18

CHAPTER –II

UNIVERSE

LOCALE AND THE SHGS

The present study is conducted in the Dharampur Taluka of Valsad

district in Gujarat. The region of Gujarat is located at the west

coast of India between 20° - 01 to 24° - 07 north latitudes and

68°-04 to 74°-04 east longitudes. Its total area measures 1, 96,024

sq km comprising a total of 25 districts. The districts comprising

the mainland include central, south, and north Gujarat which

account for 86,033 sq. km of its area; the 7 districts of Saurshatra

account for 64,339 sq km area. The area of Kutch district accounts

for 45,652 sq. km while the state covers 5.98 per cent of the total

area of the country. The tropic of cancer passes closely through the

center of the state.

The maximum north south length of the state measures 320 km,

and east west width measures 80 to 240 km depending upon the

location of the place. The maximum east west length of the region

of Gujarat is called Saurshatra, i.e. 344 km east-west, and its north-

19

south length is 256 km, and its north-south width is 96 to 112 km.

As far as area is concerned, Kutch is the largest district in Gujarat

and second largest district in India.

As far as geographical location is concerned, the north of Gujarat

counts Marwad, Mewar, Shiroli (Rajasthan), and the hills of

Aravali region. In south is the district of Maharashtra, while to the

east are Baswada (Rajasthan), Khandes (Maharashtra), Alirajpur

and Jhabuia (M.P). To the west of state are mainly located the

Arabian Sea, Gulf of Khambat (Cambay) and Gulf of Kachccha

while to the North West of the state lies Pakistan. To its eastern

border are the Vindhya and Satpura Mountains and parts of

Western ghats. The state is surrounded and protected by the desert

and mountain ranges in the north by the hills and mountains as

well as by forests in south and east and by Arabian Sea in the west.

Earlier Gujarat was the part of Maharashtra, but it was separated in

1st May 1960 from Maharashtra. The Gujarat state lies in west

direction of India. Its capital is Gandhinagar, while its largest city

is Ahmedabad. Gujarat is the home of Gujarati speaking people of

India. The state comprises major sites of the Indus valley

civilization such as Lothal and Dholavira. Gujarat played an

important role in the economic history of India throughout history.

It is the home of major parts of Indian ancient and modern history,

20

leading into one of the main trade and commerce centres of India.

Lothal, one of the world’s first ports, is located in Gujarat. The

father of the nation who led the Indian Independence movement

against the British rule also belonged to Gujarat. Even today

Gujarat has one of the fastest growing economies in India. In

modern day Gujarat is derived from Gurjara i.e. a land protector

ruled by Gurjar or from Gujar-rashtra, the Gujjar Nation. The

origins of the Gujjar are uncertain. The Gujjar clan appeared in the

northern India about the time of Huns invasions of northern India.

Some Scholar such as B.A. Smith believed that they were foreign

immigrants, possibly a branch of White Huns. However, others

such as K.M. Munshi, stated them as an Indian. The name of tribe

was sanskritized to Gurjara.

Historically, the present day state of Gujarat has been one of the

main centers of the Indian valley civilization. It contains major

ancient metropolitan cities from the Indus valley such as Lothal,

Dholavira. The ancient city of Lothal is the site of India’s first port.

Dholavira and Goladhoran are the ancient cities of Lothal site of

India.

There is the clear historical evidence of the trade and commerce

ties with popular trade center of the world. Sumer in the Persian

Gulf during the period of 1000 to 750 B.C was a Hindu kingdom

21

including the era of Gupta period and Gurjara – Pratihara dynasty.

The first Muslim conqueror was Muhammad Ghazni whose

conquest of Somnath Temple and effectively ended the rule of

Solanki.

From 1297 to 1300, Allauddin Khilji, Sultan to Delhi, destroyed

Unhillwara and incorporated Gujarat into the Delhi sultanate.

