Valsad (Pronunciation: �alsɑɖ, historically known as Bulsar, is a town and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Valsad district Valsad district (previously Bulsar district) is one of the 34 Districts of Gujarat, districts in the West India, Western Indian state of Gujarat. It is bound by Navsari district to the north, Nashik district of Maharashtra state to the east, and ...

of the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

. It is the district headquarters of

. Valsad is located north of

Vapi Vapi (IAST: vāpī, ), is a city and Municipal Corporation in Valsad district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is near the banks of the Daman Ganga River, around 28 km south of the district headquarters in the city of Valsad, and it is ...

and shares border with

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

and the union territories of Daman in the south.

Etymology

The name "Valsad" derives from ''vad-saal'', a

Gujarati language Gujarati ( ; , ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian state of Gujarat and spoken predominantly by the Gujarati people. Gujarati is descended from Old Western Rājasthāni, Old Gujarati (). In India, it is one of the 22 Languages with ...

compound Compound may refer to: Architecture and built environments * Compound (enclosure), a cluster of buildings having a shared purpose, usually inside a fence or wall ** Compound (fortification), a version of the above fortified with defensive struc ...

meaning "covered (''sal'') by

banyan tree A banyan, also spelled banian ( ), is a Ficus, fig that develops accessory trunks from Aerial root#"Stranglers" (prop-root), adjacent prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees ...

s (''vad'')" or "where vad (banyan trees) and sal (sal tree) are" (the area was naturally rich in banyan trees). During

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Era, it was historically known as "Bulsar".

Geography

Valsad is located at . It has an average elevation of 13 metres (42 feet). The old city is about 4 km inland from the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea () is a region of sea in the northern Indian Ocean, bounded on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, Gulf of Aden and Guardafui Channel, on the northwest by Gulf of Oman and Iran, on the north by Pakistan, on the east by India, and ...

Climate

Valsad has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(Aw) with little to no rainfall from October to May and very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall from June to September when it is under the direct influence of the

branch of the South-west monsoon.

Demographics

As of the 2011 India census, Valsad (metropolitan area) has a population of 170,060. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Valsad has an average literacy rate of 91.66%, higher than the national average of 74.04%. Male literacy is 94.62%, and female literacy is 88.58%. The major language spoken is

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

. Other languages spoken are

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

. The major religion followed in Valsad is Hinduism. Other religions followed are

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

, Jainism,

Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religions, Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zoroaster, Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, ...

and

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

Transport

Road transport

Valsad lies on NH 48 and is connected to many cities in

and neighbouring states by the

Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation abbreviated (GSRTC), is a Government State Transport Undertaking of Gujarat for passengers facilitating with road public transport in moffusil / city services. GSRTC operates within the state of Gujarat, ...

bus service.

Railways

Valsad railway station Valsad railway station (station code:- BL) is a railway station of Western Railway Zone in the state of Gujarat, India. It serves the city of Valsad. History Grand Road-Valsad section was opened in 1864. The length of Grand Road-Valsad sec ...

is managed by the

Mumbai WR railway division Mumbai WR railway division is one of the six railway divisions under the jurisdiction of Western Railway zone of the Indian Railways. This railway division was formed on 5 November 1951 and its headquarter is located at Mumbai Central in the ...

of the Western Railway and it is a Sub-Division under Western Railway. It lies on the

New Delhi–Mumbai main line New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

. The present railway station building was established in 1925. Adjacent to the railway station is the Valsad Electric Loco Shed which houses over 100 electric locomotives.

Airport

Valsad is close to

Surat International Airport Surat Airport is an international airport serving Surat, Gujarat, India. It is located in Magdalla, situated 12 km (6.4 mi) from the city centre. It has a total area of 770 acres (312 ha) and is the second busiest airport in Gujarat ...

, which is 99 km north of the city and

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is the international airport serving Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the second-busiest airport in India in terms of total and international passenger traffic a ...

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

which is 188.3 km south of the city.

