Surat is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in the western

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n state of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

and

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

. It is now the commercial and economic center in

South Gujarat South Gujarat, also known as ''Dakshin Gujarat'' (''દક્ષિણ ગુજરાત''), is a region in the Indian state of Gujarat. The region has a wetter climate than other regions of Gujarat. The western part is almost coastal and is k ...

, and one of the largest

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

s of western India. It has well-established diamond and textile industry, and is a major supply centre for apparels and accessories. About 90% of the world's diamonds supply are cut and polished in the city. It is the second largest city in Gujarat after Ahmedabad and the eighth largest city by population and ninth largest urban agglomeration in India. It is the administrative capital of the

Surat district Surat is a district in the state of Gujarat, India with Surat city as the administrative headquarters of this district. It is surrounded by Bharuch, Narmada (North), Navsari (South) districts and east Tapi district To the west is the Gulf of C ...

. The city is located south of the state capital, Gandhinagar; south of

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

; and north of

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. The city centre is located on the

Tapti River The Tapti River (or Tapi) is a river in central India located to the south of the Narmada river that flows westwards before draining into the Arabian Sea. The river has a length of around and flows through the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat ...

, close to

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

. Surat will be the world's fastest growing city from 2019 to 2035, according to a study conducted by Economic Times. The city registered an annualised GDP growth rate of 11.5% over the seven fiscal years between 2001 and 2008. Surat was awarded "best city" by the Annual Survey of India's City-Systems (ASICS) in 2013. Surat is selected as the first smart IT city in India which is being constituted by the Microsoft CityNext Initiative tied up with IT services majors Tata Consultancy Services and

Wipro Wipro Limited (formerly, Western India Palm Refined Oils Limited) is an Indian multinational corporation that provides information technology, consulting and business process services. Thierry Delaporte is serving as CEO and managing director ...

. The city has 2.97 million internet users, about 65% of total population. Surat was selected in 2015 for an

IBM Smarter Cities Challenge Smarter Planet is a corporate initiative of the information technology company IBM. The initiative was formed to encourage the ideas of business, government, and civil society leaders worldwide towards their path of achieving economic growth, n ...

grant. Surat has been selected as one of twenty Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modi's flagship

Smart Cities Mission National Smart Cities Mission is an urban renewal and retrofitting program by the Government of India with the mission to develop smart cities across the country, making them citizen friendly and sustainable. The Union Ministry of Urban Devel ...

. Surat is listed as the second cleanest city of India as of 21 August 2020 according to the

Swachh Survekshan ''Swachh Survekshan'' ( lit. Cleanliness survey) is an annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation in villages, cities and towns across India. It was launched as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which aimed to make India clean and free ...

2020 on 20 August. It suffered a major pipeline fire which caused some damage. Surat, famous for its diamond cutting and polishing, is known as the ''Diamond City of India''. The city has various engineering plants like

Essar Essar Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company, founded by Shashi Ruia and Ravi Ruia in 1969. As Essar Global Fund Limited (EGFL), the company controls a number of assets across the core sectors of energy (oil refining, oil a ...

Larsen and Toubro Larsen & Toubro Ltd, commonly known as L&T, is an Indian multinational conglomerate company, with business interests in engineering, construction, manufacturing, technology, information technology and financial services, headquartered in Mumba ...

and

RIL RIL may refer to: * Radio Interface Layer, a software interface used in a mobile device to communicate via mobile networks * RDF Inference Language, a means of expressing expert systems rules and queries that operate on RDF models * Reliance Indu ...

. Surat won the Netexplo Smart Cities Award 2019 with UNESCO in the resilience category. Surat's mayor will receive the award at the UNESCO House in Paris, France in March next year.

History

Etymology

Surat was founded by a man called Gopi, who named the area Surajpur or Suryapur. Duarte Barbosa described Surat as Suratt. Jacob Peeters referred to Surat as Sourratte which is a Dutch name. There are many other names of Surat in history. Surat is referred to as Surrat, Surate or Soorat in some literature. Sourratte int ryck vanden Grooten Mogol en Indien - Peeters Jacob - 1690

Sourratte int ryck vanden Grooten Mogol en Indien - Peeters Jacob - 1690

Surat before the Mughal Empire

From 1297, Gujarat was gradually conquered by

Allauddin Khilji Alaud-Dīn Khaljī, also called Alauddin Khilji or Alauddin Ghilji (), born Ali Gurshasp, was an emperor of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrative ...

, the ruler of the principal state in north India at the time, the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).

. The Delhi Sultanate appointed Governors to control Gujarat, but this had to be forcefully imposed, notably in 1347, when Muhammad bin Tughluq sacked Surat, among other cities. As control from the Delhi Sultanate waned at the end of the 14th century, pressure grew for an independent Gujarat, culminating in the then Governor Zafar Khan declaring independence in 1407. Surat was controlled directly by the nobles of the Rajput kingdom of

Baglana Baglana was a small Rajput kingdom of India that was situated on the main trade route between Surat and Daulatabad and Golkonda, with Burhanpur nearby. Over a period of many centuries up until 1637, the kingdom had paid a tribute to various Mus ...

who fell either under the Gujarat Sultans or the

Deccan sultanates The Deccan sultanates were five Islamic late-medieval Indian kingdoms—on the Deccan Plateau between the Krishna River and the Vindhya Range—that were ruled by Muslim dynasties: namely Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda. Th ...