Cambay and Bharuch were the most important trading ports. The

Sultan of Gujarat remained independent until 1576, when the

Mughal Emperor Akbar concluded and exceed it to the Mughal

Empire. The port of Surat becomes the prominent and main port of

India during Mughal Rule.

Freedom Fighter from Gujarat:

Leader like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Morarji

Desai, K.M. Munshi, Narhari Parikh, Mahadev Desai, Mohanlal

Pandya, Bholabhai Desai and Kumar Ravishankar Vyas—all

belonged to Gujarat. Also Gujarati speaking Muhammad Ali

Jinnah (Pakistan’s First Governor General). After Indian

Independence and partition of India in 1947, the new Indian

government grouped the former princely states of Gujarat into 3

large units. Saurshatra includes the former states on the Kathiawad

peninsula, Kutch, and Bombay state includes former British

22

districts of Bombay presidency together with most of Baroda state

and the other former princely states of Gujarat. In 1956, the

Bombay state was enlarged to include Kutch, Saurashtra and some

parts of Hyderabad State and Madhya Pradesh in Central India.

The new state has mostly Gujarati speaking North and Marathi

speaking south. But on 1 May 1960, it became the new state of

Gujarat with Ahmedabad as the capital; the capital was moved to

Gandhinagar in 1970.

Gujarat borders with Pakistan to North West and bounded by the

Arabian Sea to south west; the state of Rajasthan North East, M.P.

to the east. The union territories of Diu & Daman, Dadara and

Nagar Haveli lie to the south of Gujarat.

As per the India Forest Report, 2009, Gujarat has 7.46 per cent of

its total geographical area under forest cover. Gujarat has four

national parks and 21 sanctuaries; Gujarat is the only state in India

which has the home of Asiatic lions. The Gir forest National Park

is situated in the Junagarh District of Gujarat.

Economy: Gujarat has some of the largest business hubs in India.

The major agricultural products of the state include cotton,

groundnut (peanut), dates, sugarcane, milk and milk products.

Industrial products include Cement and petrol.

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• 30per cent of India Industrial Output

• 10per cent of its mineral production

• 80per cent of salt production

• 20per cent of India’s Export

• 25per cent of textile production

• 40per cent of India’s Pharmaceutical products

• 67per cent of Petrochemical production

• Longest Shoreline – 1670 Kilometer

Gandhinagar is the capital of Gujarat State. The world’s largest

ship breaking yard is at Alang port in Bhavnagar. Reliance

petroleum limited is one of the companies of reliance industries

limited founded by Dhirubhai Ambani. Gujarat has the biggest oil

refinery at Jamnagar. It has gas based thermal electricity

generation plants. It has nuclear electricity generation plant. There

are 500 corporate conglomerates in Gujarat. The major cities of

Gujarat include Ahmedabad, Surat, Baroda, and Rajkot. Surat is

the fastest growing city, and Ahmedabad is the third fastest

growing city in India.

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Gujarat produces about 90 per cent of India’s required amount of

soda and gives the country about 66 per cent of its national

requirement of salt. It is one of the India’s most prosperous states

having per capita GDP significantly above India’s average. Kalol,

Khambad and Ankleshwar are today known for their oil and gas

producing centers. There is Nano car manufacturing unit at Sanand

near Ahmedabad; AMW Trucks are manufactured near Bhuj.

Jellalpur is the largest town in Gujarat where several largest

industrial units are situated. Hazira is an industrial belt of Surat

which is also famous for Diamond and Textile industry. In 2003,

92 per cent of the world diamond were cut and polished in Surat.

Gujarat has established itself as a leader in industrial sector

including textile, engineering, jewellery, and chemicals. A post

liberalization period experienced the increase of domestic products

rising at an average rate of 14 per cent per annum in real term from

1994 to 2002. The producers have contributed significantly in this

addition. Gujarat is one of such states which encouraged private

sector investment in the region of Dahej. Dahej is going to become

big center of industry, and most of the investors are encouraged

with the schemes of ―Vibrant Gujarat‖ the blue print announced

between January 2007 to 15 January 2007. At the science city of

Ahmedabad, the state government signed 104 memoranda of

understanding for special economic zones worth a total of 2.5 lakh

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crores. The fourth vibrant Gujarat global investor’s summit was

held at science city Ahmedabad in January 2009. There were 600

foreign delegates. There is a possibility of creation of 25 lakh jobs

in the state.

