The history of Surat dates back to the years of Mahabharata. According to the popular belief, Surat was the place where Lord Krishna, halted with his cows during his trip from Mathura to Dwarka. The footsteps of the cow at “Gai Pagli”, interestingly corroborates the belief. The name of Surat also features in the record books of the merchants and sailors who sailed across the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean with an intention to explore the business opportunities, way back during the 10th and the 11th centuries. indianholiday.com is your indispensable e-travelogue that offers you all that you wanted to know on the history of Surat.
A Portuguese traveler, by the name Duarte Barbosa, described Surat as a significant seaport that was visited by a number of ships from Malabar and other parts. In fact, on delving deeply in Surat history, one would come to realize the fact that the importance of Cambay as a major port town in Western India was overshadowed by Surat.
Surat’s advantageous positioning was not overlooked by the sea faring European nations who were keen to reap the economic benefits of the fact that Surat was positioned on the most important sea routes between Arabia, Europe and the East. The Portuguese were the first to take the initiative, soon followed by the British East India Company. The subsequent period in the history of Surat witnessed a tussle between the Portuguese and the British regarding the control of Surat and its waters.
One of the significant events in the historical background of Surat is the sacking of Surat by Shivaji in the year 1670. Surat’s population that was estimated to be something around 800,000, plummeted to a meager 80,000 by the mid nineteenth century. Surat again went under the British dominance in 1759. The history of Surat during the course of the British rule was a long tale of serenity and tranquility. Even such a large scale event like the Revolt of 1857 could not stir Surat out of its loyalty towards the British. Under the British, Surat became a prosperous city complete with many weaving and spinning mills, textile as well as paper factories. Surat, at present, is reputed as the center of diamond processing for the flourishing world diamond industry.