. However, following the fall of the Gujarat Sultanate in 1538 it was controlled by more local nobles starting with Chengiz Khan who enjoyed absolute authority over Surat,

Broach The BROACH warhead is a Tandem-charge, multi-stage warhead developed by Team BROACH; BAE Systems Global Combat Systems Munitions, Thales Missile Electronics and QinetiQ. BROACH stands for ''Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented CHarge''. Development of ...

Baroda Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...

and

Champaner Champaner is a historical city in the state of Gujarat, in western India. It is located in Panchmahal district, 47 kilometres from the city of Vadodara. The city was briefly the capital of the Sultanate of Gujarat. History Champaner is named ...

. However, in 1637,

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

fully annexed Baglana into the Mughal Empire. In 1514, the Portuguese traveler Duarte Barbosa described Surat as an important seaport, frequented by many

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

s from

Malabar Malabar may refer to the following: People * Malabars, people originating from the Malabar region of India * Malbars or Malabars, people of Tamil origin in Réunion Places * Malabar Coast, or Malabar, a region of the southwestern shoreline o ...

and various parts of the world. By 1520, the name of the city had become Surat. It was burned by the Portuguese (1512 and 1530) and conquered by the Mughals (1573) and was twice raided by the Maratha king

Shivaji Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adils ...

(17th century).

During the Mughal Empire

It was the most prosperous port in the Mughal empire. Despite being a rich city, Surat looked like a typical "grubby" trader's town with mud-and-bamboo tenements and crooked streets, although along the riverfront there were a few mansions and warehouses belonging to local merchant princes and the establishments of Turkish, Armenian, English, French and Dutch traders. There were also hospitals for cows, horses, flies and insects run by religious

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

s, which puzzled travelers. Some streets were narrow while others were of sufficient width. In the evening, especially near the Bazaar (marketplace), the streets became crowded with people and merchants (including Banyan merchants) selling their goods. Surat was a populous city during the Mughal era but also had a large transient population: during the

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

season, when ships could come and go from the ports without danger, the city's population would swell. In 1612,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

established its first Indian

trading factory Factory was the common name during the medieval and early modern eras for an entrepôt – which was essentially an early form of free-trade zone or transshipment point. At a factory, local inhabitants could interact with foreign merchants, o ...

in Surat. The city was looted twice by the Maratha king

, with the first sacking occurring in 1664. Shivaji's raids scared trade away and caused ruin to the city. Later, Surat became the emporium of India, exporting gold and cloth. Its major industries were shipbuilding and textile manufacture. The coast of the

, from Athwalines to Dumas, was specially meant for shipbuilders, who were usually Rassis. The city continued to be prosperous until the rise of Bombay (present-day

). Afterward, Surat's shipbuilding industry declined and Surat itself gradually declined throughout the 18th century. During 1790–1791, an epidemic killed 100,000

Gujaratis The Gujarati people or Gujaratis, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who reside in or can trace their ancestry or heritage to the present-day western Indian state of Gujarat. They primarily speak Gujarati, an Indo-Aryan language. While G ...

in Surat. The British and Dutch both claimed control of the city, but in 1800, the British took control of Surat. By the middle of the 19th century, Surat had become a stagnant city with about 80,000 inhabitants. When India's railways opened, the city started becoming prosperous again.

Silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

s, cotton, brocades, and objects of gold and silver from Surat became famous and the ancient art of manufacturing fine

muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured. Muslin of uncommonly delicate handsp ...

was revived.

Modern period

British colonial rule

Later, Surat became the emporium of India, exporting gold and cloth. Its major industries were shipbuilding and textile manufacture. The coast of the

, from Athwalines to Dumas, was specially meant for shipbuilders, who were usually Rassis. By the middle of the 19th century, Surat had become a stagnant city with about 80,000 inhabitants. When India's railways opened, the city started becoming prosperous again.

s, cottons, brocades, and objects of gold and silver from Surat became famous and the ancient art of manufacturing fine

was revived

Post Independence

After India gained independence on 15 August 1947, Surat became part of India. At that time it was a part of Bombay State. Later it became the part of Gujarat state. Along with Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Nagpur and Vadodara, Surat became one of the fast growing cities and major commercial and industrial centers of Western India. During the post-independence period, Surat has experienced considerable growth in industrial activities especially textiles and chemical along with trading activities. On 2 October 2007 Surat district was split into two by the creation of a new Tapi district, under the Surat District Re-organisation Act 2007.

Geography

Surat is a port city situated on the banks of the Tapi river. Damming of the Tapi caused the original port facilities to close; the nearest port is now in the

Magadalla The Port of Magdalla is a port in western India, located on the southern bank of the Tapi River, around 10 km from Surat. It is operated by Gujarat Maritime Board. About the Port It is a medium-sized port. There are various types of vessels ...

and Hazira area of Surat Metropolitan Region. It has a famous beach called 'Dumas Beach' located in Hazira. The city is located at . It has an average elevation of 13 metres. The Surat district is surrounded by the

Bharuch Bharuch (), formerly known as Broach, is a city at the mouth of the river Narmada in Gujarat in western India. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District. The city of Bharuch and surroundings have been settled since tim ...

