 | This article possibly contains original research .(January 2014) |
Nargol | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Nargol Location in Gujarat, India | |
| Coordinates: 20°13′59″N72°45′00″E / 20.233°N 72.750°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Gujarat |
| District | Valsad |
| Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 54,700 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Gujarati, Hindi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 396135 |
| Telephone code | 0260 |
| Vehicle registration | GJ-15 |
Nargol (also: Nargole) is a village located in the Indian state of Gujarat.
Nargol is sited in Gujarat's southern region near the Maharashtra border. It lies about 150 kilometres (93 mi) north from Mumbai and around 400 kilometres (249 mi) from Ahmedabad on the Arabian Sea coast. The nearest town is Vapi, located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) away.
The Arabian Sea is to the West, Umargam to the south, separated by a river. To the southeast is Sanjan and to the North is Saronda.
The countryside surrounding Nargol is typical Indian countryside dotted with small farmhouses. Around Nargol water buffalos swim in the rivers or sparsely populated quiet landscapes of dry savannah. The beaches are sandy, wide and isolated with a relatively large tidal range and strong tidal currents. [1]
Nargol beach is dotted with Casuarina trees and the waters have a population of sea turtles. The uncrowded beach is rarely visited by locals. It is an interesting holiday destination and sees a few tourists. The seaside is part of the Gulf of Khambhat, which has very cloudy waters with almost no visibility. This is possibly because of the large rivers that bring their runoff to the sea around the bay.
Persians (Zoroastrians) were the first to land on the shores of Nargol. They spread south to Sanjan and north to Udvada.
Nargol has experienced problems with water scarcity and salinity. [2]
UNICEF made efforts to teach village leaders about issues concerning child survival and development. [3]
Jayesh G Baria was elected sarpanch in 2012. Yatinbhai Bhandari was elected in 2007. The current Sarpanch of Nargol is Sweety Ben Yatinbhai Bhandari(village head)in 2022. She is the wife of former Sarpanch Yatinbhai Bhandari. [3]
Gujarat government approved the 4000 crore Nargol port, followed by protests led by Baria for harming local fishermen. Baria wrote to the Gujarat Maritime Board to understand the plan for the port.[ citation needed ]
Traditional small fishing boats patrol the coast in search of fish.
Nargol has a tropical climate with average monthly temperatures ranging between 28 °C and 33 °C year-round.
Nargol is a small town with houses not visited by owners.
An ancient city 20–40 meters under the sea was reported in the year 2000. [4] Thought to be over 9000 years old, it was discovered 20 kilometers off the coast in an area with numerous geometric formations. The 9 km long area forms the basis of marine archaeology in the Gulf of Cambay. Its status as a major archeological discovery is disputed and studies have yet to be completed. The area is very risky and difficult to excavate because of the water depth, strong currents and poor visibility. [5]
The nearest airports are Daman and Surat. The nearest railway station is Sanjan, (about 11 kilometres from the village) with frequent train connections to Mumbai in the south and Gujarat in the north.
Nargol is developed in the field of sports. Cricket and Hockey are most of the games played over here. There are big grounds to play cricket, hockey and many other games. On 4 5 6 of 2013 there was an Open Hockey Tournament, which was first time in Gujarat, organised by Sarpanch Jayesh Baria and Nargol Hockey Club. There are many State Tournaments held every year.
Nargol had one of the finest Fine Art Colleges, once covering around 500 students in campus till 2007. The College is located at the center of Nargol, in the Campus of Tata Wadia High School. Covering ATD as well as Textile Division. N.M. Wadia (TATA Wadia) High School of Nargol covering around a thousand students was built in 1908 by Nargol Parsi Association and was also known for giving some of the best Hockey players for Valsad District Hockey Team.
