Shopping in Daman and Diu

Cottage Emporia: For stone, metal and shell crafts is suitable for swimming and a variety of water sports. There is also a small seashell museum, displaying a large number of crustacean shells, corals, fish and marine life from all over the world, collected by a retired Merchant Navy captain.

Sasan Gir: 95 km from Diu, many rate this as one of the best wildlife sanctuaries in the world. Sasan Gir has been the only home of the beleaguered Asiatic Lion since 1914. The park has more than 300 lions in an area of 1,412 sq km and a core area of 260 sq km. w Somnath: A temple town housing one of the 12 Shiva jyotrilingas. Legend says the temple first appeared in gold, at the behest of the Sun God; then in silver at the behest of the Moon God; and in stone when it was rebuilt by Bhim.

Fudam: One of the five satellite villages that form part of the territory, this settlement resembles a beautiful Mediterranean village. Surprisingly, there are only women, children and old people in this village:all the young men have migrated to Lisbon!

Major Events in Daman and Diu

Nariyal Poornima: Marks the beginning of the fishing season, and is celebrated by offering coconuts to the gods of wind and water. Accompanied by various watersports and cultural programmes.

Christmas: Celebrations are accompanied by a vibrant tourist festival, where you can witness fascinating Portuguese dances and taste Daman’s famous cookies of fragrant jasmine and rose petals.

Catholic Church of Nani Daman: Located within the fort of Nani Daman, this is one of the ancient seats of the Catholic church. It has a fine altar and superb panelling, with wide steps leading to the ramparts.

Chapel of Our Lady of Remedies: An amalgamation of Gothic and Byzantine architecture, this 16th century Portuguese church houses a grand prayer hall and beautifully carved figures.

Satya Narayan Temple: The temple occupies an area of 9,424 sq ft and dates back to 1900. The ante-chamber is divided into compartments housing idols of principal deities-including Satya Narayan, Mahalakshmi and Krishna-all carved in marble. In the centre of the roof is a flower design depicting Krishna’s raasleela, while the mandap’s walls have beautiful montages of Krishna, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Shiva, Kinkardas, Ambajimata and Vishnu in plaster of paris.

Geography of Daman

The district of Daman is situated on the west coast of India between the parallels 20o27′58″ and 20o22′00″ of latitude north and between the meridians 72o49′42″ and 72o54′43″ of longitude east of Greenwich. Its length from the extreme north to south measures 11Km and width from east to west measures 8Kms. The altitude is 12 m above sea level.

The district is bounded on the north by the Bhagwan river, on the east by the Valsad district of Gujarat state, on the south by the Kalem river and on the west by the Arabian Sea. The total are of the district is 72sq.km

The district is divided by the Damanganga river into two parts. Three west flowing rivers pass through the terrain viz. the Bhagwan river running along the northern boundary, the Kalem river forming the southern boundary and the Damanganga river lying in between.

In the district of Daman, the important field and garden crops grown are paddy, Ragi, groundnut, pulses and beans, wheat, banana, sapota and mango. The net sown area is about 3727 hectares which forms about 67% of the districts geographical area.

Beaches of Daman and Diu

Nagoa Beach - a 20min refreshing drive from the town through the open arid land and dense coconut groves brings you to the Nagoa Beach. It is located in the Nagoa hamlet of the village of Bucharwada. The beach stretching about 2km from one end to the other is exceptionally beautiful and quiet and its horse-shoe shape is unique. It is safe for swimming.

Ghoghla Beach - is among the six beautiful beaches in Diu District. It also has facilities for water sports like parasailing, water scooters etc.

Chakratirtha Beach - is centrally located and contiguous to the town at Diu. It is said to be the place where Lord Vishnu left his sudarshan chakra (disc) after killing the demon Jallandhar. The hill and the surrounding areas and landscape has been beautifully illuminated.

Gomtimata Beach - is one of the best beaches of the region. Secluded and spread with natural white sand, it is located at the western corner of the island.

Getting in Daman and Diu

By Rail: Nearest rail head to Daman is Vapi (12 kms) on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad line of western railway.

Road: Vapi, which lies on Mumbai-Ahmedabad NH no.8 connects Daman by road to Bombay 193 km, Ahmedabad 367 km, Diu 763 km and Panaji via Bombay 787 km. Regular S.T.Bus services are available from Vapi, Bhilad and Valsad.

Local Transport: Local buses, unmetered taxis and tongas are available from the railhead to other towns.

Tourist Attractions in Daman and Diu

Fort, Moti Daman,Fort, Nani Daman; Light House (in Moti Daman Fort), Bom Jesus Church and Our Lady of Rosary Chapel (inside fort, Moti Daman fort) Our lady of Sea Church (inside Nani Daman fort), Hilsa Aquarium, Kachigam Water Tank, Nani Daman; Hathi Park, Moti Daman; Bridge Side Garden, Nani/Moti Daman; Municipal Children Park, Nani Daman.

Economy of Daman and Diu

Industries

The total number of industrial units registered as small scale industries in Daman And Diu together are about 535. The main industrial area of the union territory are Somnath, Dabhel, Bhimpore and Kadaiya. In view of additional demand on account of growth in industries and normal development work a 1×10Kva 66/11Kva unit was commissioned at Dalwada in Daman.

Agriculture

In the district of Daman, the important field and garden crops grown are paddy, Ragi, groundnut, pulses and beans, wheat, banana, sapota and mango. The net sown area is about 3727 hectares which forms about 67% of the districts geographical area.

