India Travel
Ask any Gujarati what they know about Daman
Ask any Gujarati what they know about DAMAN and they’ll probably say “liquor". As a Union Territory, independent ot the dry state that surrounds it, Daman has liberal licensing laws and low duty on booze, making it something of a target at weekends for busloads of Gujarati men who drink themselves senseless, sway up and down the main street and then crash out in cheap hotel rooms for the night, generally being pretty obnoxious. The rest of the tune Daman is quieter but disappointing on the whole, with a rather forlorn feel and a couple of uninspiring beaches, although it does offer excellent seafood, a small duty-free market and some immaculate Portuguese churches, houses and torts. Straddling the mouth of the Damanganga River, which rises in the Sayadhn Range on the Deccan plateau, Daman made an obvious target for the Portuguese, who took it in 1531 from the Sultan of Gujarat’s Ethiopian gov-Jamporeernor, Siddu Bapita. The governor of Goa, Dom Constantino de Braganca, cajoled the Sultan of Gujarat into ceding the territory 28 years later, after which it became the hub of the Portuguese trans-Arabian Sea trade with East Africa. The town’s economic decline was precipitated by the British occupation of Sind in the 1830s, which effectively strangled its opium business. Colonial rule, however, survived until 1961 when, after a rather ineffective six-year barricade, Nehru lost patience with Portuguese refusal to negotiate a peaceful handover and sent in the troops.
Today Daman is administered from New Delhi as a Union Territory, along with the nearby ex-Portuguese colonies of Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Apart from alcohol production and sales, its chief sources of income are coconuts, salt production and smuggling. In recent years, the local tourist office has also been trying to promote the area as a mini-Goa. Don’t be taken in -the unbroken stretch ot palm-fringed sand that runs along its twelve-kilometre coastline may look idyllic in the brochures, but on closer inspection turns out to be a grubby fishing beach.
The town of Daman is made up of two separate districts. On the north side of the Damanganga River is Nani ("Little"‘) Daman, where you’ll find most of the hotels, restaurants, bars and markets; Moti ("Great") Daman, the old Portuguese quarter, lies to the south, its Baroque churches and Latinate mansions encircled by imposing stone battlements.
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Daman Arrival and information in Gujarat
The nearest railhead to Daman is 12km east at Vapi (check when you book that your train stops here). Shared Ambassador taxis charging only RslO per head to Daman will drop you on Seaface Road, a five-minute walk east from most of the hotels - if none is waiting in the square in front of the station, walk to the mam road, take a right and continue 500m until the next main junction.Just beyond the flyover is the ST bus station, with half-hourly buses to Daman.You can also get there by auto-rickshaw. The tourist office (Mon-Fri 9.30am-1.30pm & 2-6pm; (502638/255104), in
Daman Arrival and information Accommodation in Gujarat
Most of Daman's hotels are on or just off Seaface Road in Nani Danian.Aim for a first floor west-facing room if you can, as these catch the best of the welcome sea breezes that blow in during the evenings. Most places will give lower rates during quieter weekdays. Prices are higher at the resort hotels along Dwarka beach - more because of the location than for any added comfort. Brighton. Seaface Road 02638/251208. 255209. Good range of comfy well-furnished rooms, nearly all with cable TV and a view of the sea. Diamond, near the taxi stand 02638/254235. Neat but not particularly good-value
Vishalla village in Ahmedabad
If you're not going to make it to the more traditional Gujarati villages, don't turn your nose up at Vishalla village (daily i lam-2pm & 7-llpm), out on Sarkhej Road, 4km south of town (bus #31). Designed this century by Surendra Pacel, Vishalla is an admirably authentic collection of traditionally decorated mud huts where potters, weavers and H-makers demonstrate their skills. The Vechaar Utensils Museum (daily 1 lam-2pm & 7-10.30pm: Rsja houses a vast collection of Gujarati metahvare. including jewellery, knives and forks, and odd-looking machinery for milking camels. The village atmosphere can also be taken in during a leisurely evening
Some history of Diu in Gujarat
The earliest records of Diu date from 1298, when it was controlled by the Chudasana dynasty. Soon after, like most of Gujarat, it fell into the hands of invading Muslims and by 1349 was ruled by Mohammed bin Tughluq who successfully boosted the shipbuilding industry. Diu prospered as a Gujarati harbour, and in 1510 came under the government of the Ottoman Malik Ayaz, who repelled besieging Portuguese forces in 1520 and 1521. Well aware of Diu's strategic position for trade with Arabia and the Persian Gulf, and having already gained a toehold in Daman on the eastern edge of the
Southeastern Gujarat
The seldom-visited southeastern corner of Gujarat, sandwiched between Maharashtra and the Arabian Sea, harbours few attractions to entice you off the road or railway line to or from Mumbai. There's little to recommend Vadodara (Baroda), former capital of the Gaekwad rajas, but its proximity to the old Muslim town of Champaner and the ruined forts and exotic Jain and Hindu temples that encrust Pavagadh Hill. Further south, the dairy pastures around Anand gradually give way to a swampy, malaria-infested coastal strip of banana plantations and shimmering saltpans cut by silty, sinuous rivers and peppered with mango trees and brick villages.
