HEADLINES:  

INTRODUCTION

Daman and Diu became a Union Territory only after de-linking from Goa which attained statehood on May 30; 1987.Daman is separated from Gujarat by the Kolak River in the North and the Kalai River in the South. On its West is the Arabian sea. The main river Damanganga divides the town into two parts Moti Daman in the South and Nani Daman in the North. The word Diu is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Dweap'.

Diu was one o the best sea ports and a naval base between the 14th and the 16th century.

Diu,a beautiful tiny island lies on the West coast of India, with a coastal length of 21kms. Daman has a mild and humid climate while Diu has a sultry climate.

HISTORY

Daman and Diu which depicts a rich architecture are associated with the Portuguese attempts of colonization.Daman was captured by the foreign invaders from the last Gujarati king in the year 1531 and was formally took over in 1559.However the Portuguese was successful in taking over Diu only in 1535 by taking advantage of the cold war between the king and the Mughal emperor, Humayun.Both Daman and Diu came totally under the control of the Portuguese after the Peace treaty in 1539 and remained as a Portuguese colony until 1961.Later after it got separated from Goa in 1987 it became a Union Territory.

LOCATION

Daman lies on the Gujarat coast while Diu is an islet in the southern fringe of Kathiawar peninsula. It is bounded on the north and south by Bhagwan and the Kalem rivers respectively, on the east by the Gujarat State and on the west by the Arabian sea.

BEST TIME TO VISIT DAMAN & DIU

The ideal time to visit Daman and Diu is between the months of October to May.

FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Nariyal Poornima

The Nariyal Poornima which is a regional festival is celebrated at the end of the monsoon along with the simultaneous celebration of the coconut food festival. This festival marks the beginning of the fishing season where people resume to sailing in search of adventure.

As a part of custom the people gather in the seashore and offer coconuts to the mighty Gods who preside over wind and water. The West zone cultural centre also organizes various cultural events and water sports.

Gingili fair

Gangaji fair is an annual festival celebrated in Dabhel village near the Somnatha Mahadev temple. During this festival people come from different parts of the district, take part in the holy tank here and offer their prayers to Lord Shiva.

Holi, Dushera, Diwali, Christmas, New Year Day

are other common festivals celebrated here.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Government House

This is the Resident of Portuguese Governor of Daman.

House of Bocage

At the entrance on the left side, almost attached to the Fort Gate is the modest dwelling where Bocage, an 18th Century Portuguese poet lived.

Dominican Monastery

This has once been a great seat of theological studies, a seminary of global repute for priestly noviciates, and attracted Catholic scholars from far and near. Its decline and down fall still remain a mystery in the history.

Themain attraction of the Dominican Monastery is the floral stone carving which is seen at the main altar.

A public mass is held on third Sunday of December in honour of St. Dominic is honoured by the public every year during which a public mass is held in the month of December.

Paryatan Bhavan

This is a recently constructed Bhavan in the year 1995 and it houses the office of tourism department and OIDC.

Secretariat

The Secretariat building which houses the office of the Administrator, Finance Secretary, Development Commissioner and other Government offices is situated at Fort, Moti Daman.In the year 1993 the then Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri P.M. Sayeed inaugurated the Secretariat building.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Remedies

Church of Our Lady of Remedies which belongs to the 16th century is a blend of both Gothic and Byzantian style of architecture.

The main attraction of this church is the huge prayer hall with excellent carved figures.

This is situated in Moti Daman.

Church of Bom Jesus

This church which is a major tourist and pilgrim attraction belongs to the 17th century and is supposed to be the most sacred place in Daman.The intricate work of the church is a fine example of the excellence of the work of the Portuguese architects and artisans. The architecture here is more of a dominance of Roman Church art and architecture which is revealed from the statues seen here. The main door and the ceilings are carved with intricacy along with highly decorated interiors. This was initially a Parish church.

