Surat,
the second largest city in Gujarat has a chequered history -plundered
and destroyed by the Portuguese in 1512 and having passed into the hands
of the Mughals, came to be known as the 'gateway to Mecca'. The East India
Company established its first factory in Surat. Shivaji sacked Surat twice
within a period of eight years. The last Navab of the city died in 1842,
when it finally passed into the hands of the British. Surat is known for
its Jari and Brocade industry.