From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia: Surat
Surat
pronunciation (help·info)
(Gujarati:
સુરત) is a
port city in the
Indian
state of
Gujarat
and administrative headquarters of the
Surat District. As of 2007, Surat and its metropolitan area had a
population of approximately 4 million. It is the second largest city
in Gujarat and ninth largest in India.[1]
The city is situated on the left bank of the
Tapti River, 14 miles from its mouth. A moat divides the older
parts of the city, with its narrow streets and handsome houses, and
the newer suburbs. The city is largely recognized for its textile and
diamond businesses. 92% of the world's diamonds are cut and polished
in Surat. Surat is also considered a relatively clean city in India.
It has one of the highest GDP growth rates in India at 11.5% as of
2008. Surat was the primary port of India during the
Mughal
era, a distinction it lost to
Bombay during the
British Raj.
[2]
History
Local traditions fix the establishment
of the modern city in the last years of the fifteenth century, and in
1514 the Portuguese traveller
Duarte Barbosa described it as an important seaport, frequented by
many ships from
Malabar
and various parts of the world. There still is a picturesque fortress
on the banks of the river built in 1540. One particular village in the
suburbs of Surat is
Barbodhan Village, possibly named after the explorer
Duarte Barbosa (it derives from "Bab-ul-Aden"—Doorway to Aden,
Yemen—where it has strong cultural and trading links).
Surat eclipsed
Cambay as the major port of western India, as Cambay's harbour had
begun to silt up by the end of fifteenth century. Subsequently during
the reigns of
Mughal
emperors
Akbar,
Jahangir and
Shah Jahan it rose to become the chief commercial city of India.
An Imperial mint was established at Surat during that time. As the
major port on the west coast of India, Surat also served as the port
for the Hajj
to Mecca.
At the end of the 16th century the
Portuguese were undisputed masters of the Surat sea trade. In
1608,
ships from the
British East India Company started docking in Surat, since ir was
a trade and transit point. In
1612, the
British Captain Best, and after him Captain Downton, overcame
Portuguese naval supremacy and obtained an
imperial firman establishing a British factory at Surat following
the
Battle of Swally. The city was made the seat of a presidency under
the
British East India Company after the great success of the embassy
of
Sir Thomas Roe to the court of emperor
Jehangir. The
Dutch also founded a factory.
During its zenith Surat was popularly
viewed as the city of
Kubera,
the God of Wealth. In 1664 the
Maratha
leader
Shivaji sacked and looted Surat. When Shivaji arrived at Surat, he
demanded
tribute
from the Mughal commander for the small army stationed with him for
port security. The tribute was refused and so after Shivaji conquered
the city, forces under his command exacted their revenge. Surat was
under sack for nearly 3 weeks, in which the army looted wealth from
the Mughal & Portuguese trading centers. The plundered wealth was
successfully transported south to the rising Maratha Empire before the
Mughal Empire at Delhi was alerted. This wealth was used for
development & strengthening the Maratha Empire, and, concurrently the
decline and fall of the Mughal Empire.
The only exception to the looting was
the British factory, a fortified warehouse-counting house-hostel,
which was successfully defended by Sir George Oxenden. But the
prosperity of the factory at Surat received a fatal blow when
Bombay was ceded to the British as part of the dowry for
Catherine of Braganza's wedding to
Charles II in 1662. Shortly afterwards in 1668 another factory was
established in Bombay(Mumbai) by the
British East India Company. From that date Surat began its
relative decline with the rise of British interests in Bombay.
The city was sacked again by Shivaji in
1670. By 1689 the seat of presidency was moved to Bombay by the
British East India Company. Surat's population reached an estimated
800,000 but by the middle of the 19th century the number had fallen to
80,000. Surat was again taken by the British in 1759, and the
conquerors assumed the undivided government of the city in 1800.
Since the introduction of British rule,
the city and the surrounding district remained comparatively tranquil;
and even during the
Revolt of 1857 (also known as the first struggle for India's
independence) peace was not disturbed, owing in great measure to the
loyalty of the leading
Muslim
families to the British and to the largely mercantile interests of the
local population.
A fire and a flood in 1837 destroyed a
great number of buildings. Among the interesting monuments still
surviving are the tombs of the English and Dutch merchants and their
families, dating to the 17th century, especially those of the Oxenden
brothers.