The Gujarat Government is a front runner in the development of

solar energy in the state. It has allowed 34 national and

international solar project developers in 2009 for 500 MW solar

powers. This is expected to bring an investment of 1200 crores and

generate employment for 5000 people. Gujarat is chief producer of

Tobacco, cotton, and groundnut in India. Other major food crops

produced are rice, wheat, jowar, bajra, maize, tur, and grain.

Animal husbandry and dairy have played a vital role in the rural

economy of Gujarat. Gujarat is the largest producer in milk in

India. Amul milk is well-known across the country; it is biggest in

Asia. Gujarat produced million tons of milk, 385 million eggs, and

271 million kg of wool. The total population of the Gujarat state

was 5,06,71,017 as per 2001 census data. The density of

population is the 258 person per square km, a lower density

compared to other states of the country. About 89.1per cent

population of Gujarat are Hindu. The Muslim population accounts

for 9.1per cent, Jain 7.00per cent, and Sikh 0.1per cent. Gujarat has

an Indo Aryan language Gujarati evolved from Sanskrit. There are

26

about 46.1 million speakers of Gujarati worldwide, making it the

26th most spoken native language in the world. Gujarati script is

also has a few other variation in terms of certain consonants and

employs a slightly different set of symbols for numbers. Gujarati

has also been the language spoken by two most prominent leaders

of Asia Mahatma Gandhi, the father of Indian Nation, and the

founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinah.

The Majority of population speaks in Gujarati. People from Kutch

district speak in Kutch language. Religion wise 71 per cent speak

Gujarati while other 12 per cent speak in Urdu. Apart from this,

English, Sindhi, Punjab, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Kanada, Oriya,

Malayalam, etc. are also spoken. After independence in 1947, the

Indian National Congress (INC) ruled the Bombay state which

included present day Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Congress

continued to govern Gujarat after the state was created in 1960. In

1960, Gujarat was created out of 17 district of former state of

Bombay. These districts were further sub divided later on. There

are 26 administrative districts in the state.

There are 26 administrative districts in the state. The Kutch district

is the largest in terms of area. But Dang is very small in terms of

population. Gujarat was a part of the Herappan civilization.

Gujarat is the home to Hindi saints of all castes. Sant Dhudhalinath

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was Adivasis. Sant Bhojo Machabkha and Madhava were shudras;

Mahatma Gandhi and Lala Bhagat were vaishya; Sant Kilha was a

Kshatriya, and Lakulisa and Chakradha were Brahmins. Gujarat is

the birth place of lord Shiva avatar Lakulisa. He established the

Pasupatai Shiv tradition. The Bhakti movement was very popular

in Gujarat where devotees of both Islam and Hinduism offer

worship to God, trying to get rid of any separation based on faith in

God. Swami Chakradhara was another major figure of the Bhakti

movement born in Gujarat in 1994 A.D. and he is believed to be

the avatar of Vishnu. Chakradhana Maharaja established the

Manubhavavaishnavite sect which spread to Maharashtra as well.

FAIRS AND FESTIVALS OF GUJARAT:

More than 1000 festivals are celebrated in Gujarat – The state is

known as the land of fairs and festivals. Some of these fairs are

festivals are as follows:

The Bhavnath Mahadev Mela (February) takes place at the

Bhavnath Mahadev Temple, situated at the foot of mount Girnar in

the city of Junagadh. The fair is held for five days in the month of

February every year during the Maha Shivratri. The Maha Puja of

Lord Shiva takes place at midnight in this temple on the 14th day

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of the dark half of the month of Magh. When the puja starts, Naga

Bavas living nearby move towards the fair seated on elephants,

holding flags and blowing conch shells. It is firmly believed that

Lord Shiva himself visits the shrine on the occasion. The Bhavnath

Mahadev Temple is surrounded by many equally ancient and holy

places.

