Gujarat

Gujarat is a vibrant state in western India, renowned for its rich history and cultural diversity. Known as the “State of Princely States,” Gujarat was home to many princely states during British rule, each with its own unique identity and governance. The integration of these princely states into the Indian Union after independence in 1947 was a complex and fascinating process. States like Baroda, Kutch, and Junagadh played significant roles in shaping the modern landscape of Gujarat (Menon, 1956).

Gujarat also played an important role in the Indian independence movement. Mahatma Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad was a key site for political mobilisation, and the Salt March in 1930, which began from Sabarmati and ended at Dandi in Navsari district, became a turning point in India’s struggle against British colonial rule (Gandhi, 1930).

Before independence, Gujarat had numerous princely states. Broadly, these princely states were referred to either as Baroda, Western India States Agency, or the Gujarat States Agency (White Paper, 1950).

By 1947, present-day Gujarat was referred to as Saurashtra or Kathiawar and comprised 222 princely states, which were further fragmented into 449 units with further subdivisions adding up to 860 jurisdictional areas (White Paper, 1950).

Sardar Patel suggested unifying them into the United States of Kathiawar. The union came into being in February 1948 and was renamed the United States of Saurashtra in the same year. Patel, who was originally from Gujarat, oversaw the integration of these princely states during his tenure as India’s first Home Minister (V.P. Menon, 1956).

The biggest hindrance to the political stability of Saurashtra was the princely state of Junagadh. Despite having publicly announced its decision to join the Kathiawar union, Junagarh expressed a decision to accede to Pakistan at the last minute. Junagarh’s decision to accede to Pakistan posed a tricky situation as various smaller princely states within Kathiawar interspersed the region, and Junagarh itself was not contiguous to Pakistan. Influenced by Junagarh’s decision, smaller states like Mangrol and Babariawad also started considering accession to Pakistan.

When, despite multiple exchanges between India, Pakistan, and Junagarh, a decision could not be reached, India moved troops into Junagarh. By that time, the nawab had fled to Pakistan, so India resorted to conducting a plebiscite in Junagarh, which largely favored its merger with India. Junagarh finally joined India in 1948. Lord Mountbatten, who was the last British Viceroy of India, had earlier declined to support Junagadh’s accession to Pakistan, citing the territory’s lack of contiguity and the absence of popular support (Ziegler, 1985).

The Junagadh crisis became an international point of contention between India and Pakistan. Pakistan raised the issue at the United Nations, making it one of the first territorial disputes between the two nations. India emphasized the results of the plebiscite, in which over 99% of voters supported accession to India, as validation for its intervention (Menon, 1955).

Kutch was another princely state in proximity to Gujarat. Unlike Junagarh, it acceded to India, but the government struggled to decide between its merger with Saurashtra or Rajasthan. Later, it was rendered as a Part C state, to be directly under the control of the Union (Menon, 1956).

Gujarat states, falling towards the east of Kathiawar, were a patchwork of 144 princely states (White Paper, 1950). India desired their integration with the other states, and fortunately, all except Baroda acceded to the Indian Union by March 1948. Adamant on his decision to remain independent, Sir Pratap Singh Gaekwad attempted to prevent his merger with India, but ultimately, in 1949, he too signed the Instrument of Accession. Baroda was one of the more progressive princely states under the Gaekwad dynasty, known for introducing compulsory education and social reform during colonial rule (Menon, 1956).

The idea of a unified Gujarat (including Saurashtra, Kutch, and the Eastern Gujarat States) was coined as "Mahagujarat" back in 1937. While the SRC saw substantial merit in the idea of Mahagujarat, it also had to take account of the sizable Gujarati population in Bombay, which stood in conflict with Maharashtra over the ownership of the city of Greater Bombay (SRC, 1956).

The linguistic reorganization of states was taking place across India during this period, following the death of Potti Sriramulu in Andhra, which had sparked the demand for linguistic states. The Mahagujarat and Samyukta Maharashtra movements were part of this broader national push for state formation based on language.

Unable to arrive at a decision, the SRC finally recommended the creation of a bilingual Bombay State in 1956. The new bilingual state comprised present-day Gujarat and Maharashtra and was the largest in the country, covering one-sixth of India’s area (SRC, 1956).

