Valsad district is one of the 33 districts in the Western Indian state of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

. It is bound by

Navsari district Navsari is an administrative district in the state of Gujarat in India, with its headquarters at the city of Navsari. The district covers an area of 2,211 square kilometres and was formed in 1997 after Valsad district was split into Valsad and N ...

to the north, Nashik district of Maharashtra state to the east, and

Dadra and Nagar Haveli Dadra and Nagar Haveli is a district of the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu in western India. It is composed of two separate geographical entities: Nagar Haveli, wedged in between Maharashtra and Gujarat states t ...

district of the

Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu is a union territory in India. The territory was constituted through the merger of the former territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Plans for the proposed merger were announced by t ...

(DNHDD) union territory and the

Palghar district Palghar District (Marathi pronunciation: aːlɡʱəɾ is a district in the state of Maharashtra in Konkan Division. On 1 Aug 2014, the State government of Maharashtra announced the formation of the 36th district of Maharashtra Palghar, it wa ...

of Maharashtra to the south. The

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

lies west of the district. The coastal Daman enclave of DNHDD is bounded by Valsad district on the north, east, and south. The district's administrative capital is

Valsad Valsad (Pronunciation: �alsɑɖ (Gujarati: વલસાડ), historically known as Bulsar, is a city and a municipality in Valsad district of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the district headquarters of Valsad district. The city of Vals ...

. The district's largest city is

Vapi Vapi ( IAST: vāpī,), is a city and municipality in Valsad district in the state of Gujarat, India.It is situated near the banks of the Daman Ganga River, around 28 km south of the district headquarters in the city of Valsad, and it is ...

. The district covers 3008 square kilometres and is divided into six

taluka A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

Pardi Pardi is a town and a municipality in Valsad district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Historically, there is a Hill in the middle of the town facing the lake where it is said Shivaji built the Killa (Fort). It's from this Killa (Fort) that the ...

Umargam Umargam ( IAST: ''Umargām''), also known as Umbergaon ( IAST: ''Umbargāv'') is a census town and Municipality in the Indian state of Gujarat. The town is known for its beaches, its tourist attractions, and its film industry. In 2017, the tow ...

Kaparada Kaparada is a taluka in Valsad district, Gujarat, India, near the border to Maharashtra. It is located in the Western Ghats. It is a predominantly Adivasi tribal district. The major tribes are Kokna and Warli. Kaparada is called Cherrapunji of ...

and Dharampur. The population was 1,705,678 in 2011, up from 1,410,553 in 2001. Valsad is well known for its production of mangoes,

sapodilla ''Manilkara zapota'', commonly known as sapodilla (), sapote, naseberry, nispero or chicle, is a long-lived, evergreen tree native to southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. An example natural occurrence is in coastal Yucatán in the ...

, and

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters ( pan ...

, and its chemical and industrial stretch based on Vapi and Atul.

History

On 1 June 1966, Valsad district was formed after Surat district was bifurcated into Valsad and Surat district. Then,

, Dharampur,

Navsari Navsari is the ninth biggest city in the state of Gujarat in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Navsari District. Navsari is situated between Surat & Mumbai. Navsari is a twin city of Surat. It is located 37 km south of Sura ...

Vansda Vansda, also known as Bansda, is a city and a municipality in the Navsari district in the Indian State of Gujarat, covering an area of 557 km2. Vansda is connected with Waghai, Chikhli, Saputara, Nasik, Vapi, Dharampur, Shamlaji by St ...

, Chikhli and Gandevi were talukas of Valsad district. On 2 October 1997,

was formed after Valsad district was bifurcated into Valsad and Navsari district. The taluka of Kaparada was separated from Dharampur on 15 October 1997. After newly formed Kaparada taluka -

, Dharampur,

were talukas of Valsad district. On 9 September 2013, Vapi taluka was separated from Pardi taluka. After newly formed Vapi taluka -

, Dharampur,

are talukas of Valsad district.

Geography

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Valsad district has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 1,705,678. The district has a population density of 570. Its

population growth rate Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...

over the decade 2001-2011 was 20.92%. Valsad has a

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species d ...

of 922

females Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...

for every 1000 males. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 2.24% and 52.93% of the population respectively. Sacred place for

Parsis Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

, Iranshah Atash Behram is also located in Udvada. Udwada Atash Behram is a sacred fire housed in a temple in Udvada, Gujarat on the west coast of India.