In the month of March, there is the Dang Darbar mela. The annual

fair is held every year in Ahwa, the most important town of Dang,

a few days before the Holi. The Dang is one of the most delightful

districts of Gujarat and is located high in the Satpura hills, the

original home of Adivasis of Gujarat. The name ―Darbar‖ dates

back to time of the British, when a darbar of Rajas and Naiks of

neighboring area used to assemble there. Today is called

Jamabandi Darbar, and the District Collector officiates on it.

Thousands of tribal people flock to Ahwa from all over the district,

dressed in bright colours, sounding the shehnai, and beating their

drums. Folk dances, dramas, and songs are the common features of

festivals.

The Chitra-Vichitra Mela (March) is one of the largest Tribal

(Adivasi) fairs. It is attended by around 60,000 to 70,000 tribal

people. It takes place every year in the village of Gunbhakari in

Sabarkantha district which is very near to the Rajasthan border. It

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is held for a fortnight after Holi, the festival of colors. The site of

the fair is attractive as the temple overlooks the river Sabarmati,

Akul, and Vyakul. The fair attracts large number of Bhils (Tribals)

who came from the surrounding district. The Grasis and Bhil

tribals dress in their customary colorful costumes. The costume of

the men generally consists of blue shirt, dhoti, and a red or saffron

turban. Women use Ghaghara, which has a circumference of as

much as 20 yards (18m), and are covered from head to foot with

ornate and heavy silver jewelry. They use liquid kumkum

(vermilion) to color their cheeks and lip a brilliant red, while their

eyes are outlined with Kajal (Kohl). The women sing folk songs

and everyone dances.

Around 40 km from Bhuj, there is a Samadhi of the famous saint

Menkon Dada who saved the community with great love and

dedication and won their devotion. He was supposed to be the

incarnation of Laxmiji. The Dhrang Fair (April) is held on

Maghvad when a large number of Dada’s followers from different

parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan come to the Samadhi and participate

in religious rituals.

The Venkata Reddy Tarnetar fair is one of the most happening

events in Gujarat and is held at the Temple of Shiva or

Trinetreshwar (Three eyed God) popularly known as Tarnatar.

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Popular belief associates the village with the swayamvar

(marriage) of Draupati after Arjun performed the mastyavedh, an

unparalled feat of archery villagers from the all over the state,

dressed in their brilliant traditional costumes and exquisite

jewellery, flock to Tarnatar. A varitable feast for the eyes is the

Rasada, a circle, dancing daily to the accompaniment of four

drums and Jodjapava (double Flute). It is in district surendranagar.

The Sanskriti kunj festival shows the different cultures of the state

of India. It is organized in the winter season in the capital city,

Gandhinagar. All the competition of India come during this fair

and show their states culture of dance. The Shamlaji Fair takes

place at the Shamlaji shrine, and the site is known for ancient and

glorious heritage. Thousands of Tribal people flock to the Shamlaji

fair. The Vauthano Mela takes place at the confluence of two rivers

near Ahmedabad, the site attracts people of all communities.

Animals, particularly donkey and camels, are sold in large

numbers during this fair. Other than those festivals observed

throughout India, there are festivities specific to Gujarat.

The Makar Sakranti and the Kite Flying festival (14 January) takes

place in mid-January and marks the time when the sun’s direct ray

reaches the tropic of Capricorn after the winter solstice. It is

celebrated with lots of folk music and dance as well as kite flying.

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People of Gujarat gather on terraces to fly kites of various colors to

celebrate Makar Sakranti or uttarayan the welcome to sun after the

cold winter months. Food such as undhiya, sugarcane juice and

local sweets is typically to celebrate the day.