, Narmada, Navsari, to the west is the Gulf of Cambay and the surrounding districts. The climate is tropical and monsoon rainfall is abundant (about 2,500 mm a year). According to the

Bureau of Indian Standards The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the National Standards Body of India under Department of Consumer affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standar ...

, the town falls under seismic zone-III, in a scale of I to V (in order of increasing vulnerability to earthquakes).

Climate

Surat has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...

( Köppen: Aw), moderated strongly by the Sea to the Gulf of Camboy. The summer begins in early March and lasts until June. April and May are the hottest months, the average maximum temperature being .

Monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

begins in late June and the city receives about of rain by the end of September, with the average maximum being during those months. October and November see the retreat of the monsoon and a return of high temperatures until late November. Winter starts in December and ends in late February, with average mean temperatures of around , and negligible rain. Since the 20th century, Surat has experienced some 20 floods. In 1968, most parts of the city were flooded and in 1994 a flood caused a country-wide plague outbreak, Surat being the epicenter. In 1998, 30 per cent of Surat had gone under water due to flooding in

Tapti river The Tapti River (or Tapi) is a river in central India located to the south of the Narmada river that flows westwards before draining into the Arabian Sea. The river has a length of around and flows through the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat ...

following release of water from Ukai dam located 90 km from Surat and in Aug 2006 flood more than 95 per cent of the city was under Tapti river waters, killing more than 120 people, stranding tens of thousands in their homes without food or electricity and closing businesses and schools for weeks. The city is expected to experience more flooding and

extreme weather Extreme weather or extreme climate events includes unexpected, unusual, severe, or unseasonal weather; weather at the extremes of the historical distribution—the range that has been seen in the past. Often, extreme events are based on a locat ...

as climate change becomes worse, so has invested in flood protection and

climate resilience Climate resilience is defined as the "capacity of social, economic and ecosystems to cope with a hazardous event or trend or disturbance".IPCC, 2022Summary for Policymakers .-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, M. Tignor, ...

infrastructure.

Demographics

A resident of Surat is called ''Surati''. According to the 2011 India census, the population of Surat is 4,467,797. Surat has an average literacy rate of 89%, higher than the national average of 79.5%, male literacy is 93%, and female literacy is 84%. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. In Surat, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Politics

Darshana Jardosh Darshana Jardosh (born 21 January 1961) is an Indian politician and currently serving as Union State Minister of Railways and Union State Minister of Textiles. She is member of the Lok Sabha representing the Surat constituency in Gujarat. Sh ...

, of BJP is the MP from the

Surat Lok Sabha constituency Surat Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 26 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in Gujarat. Veteran BJP strongman Kashiram Rana has been an MP from this seat for 6 terms. Surat was also the constituency of the 7th Prime Minister of Indi ...

. The Assembly constituencies of Surat district are

Civic institutions

The

Surat Municipal Corporation Surat Municipal Corporation is the local civic body responsible for the administration of Surat, Gujarat which has come into being under the Bombay Provincial Municipal Act, 1949. The Surat Municipal Corporation was established on 2 October 1966 ...

is responsible for maintaining the city's civic infrastructure as well as carrying out associated administrative duties. At present, BJP is the ruling party with a majority. Under the Provisions of Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporations Act, 1949, Section – 4, the powers have been vested in three Distinct Statutory Authorities: the General Board, the Standing Committee, and the Municipal Commissioner. It ranked 7 out of 21 cities for best administrative practices in India in 2014. It scored 3.5 on 10 compared to the national average of 3.3. It is the only city in India to disclose municipal budgets on a weekly basis.

Public Safety

Surat began the 'Safe City Project' in 2011 aimed at keeping the city safe using surveillance cameras. The project was headed by Sanjay Srivastava (IPS) who was then the Joint-Commissioner of Surat Police. The 280-square-foot video wall claimed to be the largest surveillance screen in the country, is being installed in the control room of Police Commissioner Mr. Rakesh Asthana (IPS). This will help the police view the entire city live through 10,000 CCTV cameras across the city. Surat police have decided to install 5,000 CCTV cameras at sensitive points across the city. While 1,000 cameras will be night vision cameras, 4,000 others will be simple CCTV cameras. This has been installed on PPP base with the help of the city's businessmen, the city's social persons,

, and the Surat City Police.

