Story of Surat

Surat is one of several most important cities of Gujarat state in India. An alternative name of Surat is Suryapur. The history of Surat commences from 7th century AD while the Western Chalukyas ruled over this spot. There was a mention concerning this particular city in the great epic Mahabharata. It is believed that at the time the lord Krishna moved from Mathura to Dwaraka city, he stopped at this place. It was known as Lata zone and had been ruled over by the Maurya Kings. Kshatrapas that were supreme powers for the brief time period was conquered by Chandragupta.

Qutbuddin Aibak seized this specific area. The Parsi settlement started out in twelfth century. Commerce flourished on this site during this time contributing to the wealth. The Islamic men and women of ancient times utilized Surat as a portal to Mecca to carry out their Hajj pilgrimage. The old buildings the Makkai Pul as well as the Mughal Sarai had been developed for this objective. The pilgrims used to stay there when they set out on their voyage.

Surat had not been an area of importance till 13th century. In the south of Surat is located Rander, the ancient city where Arabs and Kafa settled for trade. The major businesses of the time had been spices, silk, porcelain and musk. The raid of Portuguese people in the 16th century made Rander lose its importance and this led to the growth of Surat as one of the significant cities of India.

The name Suryapur meaning the city of sun was given by a Brahman Gopi. The name Surat is additionally claimed to have come from the Persian term, Bunder-e-Khubsurat which signifies a beautiful port. According to Sir Monies Williams the previous name of this town was Suraj and the Islamic rulers have modified this to Surat that means the chapter of Kuran.

Portuguese came to Surat in 17th century and held supremacy over the spot till English arrived to the place in August 1608. The city flourished during the span of the Mughal kings, Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. In 1615, English were fortunate to establish a manufacturing unit at Surat after defeating the Portuguese at the Battle of Swally. In 1664, Chattrapathi Shivaji, the ruler of Maratha kingdom attacked Surat and brought on damage to both the Mughal and Portuguese trade centres at the place.

At the time the Charles II of England wedded the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza in the year 1662, Surat together with Bombay was offered to Britain as a portion of the dowry. East India Company after that changed its focus in the direction of Bombay and the glory of Surat little by little faded away. In 1759, all of the powers of Surat went into the control of the English and by the year 1800 they exercised full control over the location.

The serenity of this town remained undisturbed for hundreds of years. The Bawamia family was the most prosperous family in the place and they contributed considerably to the development of this city. The flood and fire of the year 1837 brought about damages to the structures. Right after the independence of India, it turned one of the significant commercial centers. On first October 1966, municipality was transformed into Municipal Corporation. There had been severe riots in Surat among Muslims and Hindus in 1992. In 1994, as a result of heavy rains and ensuing floods plague epidemic spread taking a huge toll. During those times, Surat photos and Surat videos demonstrated the intensity of the situation. Things changed eventually and Surat now can be described as developed city having a GDP growth rate of over 11.5 percent.

Suhaina Mazhar is a freelance author and blogger and has authored thousands of original articles. Click the link to find out significant details about Surat and watch Surat photos and Surat videos.