I have never seen men of wit so fine and polished as are these Indians: they have nothing barbarous

or savage about them, as we are apt to suppose. They are unwilling indeed to adopt the manners
and customs of the Portuguese; yet do they regularly learn their manufactures and workmanship,
being all very curious and desirous of learning. In fact the Portuguese take and learn more from
them than they from the Portuguese.
Later in the 17th century, Gujarat came under control of the Hindu Maratha Empire that rose
defeating the Muslim Mughals and who dominated the politics of India. Most notably, from 1705 to
1716, Senapati Khanderao Dabhade led the Maratha Empire forces in Baroda. Pilaji Gaekwad, first
ruler of Gaekwad dynasty, established the control over Baroda and other parts of Gujarat.

Bombay Presidency in 1909, northern portion

The British East India Company wrested control of much of Gujarat from the Marathas during
the Second Anglo-Maratha War in 18021803. Many local rulers, notably the Rajput
Maratha GaekwadMaharajas of Baroda (Vadodara), made a separate peace with the British and
acknowledged British sovereignty in return for retaining local self-rule.
An epidemic outbreak in 1812 killed half the population of Gujarat.[71]

Mahatma Gandhi picking salt at Dandi beach, South Gujarat ending the Salt satyagraha on 5 April 1930

Gujarat was placed under the political authority of the Bombay Presidency, with the exception
of Baroda state, which had a direct relationship with the Governor-General of India. From 1818 to
1947, most of present-day Gujarat, including Kathiawar, Kutch and northern and eastern Gujarat
were divided into hundreds of princely states, but several districts in central and southern Gujarat,
namely Ahmedabad, Broach (Bharuch), Kaira (Kheda), Panchmahal and Surat, were governed
directly by British officials.

Post independence[edit]

Gujarat in Bombay state

After Indian independence and the partition of India in 1947, the new Indian government grouped the
former princely states of Gujarat into three larger units; Saurashtra, which included the former
princely states on the Kathiawad peninsula, Kutch, and Bombay state, which included the former
British districts of Bombay Presidency together with most of Baroda state and the other former
princely states of eastern Gujarat. Bombay state was enlarged to include Kutch, Saurashtra
(Kathiawar) and parts of Hyderabad state and Madhya Pradesh in central India. The new state had a
mostly Gujarati-speaking north and a Marathi-speaking south. Agitation by Gujarati nationalists,
the Mahagujarat Movement, and Marathi nationalists, the Samyukta Maharashtra, for their own
states led to the split of Bombay state on linguistic lines; on 1 May 1960, it became the new states of
Gujarat and Maharashtra. In 1969 riots, at least 660 died and properties worth millions were
destroyed.[72][73]
The first capital of Gujarat was Ahmedabad; the capital was moved to Gandhinagar in 1970. Nav
Nirman Andolan was a socio-political movement of 1974. It was a students' and middle-class
people's movement against economic crisis and corruption in public life. This was the first and last
successful agitation after the Independence of India that ousted an elected government.[74][75][76]
The Morvi dam failure, in 1979, resulted in the death of thousands of people and large economic
loss.[77] In the 1980s, a reservation policy was introduced in the country, which led to anti-reservation
protests in 1981 and 1985. The protests witnessed violent clashes between people belonging to
various castes.[78]
The 2001 Gujarat earthquake was located about 9 km south-southwest of the village of Chobari in
Bhachau Taluka of KutchDistrict. This magnitude 7.7 shock killed around 20,000 people (including at
least 18 in South-eastern Pakistan), injured another 167,000 and destroyed nearly 400,000
homes.[79]
In February 2002, the Godhra Train Attack lead to statewide riots, resulting in the deaths of 1044
people 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus, and hundreds missing still unaccounted for.[80]Akshardham
Temple was attacked by two terrorists in September 2002, killing 32 persons and injuring more than
80 others. National Security Guards intervented to end siege killing both terrorists.[81] On 26 July
2008 a series of seventeen bomb blasts rocked the city, killing and injuring several people.[82]

Geography[edit]
Main article: Geography of Gujarat
See also: Climate of Gujarat and List of rivers of Gujarat
Physical map of Gujarat

Sardar Sarovar Project, Gujarat, partially completed (up to E.L.121.92 m)

Gujarat borders Pakistan's Sindhprovince to the northwest, is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the
southwest, the state of Rajasthan to the northeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and by
Maharashtra,