Saurashtra

Saurashtra Bhaarat ke Gujarat praant ka ek upakshetr hai jo jyaadaatar ardhamarusthaleeya hai. Saurashtra, vartamaan kaathiyaavaad-pradesh, jo praayadveepeeya kshetr hai. mahaabhaarat ke samay dvaarikaapuri isi kshetr mein sthit thi. suraashtr ya Saurashtra ko sahadev ne apni digvijya yaatra ke prasang mein vijit kiya tha. vishnu puraan mein aparaant ke saath Saurashtra ka ullekh hai. vishnupuraan mein Saurashtra mein shoodron ka raajya bataaya gaya hai, 'Saurashtra vishyaanshch shoodraadyaabhokshyanti'.

itihaas prasiddh somanaath ka mandir Saurashtra hi ki vibhooti tha. raivatakaparvat girnaar parvatamaala ka hi ek bhaag tha. ashok, rudradaaman tatha gupt samraat skandagupt ke samay ke mahattvapoorn abhilekh joonaagadh ke nikat ek chattaan par ankit hain, jisse praacheen kaal mein is pradesh ke mahattv par prakaash padta hai. rudradaaman ke abhilekh mein suraashtr par shak kshatrapon ka prabhutv bataaya gaya hai. jaan padta hai ki alakshendr ke Punjab par aakraman ke samay vahaaain nivaas karne waali jaati kath jisne yavan samraat ke daaaint khatte kar diye the, kaalaantar mein Punjab chhodkar dakshin ki or aa gayi aur Saurashtra mein bas gayi, jisse is desh ka naam kaathiyaavaad bhi ho gaya. itihaas ke adhikaansh kaal mein Saurashtra par Gujarat nareshon ka adhikaar raha aur Gujarat ke itihaas ke saath hi iska bhaagya bandha raha.

Gujarat ke kaathiyaavaad praaya:dweep mein bhaadar nadi ke sameep sthit rangapur ki khudaai 1953-1954 E. mein 'A. ranganaath Rao' dvaara ki gayi. yahaaain par poorv hadppa kaaleen sanskruti ke avashesh mile hain. yahaaain mile kachchi iton ke durg, naaliyaan, mrudabhaand, baant, patthar ke falak aadi mahattvapoorn hain. yahaaain dhaan ki bhoosi ke dher mile hain. yahaaain uttarottar hadppa sanskruti ke bhi saakshya paryaapt maatra mein milte hain.

Saurashtra ke kai bhaagon ke naam hamein itihaas mein milte hain.

haalaar (uttar-pashchimi bhaag), sorath (pashchimi bhaag), gohilvaad (dakshin-poorvi bhaag) aadi.

haalaar, gohilvaad, ghed, barada, gir, prabhaas, sorath, jhaalaavaad ityaadi upakshetr Saurashtra mein kuchh khaas vistaar ke sthaaneeya naam hai.

isi ilaake mein babbar sher ya Singh paaya jaata hai. Saurashtra ke baare mein ek praacheen kahaavat prasiddh hai–'Saurashtra pancharatnaani nadeenaareeturangamaa: chaturth: somanaathashch panchamam haridrshanam'; is shlok mein Saurashtra ki manohar nadiyon–jaise chandrabhaaga, bhadraavati, praachi-sarasvati, shashimti, vetravati, palaashini aur suvarnasikta; ghogha aadi pradeshon ki lok-kathaaon mein varnit sundar naariyon, sundar arabi jaati ke tej ghodon aur somanaath aur Krishna ki punyanagari dvaarika ke mandiron ko Saurashtra ke ratn bataaya gaya hai.