Valsad (Pronunciation: �alsɑɖ (Gujarati: વલસાડ), historically known as Bulsar, is a city and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

in Valsad district of the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

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 the district headquarters of Valsad district. The city of Valsad is located in the south of Navsari and

Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is ...

Etymology

The name "Valsad" derives from ''vad-saal'', a

Gujarati language Gujarati (; gu, ગુજરાતી, Gujarātī, translit-std=ISO, label=Gujarati script, ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian state of Gujarat and spoken predominantly by the Gujarati people. Gujarati is descended from Old G ...

compound meaning "covered (''saal'') by

banyan tree A banyan, also spelled "banian", is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adventitious prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as a ...

s (''vad'')" (the area was naturally rich in banyan trees). During British Raj, it was historically known as "Bulsar".

Geography

Valsad is located at . It has an average elevation of 13 metres (42 feet). The old city is about 4 km inland from 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 Channe ...

Climate

Valsad has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of ...

(Aw) with little to no rainfall from October to May and very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall from June to September when it is under the direct influence of the Arabian Sea branch of the South-west monsoon.

Demographics

As of the 2011 India census, Valsad (metropolitan area) has a population of 170,060. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Valsad has an average literacy rate of 91.66%, higher than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 94.62%, and female literacy is 88.58%. The major language spoken is

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- ...

. Other languages spoken are

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 ...

, Marathi and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

. The major religion followed in Valsad is Hinduism. Other religions followed are

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

, Christianity, Jainism,

Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheisti ...

and

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

Transport

Valsad railway station Valsad lies on

NH 48 National Highway 48 (NH 48) is a National Highway of India that starts at Delhi and terminates at Chennai traversing through seven states of India. It has a total length of 2807 km (1744 miles). NH 48 passes through the states of Delh ...

. Valsad is connected to many cities in

by the

Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation 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 ...

bus service. Valsad is one of the 16 divisions of GSRTC referred as Daman Ganga. Valsad railway station is managed by the

Mumbai WR railway division Mumbai WR railway division is one of the six railway divisions under Western Railway zone of Indian Railways. This railway division was formed on 5 November 1951 and its headquarter is located at Mumbai Central in the state of Maharashtra of Ind ...

of the Western Railway and it is a Sub-Division under Western Railway. It lies on the

New Delhi–Mumbai main line The Delhi–Mumbai line is a major railway line in India. Linking the national capital of New Delhi with financial capital Mumbai, this railway line covers a distance of across the Indian states of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Prades ...

. 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. Valsad is close to Surat International Airport, which is 99 km north of the city, located in

. The other airport closer to Valsad is

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is an international airport serving Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). It is the second busiest airport in the country in terms of total and international passenger traffic a ...

, which is 188.3 km south from the city.

Economy

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, Umbergaon, Sarigam, Vapi (the chemical hub 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.

Education

Colleges

*GMERS Medical College, est 2014 *Government Engineering College, est 2004 *Government Polytechnic, est 1965 *Smt. J.P. Shroff Arts College *Shah N.H. Commerce College *Dhiru-Sarla Institute of Management and Commerce *B.K.M. Science College *Dolat-Usha Institute of Applied Sciences *Shree N. K. M. Nursing Instuite *Shah K.M. Law College

Schools

;Affiliated with ICSE * Atul Vidyalaya School ;Affiliated with the CBSE * Saraswati International School * Shree Vallabh Ashram's MGM Amin & V N Savani International School
Shree Vallabh Sanskar Dham's Smt. Shobhaben Pratapbhai Patel Day Boarding School

Shree Vallabh Ashram's MCM Kothari Girl's Residential School
* Western Railway English Medium Secondary School ;Affiliated with the GSHSEB * D.M.D.G. Municipal High School * Jamnabai Sarvajanik Kanya Vidyalaya * Maniba Sarvajanik Vidyalaya * Shah Khimchand Mulji Sarvajanik High School * St. Joseph's English Teaching High School * Mother Mary Public High school. * Bai Ava Bai High School * BAPS Swaminarayan Vidhyamandir * G.V.D. Sarvajanik High School * Sett Rustomjee Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy or Sett R.J.J High School * R.M. & V.M. Desai Vidyalaya * Swaminarayan High School * Gayatri High School * Kusum Vidyalaya * C.B High school

Tourist Attraction

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 alon ...

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. 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 is located on the shore of the beach in

town of Valsad district. This is a temple of Lord Swami Narayan. Shantidham Aradhana Kendra in Tithal is a meditation centre. Tadkeshwar Mahadev Temple is a temple of Lord Shiva located in Abrama. This temple is more than 800 years old. Morarji Desai Museum is built to dedicate former 5th Prime Minister of India, Morarji Desai in Valsad. The museum was developed by Valsad municipality at a cost of Rs. 4 crore. The museum was inaugurated by former Chief Minister of Gujarat, Anandiben Patel. Callian Baug is an urban park in Valsad. In 1929, Mr. Motilal Callianji presented a donation for park to Valsad Municipality in memory of his father. In 1931, Callian Baug was opened by J.H.Garrett.

Notable people

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 and acclaimed lawyer. * Bindu Desai - Hindi film actress. * Dadabhoy Havewala - 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. * Freddie Mercury (born ''Farrokh Bulsara'') - singer and songwriter for the British rock band ''

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

'', whose family originated from Valsad. * 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 ...

. *

Makarand Dave Makarand Dave, also referred as Sai Makarand Dave, was a Gujarati poet and author from Gujarat, India. Biography Dave was born in Gondal (now in Rajkot district, Gujarat) on 13 November 1922 to Vajeshankar Dave. After completing his school ed ...

- Gujarati poet. * Manilal Desai - Gujarati poet. * Morarji Desai - former

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

. * Nagindas Parekh - literary critic, editor and translator. * Nanubhai Vakil - a Hindi and Gujarati film director. * Narayan Desai - 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 - a social activist. *

Ravindra Parekh Ravindra Parekh ( gu, રવીન્દ્ર પારેખ) is a Gujarati short story writer, novelist, playwright, poet, critic and translator from Gujarat, India. Life Ravindra Parekh was born on 21 November 1946 in Kalwada village (now in ...

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

Sam Manekshaw Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw (3 April 1914 – 27 June 2008), widely known as Sam Manekshaw and Sam Bahadur ("Sam the Brave"), was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of ...

- First Field Marshal of India and former chief of army staff, India. His family hailed from Valsad, later moved to Bombay and then Amritsar. *

Sam Balsara Sam Balsara is the founder, chairman and managing director of Madison World and Madison Communications.- - Early years Balsara was born in Balsar, now called Valsad, Gujarat. His father was a forest contractor, and due to his work the family l ...

- Indian advertising executive. * Sangeita Chauhan - Indian film and television actress. *

Sheela Sharma Sheela Sharma ( Sheela David) is an Indian film and television actress in Hindi and Gujarati cinema, best known for the films '' Nadiya Ke Paar'' (1982), '' Hum Saath Saath Hain'' and ''Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai''. Born in Valsad district, Gujar ...

- Hindi and Gujarati film actress. * Ushnas - Gujarati poet.

References

External links

Official website
of the Valsad Nagarpalika.
Official website
of the Valsad Collectorate (in

). {{Authority control Cities and towns in Valsad district