Economy

Valsad is an industrial base for sectors such as

chemicals A chemical substance is a unique form of matter with constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Chemical substances may take the form of a single element or chemical compounds. If two or more chemical substances can be combin ...

textiles Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

, and paper & pulp industries. Since the 1980s, textile and chemicals have been the major sectors of investments and employment in the district. Valsad is emerging as a horticulture hub of the state, witnessing significant production in food grains and crops. Valsad has 7 industrial estates located in Dungra, Pardi, Dharampur, Bhilad, Valsad, Umbergaon, Sarigam, Vapi (the

chemical hub A chemical substance is a unique form of matter with constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Chemical substances may take the form of a single element or chemical compounds. If two or more chemical substances can be combined ...

of Gujarat) and 1 Industrial park in Kalgam. With over 300 medium and large scale industries, Vapi is a major industrial center in Valsad. One of Asia's largest Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) is present in Vapi, owned by Vapi Waste & Effluent Management Company and promoted by Vapi Industrial Association.

Education

Colleges

*GMERS Medical College, est 2014 *Government Engineering College (affiliated to Gujarat Technological University), est 2004 *Government Polytechnic (affiliated to Gujarat Technological University), est 1965 *Smt. J.P. Shroff Arts College *Shah N.H. Commerce College *Dhiru-Sarla Institute of Management and Commerce *B.K.M. Science College *Dolat-Usha Institute of Applied Sciences *Shree N. K. M. Nursing Instuite *Shah K.M. Law College

Schools

;Affiliated with ICSE * Atul Vidyalaya School ;Affiliated with the CBSE * Saraswati International School * Shree Vallabh Ashram's MGM Amin & V N Savani International School * Shree Vallabh Sanskar Dham's Smt. Shobhaben Pratapbhai Patel Day Boarding School * Shree Vallabh Ashram's MCM Kothari Girl's Residential School * Western Railway English Medium Secondary School ;Affiliated with the GSHSEB * D.M.D.G. Municipal High School * Jamnabai Sarvajanik Kanya Vidyalaya * Maniba Sarvajanik Vidyalaya * Shah Khimchand Mulji Sarvajanik High School * St. Joseph's English Teaching High School * Mother Mary Public High school. * Bai Ava Bai High School * BAPS Swaminarayan Vidhyamandir * G.V.D. Sarvajanik High School * Sett Rustomjee Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy or Sett R.J.J High School * R.M. & V.M. Desai Vidyalaya * Swaminarayan High School * Gayatri High School * Kusum Vidyalaya * C.B High school * Shree Saraswati Vidyamandir School

Places to visit

Udvada Udvada is a town situated in Pardi taluka in the Valsad district in the state of Gujarat, India. Udvada is a coastal town located around 24 km from the Valsad city. The Zoroastrian temple, Udvada Atash Behram is situated here. Etymology ...

, Valsad is the Primary, and Oldest

Parsi The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, w ...

Agiyari in India. Tithal_Beach_Sun_Set

Tithal Beach Tithal Beach is located in Valsad on the coast of Arabian Sea in the state of Gujarat.The sand of the beach is Black sand. Tithal beach is one of the popular tourist attractions of Valsad district and Gujarat. Recently, Aquatic sports have b ...

is located near Tithal town. The sand of the beach is black. Tithal Beach Festival and the International Kite Festival are also organised on the shore of the beach. * Shree Shirdi Saibaba Sansthapan is located on the shore of the beach in Tithal town of Valsad district. The temple was established in 1982. Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is located on the shore of the beach in Tithal town of Valsad district. This is a temple of Lord Swami Narayan. * Shantidham Aradhana Kendra in Tithal is a meditation centre. * Tadkeshwar Mahadev Temple is the only Sleeping Shiv-ling in the World, located in

Abrama Abrama is a census town in the Navsari district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Demographics As of the India census, Abrama had a population of 21,035. Males constituted 53% of the population and females 47%. The average literacy rate was 78%, ...

and is believed to be more than 800 years old. It also has an open roof-top, which is intact since inauguration of the Mandir. Morarji Desai portrait

* Morarji Desai Museum dedicated to the 5th Prime Minister of India,

Morarji Desai Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (29 February 1896 – 10 April 1995) was an Indian politician and Indian independence activist, independence activist who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India between 1977 and 1979 leading th ...

is in Valsad. The museum was inaugurated by the former Chief Minister of Gujarat,

Anandiben Patel Anandiben Mafatbhai Patel (born 21 November 1941) is an Indian politician serving as the 20th and current governor of Uttar Pradesh since 2019. She also served as the 17th governor of Madhya Pradesh from 2020 to 2021 and as Governor of Chha ...

. * Callian(Kalyan) Baug is an urban park in Valsad. In 1929, Mr.

