About Gujarat

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.