Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Diu Beach Junagadh District Saurashtra Gujarat India

Diu is located at 125 kms from Junagadh.

It is the beautiful tiny island with a coastal length of 21 kms.


Best Time to Visit :- October to April

Location:-
Diu beach is situated off the Saurashtra coast and is connected to the state of Gujarat via a causeway.

Diu is abounded by Gujarat, separated by a narrow canal. Diu is 13 km long and 3 km wide.
Depth and Length of Diu:-

The island of Diu is about 13 km long and 3 km wide.

The beaches are not so deep hence swimming is advisable. The Gomtimata beach is having rather heavy waves.


Introduction:- Diu, the previous Portuguese colony, is an island, which offers six pristine beaches renowned for their scenic beauty and seclusion. Due to their isolated position these beaches are offering complete rescue to the holiday seekers.

Along with these unpolluted beaches Diu also possess much more to the history enthusiasts. The remnants of some Portuguese Cathedrals, forts and other monuments still symbolize the glory of the then Portuguese colonials who ruled over 400 years.

After 1961, the island is one of the Union Territories of India under the direct rule of New Delhi. Since Diu got its identity in all branches of development, tourism has also begun to be considered as one of the viable economic activities. The proximity of six beaches has already made Diu as a mascot of tourists.


Diu is a secluded island and does not have much population. This makes it the place ideal for a serene vacation, away from the worries of daily life. Diu Beach is a perfect blend of sun, sand and sea.

The captivating scenic beauty of the place is popular not only in India, but the world over. As the sea is not too deep here, you can enjoy swimming in the crystal clear water.
The average temperature of Diu Island during the summer months varies from 30 Deg C to 34 Deg C. It mostly experiences a humid climate, but the cool wind blowing over the sea brings respite. You can enjoy a host of activities on Diu beach.

It is ideal place for sun bathing, swimming, surfing and other marine activities.
The Diu fort, situated near the beach, is also worth visiting. It is a symbol of the power of the rulers that constructed it. It now serves as a jail.

All the historic structures here remind the glory of the 400 years of rule. The Diu shores are gently swept away by the waves of the Arabian Sea making it an ideal retreat for a perfect vacation.

There are a number of buildings built here by the Portuguese like churches and museum, which exhibit rare artifacts belonging to the era.


HISTORY OF POPULARITY :- The political unrest of Diu remained until the late eighties. Since then the influx of tourists in seeking a total getaway into the small beaches of Diu have made it a popular destination. Now all the six beaches of Diu are filled with innumerable foreign visitors in the season. The emergence of good accommodation facilities indicates the popularity of these beaches.

VICINITY :- The beautiful and small Diu Town is worth full to visit as it houses many of the historical and cultural remnants. The town is in between a massive fort, which extended to the east, and the city wall to the west.

The Zamba Getaway possess many carved sculptures of angels, lions etc. Inside the wall one can see the 18th century miniature chapel. The artificial waterfall is a wonderful creation, is light up at night.


The Diu Museum adjacent to the St.Thomas Church houses an array of catholic sculptures. Most attracting one here is that of a statue of Jesus Christ prostrate on a bier, accompanied by two angels. The Portuguese fort is built in the first half of 16th Century is under threat of collapse due to the ebb and flow of time. Yet a visit is worth full. The presence of cannons, most of them are still in good condition attracts the attention of people. The fort now serves as the jail of the island.

Private Beaches :-

Since tourism has not yet started to conquer the Diu beaches in a large scale, there are not too much resorts on the seafront hence private beaches are very few. But in Nagoa beach and Jallandhar beach there are a couple of private beach resorts situated right on the beach side. Activities in Diu Junagadh -

The Diu beaches are ideal for sun bathing, swimming, surfing and other marine activities.

Among the six beaches Nagoa beach is famous.

This pleasant palm-fringed beach, very safe for swimming is now quite busy.

Gomtimata, located to the west of Nagoa is a golden sandy beach still deserted, but the waves are quite heavy.

Other beaches in the vicinity of Diu include Jallandhar, Chakratirth and Sunset point.

Sun rise and sun set cruises from all the beaches can be arranged by the fisher folk. Sea cruises are also popular here.
Fairs And Festivals (Diu Junagah) -

The Navaratri festival will be a novel concept to the visitors, which is celebrated in October. The concept is that of praising the Goddess Amba. During this festival women perform a dance form known as Garba. Portuguese dance forms are also performed by the people includes Mando, Vira and Verdigao dances. These dances of slow motion are performed at joyful occasions.
TRADITION AND DRESS CODE in Diu-Junagadh :- As the local people are still conservative, in public the visitors should be in decent dress. It does not mean that indecent dress is advisable in beaches. Nudity and topless parade of ladies are also prohibited. Shopping(Diu Junagadh) -

In the Diu town good shopping facilities are there. Diu is specially noted for the absence of commercial exploitation of visitors. The small handicraft shops are having many locally made handicraft items.
Accomodation in Diu Junagadh -

In Jalandhar beach there is a six -cottage complex on the beach. There is also a camping site in Kevdi that provides budget and middle class accommodation. In the Diu town one can find accommodation near the fish market and the town square. Some of the beach resorts have sea view rooms.
Other Facilities in Diu Junagadh -

There are some Govt. Rural hospitals in and around Diu in Ghoghla, Vanakbara and in Bucharwada. There is a main Post and Telegraph Office in Diu.