Economy

Surat ranked 9th in India with a GDP of 2.60 lakh crore in fiscal year 2016 ($40 billion in 2016). Surat GDP in 2020 will be around $57 billion estimated by The City Mayors Foundation, an international think tank on urban affairs. Surat is a major hub of diamond cutting and polishing. The first diamond workshops in Gujarat appeared in Surat and

Navasari Navsari is the ninth biggest city in the state of Gujarat in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Navsari District. Navsari is situated between Surat & Mumbai. Navsari is a twin city of Surat. It is located 37 km south of Su ...

in the late 1950s. The major group working in this industry is people from the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Because of demand in the American market from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s (with only a brief recession in 1979), Surat's diamond industry grew tremendously. Currently, most of the diamond polishing workshops are running in the

Varachha Varachha is a Suburb in Surat city and host of the Surat Diamond and embroidery Industry. The people of Saurashtra of Western Gujarat have moved away from their rain-starved native to Surat in search for income generation and survival almost ...

area of Surat, mostly by the people of the Patel community. Around the world, 8 out of 10 diamonds on the market were cut and polished in Surat. This industry earns India about US$10 billion in annual exports. That declined by about 18% in 2019 due to reduced demand for diamonds. The decline continued in 2020 when the industry closed for some months because of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. A legacy of old Dutch trade links, it began after a Surti entrepreneur returned from East Africa bringing diamond cutters. The rough diamonds are mined in South Africa and other regions of the African continent, and go from here as smooth gems to Antwerp, Belgium where the international diamond trade is run mainly by Hasidic Jews and Jains from Palanpur in North Gujarat. Surat's economy drives from a range of manufacturing and industry fields such as diamonds, textiles, petrochemicals, shipbuilding, automobile, port etc. SuratAhmedabadMumbai 020

Since it is known for producing textiles, including silk, Surat is known as the textile hub of the nation or the Silk City of India. It is very famous for its cotton mills and

Surat Zari Craft The Surat Zari / Jari Craft is a textile product of Surat district in Gujarat, India, which is made from yarns of silk and cotton mixed with gold, silver or copper. The zari threads are used to make intricate designs by weaving into generally sil ...

. Surat is the biggest center of MMF (man-made fiber) in India. It has a total of 381 dyeing and printing mills and 41,100 power loom units. There are over a hundred thousand units and mills in total. The overall annual turnover is around 5 billion rupees. There are over 800 cloth wholesalers in Surat. It is the largest manufacturer of clothes in India, and Surti dress material can be found in any state of India. Surat produces 9 million meters of fabric annually, which accounts for 60% of the total polyester cloth production in India. Now the city is focusing on increasing the exports of its textile. There are many SME Domestic IT Companies present in Surat. MNC IT companies like IBM, HCL have satellite or virtual branches in Surat. On 14 February 2014, Government of Gujarat DST had handover STPI Surat at Bhestan-Jiav Road, Bhestan Near Udhana-Sachin BRTS Route. Surat city administration will demand for setting up of an information technology (IT) hub and an

Indian Institute of Information Technology Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) are a group of 26 interdisciplinary technology-based- engineering research institutions in India which are focused on information technology. Five of them are established, funded and managed ...

(IIIT) on the outskirts of the city.

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

CityNext initiative has tied up with IT services majors Tata Consultancy Services and

to leverage technology for sustainable growth of cities in India. The first smart IT city in India is being constituted by the Microsoft CityNext Initiative in Surat,

. In 2011, Surat hosted India's first Microsoft DreamSpark Yatra (a tech event) with speakers from Microsoft Headquarters at

Redmond, Washington Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 73,256 at the 2020 census, up from 54,144 in 2010. Redmond is best known as the home of Microsoft and Nintendo of America. With an an ...

. The event was organised by Ex-

Microsoft Student Partner The Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors (formerly called Microsoft Student Partners) is a program to sponsor students majoring in disciplines related to technology. The MSP (now MLSA) program enhances students' employability by offering training ...

Samarth Zankharia. In May 2015, Tech giant IBM has chosen Surat among 16 global locations for its smart cities program to help them address challenges like waste management, disaster management and citizen services. Under the program, IBM will send a team of experts to each of the chosen cities where they will spend three weeks working closely with city staff analysing data about critical issues faced by its local bodies; the co-operation continued into 2016. Surat is being a port city, it has turned as a major commercial and industrial hub in India. It is home for many companies such as Oil and Natural Gas Corporation,

Reliance Industries Reliance Industries Limited is an Indian multinational conglomerate company, headquartered in Mumbai. It has diverse businesses including energy, petrochemicals, natural gas, retail, telecommunications, mass media, and textiles. Reliance is ...

(

Hazira Manufacturing Division Hazira Manufacturing Division (HMD) is the manufactory of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) located at Hazira, Gujarat, India in Surat. It was commissioned in 1991–92. It is a multi-product, fully integrated complex, manufacturing a wide range ...

Essar Steel Essar Steel was a common name of the steel manufacturing companies of the Essar Group of Companies. Its main subsidiary was Essar Steel India Limited, a fully integrated flat carbon steel manufacturer based in Mumbai, which owned and operated a ...

, Larsen & Toubro, Krishak Bharati Cooperative,

NTPC Limited NTPC Limited, formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited, is an Indian central public sector undertaking under the ownership of the Ministry of Power, Government of India which is engaged in generation of electricity and ...

Bharat Petroleum Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is an Indian central public sector undertaking under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It operates three refineries in Bina, Kochi and Mumbai. BPCL is In ...