The Kutch Mahotsav (February-March) or The ―Kutch Festival‖ or

the Rann festival is celebrated at the time of the Shivratri in

February/March. The centre of the festival is Bhuj in Kutch. It has

craft, fairs and folk dances and music cultural shows, all organized

by the Gujarat Tourism. Tours are also conducted out to the ruins

of Dholavera, a city that was once a part of the Indus valley

civilization.

The Dandiya Raas is a very energetic colorful and playful dance

originating in the state of Gujarat. It roots lay from the days of lord

Krishna who played raas on the shores of Yamuna River on a

moonlight Night his beloved Gopi. Men and women dressed in

colorful clothes dances in two concentric circles one moving

clockwise and other moving counter clockwise. Men and women

carry two bamboo sticks called the dandiyas in their hands.

The song sung on the occasion is essentially an amorous one. Rass

is a very playful dance providing opportunity for acting and

exchanging messages through the eye contact. It is no wonder that

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many romance bloom during navratri and hence the popularity of

the dance among the generation.

The Garba is a very graceful form of dance mainly performed by

females in a circular formation. It is in reverence of goddess

Ambaji. The basic of dance are singing and clapping rhythmically

while going around the goddess. Today many modifications are

prevalent to the basic pattern and even men are free to join in.

Women are dressed in exquisitely embroided, set in mirrors cholis,

ghagras and badhani Dupatta. The typical dress of male code of

men is kehediya, chudidar and a turban. Originally men perform

this dance as if they came from a battle as the victorious army

starts dancing in tune with couplets and amorous song sung by

charanswars or narrators who liked to go to the front to boost up

the spirit during the battle by singing song with violin.

The Padhar is performed by rural community living around

Nallake. In it, performers simulate the rhythmic movements of

rowing mariners and the undulating sea waves. The Bhil tribes,

who live close to burden tracts and the tribal of Dang district, have

live folk dances.

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TEMPLES OF GUJARAT

In Gujarat, there have been several great religious figures. Sant

Dadu Sugal (1554–1603), a saint-poet and major Bhakti figure

from Ahmedabad treated equally both Raman and Allah as names

of God and become popular in Northern India – He wrote, ―The

illusion of Allah and Rama hath been dispelled by my mind; since

I see this in all‖. Gujarat is also the home of Mahatma Gandhi who

preached the unity between all religious and became a worldwide

figure for peaceful struggle against Tyranny.

Dwarakadheesh Temple in Dwaraka is one of the important

temples dedicated to Lord Krishna on the tip of the Arabian Sea. It

was the home of Krishna. The Rann of Kutchch covers a large part

of Gujarat. Palitana is known for mythological and historic

reasons. That place is famous for Jain temple. It is situated 51 km

south west of Bhavanagar district of Gujarat. There are 863

temples from the base to the peak of the Shatrunjaya hill where the

Palitana temples are located.

Modhera Sun Temple is one of the famous temple of Gujarat

which lies near to Somnath. There is a central pond. Surrounding it

stands 108 small temples for each of the Sun god’s 108 names.

Shankheshwar Jain Temple is mainly dedicated to the 23rd

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Tirthunkar, Lord Parsvanath. It is believed that this idol was

revered by Lord Krishna himself, by the teaching of Neminath. It

is near Ahmedabad.

Girnar is the epitome of communal harmony of Jains and Hindus.

This high rising steep hill shrines belong to both religions. One is

dedicated to Neminath who has 22nd Teerthnakar of Jain. Ambaji

temple is dedicated to goddess Ambaji. It is situated on the Arusar

hill and can be approached by Abu road in Rajasthan, as well from

all other important places in Gujarat. A popular drama called

―Bhavi‖ is performed in the courtyard of the temple. The Dakor

temple town dedicated to Lord Krishna is situated 90 km from

Ahmadabad city. The temple of Ranchodaraijas, the idol of Lord

Krishna, which is believed to have been brought from Dwarkabu

Hamed Bodana.

