There are many unusual places which can be refreshing outing for city folks. While looking for such a destination I came to know about Udwada which is a small coastal town in the state of Gujarat but do not think that it is very far away from the metro city of Mumbai. Actually this beautiful small beach town lies between the union territory of Daman and district Valsad of Gujarat state. It is located at a distance of about 187 kilometres from Mumbai on the border of two states, Maharashtra and Gujarat. This town is famous for its natural beauty, beaches and as a pilgrimage of Parsi community. Though this place comes under the territory of Gujarat but still it is totally different from the rest of Gujarat. Because of being a holy place of Parsis, Udvada is also called Mecca of Zoroastrians. Majority of population consists of Parsis here.If you go into the details of the history of this place, you come to know that this town was created by the intruders from Iran during the seventh century. When Iranian Muslims neglected the Zoroastrians, they left the place and came to India in the hope of protecting their culture and belief. They also brought the sacred fire with them to India. They settled in Sanjan first then in the caves of Barhot hills to protect their community from the attacks of Delhi Sultanate and then Udvada in the eighteenth century. Since then they are settled in this little town of the coast but the sacred fire that they brought with them is still burning without a miss since then.It used to be a place grazed by camels and camels are called unth in Hindi language. Thus this place got its name Uthvada which means a place of uth. Later on it was called Udvada. At present the main source of income of the town is fishing. You can also call this village as fishing village. People here celebrate Shivratri, Holi and Dashera Festival with zeal and zest. As the place is dominated by Parsi community, it is no surprise to have Parsi shrine here. The name of this famous place is Atash Behram which has now a prominent tourists’ spot. This holy place houses the sacred fire of Zoroastrians brought in from Iran in the seventh century. You may be surprised to know that this sacred shrine is the oldest in the world with continuously burning fire inside it for more than 1250 years. There are total nine such Atash Behrams in the world and among these nine, eight are in Western India. Udvada is one of them. It is believed in Persian religion that a Parsi must visit at least one of these nine fire temples in his or her lifetime.The Udvada Beach has brown sand and rocks in the surroundings. The beach is situated in the town itself. There are many ancient Parsi structures and cottages can be seen here. They look quite different from our houses and have a traditional Parsi touch. These structures have double porches and are situated in narrow lanes. Each lane starts and ends touching the main road.Accessibility:Surat Airport is the nearest airport and the distance is 176 kilometres from Udvada. Buses (private as well as government) from Maharashtra regularly ply to Udvada from different parts of state.Udvada Railway Station – 11 kilometres from centre of city.Best time to visit Udvada:From October to February is the best time as the temperature is low and climate is pleasant at this time of the year.TemperatureIn summer – 22oc – 36ocIn winters – 10oc – 27ocAttractions at Udvada:
- Beaches
- Parsis’ sacred fire temple Atash Behram
- Natural surroundings
- Ancient Parsi structures
- Traditional delicious Parsi cuisine
Places of tourists’ interest nearby are as follows:
- Daman
- Vapi
- Pardi
- Kadaiya
- Machhiwad
- Chirri village
- Umarsadi
- Umbheti
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