Indian Oil Corporation Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL; d/b/a IndianOil) is a central public sector undertaking under the ownership of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It is headquartered in New Delhi. It is a public sector unde ...

UltraTech Cement UltraTech Cement Limited is an Indian cement company based in Mumbai, and a part of Aditya Birla Group. UltraTech is the largest manufacturer of grey cement, ready-mix concrete Ready-mix concrete (RMC) is concrete that is manufactured i ...

, Shell,

GAIL Gail may refer to: People *Gail (given name), list of notable people with the given name Surname * Jean-Baptiste Gail (1755–1829), French Hellenist scholar * Max Gail (born 1943), American actor * Sophie Gail (1775–1819), French singer and ...

, GSEG,

Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd (GSPCL) is a state government owned group of oil and gas exploration, production and distribution companies based in Gujarat, India. It is India's only state government-owned oil and gas company under the ...

Hero MotoCorp Hero MotoCorp Limited (formerly Hero Honda) is an Indian multinational motorcycle and scooter manufacturer headquartered in New Delhi. The company is one of the largest two-wheeler manufacturers in the world, as well as in India, where it has ...

etc.

Hazira Port Hazira Port or Surat Port is a deep-water liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and multi-cargo deep-water port about 20 miles southwest of Surat, India built by Hazira Port Private Limited (HPPL). The LNG facility is operational, while the cargo ...

is located in Hazira, an industrial suburb where most of the industries are located while other region is

Magdalla The Port of Magdalla is a port in western India, located on the southern bank of the Tapi River, around 10 km from Surat. It is operated by Gujarat Maritime Board. About the Port It is a medium-sized port. There are various types of vessel ...

which is also developed as

Port of Magdalla The Port of Magdalla is a port in western India, located on the southern bank of the Tapi River, India, Tapi River, around 10 km from Surat. It is operated by Gujarat Maritime Board. About the Port It is a medium-sized port. There are variou ...

. The government of Gujarat plans another project near Surat similar to

Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) is central business district under-construction in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad in Gandhinagar district in Gujarat, India. It is India's first operational greenfield smart city and internationa ...

(GIFT). The Chief Minister has suggested that the government wishes to develop DREAM to have a five-seven star hotel, bank, IT, corporate trading house, entertainment zone and other facilities while the

Surat Diamond Bourse Surat Diamond Bourse is a diamond trade centre, located at DREAM City, Khajod, Surat, Gujarat, India. The Project is accoladed with an IGBC ranking of Platinum Pre-Certified Green building, Green Building. It is India's second diamond trading hu ...

(SDB) will be based there. Allotment of Khajod land for the project is convenient for the state government because they have of available land. The Trade Centre, located near

Sarsana Surat is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the A ...

village, will have a pillar-less air-conditioned hall with a pillar-less dome.

Transport

Built in 1860, Surat railway station falls under the administrative control of

Western Railway zone The Western Railway (abbreviated WR) is one of the 19 zones of Indian Railways and is among the busiest railway networks in India, headquartered at Mumbai, Maharashtra. The major railway routes of Indian Railways which come under Western Railw ...

of the

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...

. In early 2016, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation rated the facility the best large station in India based on cleanliness. The

Sitilink The Sitilink or Surat BRTS is an integrated bus rapid transit and public bus transport system for Surat, Gujarat, India. It has been operational since 26 January, 2014 by Surat Municipal Corporation. Corridors Phase 1 The Two corridors hav ...

or Surat BRTS is a

bus rapid transit system Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...

in the city. Initiated by Bharat Shah, additional city engineer of Surat Municipal Corporation. It is operated by Surat Municipal Corporation and as of August 2017, had a network of 245 buses connecting major localities. Surat International Airport located in

, 11 kilometres (7 mi) southwest of Surat. It is the 2nd busiest airport in Gujarat in terms of both aircraft movements and passenger traffic. Currently, airlines such as Air India, Alliance Air, AirAsia India, SpiceJet, IndiGo Airlines, Air Odisha, Ventura AirConnect provide flight services from the Surat to various major cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Goa, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam. There are also running international flights for the Sharjah route of Air India Express. Apart from the main city, Surat Airport also caters to various localities of south Gujarat including Navsari, Bardoli, Valsad, Bharuch, Ankleshwar.

Surat Metro The Surat Metro is an under-construction rapid transit rail system for Surat in Gujarat state of India. Two corridors with a combined length of 40.35 kilometers are under construction since 18 January 2021. The project is expected to be compl ...

is an under construction rapid transit rail system for the city.

Culture

Food

Surat is known for its food and has its own list of cherished street foods. There is a famous saying in Gujarati language "સુરતનું જમણ અને કાશીનું મરણ", meaning ''Eat in Surat and Die in

Kashi Kashi or Kaashi may refer to: Places * Varanasi (historically known as "Kashi"), a holy city in India **Kingdom of Kashi, an ancient kingdom in the same place, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas **Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi * Kashgar, a cit ...

for the ultimate experience of the soul''. Locho and idada

The unique dishes of surat includes

Locho Locho is steamed Gujarati Farsan (Snack /Side Dish) originated in Surat. It is made from Gram Flour. The dish derives its name from its loose consistency and irregular shape like dumplings. It is somewhat related to Khaman. Unlike Khaman it is ...