Chotila is in Surendranagar district where there is a famous temple

of Goddess Chamunda situated. The Dwarakadish temple at

Dwarka was built in 16th century CE, while the original temple

was believed to have been built by Krishna's Grandson,

Vajranabha. The five storied temple is made up of limestone and

sand. A flag hoisted in the temple tower five times a day. There are

two gateways—Swarga Dwar, where pilgrims enter, and Moksha

Dwar, where pilgrims exit. From the temple one can view the

35

Sangam (confluence) of River Gomati flowing towards the sea. In

Dwaraka, there are also shrines for Vasudeva, Devaki, Balarama

and Revati, Subhadra, Rukmini Devi, Jambavati Devi and

Satyabhama Devi. There is a special temple for Rukmini Devi on

the way to Bet Dwarka temple, which can be reached by boat. A

similar deity of Lord Dwarakanath is also kept in Bet Dwaraka.

The temple has many Shrines for Lakshmi Narayana, Trivikrama,

Jambavati Devi, Satyabhama Devi and Rukmini Devi. The Sidi

Sayed mosque in Ahmedabad is a famous and ancient mosque of

the city. The elegant mosque was built by Sidi Sayed, a slub of

sultan Ahmad Shah. The mosque is famous all over the country

because of its fantastic architecture and exquisite Jain works.

NATIONAL PARK AND WILDLIFE IN GUJARAT

As per the Forest Report 2009, Gujarat is having 2.46 per cent of

its total geographical area under forest. As per the districts, the

Dang is having the largest area under forest cover. Gujarat has a

national park and 21 sanctuaries. Gujarat is the only home of

Asiatic lions. Except Africa, Gujarat is the only habitat of lions.

The Gir Forest National Park in the south west of the state provides

natural habitat to lions. Besides lions, the other big cat that can be

36

found in the state is the leopard. Near about 80per cent of the total

forests of Gujarat are mainly situated in the districts of Surat,

Valsad, Dang, Bharuch, Narmada, Panchmahal, Dahod and

Vadodara and rest of the forest located in the north Gujarat and

Saurashtra and Kachchha.

MAIN RIVERS OF GUJARAT:

The Narmada is a major river of Gujarat. It originates from

Amarkantak which is located in the Thaikalmountain, a part of the

Vindhachal ranges in M.P. The total length of Narmada is 1,312

km. But in Gujarat it flow only 160 km. Its total catchment area

measures 98796 square km. The Tapi is known for its

mythological origin, this river, known as the daughter of Sun, is to

be traced in a mountain rivulet or a spring situated near Multai in

the Betul district of M.P. Its total length measures 720 km for the

first 250 km. The Kakrapara dam is constructed on this river and

its catchment area is 60,450 square km. The Mahi is also one of the

major rivers of Gujarat. It originates from Madhya Pradesh flow in

the Banswada district of Rajasthan; then it enters into Gujarat and

flows in the districts of Godhara. Dams constructed across it are at

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Vanakbori in the Kheda district and the other at Kadanain the

panchmahal district.

The Sabarmati river originates from the area adjoining the

Dhebarlake situated in the Mewad district of Rajasthan. In Gujarat,

it flows in the districts of Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Mehsana,

Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Kheda and Anand. Its total length is

416 km. Adam has been constructed on this river near Dharoi in

the KheraluTaluka of the Mehsana district. The ancient name of

the river Banas is Parnasha. It originates from the

Siranwanmountain, situated in the Sirohi district of Rajasthan. It

touches the foot of Abu Mountain, flow near Chandravati and

Deesa. It moves westwards and flows in the Rann of Kuchchha.

The Vishwamitri river rises from Pawadgadh, flow through

Vadodra and meet Mahi river. The main rivers of south Gujarat

flow across the Surat and Valsad district of south Gujarat. All of

them are perennial rivers.