People of Daman and Diu

The people of Daman and Diu are not different from the people in the adjoining Gujarat area. They have same outlook and the same customs and traditions. The Daman and Diu union territory, between the two units has one representative in the union parliaments, lower house, the Lok Sabha. Gujarati is the spoken language of the people.

The population comprises of Hindus and few Christians and Muslims. The union territory of Daman and Diu has a high degree of urbanisation, 46.80%, as against the national average of 25.7%. The people of the territory live according to the Hindu system prevalent in adjoining Gujarat territory and the customs of birth, marriage, sacred thread and other ceremonies are observed .

History of Daman and Diu

From the 8th to13th century, Daman and Diu, which was a part of Goa was a stronghold of the Chowda Rajputs who were ousted by the Waghalas who in turn were expelled by Muslims in1330. It continued under Muslims rule for another two hundred years when it was conquered by the Portuguese.

The Portuguese ruled Goa for 451 years (1510-1961). Albuquerque entrenched himself in the Island of Tiswadi in1510. His successors had unbroken sway over this lovely territory for four and a half centuries despite mounting resentment and opposition to the alien rule from the people within and outside the territory. Even as the Portuguese were settling down, admirals and seamen of the Indian powers were challenging their might on the high seas.

When Bahadur Shah, Sultan of Gujarat, was attacked by the Mughal Emperor Humayun he entered into a defensive alliance with the Portuguese and allowed them in 1535 to construct a fortress on the Island and maintain a garrison there. Later several attempts were made by the rulers of Gujarat in 1536, 1545 and 1546 respectively to oust the Portuguese from the Fort of Diu but to no avail. By the Treaty of 1543 the cessation of Diu to the Portuguese was finally confirmed. The fortress of Diu, an imposing structure was reconstructed after the siege of 1545 by Dom Joao de Castro.

Battle of Diu

The naval Battle of Diu was a critical sea battle that took place on 3 February 1509 near Diu, India, between Portugal and a joint fleet of Mamlûk Burji Sultanate of Egypt, Ottoman Empire, Calicut and the Sultan of Gujarat, with technical maritime assistance from the Republic of Venice and the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik)

Importance

This battle is critical from a strategic perspective since it marks the beginning of the dominance of the Europeans in the Asian naval theatre, and a defeat for the then dominant power - the Ottoman Empire. It also marks the spillover of the Christian-Islamic power struggle in Europe and the Middle East, into the Indian Ocean which was a dominant arena of international trade at that time.

The battle parallels Lepanto (1571), Abu Qir (1798), Trafalgar (1805) and Tsushima (1905) in terms of its impact, though not in scale. Had the Turks won India would’ve become a Muslim dominion, and by extension an arm of the expanding Ottoman Empire in the East.

The Portuguese followed this battle by rapidly capturing key ports/coastal areas around the Indian Ocean like Mombasa, Socotora, Muscat, Ormuz, Goa, Ceylon and Malacca. This allowed them to circumvent the traditional land/sea spice route controlled by the Arabs and the Venetians, and by routing the trade down the Cape of Good Hope, they also simultaneously crippled the Mamlûk Burji Sultanate of Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, Venetian Republic and the Sultanate of Gujarat (which was at its peak then). The Portuguese sea monopoly lasted until the advent of the British East India Company and the Battle of Swally in 1612.

For the Venetians, the loss at this battle combined with the League of Cambrai that was formed against them in 1508 meant a period of turmoil, and a fall from the prestigious position they held at that time.

The Samoothiri Raja, though a Hindu was incensed at the Portuguese because of their conduct since Vasco da Gama had landed in his kingdom in 1498, and hence had joined forces with the Sultan of Gujarat.

Sultan Of Gujarat

The Egyptian fleet, manned mostly by Turks, was sent by the Mamlûk Burji Sultan of Cairo, Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghauri, in 1507 to support, at his invitation, the then Muslim Sultan of Gujarat, Mahmud Begada who had his capital at Champaner, a town about 48km from the major city of Vadodara.

The Sultan, sensing a political vacumn in Western India, had persuaded the Turks and the Egyptians that the opportunity was right for a Muslim-dominated dominion in that part of India.

Principal Characters

The following were the important participants in this battle:
Dom Francisco de Almeida, first Portuguese viceroy in India
Mir Hussein Pasha, Turkish Commander of the Egyptian-Gujarat squadron
Malik Aiyaz, Governor of Diu for the Sultan of Gujarat

Precursor to the battle

Diu was a critical outpost in the overall spice trade from India. The Mamlûks along with the Venetians controlled the flow of spice from India to Europe in a symbiotic relationship. The Portuguese attempt to establish trade with India was to break this stronghold. The King of Portugal, Manuel I fresh from Vasco da Gama’s exploits, sent out his first Viceroy, Dom Francisco de Almeida in 1505 with 21 ships to strengthen the fledgling Portuguese empire in East Africa and India.

Since Portuguese naval patrols regularly interdicted supplies of Malabar timber for the Mamlûk Red Sea fleet, the Ottoman Sultan, Beyazid II therefore supplied Egypt with Mediterranean-type war galleys manned by Greek sailors. These vessels, which Venetian shipwrights helped disassemble in Alexandria and reassemble on the Red Sea coast, however, had to brave the Indian Ocean.