Ghari (sweet) Ghari or Surati Ghari is a sweet Gujarati dish from Surat, Gujarat, India. Ghari is made of puri Puri () is a coastal city and a municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and ...

, Surti Bhusu, Alupuri, Kavsa,

Ponk Ponk or Paunk (Gujarati પૌંક) is a Gujarati snack made from tender roasted sorghum grains mixed with other products such as sev. To prepare the snack, the green immature sorghum grains (called ''ponk'') are parched or roasted: the re ...

Undhiyu Undhiyu is a Gujarati mixed vegetable dish that is a regional specialty of Surat, Gujarat, India. The name of this dish comes from the Gujarati word "undhu", which translates to upside down, since the dish is traditionally cooked upside down un ...

Dhokla Dhokla is a savoury sponge dish that is native to the Indian state of Gujarat and parts of adjacent states, and is popular throughout the country. It is made with a fermented batter that is steamed to a cake-like consistency. The batter consists o ...

, Khaman, Sev Khamani, and so forth. People's love for food in Surat is so much that there is a lane called as " Khaudra gali" which means foodie's lane which has all stalls of various types of dishes specialty being Mysore Dosa.

Education

Universities

Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat is one of 31 National Institutes of Technology that are recognised as

Institutes of National Importance Institute of National Importance (INI) is a status that may be conferred on a premier public higher education institution in India by an act of Parliament of India, an institution which "serves as a pivotal player in developing highly skilled per ...

by the Government of India.

Indian Institute of Information Technology, Surat The Indian Institute of Information Technology Surat (IIIT Surat) is one of the Indian Institutes of Information Technology established by MHRD in PPP mode located in Surat, Gujarat.The Institute has been conferred as Institute of National ...

started in 2017. Most of the regional colleges are affiliated to

Veer Narmad South Gujarat University Veer Narmad South Gujarat University is a public university located in the city of Surat, Gujarat, India. Previously known as South Gujarat University, it was renamed as Veer Narmad South Gujarat University(VNSGU) in 2004 in honour of the famous ...

(VNSGU, named after the poet

Veer Narmad Narmadashankar Lalshankar Dave () (24 August 1833 – 26 February 1886), popularly known as Narmad, was an Indian Gujarati-language poet, playwright, essayist, orator, lexicographer and reformer under the British Raj. He is considered to be the ...

), which has headquarters in the Surat Metropolitan Region. Colleges are also affiliated to

SNDT SNDT Women's University, also called by its full name Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University, is a women's university in the city of Mumbai, India. The university headquarters are at Churchgate in South Mumbai, while the ma ...

Gujarat Technological University Gujarat Technological University (International Innovative University), commonly referred as ''GTU'', is a state university affiliating many engineering, pharmacy, and management colleges in Gujarat state, India. The university is headed by the st ...

and other universities.

Government Medical College, Surat Government Medical College, Surat is a full-fledged Government Medical college. It was established in the year 1964. The college imparts the degree Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS). Nursing and para-medical courses are also offered. The col ...

is a more than 50 years old medical school of 250 yearly student admission capacity with attached tertiary care hospital, New Civil Hospital. Surat Municipal Institute of Medical Education and Research (SMIMER) is a Municipal Medical College affiliated with the

. Auro University has also started to provide education in Surat.

Science Center

Science Center, Surat is a multi-facility complex built by the Surat Municipal Corporation in 2009, the first of its type in western India. The complex houses a science center, museum, an art gallery, an auditorium, an

amphitheater An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

and a planetarium.

Sports

Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium

With a seating capacity of 6800, Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium is the first of its kind in the Western Region of India. The stadium frequently organizes national and international indoor games such as volleyball, table tennis, gymnastics, handball, boxing, wrestling, badminton, basketball, and tennis. It has a central arena of size 63 m x 33 m, rooms for participants and team officials, and other essential facilities including snack bars. This is also a convenient venue for organizing cultural programs, music concerts, drama, fashion shows, seminars, conferences, and many more. The Indoor Stadium also hosted TEDxSurat 2018 on 7 October 2018 which is the largest TEDx conference in Gujarat and one of the largest TEDx conferences in the world.

Lalbhai Contractor Cricket Stadium

Lalbhai contractor cricket stadium has a capacity of more than 7000 and hosted several

Ranji Colonel H. H. Shri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II, Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, (10 September 1872 – 2 April 1933), often known as Ranji or K. S. Ranjitsinhji, was the ruler of the Indian princely state of Nawanagar from 1907 to 1933, as Ma ...

, Irani and Duleep Trophy matches. The stadium also serves as a primary destination for local budding cricketers and enthusiasts. The stadium has hosted several benefit matches for international cricketers as well.

Surat in literature

* ''

The Coffee-House of Surat "The Coffee-House of Surat" (''Суратская кофейная'') (AKA: ''A Surat Café'') is a short story by Leo Tolstoy written in 1891, first published in Russian in 1893, and first published in English in 1901. Like several other of Tolst ...