The maximum length of the Par is 80 km. It separates the Talukas

of Paradi and Valsad. After covering a distance of 9.6 km south of

the river Auranga, it empties itself in the Arabian Sea. The Kolak

separates the Taluka of Daman and Pardi. The river flows through

the Valsad district. It covered 12.8 km area. The kalu fish are

found in rocky beds of the river. The river bed at the village Kotak

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is 150m wide. The river Damanganga is located on the southern

border of Gujarat. In monsoon, it overflows. Its hinterland

comprises the Daman region and same parts of Dharampur Taluka.

The geographical limit of Daman starts from the mouth of the river

and covers 8 km from the sea.

VALSAD DISTRICT:

The name ―Valsad‖ derives from Vad-saal a Gujarati language

compound meaning ―hampered saal by banyan trees (Vad). Valsad

is basically located at 20°38’N and 72°56’E. It has average

elevation of 13 metres from the sea level. The city centre is about

10 km away from Arabian Sea. Valsad is a big district of South

Gujarat region.

Valsad has the population count of about 170000 according to the

latest census. As per 2001 census, Valsad had a population of

68,825. Males constitute 51 per cent of the total population and

females 49 per cent. Valsad district gives home to some of popular

names such as Vapi (the chemical hub of Gujarat) umbergaon and

sarigam (the industrial estate). The union territories of Daman and

Dadra of Nagar Haveli, which are tourist destinations, are located

Near Valsad. This city’s longitude and latitude are 72.98 and 20.54

respectively.

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Mararji Desai, the former Prime Minister of India, and famous

Marathi playwright Ram Ganesh Gadkarihail from Valsad. Some

of the famous actors have their birth place in Valsad like Nirupan

Roy, Binda, Prachi Desai, Mahesh Deasi and producer Manmohan

Desai.

The Economy of Valsad certainly registers the Alphonso Mango

(known locally as Haafus), for which the city was once famous is

still important to local economy in the Valsad district. It has

numerous mango orchards, the only sources of income for many

villagers. Valsad district is a hub of Chikoo. The farmer of Valsad

mainly produces product of different vegetables. The Vasundra

Dairy industry is another source of economy.

DHARAMPUR:

Dharampur is a taluka town of the district of Valsad. It is just 35

km far away from Valsad city. Dharampur is situated on the banks

of the Swaravahini river and is surrounded by the beautiful

Sahyadri mountain range on the east, west and south sides. Due to

its locations the town enjoys a very pleasant climate throughout the

year. The name Dharampur is given by Dharamder in 1766 as a

40

capital of Ramnagar. Before, its name was Mandvengan,

Dharampur, Gujarat.

Dharampur is situated in South Gujarat and was a capital of the

former princely state of Dharampur. Originally, it was known as

Ramnagar. The present day Dharampur dates back to 1764 AD and

was founded by King Dharmdevji. The Sisodia Rajputs of Chittor

rules in the history of Dharampur after the fall of Delhi sultanate in

south Gujarat.

The Dharampur state was surrounded by the Muslim states of

Khandesh, Ahmadnagar and main Gujarat sultans. The Parsis

found political patronage under the Dharampur king. The

development of the city of Dharampur had two major phases of

development—the first in the 18th century when the Rana

undertook the construction of Raj Mahal, public building, step

walls and temples, and the second phase covered the 19th century

including the Queen Victoria Golden Jubilee celebrations. Many

vernacular schools and hospitals were constructed. The King Vijay

Devji constructed a museum and dedicated it to Lady Wilson. The

town has a beautiful entrance gate (Rajya Rohan Gate) constructed

in European style with life-size status of Greek style adorning the

top.

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DEMOGRAPHICS:

As of 2001 India census Dharampur had a population of 19,932.

Males constitute 52per cent of the population and female 48per

cent. Dharampur has an average literacy rate of 59 per cent. Male

literacy is 73 per cent and female literacy is 60 per cent. In

Dharampur, 12 per cent of the population is under 6 years of Age.

It has Science Academy that has an ongoing exhibition of science

projects. Student from Gujarat would be benefited by visiting.

