Gandhinagar, the administrative headquarters of state of Gujarat and often acclaimed as the ‘Greenest Capital’ in India is a charming little metropolis stationed on the western banks of the Sabarmati River. Located in a green farm belt at the distance of just 23 kilometers to the north of Ahmedabad; the commercial capital of Gujarat and the biggest city of the state, Gandhinagar happens to be the second planned city of the country after Chandigarh. Divided into 30 integrated and self sufficient sectors, the Gandhinagar City was designed and instituted after the partition of Gujarat and Maharashtra. Each of these sectors is exclusively self sufficing endowed with its own shopping centers, health centers, community centers, primary schools, government and private housing, wide open parks, generous plantation areas, huge recreational nooks perched along the banks of the Sabarmati River, so on and so forth. The city outline of Gandhinagar yields an expansive and very skillfully and systematically constituted look of an architecturally organized conurbation.

Christened after the ‘Father of the Nation’ Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhinagar; the verdurous green garden city of Gujarat is indeed an oasis in the midst of scorching and sweltering atmosphere of western India. Gandhinagar is the base of almost all the chief Government organizations, administrative offices, leading educational and research institutes and also a number of factories and trade centers of Gujarat. The all state administrative head offices are also located in Gandhinagar. Keeping pace with the ever progressing economical pivot of Gujarat; Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar is also undergoing a rapid acceleration in the field of trade and commerce. Burgeoning as the twin city of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar the home of gardens, temples, historical and architectural monuments, forts and national parks is prospering as a favorite tourist destination in the state of Gujarat. The most noteworthy attraction of Gandhinagar is its world famous Akshardham Temple dedicated to the Lord Swaminarayan of Swaminarayan sect.

In 13th century AD, the Shertha Town (present day Gandhinagar) was under the dominion of King Pethasinh of Pethapur. After the demise of King Pethasinh, the Shertha Town fell into the hands of the Sultanate of Patan who used this land as their battle ground. Later, Sultan Ahmed Shah of Gujarat decided to shift his administrative capital from Patan to a new city that was comparatively more at the center of the state than Patan. As a result, Ahmedabad was founded in 15th century AD. In 20th century after the independence of India when Bombay State was divided into two, two states named Gujarat and Maharashtra were formed in the year 1960. Bombay, or the present day Mumbai was allocated to Maharashtra State and Ahmedabad was made the provisional capital of Gujarat. It was agreed that a new city was to be established on the land once a section of the erstwhile Pethapur State that would furnished as the capital of the newly formed Gujarat State.

Prakash M. Apte and H. K. Mewada; two proficient Indian Town Planners who had also assisted Le Corbusier in building Chandigarh were handed over the charge of planning and fabricating a capital city for Gujarat. The foundation stone of Gandhinagar was laid in 1965 AD and in the year 1971 the state capital of Gujarat was shifted from Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar; the city named after Mahatma Gandhi. It was then stated that Gandhinagar would become representative of Gandhian principles of swadeshi and swaraj. Since 1980 Gandhinagar has been experiencing swift growth and development in all quarters. Other than being the central administrative pivot of the state, Gandhinagar is also turning into a principal trade hub. Several foremost electronic industries, co-operative societies, private buildings and hotels have been instituted in Gandhinagar.