Language

At the time of the

2011 Census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...

, 70.83% of the population in the district spoke

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

, 11.62%

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

, 5.75% Varli, 4.22% Kukna, 2.36% Marathi and 1.08% Bhojpuri as their first language.

Divisions

Valsad district has six talukas: #

# Dharampur #

Valsad district has three major cities: #

Politics

Transport

Valsad lies on NH 48. Valsad is connected to many cities in

by the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation bus service. Valsad is one of the 16 divisions of

GSRTC Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation, abbreviated GSRTC, is a Government State Transport Undertaking of Gujarat for passengers facilitating with road public transport in moffusil / city services. GSRTC operates within the state of Gujarat, I ...

referred to as Daman Ganga. Following bus depots come under the Valsad division: Valsad, Vapi, Navsari, Bilimora, Dharampur, and Ahwa.

Valsad railway station Valsad railway station (station code:- BL) is a railway station of Western Railway Zone in the state of Gujarat, India. It serves the city of Valsad. History Grand Road-Valsad section was opened in 1864. The length of Grand Road-Valsad s ...

is managed by the Mumbai WR railway division of the Western Railway. It lies on the New Delhi–Mumbai mainline. The present railway station building was established in 1925. Adjacent to the railway station is the Valsad Electric Loco Shed which houses over 100 electric locomotives. Other railway stations in the district are , , , , , and . The nearest airport is Surat Airport in Surat.

Economy

Agriculture

Valsad is a horticulture hub in Gujarat. Major horticulture crops that are produced in the district are mango, papaya, guava, cucurbits,

chikoo ''Manilkara zapota'', commonly known as sapodilla (), sapote, naseberry, nispero or chicle, is a long-lived, evergreen tree native to southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. An example natural occurrence is in coastal Yucatán in the ...

, banana and sugarcane. Valsad is famous for Alphonso (Valsadi Haafus). Valsad is also known as mango capital of Gujarat. Valsadi

is in high demand nationwide as well as around the world.

Industry

Valsad is an industrial base for sectors such as chemicals, textiles, and paper & pulp industries. Since the 1980s, textile and chemicals have been the major sectors of investments and employment in the district. Valsad is emerging as a horticulture hub of the state, witnessing significant production in food grains and crops. Valsad has 7 Industrial Estates located in Dungra, Pardi, Dharampur, Bhilad, Valsad, Umargam, Sarigam, Vapi (the

chemical hub In India, Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Regions (PCPIRs), originally known as Mega-Chemical Industrial Estates (MCIES) or chemical hubs, are special economic zones intended to facilitate production of petroleum and petrochemical ...

of Gujarat) and 1 Industrial park in Kalgam. With over 300 medium and large scale industries, Vapi is a major industrial center in Valsad. One of Asia's largest Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) is present in Vapi, owned by Vapi Waste & Effluent Management Company and promoted by Vapi Industrial Association. Over 10,716 units of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), involved in different sectors, such as chemicals, textiles, engineering, and paper industry, are present in the district. Several private conglomerates are present in Valsad, such as Alok Industries Ltd., Wyeth, Welspun India Ltd. Hubergroup India Private Limited (formerly Micro Inks Ltd.), Meril Group of companies (Meril Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd., Meril Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., Meril Endo Surgery Pvt. Ltd. and Meril Diagnostics Pvt. Ltd.), Aarti Industries, Atul Limited, Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd. (GHCL),

Raymond Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

Sun Pharmaceuticals The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

, United Phosphorus,

Pidilite Pidilite Industries Limited is an Indian adhesives manufacturing company based in Andheri (East), Mumbai. The company is the dominant and leading adhesives company in India. Pidilite also manufactures products across verticals such as art mate ...

, Polyols & Polymers and

Vadilal Vadilal Industries Ltd is an Indian ice cream and flavoured milk manufacturer founded in 1907. History Vadilal Gandhi started a soda fountain in 1907. Initially he used to make ice cream in a kothi to churn milk with other ingredients, with ...

, Unique Polymers.

Education

The Government Polytechnic, established in 1965, is one of the prominent institutions in Valsad. The Government Engineering College was established in 2004. The GMERS Medical college with an 800-bed hospital was also set up in Valsad in 2014. Many colleges offer various courses in science, commerce and arts in Valsad district. S.K.M. Law College is also established.