Dharampur is situated on the bank of the Swaragavahini mountain

range on east, west and south sides. Due to its location the town

enjoys a very pleasant climate all throughout the year.

LITERATURE:

Valsad has always been a city when it comes to literature. This is

the city which has described a heaven in Kumay Hasan Rizvi’s

devut novel Named fairy tales. This is supposed to be the home-

town of Vasukhi, the leading female character of fairy tale. As per

the book, the people of Valsad are really helpful and kind. This is

India’s first place that brought fairy tale and reality together into

love in the form of this book. City has got two technical colleges

namely Govt, Polytechnic (Estd, 1965) Govt Engineering College.

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The Tithal beach is a tourist attraction in the coastal region of

Valsad overlooking the Arabian Sea. There are so many stalls and

shops selling various kinds like bajiya, dabelli, bhel chat, coconut

water and of souvenirs. One can also find places to eat both

indoors and outdoors with plenty of choice from a full meal to

traditionally prepared snacks. There are two famous temples

Swaminarayana and Shreesaibaba temple. Both the Government of

India and Gujarat Government have had contributions in

developing the area due to its popularity with the local and foreign

tourists alike.

The river Par counts its length is about 80 km. It separates the

Talukas of Paradi and Valsad. After covering a distance of 9.6 km

south of the river Auranga, it empties itself in the Arabian Sea. The

Kolak separates the Taluka of Daman and Pardi. It covers 12.8 km

area. The kalu fish are found in rocky beds of the river. The river

bed at the village Kotak is 150m wide. The Damanganga river is

located on the southern border of Gujarat. In monsoon, it

overflows. Its hinterland comprises the Daman region and some

parts of Dharampur taluka. The geographical limit of Daman starts

from the mouth of the river and covers 8 km from the sea the

catchment areas consist 2,318.08 sq km.

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HILL STATIONS OF DHARAMPUR:

The Wilson Hill is the most beautiful hill station of Gujarat lies in

Dharampur Taluka of Valsad District. It is located in the Western

Ghats range having an elevation of around 870m (2700 feet) above

the sea level. It is located about 120 km away from Surat City, and

60 km from Valsad city. The name of Wilson Hill was named after

the memory of Lord Wilson, the then Governor of Mumbai

province.

The Wilson Hill is located in a heavy dense forest region. There is

a wildlife sanctuary called Pangarbari located at the Wilson Hill. It

is one of the few Hill stations in the world where we can find the

wonders of the sea. Due to its high elevation, Wilson Hill enjoys a

cooler and less humid climate than the surrounding area, which

makes it popular during the summer months.

Wilson Hills was named in the memory of Lord Wilson the

governor of Mumbai, by Vijay Devji the last king of Dharampur.

Lord Wilson and King Devji had planned to develop this place for

some reason. Announcement in their memory remain on the peak.

In 2003, Ashish Birendra Sharma, a youth of Vapi, come forward

and launched a company named Hotel Wilson Highland Pvt. Ltd.

and started developing this place on Hill resort.

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The Wilson Hill is located about 130 km from Surat, 80 Km from

Navsari and 60 km from Valsad. Wilson Hills is connected to the

town of Dharampur, which lies at the base of the Hill. A metal

road connects Dharampur to Wilson Hill.

The nearest air port is Surat, located around 140 km away from

Wilson Hill. The nearest Railway station is Valsad, i.e. connected

Surat to Mumbai through broad gauge line. The Surat-Mumbai

National Highway (NH-8) passes through Udhana-Palsana and

Chikli. At Chikli stop, one is to take a left turn and move towards

Dharampur and one towards Wilson Hills and Barumal. Barumal is

the most religious and pilgrim centre of Jain. While taking the

Wilson Hills road, one can reach the Foot hills of Wilson Hills.

The social ecology of the villages of Dharampur cannot be taken

into isolation of the geographical conditions, natural resources, and

social structure and social action, cultural integration, etc. The

process of social mobility and social empowerment with special

reference to SHGs have remain been the focus of the research.