'' - By

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

* ''A Voyage to Surat in the Year 1689'' - by

John Ovington John Ovington (1653–1731) was an English priest known for his travel narrative ''A Voyage to Surat in the Year 1689'', which described his journey to Surat and his experiences there as an East India Company chaplain. Ovington travelled to Ind ...

* Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Gujarát Surat and Broach * ''

The Land of Malabar Duarte Barbosa (c. 14801 May 1521) was a Portuguese writer and officer from Portuguese India (between 1500 and 1516). He was a Christian pastor and scrivener in a ''feitoria'' in Kochi, and an interpreter of the local language, Malayalam. Barbos ...

'' - by Duarte Barbosa * Plague in Surat: Crisis in Urban Governance- By

Archana Ghosh "Plague in Surat: Crisis in Urban Governance" is a book published in 1996, by Archana Ghosh and S. Sami Ahmad, based on a plague outbreak in 1994 after a flood in Surat, India. Publication Plague in Surat: Crisis in Urban Governance was first p ...

S. Sami Ahmad "Plague in Surat: Crisis in Urban Governance" is a book published in 1996, by Archana Ghosh and S. Sami Ahmad, based on a plague outbreak in 1994 after a flood in Surat, India. Publication Plague in Surat: Crisis in Urban Governance was first p ...

Surat In The Seventeenth Century Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is now ...

- by Balkrishna Govind Gokhale * Surat, Port of the Mughal Empire - by Ruby Maloni *

Surat, Broach and Other Old Cities of Goojerat Sir Theodore Cracraft Hope (9 December 1831 – 4 July 1915), often referred to as T. C. Hope, was a British born civil servant of the Government of India. His duties included Public Works, and he was an active layman of the Anglican Church. ...

- by

Theodore Hope Sir Theodore Cracraft Hope (9 December 1831 – 4 July 1915), often referred to as T. C. Hope, was a British born civil servant of the Government of India. His duties included Public Works, and he was an active layman of the Anglican Church. ...

Notable people

* Abbas–Mustan, Bollywood directors * Hashim Amla, South African Cricketer *

Henry Barnes-Lawrence Henry Frederick Barnes-Lawrence (1815– 1896) was an Anglican clergyman, notable as the ornithologist who founded the Association for the Protection of Sea-Birds and with others (Francis Orpen Morris; William Thomson, Archbishop of York; and Ch ...

(1815–1896), Anglican clergyman, and founder of the

Association for the Protection of Sea-Birds The Association for the Protection of Sea-Birds was formed in the late 1860s by The Rev. Henry Frederick Barnes-Lawrence the incumbent at Bridlington Priory to stop the practice of shooting sea birds for sport, a practice which was legislated for ...

Kiransinh Chauhan Kiransinh Chauhan ( gu, કિરણસિંહ ચૌહાણ b. 7 October 1974) is a Gujarati poet and scriptwriter from Gujarat, India. His works include (Festival of Memories, 2004) and (The Temper, 2008). He was awarded the Shayda Awar ...

, Gujarati poet and scriptwriter *

Abdulgani Dahiwala Abdulgani Abdulkarim Dahiwala (1908-1987), popularly known as Gani Dahiwala was a Gujarati poet. Life Abdulgani Dahiwala was born on 17 August 1908 at Surat. He came to Ahmedabad in 1928 but later returned to Surat in 1930 when he started a tai ...

, Gujarati poet *

Ismail Darbar Ismail Darbar is an Indian film score composer, instrumentalist, violinist and music director. Career Ismail Darbar is from Surat, Gujarat. He worked for several years as a session violinist for leading music directors Laxmikant Pyarelal, Kal ...

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

composer *

Freddy Daruwala Freddy Daruwala (born 1983/1984) is an Indian model and actor based in Mumbai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, predominantly known for his roles as the Sleeper Cell's Head opposite Akshay Kumar in the Bollywood film Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty, ' ...

, Bollywood actor * Harmeet Desai, table-tennis player * Prachi Desai, actress in Bollywood *

Savji Dholakia Savji Dhanji Dholakia (born 12 April 1962) is an Indian businessman. He is the founder and chairman of Hari Krishna Exports, a diamond manufacturing and exporting company. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2022. Biography Savji Dholakia was born ...

, an Indian businessman. He is the founder and chairman of Hari Krishna Export. *

Pratik Gandhi Pratik Gandhi is an Indian actor. He worked in Gujarati theatre before entering Gujarati cinema. He received wide acclaim for portraying Harshad Mehta in Sony LIV series ''Scam 1992''. He acted in several Hindi films thereafter. Early life Ga ...

, Bollywood actor *

Yazdi Karanjia Yazdi Naoshriwan Karanjia (born 3 March 1937, Valsad) is a Gujarati theatre person from India. He is based in Surat and widely noted as one of the doyens of Parsi theatre. For more than 60 years, his troupe has performed comedy plays. With Ch ...

, theatre person - noted as one of the doyens of Parsi theatre * Sanjeev Kumar (actual name Haribhai Jariwala), film actor *

Mareez Mareez, born Abbas Abdul Ali Vasi (22 February 1917 – 19 October 1983), was a Gujarati poet, mainly popular for his Ghazals. He is popularly known as ''Ghalib of Gujarat''. He left studies in young age and started working in rubber shoe fact ...