Important places

Tithal Beach Tithal Beach is located in Valsad on the coast of Arabian Sea in the state of Gujarat.The sand of the beach is Black sand. Tithal beach is one of the popular tourist attractions of Valsad district and Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state alo ...

is located near

Tithal Tithal is an out growth in Valsad district of Gujarat. Tithal is located around 4.1 kilometer away from its district headquarter Valsad Valsad (Pronunciation: �alsɑɖ (Gujarati: વલસાડ), historically known as Bulsar, is a city ...

town of Valsad district. The sand of the beach is black sand. Tithal Beach Festival and International Kite Festival are also organized on the shore of the beach. Shree Shirdi Saibaba Sansthapan is located on the shore of the beach in

town of Valsad district. The temple was established in 1982. Swaminarayan Temple

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Swaminarayan, the founder of the Swaminarayan Sampraday, established temples, known as ''mandirs'' (Devnagari: मन्दिर), as part of his philosophy of theism and deity worship. These mandirs are known as Swaminarayan Hindu temples. He ...

is located on the shore of the beach in

town of Valsad district. This is a temple of Lord Swami Narayan. Shanti Dham Aradhana Kendra in Tithal is a meditation center. Tadkeshwar Mahadev Temple is a temple of Lord Shiva located in

Abrama Abrama is a census town in navsari district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Demographics India census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This ...

. This temple is more than 800 years old. Morarji Desai Museum is built to dedicate the former 5th Prime Minister of India,

Morarji Desai Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (29 February 1896 – 10 April 1995) was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the 4th Prime Minister of India between 1977 to 1979 leading the government formed by the Janata Party. During his ...

in Valsad. The museum was developed by Valsad municipality at a cost of Rs. 4 crores. The museum was inaugurated by former Chief Minister of Gujarat,

Anandiben Patel Anandiben Mafatbhai Patel (born 21 November 1941) is an Indian politician serving as the current Governor of Uttar Pradesh. She also served as Governor of Madhya Pradesh and Governor of Chhattisgarh. She has served as the first female Chie ...

. Callian Baug is an urban park in Valsad. In 1929, Mr. Motilal Callianji presented a donation for the park to Valsad Municipality in memory of his father. In 1931, Callian Baug was opened by J.H.Garrett. Wilson Hills Roads

Wilson Hills is located in Dharampur tehsil. Wilson Hills was named in memory of Lord Wilson, the Governor of Bombay from 1923 to 1928, by Vijay Devji, the last King of Dharampur. A monument to their memory remains on the peak. Lady Wilson Museum is located in Dharampur town of Valsad district. It was established in 1928. It is one of the popular tourist attraction of Valsad district. District Science Centre is located in Dharampur. It was established in 1984. Jain Temple, Bhilad - panoramio

Simandhar Swami Jain Derasar, also known as Nandigram Derasar is at Nandigram village near Bhilad in Valsad district. A function was organised on Vaisakh Sudh 6th on its foundation day, 10 May 1989. This temple is dedicated to Shri Simandhar Swami who is considered living tirthankar on another world in the Jain mythological universe. Fort of Parnera

Parnera Hill is located in Parnera town of Valsad district. It is well known for Shree Maha Kali Mata Temple, Shree Chandika Mata Temple, Shree Swayambhu Mahadev Temple, Chand Pir Baba Dargah, Stepwells, Old Fort of

Shivaji Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adil ...

. Maa Vishvambhari Tirthyatra Dham is located near Rabda. It has a temple of Maa Vishvambhari, Pathshala, Himalayas, Govardhan mountain, Hut of Nand Baba, Gaushala and Shri Ram Kutir. Bagwada is home to Arjungad Fort and several temples, including a Jain temple. Shri Bhav Bhaveshwar Mahadev Temple is located in Barumal. Barumal is located 37 km from Valsad and 7 km from Dharampur. This is a temple of Lord Shiva. Nargol Beach is located in Nargol. It has lush palm trees and greenery all around on the beach. Umargam Beach is located in

Udvada Atash Behram is the oldest fire temple of Zoroastrianism in India. It is located in

Udvada Udvada is a town situated in Pardi taluka in the Valsad district in the state of Gujarat, India. Udvada is a coastal town located around 24 km from the Valsad city. The Zoroastrian temple, Udvada Atash Behram is situated here. Etymology The ...

