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About Surat

The area comprising modern Surat finds its mention in the Mahabharata as a stopping point of Lord Krishna during his journey from Mathura to Dwarka. We do not hear about it after that episode until the seventh century when it was found to be ruled by the Chalukyas. These indigenous rulers continued to rule the area until the rise of the Persian rule in India. According to a local belief, the city of Surat came into existence when a Brahman named Gopi founded Suryapur during the latter half of the fifteenth century.

Surat is located at a strategically important place in India, with its harbor providing excellent docking facilities for ships laden with goods of commercial importance. The historical accounts of a Portuguese traveler who visited here during the sixteenth century throw much light on its significance as chief trading center of the country. The Parsis who came here during the twelfth century added greatly to its prosperity, which it continued to maintain until the rise of Bombay in eighteenth century.

The Portuguese is said to have burnt the city of Surat in 1530, however during the time of Mughal reign, it became the chief commercial center of the country. As a major port on the west coast, the city was always at a receiving end of foreign traders from countries like Portugal, Britain and Holland. The Surat sea route was initially controlled by the Portuguese, but after the Battle of Swally, the control passed on to the hands of the British, who later obtained permission from the Mughal emperors to establish a factory here. A Dutch factory was also founded during the period.

The British made a seat of Presidency at Surat, which they later had to shift to Bombay after the phenomenon of frequent attacks by the Marathas under the leadership of Shivaji. With the rise of the British interest in the newly acquired Bombay, the downfall of Surat started to appear and it gradually ceased to be the chief seaport on the western coast of the country. The British took control of the city again by the turn of the nineteenth century and the focus shifted to the development of industries as well as the maximization of exports. Soon, the city acquired a distinguished position in industries like diamond and textile.

As the city developed into a hotbed for industries of various kinds, people started to throng it from all corners of the county and thus, its population began to swell. By the early twentieth century, Surat was known for industries, like cotton mills, rice-cleaning mills, gold embroidery, paper mills, diamond factories, silk brocade and hand-loom products. Even today, Surat is recognized nationwide as a chief industrial city, which made it a preferred destination for laborers, factory workers and many other kinds of job seekers.