A moment off Goa now. We
go up the coast to Dadra and Nagar Haveli, then on to Daman and
finally to Diu. A splash of Iberian taste everywhere
A quick getaway is what
you and perhaps, more than you, your wife and children and looking
forward to? Away from the madding crowd, the squalor and slums, the
daily grind, the rat race. Can you beg, borrow or stealif you
have to, since the risk is worth itRs. 1,500 for fares (up and
down, plus local transit expenses for two adults and four
dependents)? Add another Rs. 500 per person, and you will have given
yourself that much deserved break.
Take the train to Vapi,
Daman Road in local usage. Choose between the sea and the forest. Or,
if you can spare four days, make it both the sea and foresttwo
days at each. Begin wherever. The sea was my priority. But a word of
caution: If you dont love nature, dont go to Silvassa.
The way to the sea?
Short, but full of history. Full of hope and glory. Incredible
stories of daring and adventureof mariners who defied storms
and of soldiers who fought one against 20. And won, surprisingly!
The name of the place:
Daman or Damao in Portuguese. The river Daman GangaSandalcalo
in the local folkloresplits the region into two: moti
(meaning big) and nani (meaning small). But Moti Daman
and Nani Daman are big and small in terms of their relative
importance only. In the big sits the administrator, and
once the Governor who had the powers of an admiral in matters marine
and of a general on land. He might have been, substantively, just a
blue-eyed Portuguese army captain. But nevertheless, those were his
powers: to make trade pacts with the Mughals; peace or war, if he so
fancied, with the Marathas; or to challenge the might of the
Abyssinian soldiers-of-fortune serving one Indian prince or another;
or to take on the Turkish admirals, who, at that point in time, were
allies of the Sultans of Gujarat and Combay.
In physical terms, big is
small. In fact, Nani Daman is a wee bit ampler in area. From Vapi you
get first into Nani Daman. You then cross the river whichas the
love-struck Portuguese soldier described in a soulful songis
sheer happiness when one enters it, sadness and heart-aches when one
leaves it. One of those numerous and lovely Daman love stories, now
celebrated in stirring folk songs.
The road to the forest,
almost as long as the one to the sea, takes you to Silvassa, the
capital of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Daman, in
turn, is the capital of the Union Territory of Daman and Diu. The
latter is an island many miles away in the Gulf of Combaya
quick get-away for those who would love to feast their eyes on the
last of the Indian Bustard, still alive and well in that desertic
island. It also offers, in plenty, what nearby abstemious Gujarat
lacksalcoholic beverages, cheap and plentiful.
Diu, mind you, is
primitive. Nagoa beach is gorgeous, but the comforts are basic. It is
accessible by road from Bhavnagar and Junagadh.
Silvassa.
There is nothing in Silvassa or Nagar Haveli for those whose idea of
fun is noise and discotheques. Who do not love tribals and wild life.
In the wisdom of the
tribals of Nagar Haveli, God goes to sleep every year in the rainy
months of June and July. But as would any responsible house-holder,
because God in their simple theology is the supreme economist, the
giver and taker at will and whim, he makes a few arrangements before
he slumbers. The wind and thunder, his heralds, and the lightning in
the skies and the storms in the seas, his admonition, spread his
message: that it will be foolhardy for humankind to run wild like an
unbridled horse. It would meet with grief at the first turn of the
road, unused as it is to run the world and its affairs all by itself.
And that done, God causes
such great blessings, like the rains to fall from the heavens. They
humidify the earth and it becomes fecund and gratefully rewards good
men and women who plough and sow it. Each grain cast in the good
earths belly is returned, in two months or so, a hundred-fold.
Men and women must work and work hard during those two months of
heavy, non-stop rains.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli
are still haunted by Portuguese memories. The Portuguese had retained
the patels left behind by the Peshwa Marathas, who had ceded
them these lands. They carved out administrative territories for the
patels, and coined a word, Patelados which would at once
establish their powers and jurisdiction. They also parceled out land
to those willing to pay tribute and such land was known as terrenos
de arrenamento teram in current usage, lands given on lease.