, 20th century Gujarati poet, popular for his ghazals * Narmad, Gujarati poet, playwright, essayist, orator, lexicographer and reformer under the British Raj *

Dhwanil Parekh Dhwanil Ravindrabhai Parekh (b. 28 October 1976 ) is a Gujarati language poet, critic and playwright from Gujarat, India. His significant works include ''Dariyo Bhalene Maane'' (2008; Ghazal anthology), ''Antim Yuddha'' (2009; drama) and ''Sank ...

, 20th century Gujarati poet *

Hardik Pandya Hardik Himanshu Pandya (born 11 October 1993) is an Indian international cricketer. An All-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls right-arm fast-medium, Pandya has played in all 3 formats for India. He also plays for Baroda cricket team in do ...

, Indian international Cricketer *

Laljibhai Patel Laljibhai Patel (born 28 November 1955) is an Indian diamantaire and philanthropic social activist, who is the chairman of Dharmanandan Diamonds Pvt. Ltd. (DDPL) and one of the barons of the Indian diamond Industry. He has been guiding Dharman ...

, an Indian diamantaire and philanthropic social activist, who is the chairman of Dharmanandan Diamonds Pvt. Ltd.(DDPL) *

Hendrik van Rheede Hendrik Adriaan van Rheede tot Drakenstein (Amsterdam, 13 April 1636 – at sea, 15 December 1691) was a military man and a colonial administrator of the Dutch East India Company and naturalist. Between 1669 and 1676 he served as a governor of D ...

(1636–1691), Dutch botanist and colonial administrator. Died of the coast of

and was buried at the Dutch Cemetery in Surat. *

Mufaddal Saifuddin Mufaddal Saifuddin () is the spiritual leader and 53rd Da'i al-Mutlaq of one million Dawoodi Bohras, a subgroup of the Tayyibi, Mustaali, Ismaili Shia branch of Islam. He is the second son of the 52nd Da'i al-Mutlaq, Mohammed Burhanuddin, w ...

religious leader of the Dawoodi Bohra *

Gunvant Shah Gunvant Shah is an essayist, educationist, columnist and philosophy writer and critic from Gujarat, India. He taught at various universities and participated in various education oriented events and organisations. His large number of essays, incl ...

, educationist and columnist *

Bhagwatikumar Sharma Bhagwatikumar Sharma (31 May 1934 – 5 September 2018) was an Indian author and journalist who wrote in Gujarati. Born in Surat and educated in languages, he edited a daily for several years. He wrote novels, short stories, poetry, essays and c ...

, author and journalist *

Farooq Sheikh Farooq Shaikh (25 March 1948 − 28 December 2013) was an Indian actor, philanthropist and television presenter. He was best known for his work in Hindi films from 1973 to 1993 and for his work in television between 1988 and 2002. He returned to ...

, actor and television presenter *

Abid Surti Abid Surti or Aabid Surti (born 5 May 1935) is a painter, author, cartoonist, journalist, environmentalist, playwright and screenwriter from India. He was given a National Award by the government of India in 1993 for writing a series of short s ...

, Indian cartoonist and writer *

Mehul Surti Mehul Surti (born 1977) in an Indian music composer and singer from Surat, Gujarat, India, known for his work in Gujarati cinema and Gujarati theatre. He has composed music for several successful Gujarati films including ''Kevi Rite Jaish'' (2012) ...

, Indian musician *

Mohammed Surti Mohammed Surti is a leader of Indian National Congress from Surat in Gujarat. He was a government minister of Gujarat. He was falsely convicted for his involvement in 1993 Surat bomb blasts and was imprisoned, he was proven innocent and acq ...

, Indian National Congress politician *

Rusi Surti Rusi Framroze Surti ( 25 May 1936 – 13 January 2013) was an Indian cricketer who played in 26 Tests from 1960 to 1969. He was a left-arm medium pace and left-arm spin bowler and a lower-order batsman. Surti was also a popular professional fo ...

, Indian cricketer *

Naval Tata Naval Hormusji Tata (30 August 1904 – 5 May 1989) was an adopted son of Sir Ratanji Tata and a noted alumni of the Tata Group. He is the father of Ratan Tata, Jimmy Tata and Noel Tata. The Naval Tata Hockey Academy in Jamshedpur (joint ...

, former chairman of Tata Group *

Virji Vora Virji Vora ( 1590– 1670s) was an Indian merchant from Surat during the Mughal era. The East India Company Factory Records describe him as the richest merchant in the world at the time. According to English records, his personal worth is estima ...

, businessman known as "merchant prince" during Mughal era

References

External links

Website of Surat Municipal Corporation

Pincode list
* * {{Authority control Populated coastal places in India Port cities in India Port cities and towns of the Arabian Sea Cities and towns in Surat district Smart cities in India Former capital cities in India Gulf of Khambhat Metropolitan cities in India 1612 establishments in the British Empire Populated places established in the 2nd millennium