Nani Daman in Gujarat
Most of the action in Nani Daman centres on Seaface Road, which runs west from the market past rows of hotels, seedy bars and IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor) stores to the beach. Too polluted for a comfortable swim or sunbathe, Damans dismal strand is only worth visiting around sunset, when the local fish-erwomen hang strips of filleted pomfret on wooden racks to dry. At the opposite (east) end of Seaface Road, the Portuguese covered market has a reputation as a purveyor of exotic contraband, although you won't find many packers of the fabled foreign cigarettes or bottles of whisky among
Nani Daman in Gujarat
Most of the action in Nani Daman centres on Seaface Road, which runs west from the market past rows of hotels, seedy bars and IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor) stores to the beach. Too polluted for a comfortable swim or sunbathe, Damans dismal strand is only worth visiting around sunset, when the local fish-erwomen hang strips of filleted pomfret on wooden racks to dry. At the opposite (east) end of Seaface Road, the Portuguese covered market has a reputation as a purveyor of exotic contraband, although you won't find many packers of the fabled foreign cigarettes or bottles of whisky
Moti Daman in Gujarat
The town's most impressive monuments are across the river in the leafy colonial compound of Moti Daman, 2km south of Seaface Road, Once inside the huge heavily fortified walls that surround the quarter, you're a world away from the sandy cluttered streets of the new town. Elegant double-storeyed mansions with sweeping staircases, wooden shutters, verandas and colour-washed facades stand on sun-dappled courtyards. Now used as government offices, these residences were originally the homes of Portuguese nobles or fidaigos — the only people allowed to live inside the fort. Mod Daman's highlights are its churches, which rank among the oldest and best-preserved
Most restaurants in Rajkot Eating in Gujarat
Most restaurants in Rajkot serve unfailingly good Gujarati thalis with a wide range of sweet and sour tastes, often in unending supply. Western food is only found in the more upmarket hotels. Most places don't open until 10.30am, so early risers will have to survive on a cup of sweet tea and snacks until then. As you would expect, cheap dhabas can be found behind the bus stand and opposite the railway station. Laxmi Lodge, Sanganwa Chowk. Popular dining hall serving cheap Gujarati thalis. Open 10.30am-3pm & 6,30-9.30pm. Rainbow, Sanganwa Chowk. Small place below the Himalaya Guest House, with south Indian veg
Sarkhej in Ahmedabad
Just under 10km southwest of Ahmedabad (bus #31 from Lai Darwaja), in the suburb of Sarkhej, is a complex of beautifully fashioned monuments arranged around an artificial lake. The square tomb of the revered saint Sheikh Ahmed Khattu, the spiritual mentor of Ahmed Shah, who died in 1445, is the largest mausoleum in Gujarat, with scores of pillars inside supporting the domed roof. Tracery work and inlaid marble decorates the upper walls and the outer wall supports rows of arched wooden doors and brass screens. The mausoleum was constructed by Ahmed Shah's successor, Mohammed Shah, in 1446. The later Sultan
Moving on from Vadodara in Gujarat
Vadodara railway station js often rather crowded and queues for tickets can be long (the reservation office is upstairs); you can bypass the hassle for a Rs15-25 fee if you buy your ticket from Vogikrupa Travel Service opposite (daily Sam-8pm; 0265/794977), All trains travelling along the main Delhi-Mumbai line stop here. New Delhi is reached by at least ten daily trains (12-24hr), via Kota and Sawai Madhopur, with one train a day to Jaipur (11hr 50min). There are at least fourteen daily services to Ahmedabad (1hr 55min-2hr 30min), some of which continue to Rajkot, Jamnagar and Porbandar and one each
Eating and drinking to Aurangabad in Maharashtra
Food in Aurangabad tends to be an incongruous mixture of strictly vegetarian Gujarati and meat-oriented north Indian Muslim dishes. Typically, "non-veg" is synonymous with dim lights, drawn curtains and a male clientele, while the veg restaurants attract families, and are particularly popular on Sunday evenings, when booking is recommended. As elsewhere in Maharashtra, drinking is a male preserve, carried out in the many specially segregated bars (or permit rooms), with the exception of the larger and more tourist-oriented hotels and restaurants. Agra Mistan, off Tilak Marg, Aurangpura. Clean, no-nonsense restaurant on the southern edge of the old town, serving authentic, moderately
Bassein Fort in Mumbai
