Etymology

In the 13th century, King Pethasinh of Pethapur, ruled over Shertha town. After the death of Pethasinh, the Sultanate of Patan used this land as battle ground. Sultan Ahmed Shah decided to move his capital from Patan to a new city, and built Ahmedabad. In 1960, Bombay state was split in two different states, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Ahmedabad became capital of Gujarat, and a new capital city was to be built on land which was once part of Pethapur state.

The city's infrastructure was planned by two Indian planners, H.K. Mewada (educated at Cornell University)and Prakash Apte. Mewada, a Gandhian, had worked as a trainee under Le Corbusier in the Chandigarh Project in the 1950s. Gandhinagar's streets are numbered, and have cross streets named for Gujarati alphabets like "k" , "kh" , "g" , "gh" , "ch" , "chh" , "j" . All streets cross every kilometre, and at every crossing traffic circles decrease the speed of traffic.

The city has developed in four distinct phases:

* Phase 1: After the city's infrastructure was completed in 1970, and until 1980, it was known as 'Gandhian City,' since it was based on Gandhiji's concepts and principles.
* Phase 2: Between 1980 and 1990, a time of low pollution, it was known as 'Unpolluted City'.
* Phase 3: After 1990, many trees were planted, and the city became the 'Green City.'
* Phase 4: In 2002, Gujarat's Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, proposed a new, triple focus for the city: it should be green, It should utilize solar energy, and It should be cosmopolitan.

The City soon be witnessing Mahatma Mandir. Mahatma Mandir is the place where Vibrant Gujarat 2011 is going to happen in 2011.More Details of Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar