SURAT - GUJRAT
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Did you know that Surat's antecedents date as far back in time as the year 3,000 BC? That Lord Krishna is said to have stopped here in-transit from Mathura to Dwarka and that the images of the cows' hooves are still visible to devotees at a place called 'Gai Pagli?'

Surat has interesting historical facts pertaining to its name. Early Brahmin settlers named the city Suryapur and modern Surat is supposedly built on the site of the old Hindu town. Later, the name changed to Suraj, from the Sanskrit Surya, or the sun city. Finally, the Hindu connotations were dropped and the city was permanently renamed as we know it today - Surat. Another tale reveals that the River Tapti in Surat was used by Haj pilgrims to journey to Mecca - they expressed their impression of the port in a lyrical phrase, Bundere-khubsurat, or the beautiful port. Predictably, the word "Surat" is a derivative of this latter phraseology.

Surat is a port city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the second largest city in Gujarat and the ninth largest in India. Situated A on the left bank of the Tapti River, it is actually 14 miles from the g river's mouth. A moat indicates the dividing line between the old city, with its narrow streets and handsome houses, and the newer suburbs, but the city wall has almost disappeared. The city is largely recognised for its textile and diamond businesses. Ninety two percent of the world's diamonds are cut and polished in Surat No wonder, it is also called the "diamond capital of the world".

Chroniclers of history mention Surat in the fourteenth century" in connection with the rebellion in Gujarat during Muhammad A Tughlaq's reign. After Tughlaq's reign, Firoz Tughlaq built a fort at Surat to protect the town against the invading Bhils. At the end of the 15th and the early 16th century, a trader called Gopi settled in rat and attracted other rich traders to the city. The city was blessed with large houses, a garden and a small lake. Gopipura and Ranichokla are named after him. Around the mid-16th century, Ghenghis Khan came up to Surat but the Portugese routed his forces. In the late 16th century, Akbar marched into Surat and captured it from the then Muslim ruler, Mirza. At this time, Surat had more than 900 towns or villages and yielded a sizeable revenue. The first sign of British influence was when a British ship arrived on the River Tapi in the early 17th century.

Captain Hawkins brought a message from Emperor Jehangir, who later allowed the British to trade through this port. In the early 17th century many battles were fought between the British and the portuguese for control over Surat waters. In 1624, the first trade agreement with Holland was negotiated through Surat with an export cargo of indigo. During the first half of the 17th century, the main cargo export from Surat was cloth-silk and cotton. Thus, weaves from Surat found their way to far-off places, like the Cape of Good Hope and China. The French, too, arrived in Surat this time, and started international trade. So, after the Portuguese, British and Dutch, they were the fourth to start trading with Surat. In spite of several natural disasters, Surat emerged Phoenix-like, to become a leading exporter of textiles and diamonds.

Surat is at the heart of India's thriving diamond-polishing industry, which in 2005 cut 92 per cent of the world's diamonds and earned India US$8 billion in exports. Gujarati diamond cutters emigrating from East Africa established the industry in 1901 in Surat and by the 70s, Surat-based diamond cutters began exporting stones to the US for the first time. Though a majority of polishing work takes place on small weight stones, Surat's workshops have set their eyes on the lucrative market for finishing larger, pricier stones in the future. It is a major production centre for synthetic textiles in India.

Surat has many firsts to its credit: It claims to be the number one city in India to earn, invest and live in. It has the highest number of flyovers in Gujarat and is one of the biggest hubs for the production of synthetic and man-made fibres. In addition, it is home to several major processing facilities and manufacturing centres for Reliance Petrochemicals, Essar Steel, Larsen Et Toubro, KRIBHCO, ONGC, Shell, and many others. Apart from an old Dutch garden, parks and museums, Surat boasts a number of pretty beaches. Only 16 kms away, Dumas is a popular resort with locals. Hajira is 28 kms from the city and Ubhrat is 42 kms away. Naysari, 29 kms south of Surat, is headquarters for the Parsi community since the earliest days of their settlement in India. Udvada,10 kms north of Vapi, has the oldest Parsi sacred fire in India. About 50 kms away from Surat, is Dandi, made famous by the Dandi March Salt Satyagraha launched by Gandhiji in 1930 AD. Situated on the coastline, Dandi is also well known as a salt centre.

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