Diu - The Destination Next

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.

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.