If one were to correctly interpret the documents signed by the
Portuguese and the Peshwas, the Portuguese were to be only lessees
and not owners in perpetuity. The Portuguese have gone but the
patelats continue to exist. And the feudal and the unrepentant still
try to cling to their teram, defying the land-to-the-tiller policy
which is current.
The progressive amongst
the bureaucrats and local politicians claim that they are still
hamstrung by the Portuguese legacy. Silvassa, they say, has a
reputation to keep, a history to preserve. Silvassa, apparently, was
the easiest coinage that came to the Portuguese mind when they first
saw the land. Selva meaning wood or forest in Portuguese, is
said to have been the root from which Silvassa was derived. Whatever
the truth, it does not, in any way, change the beauty and loveliness
of the forests here.
Dadra and Nagar
Haveliceded to the Portuguese by the Marathas in 1779were
their last acquisitions in Gujarat and the first that they were
ousted from. When the territories were liberated by local groups of
Goa and Gujarat based nationalistswith more than tacit support
from the Bombay policePortugal went to the Hague International
Court, to enforce its presumed right of passage. When the Court
finally pronounced its verdict, each side claimed that it had upheld
its position. And so, indeed, it had in a manner of speaking. It held
the Portuguese right of passage per se, but agreed with the
Indian view that it was no longer a viable right. As in any
acrimonious litigation, the lawyers were the only gainers.
Nagar Haveli, according
to our local guide and philosopher, had once been a bit haveli,
a palace built by the tribal kings to sign peace treatise with the
kings who raided their land. They had patterned it to be a Mansion of
Peace. But time and covetousness have razed it to the ground. Now,
only hyenas and jackals live over the mound, where once that mansion
of peace stood.
Historical license
notwithstanding, Nagar Haveli is, indeed, a mansion of peace. The
forests are ample and luxuriant; the tribals friendly and the air
just couldnt be purer. Nor could the sound of silence be ever
so delightfully audible. People with frayed nerves and broken hearts,
or simply those in love with nature, cannot find a better refuge than
the Mansion of Peace.
Situated along the
Bombay-Ahmedabad highway, Silvassawith its green lawns and the
winding river Damanganga breaking the continuity of its dense
forestsis the perfect setting for anglers and trekkers.
Places to visit
in and around Silvassa must include Van Vihar, sloping
terraced gardens and exotic blossoms on the stairway down to the
river Sakatod. A forest rest house overlooks the endless acres of
green. A deer park, a tribal museum and the cacti conservatory and
green house and the other main attractions here.
Rustic wooden bridges
lead to a delightful island-garden amidst the lake at Van
Ganga. You can opt for boating in the peaceful company of
swans or jog through the avenue of tall casuarina trees, Or, if you
please, just laze around and do nothing.
Vandhara Garden,
with its beautifully laid out lawns, is ideal for picnicking. Quaint,
red, thatched huts provide shelter to the visitors, and an
unobstructed view of Damanganga river.
Other attractions
are the Bal Udyan, Tadkeshwaraa temple dedicated to Lord Shiva,
sun-rise and sunset points at Dudhani, nature trails in the forest,
and elephant rides and tribal dances and music.
A word about the climate
for prospective visitors will not be out of place here. The
temperature here ranges from a maximum of 37 degrees Celsius to about
10 degrees Celsius in the winter months.
The Union Territory of
Dadra and Nagar Haveli can be accessed by road since it
almost touches the Bombay-Baroda-Delhi (National Highway 8). The
nearest railway station is Vapi. Silvassa is 180
kilometres from Bombay; 150 Kilometres from Surat; 160 kilometres
from Nasik; 150 kilometres from Saputara; 27 and 17 kilometres from
Daman and Vapi respectively.
Several good options for
accommodation are available here.
The cottages at Chowda
complex, Khanvel, fall under two categories. Luxury cottages are for
Rs. 400 per suite; economy cottages for Rs. 100 per suite.
