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Ancient Architecture of Gujarat

Historical Timeline of Gujarat’s Ancient Architecture 

Historical Timeline of Gujarat’s Ancient Architecture

Located at the western end of the country, Gujarat has always been a place of importance for business. The state was a point of trade through the see for merchants from European countries centuries ago and the story remains the same till date, thanks to its longest coastline open to the sea. The state considered to be the most religious place because its tons of temples and holy shrines spread through the length and breadth. The same reflects its architecture marvelous covering the varieties of Hindu, Islam, Buddhist, and Jain. Some of the important milestones of Gujarat’s architectural history is mentioned below.

Harappan Civilization: Timeline stands between 2650 and 1900 BC. Harappan civilization was prospered at different locations across the state. Substances unearthed at Lothal advocate that the Harappan Civilization was very rich and it has business and trade links established with the middle east and western part of the world. The archaeological excavations done at Dholavira and Lothal are amongst the most significant in the country. It reflects the beautiful and planned architectural and infrastructure planning of that era. The excavation found sophisticated urban planning, water management system, and advanced civilized culture that existed in Gujarat during Harappan Civilization for more than 4,000 years ago.

Mauryan Empire: Timeline stands around 3rd century BC. Powerful and influential architectural monuments of the Mauryan Empire are still visible in Gujarat. And the most important of them is by Ashoka, the rock edicts near Junagadh. It reflects the importance of the Saurashtra region during the Mauryan Empire and how Jainism and Buddhism flourished together with Hinduism in this region. Some of the architecture monuments structured at Vallabhipur and Vadnagar are believed to be an important place for Buddhist centers of learning. Some Buddhist caves found in Junagadh, Jhagadia and Kutch are excavated during this era.

Solanki Rajput Empire: Timeline 11th century. Solanki Rajput rule to be believed most powerful in the history of Gujarat. The capital of Gujarat during this era was Patan. The architectural marvels build during this period include some of the great temples of both Hinduism & Jainism, gateways of the town (Toran) and forts. However, the most important gift granted by Solanki Rajputs is the water retention structure including artificial lakes (talav), stepped tanks and stepwells (vav). Dada Hari Vav and Adalaj Vav are a few of them.


Historical Timeline of Gujarat’s Ancient Architecture


Mughul Empire: Timeline starting from the late 15th century. Surat was the center of most of the commercial activities in Gujarat during this period. The Mughul empire Jehangir allowed British, Dutch and French businesses to established their trade centers in Surat. And thanks to this Surat and surrounding places have many good collections of ancient European style monuments and cemeteries. Also the architectural beauty of India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City, the Ahmedabad city is most of the developed by the Mughul Empire, including Jama Masjid, Jhulta Minara, Sidi Saiyyed Mosque, Teen Darwaza and more.

Tour of Gujarat state is one of the prime interests of architecture enthusiasts. There are plenty of great places available in Gujarat to study heritage and explore the great dynasty starting from Harappan Civilization to the early 20th century. Most of the monuments are well preserved and Gujarat Tourism has developed a great channel for people to visit and learn about these places. Planet Gujarat promises to bring you more interesting facts and historical importance of the state of Gujarat.

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