Nargol has 7 schools for children: Dakshina Vidalaya (established 2014, grades 1 to 5), Navatadav Pra. Shala (established 1928, grades 1 to 5), N.M.Wadia Tata Wadia (established 1908, grades 6 to 12), Bhakta Shri Jalaram New School (established 1943, grades 6 to 12),Pra. Shala Saronda (established 1867, grades 1 to 8, Gujarati Pra. Mukhya Shala (established 1983, grades 1 to 8) Pra. Shala Nargol-Machhiwad (established 1918, grades 1 to 8). [6]
Two of them are high schools: N. M. Wadia Tata-Wadia High School Nargol [7] and Bhakta Shree Jalaram New High School. [8]
As so often in India, different religious communities have their importance in the local area.
The town is especially known for its Parsi (Zoroastrian) population. Legends also tell that Zoroastrians first came to India from Nargol in the 7th century. [9]
Near the beach is an Agiary (or fire temple, which is the place of worship for parsis) often visited by the Parsi's who often come to this village from Mumbai and other nearby places to visit the places of worship, like Udwada which is renowned for Iranshah Ātash Bahrām, one of the oldest and most famous of the Parsi fire temples.[in the world?] In the village there is also a Parsi Association Guest House. [10]
Nargol has great importance for the followers of Sahaja Yoga. One of the Casuarina tree (or Saru tree) is called "Nirmal Tree" ("Nirmal Wriksh"). [11] The tree is a local sight and can be found nearby the beach. According to the founder and spiritual leader of Sahaja Yoga, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, the Sahasrara chakra was claimed to be opened in Nargol in the year 1970 under that tree, thus marking the beginning of Sahaja Yoga. [12] The forest land surrounding "Nirmal Tree" has been declared and inaugurated as "Nirmal Van" ("Pure Forest") in an official ceremony on 2 March 2009 by representatives of the Indian government and other state authorities. [13] The Forest Department protects it as Eco - Zone under, JFMC (South Valsad Forest Division of Gujarat State) for promotion of environmental awareness, ecotourism and peace project.
In Nargol there is also the Sri Auromira international school (SAIS), which is a base for the followers of Sri Aurobindo. The school was a boarding school with ideals of finding the learning potential of each and every child in a perfect harmonious environment with Aurobindo's spiritual teachings in mind. The School is under renovation since last 4 years and is being over taken by a New Trust of Ahmedabad. [14]
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho) had a meditation camp in may in 1970 in Nargol where he experienced with his then new "Dynamic meditation" -technique. [15]
There is also a Shree Swaminarayan Mandir (temple) located in Nargol. The movement is led by Acharya 1008 Shree Tejendraprasadji Maharaj. [16]
Zoroastrianism, also known as Mazdayasna and Behdin, is an Iranian religion. One of the world's oldest organized faiths, it is based on the teachings of the Avesta and the Iranian prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic-style ontology; meaning that the religion's eschatology predicts the ultimate triumph of good over evil. Zoroastrians exalt an uncreated and benevolent deity of wisdom, commonly referred to as "Ahura Mazda", as the universe's supreme being; opposed to Ahura Mazda is "Angra Mainyu", who is personified as a destructive spirit and the adversary of all things good. Historically, the unique features of Zoroastrianism, such as monotheism, messianism, belief in free will and judgement after death, conception of heaven, hell, angels, and demons, among other concepts, may have influenced other religious and philosophical systems, including the Abrahamic religions and Gnosticism, Northern Buddhism, and Greek philosophy.
The Parsis or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of the Persian Empire to escape religious persecution. Parsis are the older of the Indian subcontinent's two Zoroastrian communities, the other being the Iranis, whose ancestors migrated to British-ruled India from Qajar-era Iran. According to a 16th-century Parsi epic, Qissa-i Sanjan, Zoroastrian Persians continued to migrate to the Indian subcontinent from Greater Iran in between the 8th and 10th centuries, and ultimately settled in present-day Gujarat after being granted refuge by a local Hindu king, Jadi Rana.
Gujarat is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about 1,600 km (990 mi) is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some 196,024 km2 (75,685 sq mi); and the ninth-most populous state, with a population of 60.4 million in 2011. It is bordered by Rajasthan to the northeast, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu to the south, Maharashtra to the southeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and the Arabian Sea and the Pakistani province of Sindh to the west. Gujarat's capital city is Gandhinagar, while its largest city is Ahmedabad. The Gujaratis are indigenous to the state and their language, Gujarati, is the state's official language.