Trundling over the rickety iron bridge that joins the northern fringes of Mumbai to the Maharashtran mainland, you could easily fail to notice the ruined fort at Bassein (or Vasai), 61km north of the city centre. Yet these mouldy stone walls, obscured by a carpet of palms and lush tropical foliage at the mouth of the milky-blue River Ulhas, once encompassed India's most powerful and prosperous colonial settlement. It was ceded to the Portuguese by Sultan Bahadur of Gujarat in 1534, in return for help in the Gujarati struggle against the Moghuls, and quickly became the hub of the region's
Moving on from Rajkot in Gujarat
Of Rajkot's two train services to Mumbai, by far the better is the Saurashtra Mail #9006, leaving late afternoon and arriving 8.10am the next morning. There are also three expresses and several passenger trains to Jamnagar (2-3hr) and Porbandar (4hr 30min-6hr), two expresses and three fast passenger trains to Dwarka (5hr 30min-7hr) and Okha (6hr 30min-8hr), an overnight fast passenger train to Bhavnagar (8hr 30min}, and four trains a day (one fast) to Junagadh (3hr 15min-4hr) and Veraval (5hr 15min-6hr). For those in a hurry to get to south India, there are weekly trains to each of Secunderabad,
Moving on from Bhavnagar in Gujarat
Supper-time Gujarati thalis at low prices. Open 8.30-10.30pm. Vrindavan, Hotel Vrindavan, Darbargadh. Good Gujarati thalis and south Indian snacks in an a/c hall. Open 11am-3pm & 7-11pm. Woodlands, in the Jubilee Hotel, opposite Pil Gardens. Decent pure veg place for Indian, Chinese and Western food on a pleasant terrace. Meals 11 am-3pm & 7-11 pm, sandwiches round the clock. The usual way to get anywhere from Bhavnagar is by bus. Services run from the ST bus stand to Ahmedabad (hourly; 5hr), Mumbai, Bhuj, Rajkot, Junagadh and Veraval, plus Vadodara (8 daily; 6hr) and Surat (3 daily; 9hr). There's no direct service
Eating and drinking of Mount Abu in Rajasthan
Mount Abu's predominantly middle-class Indian visitors arc typically hard to please when it comes to food, so standards are exceptionally high and prices low in the numerous restaurants dotted along Nakki Road. Competition is stiffest between the squeaky-clean pure-veg Gujarati thali joints, most of which have indoor seating, but you can eat top-notch south Indian snacks and spicy rice-plate meals al fresco at the terrace cafes between the bazaar and the lake, and there are plenty of busy ice-cream stalls towards the waterfront. The classier hotels serve alcohol, also available at the wine and beer shops opposite the Veena at
Some history in Gujarat
The first known settlers in what is now Gujarat were the Hardpans, who appeared from Punjab in around 2500 BC and established over a hundred towns and cities. Their skilful craftsmanship, combined with important trade links with Africans, Arabs, Persians and Europeans, won them prosperity; despite this, the civilization fell into decline in 1900 BC, largely because of severe flooding around the Indus delta. From 1500 to 500 BC the Yadavas, Krishna's clan, held sway over much of Gujarat, with their capital at Dwarka on the western tip of Saurashtra. Gujarat's political history begins in earnest with the powerful Mauryan empire,
The Island of Diu in Gujarat
Set a little off the southern tip of Saurashtra, the island of DIU, less than 12km long and just 3km wide, was still under Portuguese control only forty years ago.Today, governed as a Union Territory from Delhi along with Daman, it has a relaxed atmosphere quite different from anywhere in central Saurashtra. Though irs smallish beaches are nowhere near as idyllic as Goa's, most visitors stay longer than intended, idling in cafes, cycling around the island or strolling along the cliffs. The leisurely pace is also due in part to the lack of alcohol restrictions: the island's many bars can
Shatrunjaya and Palitana Practicalities in Gujarat
Auto-rickshaws and tongas run from Palitana to the foot of Shatrunjaya. or it's a thirty-minute walk. Buses to Palitana arrive from and leave for Bhavnagar (hourly; lhr-lhr 30min), Junagadh (2 daily; 6hr) and Una (for Diu; 1 daily). Three daily passenger trains connect Palitana with Bhavnagar (2hr).include bhandani and the elaborate beadwork characteristic of the region. There are only a couple of formal attractions. The marble temple, Ganga Devi Mandir. by the dry Ganga Jalia Tank in the centre of town, has a large dome and intricate lattice-work on its walls, while the otherwise unspectacular Takhteshwar temple, raised on a hill
Tattoos in Gujarat
If you spend any time in the rural areas of Gujarat, or come across tribal people in the cities, you'll notice the heavy blues and blacks of tattoos chat cover the arms, hands, faces and torsos ot most tribal women and many tribal men.This art.chhun-dana padavava. has been practised for centuries, and like mekdndi — rich red henna patterns stencilled onto hands and feet - is a traditional form of beautfication and identification. For women, the typical rows and symmetrical designs of dots and simple shapes around necks, wrists and ear lobes are endowed with the power to attract men and