The sub-Post offices are at Zampa, Ghoghla, Bucharwada and Vanakbara.

In Diu beer and alcoholic drinks are very cheap.


Security Precautions in Diu -

Not in the case of Diu beaches only, keeping one's ears and eyes wide open while roaming in an unknown place always pays. It is advisable to keep the belongings well locked and should not left behind carelessly.

What to see -

* Nagoa Beach
* Fortress of Panikot
* St. Paul's Church
* Jallandhar Shrine
* Gangeshwar Temple
* Navlakha Parshvanath Temple
* Jama Masjid
* Diu Museum

How to Reach:-

Air :- Diu do have one airport at Nagoa which provides Diu-Mumbai daily flights.

Bus :- Una is the access point for Diu, and there are direct buses to there from Bhavnagar, Palitana, veraval and Talaja. Once in Una, you have to get yourself the 10 or so km to Ghoghla and Diu. Buses depart every 30 minutes from Una bus stand between 6.30 am and 8.l5 pm (Rs 6).

From Una, if you don't want to wait for a bus, walk the one km; from the bus stand to Tower Chowk (ask directions), from where crowded share rickshaws take you to Ghoghla (Rs 5), and another share rickshaw on to Diu (Rs 3).
An auto-rikshaw from Una costs about Rs 50. There are a number of Gujarat STC buses which run all the way to Diu from paces such as Veraval and Bhavnagar.

A quicker and more comfortable option to the STC buses are the private minibuses.
There are regular departures between 6 am and 8 pm to Veraval .


Junagadh (four hours), Rajkot (seven hours) and Porbandar (five hours) There's a bus to Mumbai at 10 am (22 hours). Bookings for all buses should be made preferably 24 hours in advance.
By Train Delwada, between Una and Ghoghla and only about eight km from Diu, is the nearest railhead.

A share auto-rickshaw from there to Ghoghla costs about Rs 5. There's a direct train at 6 am from Delwada to Veraval (96km).

There is also a daily service to Junagadh (164km) via Sasan Gir.
Getting Around Auto-rickshaw drivers will demand Rs 50 to Una, but you may be able to bargain this down.

To travel anywhere within the town of Diu itself should cost Rs 7. To Nagoa Beach, expect to pay Rs 35, and to Sunset point, Rs 25.

Share rickshaws to Ghoghla cost Rs 3 per person.
Cycling is a good way to get around Diu Town.

You can also rent bicycles here.
Local buses from Diu Town to Nagoa to Beach and Vanakbara leave from the bus stand opposite the petrol pump on Bunder Rd. From Nagoa, they depart for Diu Town from near the police post.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Sasan Gir National Park Junagadh District - Asiatic Lions provided to Jaipur Zoo

10 Lions provided by Sasan Gir National Park Junagadh Distirct.

Now Peoples who are fan of Lions have no need to go Particular Africa,but they can also visit in Nahargarh Biological Park means Tourists in Rajasthan can now enjoy an African style lion safari in a new layout at the Nahargarh Biological Park in Jaipur

Initially, the safari would have 10 lions brought in from the Gir National Park and the Jaipur Zoo.

Lions tend to move around in groups and that will make it easier for the tourists to get a glimpse of the animal. Nearly 36 acres of land have been earmarked for the safari in the Neejar area of the botanical garden that is densely forested.

Five dens would be created for the lions to give them a natural ambience and protect them from extreme climatic conditions. The area would also have three or four water reservoirs with underground pipes providing regular water supply.

Two watchtowers would also be constructed to monitor the activities of the lions, the official added.

A track would be constructed, which will divide the area into two parts and tourists would be ferried in vehicles on these tracks.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Junagadh Agricultural University Saurashtra Gujarat India

The lust green JAU, Junagadh campus famously known as Motibag is situated in the heart of Junagadh city about 5 km from the railway station and 3 kms from bus station.

The JAU, Junagadh campus has total land area 754.62 ha and 2485 ha including 17 sub centers and 1500 manpower with annual budget around 28.5 crores.


JAU(Junagadh Agricultural University) readies to reap the benefits of its tissue culture programme.

In A bid to double agricultural produce, while at the same time make it cost effective, Junagadh Agriculture University (JAU) has commenced an ambitious tissue culture training study programme.