Sai Baba of Shirdi, also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master and fakir, considered to be a saint, revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees during and after his lifetime.
Samādhi, in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In many Indian religious traditions, the cultivation of Samādhi through various meditation methods is essential for the attainment of spiritual liberation.
Valsad, historically known as Bulsar, is a city and a municipality in Valsad district of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the district headquarters of Valsad district. Valsad is located south of Navsari and shares border with Maharashtra and the union territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu in the south.
Nath, also called Natha, are a Shaiva sub-tradition within Hinduism in India and Nepal. A medieval movement, it combined ideas from Buddhism, Shaivism and Yoga traditions of the Indian subcontinent. The Naths have been a confederation of devotees who consider Shiva as their first lord or guru, with varying lists of additional gurus. Of these, the 9th or 10th century Matsyendranatha and the ideas and organization mainly developed by Gorakhnath are particularly important. Gorakhnath is considered the originator of the Nath Panth.
Navsari is an administrative district in the state of Gujarat in India, with its headquarters at the city of Navsari. The district covers an area of 2,211 square kilometres and was formed in 1997 after Valsad district was split into Valsad and Navsari districts. It is the largest producer of chikoos in India.
A fire temple or agiary is the place of worship for the followers of Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of Persia. In Zoroastrianism, atar or fire, together with aban, water, are agents of ritual purity. Clean, white "ash for the purification ceremonies [is] regarded as the basis of ritual life", which "are essentially the rites proper to the tending of a domestic fire, for the temple [fire] is that of the hearth fire raised to a new solemnity". For, one "who sacrifices unto fire with fuel in his hand ..., is given happiness".
Navsari is the ninth biggest city in the state of Gujarat in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Navsari District. Navsari is situated between Surat & Mumbai. Navsari is a twin city of Surat. It is located 37 km south of Surat. As per 2011 Census of India, Navsari is 16th biggest city of Gujarat state. It ranked 10th most populous city of Gujarat in 1991 Census of India and 2001 Census of India. Navsari is the 25th cleanest city of India according to the Swachh Bharat Urban mission. Dandi village near Navsari was the focal point of the great Salt March led by Mahatma Gandhi during civil disobedience movement of India.
Valsad district is one of the 33 districts in the Western Indian state of Gujarat. It is bound by Navsari district to the north, Nashik district of Maharashtra state to the east, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli district of the Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (DNHDD) union territory and the Palghar district of Maharashtra to the south. The Arabian Sea lies west of the district. The coastal Damaon enclave of DNHDD is bounded by Valsad district on the north, east, and south. The district's administrative capital is Valsad. The district's largest city is Vapi.
Dahanu is a coastal town and a municipal council in Palghar district of Maharashtra state in Konkan division. It is located 110 km from Mumbai city and hosts Adani Power’s thermal power station. It is the site of the approved Vadhawan Deep Water Port.
The culture of Gujarat is both ancient, new, and modern.
Bangalore (Bengaluru), the capital of Karnataka state, India, reflects its multireligious and cosmopolitan character by its more than 1000 temples, 400 mosques, 100 churches, 40 Jain derasars, three Sikh gurdwaras, two Buddhist viharas and one Parsi fire temple located in an area of 741 km2 of the metropolis. The religious places are further represented to include the few members of the Jewish community who are making their presence known through the Chabad that they propose to establish in Bangalore and the fairly large number of the Baháʼí Faith whose presence is registered with a society called the Baháʼí Centre. In the demographically diverse, major economic hub and India's fastest-growing major metropolis of Bangalore, the number of religious places of each religion reported reflects growth in proportion to the population growth. According to the 2001 census of India, 79.37% of Bangalore's population is Hindu, roughly the same as the national average. Muslims comprise 13.37% of the population, which again is roughly the same as the national average, while Christians and Jains account for 5.79% and 1.05% of the population, respectively, double that of their national averages. Anglo-Indians also form a substantial group within the city.
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