. Sanjan Stambh is a memorial of the Zoroastrianism in Sanjan.

Notable people

* Bhavesh Baria - first-class cricketer playing for Gujarat cricket team. *

Bhulabhai Desai Bhulabhai Desai (13 October 1877 – 6 May 1946) was an Indian independence activist and acclaimed lawyer. He is well-remembered for his defence of the three Indian National Army soldiers accused of treason during World War II, and for attemp ...

freedom fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

and acclaimed lawyer. * Bindu Desai - Hindi film actress. *

Dadabhoy Havewala Dadabhoy Rustomji 'Dady' Havewala (sometimes spelt Havewalla) (27 November 1908 – 21 July 1982) was an Indian cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1934 to 1941. Havewala became famous in India before he played first-class cricket. I ...

- first-class cricketer, who played for

Bombay cricket team The Mumbai cricket team is a cricket team representing the city of Mumbai in Indian domestic cricket. The team's primary home ground is the Wankhede Stadium in South Mumbai. Secondary home venues include the MCA ground in Bandra Kurla Comple ...

and

Parsees cricket team The Parsis (''aka'' Parsees) cricket team was an Indian first-class cricket team which took part in the annual Bombay tournament. The team was founded by members of the Zoroastrian community in Bombay. It is affiliated to Mumbai Cricket Associa ...

. * Hemin Desai - Indian-born cricketer, who has represented Oman at the

List A cricket List A cricket is a classification of the limited-overs (one-day) form of the sport of cricket, with games lasting up to eight hours. List A cricket includes One Day International (ODI) matches and various domestic competitions in which the numb ...

. * Kanubhai Desai - Finance minister of Gujarat * Makarand Dave - Gujarati poet. * Manilal Desai - Gujarati poet. *

- former Prime Minister of India. * Nagindas Parekh - literary critic, editor and translator. *

Nanubhai Vakil Nanubhai Vakil (23 May 1902 – 29 December 1980) was a Hindi and Gujarati film director. He was the first to make a Gujarati talkie film with a biopic on the saint Narsinh Mehta in 1932. ''Narsinh Mehta's'' (1932) star cast included the actress ...

- a Hindi and Gujarati film director. *

Narayan Desai Narayan Desai (24 December 1924 – 15 March 2015) was an Indian Gandhian and author. Early life The son of Mahatma Gandhi's personal secretary and biographer Mahadev Desai, he was born in Bulsar (now Valsad), Gujarat on 24 December 1924. Broug ...

- Gujarati author. *

Nirupa Roy Nirupa Roy (born Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsara; 4 January 1931 – 13 October 2004) was an Indian actress who had appeared in Hindi films. Noted for her portrayals of tragedy and sorrow, Roy was known for her acting ability, and was uncharitab ...

- Hindi film actress. * Pooja Jhaveri - Telugu, Tamil and Kannada film actress. * Pramodkumar Patel - literary critic. *

Pratap Save Pratap Raghunath Save (20 May 1945 – 20 April 2000), was a decorated Indian Army officer and a social activist. A member of a middle-class family in a coastal village of Deheri, Umargam. Save's father, Raghunath Save was a teacher and a freedom ...

- a social activist. * Ravindra Parekh - a writer, novelist, poet, critic and translator. * Rex Sellers - a former Indian-Australian cricketer. *

Sangeita Chauhan Sangeita Chauhaan is an Indian actress. She was born in Vapi, Gujarat, India. She has appeared in the Kannada films ''Sharp Shooter'' and ''Luv U Alia''. She is known as Meghna Chauhaan the lead in the Hindi Colors TV show, ''Ek Shringaar-Swabhi ...

- South Indian film & Hindi television actress. * Sheela Sharma - Hindi and Gujarati film actress. *

Ushnas Natwarlal Pandya, better known by his pen name, Ushnas (Gujarati: ઉશનસ્), was a Gujarati language poet from India. Biography He was born in Savli village near Vadodara on 28 September 1920. He studied in Mehsana, Sidhpur, Savli and ...

- Gujarati poet.

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial website
of the Valsad district council
Valsad Collectorate
of the district. {{Authority control Districts of Gujarat 1966 establishments in Gujarat

History

Geography

Demographics

Language

Divisions

Politics

Transport

Economy

Agriculture

Industry

Education

Important places

Notable people

See also

References

External links