The merger with Bombay States cost the Gujarat state its independent identity. Dissatisfied with their amalgamation into Bombay, the Mahagujarat Andolan gained momentum. Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti was also simultaneously established to demand a unilingual state. The Mahagujarat movement saw mass mobilisations, protests, and public campaigns across Gujarat, especially in Ahmedabad and other urban centres. Finally, on 1st May 1960, Bombay State was bifurcated into the present-day states of Maharashtra and Gujarat (Guha, 1999).

The demand for Bombay city became a flashpoint in the movement. While Gujaratis cited their economic contributions to the town, Maharashtrians emphasised linguistic and cultural ties. Protests turned violent at times, and the final decision to assign Bombay to Maharashtra was a major loss for the Mahagujarat movement, strengthening Gujarati regional identity (Guha, 1999).

Between 1961 and 2011, districts in the state of Gujarat increased from 17 to 26. In 2013, 7 new districts were created within the state, making a total of 33 districts within the state. The new districts within the state were either carved out of original districts or combined parts of two different districts. These administrative reforms were aimed at improving access to public services and governance, especially in rural and underdeveloped areas (Government of Gujarat, n.d.).

Since the 1980s, Gujarat has also seen rapid industrial development. Industrial corridors, ports such as Kandla and Mundra, and cities like Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara and Ahmedabad have played a major role in making Gujarat one of India’s leading industrial and export-oriented states. Much of this growth accelerated post-1991, with the liberalisation of India’s economy. Gujarat became a frontrunner in adopting SEZs, attracting FDI, and promoting public-private partnerships. Power reforms and infrastructure investments further boosted its industrial appeal (Sud, 2014). Gujarat is also home to the Amul cooperative, based in Anand, which pioneered the White Revolution and transformed India into the world’s largest milk producer. The cooperative movement remains a cornerstone of rural development in the state.

A major setback in recent memory was the 2001 Bhuj earthquake, which caused massive destruction in Kutch and surrounding areas. The reconstruction process, however, also led to significant infrastructure upgrades. However, Gujarat’s post-1960 history also includes communal tensions, most notably the 2002 riots, which had long-lasting effects on its social fabric and national political discourse. The state has also actively promoted tourism and cultural identity in recent decades, with major investments in sites like the Statue of Unity, Somnath Temple, and the annual Rann Utsav in Kutch, positioning Gujarat as a major heritage and religious tourism destination.

Today, the state of Gujarat has 33 districts, but in 1951, Gujarat’s modern-day districts were divided between the states of Saurashtra and Bombay.

Saurashtra had only 5 districts then apart from Kutch. Amreli district (then part of Bombay state) was interspersed between the territory of Saurashtra and much of the Eastern portion of present-day Gujarat was also a part of Bombay state.

It was in 1960 (after the bifurcation of the bilingual Bombay state) that Gujarat state took a shape that bears resemblance to its present-day boundaries.  Post-bifurcation of the bilingual Bombay state, the following districts from Bombay state (1951) became a part of the unilingual state of Gujarat.

Between 1961 and 2011, districts in the state of Gujarat increased from 17 to 26. In 2013, 7 new districts were created within the state, making a total of 33 districts within the state.

The new districts within the state were either carved out of original districts or combined parts of two different districts.

Interesting among these is the creation of districts like: (i) Botad: created from parts of Ahmadabad and Bhavnagar; (ii) Mahisagar: created from parts of Panch Mahals and Kheda and (iii) Morbi: created from parts of Rajkot, Surendranagar and Jamnagar

The state of Gujarat has also seen a fair share of name changes in districts. While some of these name changes have come about via an attempt to re-instate the local pronunciation, for others it is hard to assign a reason.

References

• Gandhi, M. K., (1930). The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 43. The Publication Division.  

  
  

• Government of Gujarat (n.d.). About. 

  
  

• Guha, R. (1999). Savaging the Civilised. 

  
  

• Sud, N. (2014). Governing India’s Land. World Development, Volume 60, pp. 43-56. 

  
  

• SRC (1956). Report of the States Reorganisation Commission. 

  
  

• Menon, V. P., (1956). The Story of Integration of the Indian States. Orient Longmans. 

  
  

• Ziegler, P (1985), Mountbatten: The Official Biography. Harper & Row, London.