Circuit House, Silvassa;
Government Rest House; Khanvel Vanvihar Tourist Complex; Chauda
Khanvel; Government Circuit House, Madhuban; and Government Rest
House, Madhuban, are the other options run by the administration.
Hotel Ras Resort; Kamat
Holiday Resorts; Dan Tourist Hotel; Dartz Hotel; Give and Take
Tourist Hotel and Restaurant; Woodlands Hotel; Chetan Guest House;
Khanvel Pink Rose Tourist Hotel; Ras Snack Bar and Sakarwan Tourist
Restaurant are the private options available here for staying as well
as eating out.
DIU AND DAMAN
Gloria. That was her
beautiful name, had already left Daman for Macao, when I looked for
her. She was said that her world was getting smaller. Most of her
neighbours, those from her faith of Catholics, had left for Portugal
and some for Macao. The latter, it may be recalled, is still under
Portuguese administration (until 1999) on the coast of mainland
China. As a result, now there are more saints and lovely iconsin
the deserted cathedrals and churchesthan believers and sinners.
During the Portuguese
times they used to say, Damanense assenta praca e casa.
Literally, those of Daman enlist in the army and marry.
As it was, they had few worldly ambitions. To adore and love was all
that mattered. They adored the Virgin Mary in the lovely cathedral
and they loved beautiful girls, girls like Maria da Gloria,
Butoshinha to her friends.
Daman is a
small place, only 72 square kilometres in area and with less than
50,000 people as its populace. The best season to visit
the area is between November to March. Carry light woolens if you are
coming here in winters.
The nearest railway
station again is Vapi, 12 kilometres away. Alternatively, you
can take a bus. Bus services operate at regular
intervals between Vapi and Bombay, Ahmedabad, Surat, Saurashtra and
Nasik. Once in Vapi, you can avail of the local Vapi-Daman-Vapi taxi
or bus services.
Daman offers a fair
number of accommodation options, from the up market
down to the budget category. Hotel Mirmar, Hotel Gurukrupa and Hotel
Diamond in the up market category; hotels Paradise, Mangal, Holiday
Island, Sonman and Summer House in the mid market category; and
hotels Marina, Shan-e-Punjab, Dipal Jyot, Sovereign, Café
Elegant, Ratnakar, Ambassador and Duke in the budget category, are
some of the places you can choose from.
If you are looking for
the sea, you could try the Devka and Jampore beaches. Other places of
interest here are the Se Cathedral in Moti Daman fort, the Church of
Our Lady of the Rosemary, the forts of Moti Daman and Nani Daman, and
the light house at Moti Daman.
Diu, locals
believe, was the original Dwarka, the land of Krishna. It is a dwipa,
an island, once the heart of the kingdom of Cambay. Then decay set
in. The Portuguese were no more the sea power they once had been and
so, in a fit of depression, they converted the fort (still awesome by
all means) into a penitentiary for hardened criminals. The sea here
is rough, the rocks treacherous, and the breaches in the fort wall
nothing but an invitation to disaster. No one ever, jail keeper or
sail bird, tried to escape. It would have been futile. And so the
saying in Portuguese goes, Quem Vae a diu nao volta.
In other words, those who go to Diu, never return. It was the painful
wail of the wives of civil and military personnel posted in this
treacherous place. Not that they perished or succumbed to incurable
disease, they simply fell in love with other womenmany of them
the wives and daughters of local sailors who had sought their
fortunes across the seas, in Africa, never to return.
Historically, this was
the first landing point of the Parsis when they fled Persia. In a
manner of speaking, Diu is a lesser known gem of India with many
interesting things to see. What with the strong
Portuguese influence visible in its buildingsthe main gateway,
the St. Pauls Church and the church of St. Francis of Assisi,
and even in the maze of streets in the city. Most important, of
course, is the fort constructed by the Portuguese in 1547. Its
impregnable disposition and piles of cannon balls still lying around,
are indeed sights right out of another time. Diu has come into recent
limelight because of its virgin beaches. Nagoa beach is, by far, the
best here.
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