The Lakes of Gujarat

In today's life of ever rising decibels of the cities the lakes of Gujarat offer an escape to serenity and calmness. The lakes here give a feeling of tranquillity. There is no dearth of scenic beauty. To the visitors from India and abroad these lakes bring a delightful experience. Migratory birds visit this part of the earth and makes the travelling experience exquisite. The prolonged sound of the chirps rejuvenates the mood and senses. To famous lakes of Ahmedabad are the Chandola Lake and the Kankaria Lake.

Famous Lakes in Gujarat

Kankaria Lake

The Kankaria Lake is a multisided lake built in the fifteenth century by Sultan Qutub-ud-in Aibak. This artificial lake has 34 sides. It is located in the Ahmedabad city's south-east end. There is also an amazing summer palace. There is a legend that says that the Emperor Jahangir and his beloved wife Noor Jahan frequented this lake.

Chandola Lake

Chandola Lake is an artificial lake that lies at Dani Limda road. Tajn Khan Nari Ali built this lake. He was consort of the Mughal Sultan of Ahmedabad. This lake is a water reservoir too. The water of Chandola Lake has been utilized for the purpose of irrigation and in industries thus proving to be beneficial to the Ahmedabad people.

Hamisar Lake

In the centre of this lake lie royal cenotaphs made of red sandstone. Some amount of specimen have stone carvings. The chhatri of Rao Lakhpatji is a famous well preserved monument. It is the biggest one. When Rao Lakhpatji died, 15 of his consorts jumped into his funeral pyre and committed suicide. It is said that this monument testifies this.

Narayan Sarovar

Narayan Sarovar is included in the five holy lakes of India. The literal meaning of the name of this lake is Lake of Narayan, Lord Vishnu's another name. There are 5 sacred lakes within Narayan Sarovar. In one lake there is a temple complex. It is a pilgrimage destination of the Kuchh. There are references to it in ancient texts. The visitors are awe struck by its architecture. The Lake is surrounded by 108 gaumukhs. It is a symbol of 108 names of god. The gaumukhs emanates holy water. The lake is abundant in Lotus flower. The message of purity and detachment comes forth it.

Ten Talav

A splendid construction, this octagonal tank is known by the name of Ten Talav. There is no dearth of stone steps and embankments here. This beautiful structure is a symbol of love between Dabhoi Fort's architect, Hiradhar Shilpi and Ten, his beloved lady. Hiradhar Shilpi secretly constructed this structure out of love for Ten while Dabhoi Fort was being constructed. He was executed by being buried alive in the walls of the Dabhoi Fort for the crime of misappropriation.

Rivers of Gujarat

Rivers

Nature has bestowed Gujarat with the beauty of geographical landscape. To make the State look even more beautiful it is adorned with lakes and natural forests, the Satpura Hills and so many rivers. Gujarat's lakes are no less than as asset to it. Not only does it bring the element of splendour to the State of Gujarat but it also serves as home to so many creatures. The location of Gujarat is the western coast of India. Towards its west is the Arabian Sea. Gujarat lies in the north extremes of India's western sea-board. Its coastline measures 1290 km and is the longest in India.

The Famous Rivers of Gujarat

The Banas River originates at the Sirvana Hill (Sirohi, Rajasthan) flowing at the foothills of the Abu and then disappearing into the desert. Starting from Koteshwar (near Ambaji) the Saraswati River flows by Patan and Siddhpur before merging into the desert.

The famous Sabarmati river of north Gujarat is one of its biggest rivers. Flowing towards the Gulf of Cambay its starting point is at Rajasthan's Dhebar Lake. It is joined by other rivulets like the Khari, the Shedhi, the Meshvo, the Mazam, the Vatrak and the Hathmati. The Sabarmati and its tributaries along with the northern region's three "virgin" are known as the Aravalli ranges' daughter. The Narmada and the Mahi along with their respective families originate in Madhya Pradesh, the former in Amarkantak while the latter near Amzara. The Meshri, the Panam, the Anas and the Anas join the Mahi. The Narmada is considered one of the holiest and the biggest rivers and has only one tributary by the name of the Karjan. It merges into the sea 16 km away from Broach.