On anvil are also tissue culture production plans on a commercial basis to provide high yield tissue culture plants to farmers of the region.

JAU's department of agronomy has achieved remarkable success in tissue culture development with the help of the state-of-the-art technology laboratory, a first of its kind in the Saurashtra region.

Tissue culture is a technique to grow plants by culturing and maintaining plants cells or organs like leaves, stem, root, branch shoot tip, petals, anther and pollen in sterile, nutritionally and environmentally supportive conditions in vitro. The technique is widely used for micro propagation of banana and sugarcane crops.

Dr V P Chovatia, head of the department of agronomy, JAU, said, "With the use of this technique, plants have been prepared in the laboratory, which are disease free, contains uniform growth and can be obtained throughout the year. Besides, thousands of plants can be produced from a single selected plant," he said.

According to Dr Chovatia, the harvesting period for crop prepared with tissue culture plantation is 25 per cent less than normal. The crop growth is also uniform with almost zero crop loss due to the disease, which consequently leads to more yield, and thereby more profit.

So, cultivation based on tissue culture can prove to be commercially more profitable, which could make our farmers and economy stronger, he said.

Under the direct supervision and guidance of Professor K H Dabhi, the first batch of 20 students has now completed the tissue culture study programme.

When contacted, Dr Dabhi said, "Our prime object is to create awareness about the benefits of tissue culture technique among students and farmers. Apart from banana and sugarcane, tissue culture plants can be prepared among various horticulture crops particularly date palms, roses and gerbera crops. In addition to this, experiments are also under progress on medicinal plants in the JAU laboratory," he said. "Multiple advantage of tissue culture technique includes conservation of biodiversity through biotechnology cryo-preservation," he further said.

Somnath Temple Veraval Taluka - Junagadh District's Proud

Somnath soon to attain its former glory as ‘golden temple’

Best time to visit :- November to March.

How to reach there :-

By Air: Nearest airport Keshod- 55 km.

By Rail: Nearest railhead is Veraval.By Road: Somnath to Veraval- 7 kms,Bombay- 889 kms, Ahmedabad- 400 kms, Bhavnagar- 266 kms, Junagadh- 85 kms, Porbandar- 122 kms.

The historic temple of Somnath, which is also one of the jyotirlingas located in Prabash Patan in Junagadh district, is all set to regain its lost glory as a ‘golden temple’.

According to folkore, the temple was first built on the shores of the Arabian Sea by Chandra, the Lord of Moon. It was destroyed six times and subsequently rebuilt every time. The temple is also unique in the sense that it has been constructed in a location with unhindered sea clearance till the Antarctica.

Now the Shree Somnath Trust, the guardian authority of the temple has begun carving and gold plating work on the Sabha Mandap — the place where devotees stand for darshan.

Besides, the outer structure of the temple is also being painted with fungus resistant paint to allow the porous bella stones, which make up the structure, to breathe.

The temple was destroyed and looted many times, the most notable being the ones by the invading Turks led by Mahmud Gazni and centuries later by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. It was reconstructed for the seventh time in 1947, which lasted till 1995. In the last decade, little renovation work has been undertaken.

The trust, which began beautification and cleanliness of the temple and its vicinity two years ago, now has for the first time taken up the job of outer coating and carving for the pillars.

“It’s said that it was a ‘golden temple’. We have begun to restore the yellow metal from the Sabha Mandap. The entire mandap and its two pillars now would be gold plated,” said Ashok Sharma secretary of the Somnath Temple Trust. There are a total three mandaps — Garabh, Sabha and Nritya. Garbha Mandap is where the Jytorilinga is located, while Nritya Mandap is where dance was performed.

Also, this would be the first time that carvings would be done on the pillars. “We have the photographs of the old structure. Our aim is to get the similar carvings done on the pillars of the Sabha Mandap. The carvings were originally gold plated and had designs of flowers and Hindu religious symbols. The present temple, Kailash Mahameru Prasada, is built in the Chalukya style of temple architecture and reflects the skill of the Sompuras, Gujarat’s master masons,” said Sharma.

“The outer coating would protect the temple for the next ten years from fungus attack. Located on the shore, the temple continuously has to bear saline and moist wind. It’s a special kind of a coat that is fungus resistant and at the same time would not block the breathing of the bellas,” he added.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Junagadh's Coldest Day

Feb.-5th , the season's coldest day on Tuesday, Junagadh experienced with the minimum temperature dropping to 6.5 degrees Celsius.Its really coldest day for all people in Junagadh.

Junagadh Agriculture University
(JAU) official said that , Tuesday's temperature was the lowest ever recorded in the last 25 years for Junagadh. The severe cold forced people to stay indoors since Monday evening. The streets also wore a deserted look.

The cold has also affected wildlife at the Gir and Girnar forests.In Junagadh,for wildlife,the temperature became harmful for wild animals in forest,but still no any report of death .

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