaysinh I ascended the throne and went on to become the most famous of the Solanki dynasty. Patan shone under his rule and became a flourishing city. Incidentally, Ahmedabad was modelled after Patan. Generations succeeded him but could not outshine him. The Vaghelas were the next to rise to power.
Allauddin Khilji from Delhi invaded Gujarat around 1297 AD, paving the way for Muslim rule in this region that would last for the next 400 years. However, this was not the first time that there were Muslim invasions. Mahmud Ghazni did invade Gujarat around 1026 AD but his intention was to loot and plunder. It was Alauddin Khilji who established a strong foothold here. Gujarat continued to be ruled from Delhi but as the hold weakened the local viceroy Safar Shah declared independence and assumed the title of Sultan Muzaffar Shah. His son Ahmed Shah shifted capital to Ahmedabad and was succeeded by Mahmud Shah. There was a period of relative stability when the region flourished but things became upset with the assassination of Sikandar Shah. Bahadur Shah’s defeat at the hands of the armies of Emperor Akbar once again saw this region reverting to Delhi Mughal rule that lasted until the rise of the Marathas. Momin Khan surrendered to the Marathas in 1758, marking their ascendancy.
By the 17th century the Muslim rulers could no longer maintain their strong grip and the Marathas were becoming a dominant force. Shivaji attacked Surat in 1664 and in 1672. The Peshwas established their domination over parts of Saurashtra and Gujarat. Damaji Gaekwad and Kadam Bande ruled the territories with Gaekwad establishing a stronghold in Baroda. By 1800 AD the Marathas were considerably weaked due to strong infighting, a quality exploited by the British, who were establishing a strong presence through their East India Company, to gain control through subterfuge. Madhavrao Gaekwad aligned himself with the British in 1802 and eventually lost control.
From 1800 AD onwards the region came under the rule of the British and remained so until Mahatma Gandhi initiated the quit India movement that led to freedom in 1947. Most of Gujarat was under the jurisdiction of the Bombay Presidency except for Baroda that was handled by the Governor General of India.
The Portuguese also arrived in Gujarat and established pockets in Daman, Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli but could not expand their territories due to the strong presence of the Brith.
The region of Saurashtra, Gujarat and Kutch became part of Bombay State that also included parts of the former Bombay presidency. It was Indulal Yagnik who spearheaded a movement for a separate Gujarat State and on May 1, 1960, Gujarat came into being along with Maharashtra, with Ahmedabad as its capital. Ahmedabad, in its time, came to be known as the Manchester of the East due to the presence of over 100 large textile units. Most of these units are closed and have given way to innumerable powerlooks. Ahmedabad also gave way to Gandhinagar, a modern city planned on the same lines as Chandigarh, to become the capital of Gujarat in 1971.
Gujaratis and Gujarat are peaceful, more intent on pursuing business and minding their own business. However, tensions do flare up every now and then. There were a few communal riots, the worst of which was probably the one that took place in 1969. There were minor political upheavals with politicians playing the toppling game, sometimes successfully. While Congress had the upper hand in earlier years, in recent years it is the BJP that rose to power, especially after the exceptional performance of Narendra Modi who became the State’s Chief Minister and went on to become the Prime Minister of India.
In 2001 the State was hit by a devastating earthquake with its epicentre in Kutch and again in 2002 the state was shaken by communal violence famously known as Godhra Kand that even besmirched Narendra Modi. It is alleged that he, as the Chief Minister, tacitly approved the violence triggered by the Godhra train burning incident. Gujarat got its first woman chief Minister in Anandiben Patel in 2014 who has none of the charisma of Jayalalitha or Mamta Banerjee but the state of Gujarat is progressive and
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