Entering Gujarat at Kakrapar the Tapi river originates at the Satpura ranges close to Betwa. It passes through Rander and Surat and then meets the sea.

In the southern Gujarat flows the Damanganga, the Kolak, the Par, the Vapi, the Auranga, the Vanki, the Ambika, the Purna and the Mindhola rivers. They originate at the Sahyadri.

During the time of summer the rivers in the Kutch and Saurashtra dry up. The river that originates in Chotila range in central Saurashtra flow towards the south in the desert region of Kutch. The north flowing rivers are the Brahmani, the Machhu and the Aji. The Saraswati, the Kpila, the Hirani, the Sangwada, the Somal, the Surekh, the Kamb and the Ojhat rivers originate in the Gir and the Girnar and fall into sea. Two sacred rivers are the Vastu and the Saraswati (near Somanth).

Gujarati Food

The traditional Gujarati food is primarily vegetarian and has a high nutritional value. The typical Gujarati thali consists of varied kinds of lip smacking dishes. Gujarati cuisine has so much to offer and each dish has an absolutely different cooking style. Some of the dishes are stir fry, while others are boiled. Gujarati food is more often served on a silver platter. Gujaratis use a combination of different spices and flavors to cook their meals and this is what makes their food truly exotic. 

The traditional Gujarati thali mostly encompasses rotli, dal or kadhi, sabzi also known as shaak and rice. People in Gujarat eat one or the other type of curry along with rice and roti in almost every meal Gujarati dishes usually have a very subtle taste that makes it truly distinct from other Indian cuisines. Lot of emphasis is laid on maintaining hygiene while cooking. Most of the Gujarati dishes are sweet, while others have a quite larger concentration of sugar as compared to salt and spices. Sometimes, jaggery is used as an alternative to sugar.

Gujarati food is highly energy efficient and thus do not cause much of fuel wastage. The staple food of Gujarat consists of homemade pickles, chhaas (buttermilk), salad etc. main course includes vegetables which are usually steamed and dal. Vaghaar is a blend of spices, which is purified in hot oil and then added to the dal. To prevent the body from becoming dehydrated, lot of salt, sugar, tomato and lemon is used. 

Gujarati cuisine differs from season to season depending on the availability of vegetables. People in the urban areas are starting some new eating trends. In the summer season, spices such as black pepper and its constituent spices are used in lesser quantities. People fast on a regular basis and limit their diet to milk, nuts and dried fruits. 

In the modern era, more and more youngsters have started developing taste for oily spicy food. Even, the modern chefs are coming up with fusion food concept by combining Gujrati food and Western food. Desserts, which were in the ancient times offered only on festivity or some special occasions, have now found their way in the daily meals. 

Popular Gujarati Dishes

Sweets

• Basundi
• Ghari Ghebar or Ghevar
• Halvasan
• Keri no ras
• Malpua
• Puran Poli
• Shrikhand
• Sutarfeni

Diwali Special Snacks

• Cholafali
• Ghooghra
• Mathia
• Soonvali

Farsan (Snacks)

• Daal Dhokli
• Dhokla
• Fafda
• Farsi Falafel
• Ganthia
• Hahdwoh
• Kachori
• Khakhra
• Khaman
• Khaman Dhokla
• Khandvi
• Khichu
• Lilva Kachori
• Muthia
• Sev Khamani

Shaak and Daal: Vegetables and Curries

• Meethi (Sweet) Kadhi
• Sev Tameta nu Shak
• Undhiyun

Breads

• Bajri no rotlo
• Bhakhri
• Dhebara
• Thepala

Festivals of Gujarat

Festivals of Gujarat

Navratri is celebrated for the 10 days preceding the festival of Dussehra usually in October. The most eagerly awaited festival of the year, which celebrates harvest time, Navratri is an occasion when both rural and urban Gujarat worship the nine incarnations of the Mother Goddess, Shakti, denoting cosmic energy.

Closely following Dussehra is the famous festival of lights, Diwali, which also has its genesis from the same epic-Ramayana. Interestingly, it is the only Hindu celebration which falls on Amavasya, a moon-less night in the lunar calendar.