Gaurav Path during the 2006
Floods
By the early 20th century, the
population had slowly climbed to 119,306 and Surat remained a center
of trade and manufacturing, although some of its former industries,
such as shipbuilding, were extinct. There were cotton mills, factories
for ginning and pressing cotton, rice-cleaning mills and paper mills.
Fine cotton goods were woven on hand-looms, and there were special
manufactures of silk brocade and gold embroidery (known as zari). The
chief trades were organized in guilds. The manufacturing and trading
brought an eclectic mix of ethnicities to the city, making Surat's
culture unique even in modern times.
In 1992, violent riots took place
between Hindus and Muslims, the first and worst of their kind in the
modern history of Surat. In 1994, a combination of heavy rains and
blocked drains led to water logging in the city. A number of dead
street animals and public waste were not removed in time and a
plague epidemic spread through the city. This brought the world's
attention to the city as evinced by the sanctions on travel and goods
exchange put up by a number of countries. The municipal commissioner
during that time, S. R. Rao and the people of Surat worked hard in the
late 1990s to clean the city up after which it was recognized in many
circles as the 'second-cleanest city in India'.
In the second week of August, 2006, a
massive flood caused severe damage to the city of Surat. In less than
three days, at least 120 people died. More than 4,000 animal carcasses
were later hauled out of the mud. Two weeks after the floods, Surat’s
diamond-polishing factories were practically empty of workers, who had
fled fearing disease. An industry group estimated the losses at $60
million.
On April 29, 2007 Surat's first
domestic airport opened for business and it started scheduled flights
on May 6, 2007.
Places of
Interest
Dutch Garden- The ancient Dutch
gardens, the Dutch cemetery and Makaipul, the ancient original port
from where the ships sailed to other parts of the world are other
attractions.
Old Fort- The Old Fort was built
by Muhammed Tughlak in the 14th century to fortify the defence against
the Bhils. It is now used for Municipal Offices.
Sardar Patel Museum- About a
hundred years old this museum has a collection of over 10,000
specimens of arts and crafts.
Rangupavan- It is an open air
theater with a 18 meters by 10.5 meters stage and a capacity of around
4000 spectators. This is one of the biggest theaters in the country.
Rangupavan has been lately closed down by the owners.
Dumas & Hajira- Dumas 16 km from
Surat and Hajira 28 km from Surat are well known health resorts on a
creek of the Arabian Sea. Hajira has two wells with water rich in iron
and sulphur. The pleasant Hazira beach is fringed by feathery casurina
trees.
Gaurav Path- One of the most happening places of Surat. It was
built by Surat Municipal Corporation.
Choppati- It's also a very popular place in the city. It has a
large garden and provides Indian fastfood like Paav Bhajee and Paani
puri.
Vansada National Park- It is
situated in Valsad district and is a home to leopards, tigers,
panthers and wild boars. The best time to visit is between October and
March.
JOY n JOY- It is situated around
30km Away from Surat, on the Ahemadabad highway. It have different
types of rides.
Water Fun Park- It is situated in Hazira Road 16 km away from
Surat City, is popular during summer weekends. It is also called છબ છબા
છબ. *
Beaches- There are a number of
beaches near Surat. Only 16 km away, Dumas is a popular resort with
locals.
Hajira is 28 km from the city and Ubhrat is 42 km out, while
Tithal is 108kn away and only five km from Valsad on the Mumbai to
Vadodara train line. Twenty-nine km south of Surat,
Navsari
has been a headquarters for the Parsi community since the earliest
days of their settlement in India. Udvada, only 10 km north of Vapi,
the station for Daman, has the oldest Parsi sacred fire in India. It
is said that the fire was brought from Persia to Diu, on the opposite
coast of the Gulf of Cambay, in 700 AD. Sanjan, in the extreme south
of the state, is the small port where the Parsis first landed. A
pillar marks the spot.
Dutch Cemetry- Located near
Kataragam Gate, this impressive mausoleum is that of Baron Adrian Van
Reede who passed away in 1691. A massive Dome, beautiful pillars and
the huge gallery make it a very outstanding monument.
Science City- Located near to
Citylight area. It is developing by SMC and it will be most attractive
place for tourist in near future. |
