rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the state of gujarat, india, after ahmedabad, surat and vadodara and is in the center of the saurashtra region of gujarat. rajkot is the 35th-largest metropolitan area in india, with a population of more than 1.8 million as of 2018. rajkot is the ninth-cleanest city of india, and is the 22nd-fastest-growing city in the world as of july 2019. the city contains the administrative headquarters of the rajkot district, 245 km from the state capital gandhinagar, and is located on the banks of the aji and nyari rivers. rajkot was the capital of the saurashtra state from april 15, 1948 to october 31, 1956, before its merger with bombay state on november 1, 1956. rajkot was reincorporated into gujarat state on may 1, 1960.