Other festivals of Gujarat include the Bhavnath fair, Dang Darbar, Saputara Summer Festival, Madhavrai fair, and Desert Festival.

Arts & Culture of Gujarat

Arts & Culture of Gujarat

There are four groups of people who came to inhabit this land at different points of time and now form the majority here. Jats came from a place in Iran called Half (to be known latter as Jat) and they were herders by occupation. Around five hundred years ago they came to Kutch and Sind in search of new grazing pastures and settled there. Those who joined agriculture called themselves Garasia Jats and those who continued their ancestral occupation were known as Dhanetah Jats, and those who chose to study the Koran became Fakirani Jats.

The Harijan is the name given by Mahatma Gandhi to the Meghwals, who originally came from Marwar in Rajasthan. They are the masters of weaving cotton and wool as also embroidery and appliqué work. The Ahirs came with Lord Krishna from Gokul in Uttar Pradesh.

Most of the communities of Ahirs began with selling ghee and milk and are now spread all over the state.

Crafts in Gujarat are a way of life, a process that transforms even the most mundane object of daily use into a thing of beauty. The skill of the Gujarati craftsperson-be it a weaver or a metalworker, a woman who embroiders for herself or a potter who creates pieces of art out of clay-is bound to leave one spellbound.

Wood carving is another important craft in Gujarat, evident in the many elaborately carved temples, havelis (mansions) and palaces as well as objects of daily and ritual use. Utensils are another area where the craftspersons of Gujarat have excelled.

Gujarat is also famous for its terracotta work, especially votive terra-cotta figurines which one can find by the hundreds at small shrines built in forests, along roads, outside villages, on lonely hill-tops and under large trees, especially in south Gujarat.

Jewelry is yet another fascinating craft in Gujarat. Each tribe or clan has different types of ornaments and each of them has retained the uniqueness of these ornaments.

Education in Gujarat

Education in Gujarat

Gujarat had an overall literacy rate of 69.97% as per census 2001. The male literacy rate is 80.50% while the female literacy rate is 58.60%. Gujarat government is very serious about improving the education level in the state and has started several programs to achieve full literacy such as universalisation of elementary education, District Primary Education Program and compulsory primary education. The state follows a uniform 10+2 system for school education. Most schools in the state are affiliated to Gujarat state secondary and higher secondary board, while there are also schools, which are affiliated with CBSE or ICSE.

The status of higher education in the state is very good. Gujrat is home to many premier educational institutes such as Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Nirma Institue of Technology and Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology. The total number of universities in the state including the deemed universities and institutes of national importance is 15. The premier research institutes in the state include Institute for Plasma Research, Physical Research Laboratory (PRL).

Economy of Gujarat

Economy of Gujarat

Gujarat is the most industrialized states in India. It attracts the cream of domestic and multinational investment in the leading sectors of the economy. The important minerals produced into the state are agate, bauxite, dolomite, fireclay, fluorite, fuller's earth, kaolin, lignite, limestone, chalk, calcareous sea sand, perlite, petroleum and natural gas, and silica sand.

The state is the main producer of tobacco, cotton, and groundnut in the country. Gujarat also contributes inputs to industries like textiles, oil and soap. Agriculture in Gujarat forms a vital sector of the state's economy. It has to provide the required food grains for the state's population and raw materials for most of the agro-based industries. Unsuitable climatic conditions in some parts and rocky terrain with thin or no soils in others, have limited the area suitable for cultivation. The difficulty of drainage in coastal areas and in the two Ranns has made a large part of the state agriculturally unproductive. The state produces a large variety of crops and its cropping pattern reflects the spatial variations in climate and topography. Groundnut (highest production in the country), cotton, Tobacco (second highest production in the country), isabgul, cumin sugarcane, Jawar, Bajra, Rice, Wheat, Pulses, Tur and Gram are the important crops of Gujarat. Another cash crop, which has recently entered the field though in a few selected localities, is banana. Plenty of mangoes for export as well as home consumption are part of cash crops.