The other places of interest in Daman includes the the Fort of St. Jerome at Nani Daman, Se Cathedral and the Church of Our Lady of Rosary in Moti Daman.Most of these building are built following the Gothic style of architecture and they mostly belong to the 17th-century.The main attraction of these churches are the Portuguese carvings seen on the walls. The Fort of St. Jerome at Nani Daman also accommodates a Jain temple. There is couple of beaches namely the Devka beach and the Jampore beach which are quite leisure places in Daman.

Zampa Gateway

The Zampa Gateway in Diu is of major interest which is adorned with carvings of lions, angels and a priest and has a chapel inside with an inscription dating back to the 17th century. St. Thomas's Church and the St. Paul's Church were the two happening churches of the area in which the former is converted into a Diu Museum. The beaches of Diu includes Nagoa beach, Gomptimata and Chakratirth. The Somnath temple was built in the year 1974 and the presiding deity of the temple is Lord Shiva. It is situated in Dabhel on Dabhel - Kachigam road.

SHOPPING

Daman and Diu is a quite interesting place to shop where you get even foreign goods at reasonable prices. The noted shopping items here include leather slippers, the bamboo mats and baskets that are quite famous for their intricate handworks. The other items in the list also include Electronic goods, Gift articles, attractive household appliances etc.Some of the major shopping area are Maharaja Super Market and Princess Park at Devka Beach. Regular beach items like goods made of seashell, oysters etc are also available at Devka Beach, Nani Daman.

EAT OUTS 1.Nana's Restaurant Seaface Road, Daman, Gujarat 2.Daman Delite Seaface Road, Daman, Gujarat 3.Pithora Restaurant Daman, Gujarat 4.HOTEL MIRAMAR Daman 5.Sea View Beach Resort Goghla beach ACCOMMODATION   1.Hotel Jazira Devka Beach, Daman - 396120, Union Teritory of Daman Tel: +91 260 2254330, 2254339, 2251986 2.Hotel Gurukripa Seaface Road, Daman, Gujarat 0260 225 0227 3.Hotel Sovereign Daman, Gujarat 0260 225 5023 4.Hotel Siddharth Vapi Daman Main Road, Dabhel, Nani Daman- 396 210. Daman, India. 0260-2244780 5.HOTEL MARINA behind police station, nani daman.U.T. Tel.: 0260-2254420 6.Hotel Kohinoor Fofrara-Fudam, Diu 362520 Union Territory (India) +91-2875-252209, 253575-6-7 7.Suzlon Beach Hotel Opposite Ghoghla check Post, Ghoghla, Daman & Diu 02875 252 212 8.Hotel Radhika Nagoa, Diu-362 520 Union Territory, India 9.Hotel Khushi International Bundar Chowk, Diu - 362520 Union Territory, India 10.Hotel Ankur Jethibai Marg (near Jethibai Bus Terminus)

Travel Guide Resources: Embassy of India International Tourist Facilities Foreigners Regional Registration Office Foreigners Exchange Management Act Visas Baggage Rules Immigration Services in India Travel Information Airlines   Buses   Railways   Hotels   Eat Outs   Cabs

GETTING THERE

By Air

The nearest international and domestic airport Mumbai is only 193kms away. All major airlines like Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Air Sahara, Air Deccan, Spice Jet, Kingfisher Airlines operate regular flights to and from Mumbai. Jet Airways and Indian Airlines have flights to Diu from Mumbai and Porbandar. The tourists can also reach Bhavnagar or Porbandar by flights and reach Damn and Diu from there.

By Rail

The nearest railway station in Daman is the Vapi railway station and the nearest railway station to Diu is Delwada station. Vapi, the nearest Railhead is only 12kms away. Mumbai and Ahmedabad are two very important Railway Stations of the Western Railways, which are very close from Daman.

By Road

NH No. 8 connects Daman by motorable road with Ahmedabad 367 Km, Mumbai 193 Km, and Vadodara 300 Km. etc