Diu derives its name from the
Sanskrit word “Dweep”, is an island situated near the Port of Veraval in
Gujarat, tucked away right at the bottom of the tiger jaw of the Indian coastline. The
coastal town is bounded by Gir-Somnath and Amreli District of Gujarat in the
North and by the Arabian Sea from the remaining three sides. It is connected to
the mainland via two bridges over a creek. It measures a north- south distance
of 4.6 KM and east – west distance of 13.8 KMs, covering an area of 40 sq KMs with
a coastal length of around 21 KMs. Daman, the capital of the Union Territory of
Daman and Diu is at a road distance of about 768 kms.
With a population just over 1300 per
sq KM, temperature varying from 10 deg C
to 20 deg C during the winter months, humidity at 30 %, Diu is an ideal
getaway with family and friends. The
place is well connected by road, railways linked with Veraval, 90 KMs from Diu and an
airport, with flights connected to the
commercial city of Mumbai.
The Red Sea trade route between
Europe and Asia was a state monopoly from which Islamic rulers earned
tremendous revenues. It became an obsession for the Portuguese navigators to
find an ocean route to circumvent the Muslim domination. Bartolomeu Dias, a
great Portuguese navigator and explorer led the first European expedition to
sail around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, opening up a lucrative trading
routes from Europe to Asia. This also lead to creating
settlements in coastal areas as
it was necessary to establish strategic colonies to serve them as trading bases
which provided untold wealth to their homeland.
History recalls the expedition lead
by the Portuguese Governor Nuno De Cunha in 1535 in order to capture the town
of Diu from the high seas, at the same time when the Mughal King Humayun made a
land invasion of Gujarat. In order to repel the Moghul forces, Bahudur Shah,
the Sultan of Gujarat thought it prudent to
enter into a treaty with Governor
Cunha to take assistance of the Portuguese forces. In return the Portuguese
sought permission to construct a fortress at Diu at a harbour site.
Diu is
surrounded by the Arabian sea in three sides and a canal on the fourth side. In
Diu from the ramparts of the fort, any novice will be able to visualize why the
Portuguese were so desperate to create one of their many settlements around the
world . Diu stands on the mouth of the Gulf of Cambay, and a few smartly placed
cannons could easily control Gujarat’s trade with the entire Indian ocean rim. By
all means it was the best strategic site one can visualize for a Naval base.
With receding of the Mughal forces, the
Portuguese refused to vacate Diu and finally conquered the strategic coastal town
of Diu in 1546 and India could only liberate the coastal towns on 19th
December, 1961 from Portuguese under Operation Vijay, Diu became a part of the
Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu under Government of India. After
Statehood of Goa in 1987, Daman and Diu became a separate Union Territory. On the fort stands a giant structure
which now houses a Light House and the Diu jail. Several canons are still
located on the top of the fort and peep out of the holes on the walls of this
gigantic structure.
We always have a perception of
invaders maintaining marginalization position with the natives but the
Portuguese attitude to the residents of its colonies was rather different. The
citizens residing in the occupied colonies were supposedly to be Portuguese
citizens who lived overseas. As a result, thousands of residents of Diu born
before 1961 and their families have obtained Portuguese citizenship that permits them to live not only in
Portugal, but also since the
implementation of the 1995 European Union’s Schengen agreements in the United Kingdom and other parts of the European
continent. Hence the cultural of Portuguese very much persists in Goa, Daman and Diu.
As we drove into the erstwhile Portuguese
colony of Diu, a clean, green, pollution free, coconut trees lining the roads,
swaying in the intoxicating sea breeze, bright sunshine without a speck of
cloud in the blue skies invited us into its fold. We found the place a
picturesque and erotic location with promises of a blissful getaway and relaxation
far away from the maddening crowd and the mundane drudgery daily life. With
Gujarat being a prohibited State, it was perceived that Diu will be like any
other watering hole but to our utter surprise we found no rave parties or
beach side bars and shacks. The place is yet to be internationalize with no
hippie culture in sight, searching for Nirvana or spiritual salvation.
The palm fringed beaches with clean, soft
sand, wondrous water transported us to a fairytale land of sheer beauty and
exotic ambience. The morning walk along the Jallandhar Beach was one of best we
had in recent times. Close by is the Chakratrith beach, a bit rocky but clean
and silent with no food stalls or activities around, a blissful place for solitude.
A ideal place to play with children near the calm sea and no better place, if
one has an eye for bird watching
The
sunrise view was a sight to behold with
the sea turning into a tinge of gold.
The beach vicinity houses the INS Khukri memorial and an open amphitheatre which holds the many a Diu
fest musical nights. Amazingly, one can enjoy the equally breath taking scenes
of a sunset from the same place as the sunrise, only one has to look eastwards
or westwards.
Other notable beach to look out for
is the Gomtimata Beach located on the western end of the island in fishing
village of Vanakbara, among the best beaches of the region, long and secluded
and spread with natural white sand.
The horse shoe shaped Nagoa Beach is located in the Nagoa hamlet of the Bucharwada village. This beach stretches about 2 km from one end to the other. This long, palm-fringed beach is very beautiful and quiet. Ghoghla Beach is the commercial beach in Diu. The beach is lined with many a hotels and restaurants and also offers various water sports facilities like para sailing, hot balloon and motor boat rides.
The horse shoe shaped Nagoa Beach is located in the Nagoa hamlet of the Bucharwada village. This beach stretches about 2 km from one end to the other. This long, palm-fringed beach is very beautiful and quiet. Ghoghla Beach is the commercial beach in Diu. The beach is lined with many a hotels and restaurants and also offers various water sports facilities like para sailing, hot balloon and motor boat rides.
Just a stone throw from the Jallandar beach is the the Naida Caves. These caves have an intriguing, overgrown network of square cleaved hollows and steps leading off into nowhere. This is where the Portuguese supposedly hacked out their building materials.
The Portuguese invasion and
establishment of Diu brought Christianity but never as large as to require
three Baroque churches. The Church of St Francis of Assisi, the first church
built in Diu in 1593 has presently been converted to a hospital. The St. Thomas Church built in 1598 is
currently used as an archaeological museum that houses a variety of carved
stones and religious artefacts from around the island. Only St Paul’s Church
completed in 1610 is being the only one still in use for its original purpose.
The branding conceptualized on Diu Tourism by Ogilvy and Mather on the welcome to IIha de Calma ( Portuguese version of the Isle of calm ) is one of the many initiatives taken to increase the tourist footfalls to this mysterious, enigmatic and laid back travel destination. In spite of being blessed with unspoiled shoreline dotted with beautiful stretches of soft sand, stepped in peace and tranquillity, azure water and picturesque environs , the surf pounding the shores and sea spray misting over the surf, added with charismatic churches and majestic forts, Diu is yet a blind spot for many a traveller and tourists, both national and International, but in times to come it will the certainly metamorphose into a must visit the sun, sea and sand destination of India.
