Valsad

Valsad Bulsar
City
Valsad City View from Parnera Hill
Valsad Location within Gujarat Show map of Gujarat Valsad Location within India Show map of India Valsad Location within Asia Show map of Asia
Coordinates: 20°36′36″N 72°55′34″E / 20.610°N 72.926°E / 20.610; 72.926
Country	India
State	Gujarat
District	Valsad
Area
• Total	24.10 km2 (9.31 sq mi)
Elevation	13 m (43 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	170,060
• Density	7,056/km2 (18,280/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Valsadians, Valsadis
Languages
• Official	Gujarati
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	396001
Telephone code	91263
Vehicle registration	GJ-15
Sex ratio	1000/1000 ♂/♀
Literacy	91 %

Valsad (Pronunciation: [ʋalsɑɖ]), anglicised as Bulsar, is a town and municipality in the Valsad district of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the district headquarters of Valsad district. Valsad is located north of Vapi and shares borders with Maharashtra and the union territories of Daman in the south. Valsad is known for its historical Parsi community.

Etymology

The name "Valsad" derives from vad-saal, a Gujarati language compound meaning "covered (sal) by banyan trees (vad)" or "where vad (banyan trees) and sal (sal tree) are" (the area was naturally rich in banyan trees). During the British Era, it was historically known as "Bulsar".

Geography

Valsad is located at 20°38′N 72°56′E / 20.63°N 72.93°E / 20.63; 72.93. It has an average elevation of 13 metres (42 feet). The old city is about 4 km inland from the Arabian Sea.

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. Other languages spoken are Hindi, Marathi and English.

The major religion followed in Valsad is Hinduism. Other religions followed are Islam, Christianity, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism. The town was once a hub for Parsis.

Transport

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

Places to visit

• Udvada, Valsad is the Primary, and Oldest Parsi Agiyari in India.

• Tithal Beach is located near Tithal town. The sand of the beach is black. Tithal Beach Festival and the International Kite Festival are also organised on the shore of the beach.
• Shree Shirdi Saibaba Sansthapan is located on the shore of the beach in Tithal town of Valsad district. The temple was established in 1982.

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is located on the shore of the beach in Tithal 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 the only Sleeping Shiv-ling in the World, located in Abrama and is believed to be more than 800 years old. It also has an open roof-top, which is intact since inauguration of the Mandir.

• Morarji Desai Museum dedicated to the 5th Prime Minister of India, Morarji Desai is in Valsad. The museum was inaugurated by the former Chief Minister of Gujarat, Anandiben Patel.
• Callian(Kalyan) 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.

• Parnera Hill, also called Parnera Dungar, is one of the pilgrimages within the city that offers great view of the city. It's located 6.5 kilometers away from the city center. This is a Temple of 3 Goddesses and a "Bhairav Temple" 900 steps from base level. Chhatrapati Shivaji jumped from this hilltop on his Horse when he was in Valsad.
• Valsad Ganpati Mandir's Murti (idol) was given by Peshwa Bajirao himself.
• Dharampur Science Planetaurium, and Science City.
• Dharampur Palace.

• Srimad Rajchandra Mission, Mohangadh, Dharampur, Valsad.

Notable people

• Morarji Desai - former Prime Minister of India. Time Active Around 1930–1980
• Bhulabhai Desai - Indian freedom fighter and acclaimed lawyer. Time Active Around 1910–1946
• Sam Manekshaw - First Field Marshal of India and former chief of army staff, India. His family hailed from Valsad, later moved to Bombay and then Amritsar. Time Active Around 1932–1973
• Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) - singer and songwriter for the British rock band Queen, whose family originated from Valsad. Time Active Around 1964–1991
• Nirupa Roy - Hindi film actress. Time Active Around 1946–1990s
• Pratap Save - a social activist.
• Burjor Cawasji Pardiwala: Lawyer and Politician. Father of Justice J. B. Pardiwala.
• J. B. Pardiwala: Senior Judge at Supreme Court of India.
• Ranchhoddas Thakkar: Notable Lawyer, M.A.(Sanskrit), M.A.(English) from Wilson College, Mumbai, 1911.
• Shripad Damodar Satavlekar - Sanskrit Scholar and Author.
• Naresh Bhatt - Sanskrit Scholar, and author.
• Dr. Moghabhai Desai: Established College Campus in Valsad.
• Shri Siddharthbhai Lalbhai: Established College Campus in Valsad, and First Chemical Factory of Gujarat(Atul).
• Kanubhai Desai, MLA - Pardi Constituency and Cabinet Minister at Government of Gujarat.
• Dadabhoy Havewala - first-class cricketer, who played for Bombay cricket team and Parsees cricket team.
• Hemin Desai - Indian-born cricketer, who has represented Oman at the List A cricket.
• Makarand Dave (Nandigram) - Gujarati poet.
• Manilal Desai - Gujarati poet.
• Nagindas Parekh - literary critic, editor and translator.
• Nanubhai Vakil - a Hindi and Gujarati film director.
• Narayan Desai - Gujarati author.
• Pramodkumar Patel - literary critic.
• Ravindra Parekh - a writer, novelist, poet, critic and translator.
• Ushnas - Gujarati poet.
• Bindu Desai - Hindi film actress.
• Pooja Jhaveri - Telugu, Tamil and Kannada film actress.
• Sangeita Chauhan - Indian film and television actress.
• Sheela Sharma - Hindi and Gujarati film actress.
• Rex Sellers - a former Indian-Australian cricketer.
• Sam Balsara - Indian advertising executive.

See also

• Bulsara
• Balsara
• Gulf of Khambhat
• Tithal Beach
• Vapi
• Navsari
• Khambhat
• Bharuch
• Morarji Desai
• Sam Manekshaw

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Valsad.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Valsad.

• Official website Archived 11 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine of the Valsad Nagarpalika.
• Official website of the Valsad Collectorate (in Gujarati).