Motilal Callianji Motilal is an Indian given name. It may refer to: *Motilal Banarsidass, an Indian publishing house on Sanskrit and Indology since 1903 *Motilal Nehru (1861– 1931), activist of the Indian National Movement, leader of the Indian National Congress, ...

presented a donation for park to Valsad Municipality in memory of his father. In 1931, Callian Baug was opened by J.H.Garrett. * Parnera Hill, also called Parnera Dungar, is one of the pilgrimages within the city that offers great view of the city. It's located 6.5 kilometers away from the city center. This is a Temple of 3 Goddesses and a "Bhairav Temple" 900 steps from base level.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...

jumped from this hilltop on his Horse when he was in Valsad. * Valsad Ganpati Mandir's Murti (idol) was given by

Peshwa Bajirao Bajirao I (né Visaji, ; 18 August 1700 – 28 April 1740) was the 7th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. He was appointed Peshwa at the age of nineteen by Shahu I, following the death of his father, Balaji Vishwanath. He is credited with establis ...

himself. * Dharampur Science Planetaurium, and Science City. * Dharampur Palace. Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur Spiritual Activity

Srimad Rajchandra Mission
Mohangadh, Dharampur, Valsad.

Notable people

- former

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...

. Time Active Around 1930–1980 *

Bhulabhai Desai Bhulabhai Desai (13 October 1877 – 6 May 1946) was an Indian independence activist and acclaimed lawyer. He is well-remembered for his defence of the three Indian National Army soldiers accused of treason during World War II, and for attem ...

Indian freedom fighter The Indian independence movement consisted of efforts by individuals and organizations from a wide spectrum of society to obtain political independence from the British, French and Portuguese rule through the use of many methods. This is a li ...

and acclaimed lawyer. Time Active Around 1910–1946 *

Sam Manekshaw Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw (3 April 1914 – 27 June 2008), also known as Sam Bahadur ("the Brave") was an Indian Army general officer who was the Chief of the Army Staff (India), Chief of the army staff during the Banglade ...

- First Field Marshal of India and former chief of army staff, India. His family hailed from Valsad, later moved to Bombay and then Amritsar. Time Active Around 1932–1973 *

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. Regarded as one of the gre ...

(born ''Farrokh Bulsara'') - singer and songwriter for the British rock band ''

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

'', whose family originated from Valsad. Time Active Around 1964–1991 *

Nirupa Roy Nirupa Roy (born Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsara; 4 January 1931 – 13 October 2004) was an Indian actress who had appeared in Hindi films. Noted for her portrayals of tragedy and sorrow, Roy was known for her acting ability, and was uncharitabl ...

- Hindi film actress. Time Active Around 1946–1990s * Pratap Save - a social activist. * Kanubhai Desai, MLA -

Pardi Pardi is a town and a municipality in Valsad district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Roughly 14 km south of the district headquarters city of Valsad, has a rail station on the Mumbai-Vadodara line of Western Railway (India). National Hig ...

Constituency and

Cabinet Minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ' prime minister', ' p ...

Government of Gujarat The Government of Gujarat, also known as Gujarat Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Gujarat and its 33 districts. It consists of an executive of the legislators appointed by the Governor of Gujarat, a judiciar ...

.
Burjor Cawasji Pardiwala
Lawyer and Politician. Father of Justice J. B. Pardiwala. *

J. B. Pardiwala Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala (born 12 August 1965) is an Indian jurist who is serving as a judge of the Supreme Court of India since May 2022. He is a former judge of the Gujarat High Court and is in line to become the Chief Justice of India in M ...

: Senior Judge at Supreme Court of India. * Ranchhoddas Thakkar: Notable Lawyer, M.A.(Sanskrit), M.A.(English) from

Wilson College, Mumbai The Wilson College, established in 1832 in Mumbai, is one of India's oldest colleges; its foundation precedes that of the University of Mumbai, (to which it is affiliated), by 25 years. Wilson College was granted autonomy by Mumbai University i ...

, 1911. *

Dr. Moghabhai Desai Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...

: Established College Campus in Valsad. *

Shri Siddharthbhai Lalbhai Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Assamese, Meitei ( Manipuri), Marathi, Malay (including Indo ...

: Established

College Campus A campus traditionally refers to the land and buildings of a college or university. This will often include libraries, lecture halls, student centers and, for residential universities, residence halls and dining halls. By extension, a cor ...

in Valsad, and First Chemical Factory of

( Atul). * Dadabhoy Havewala - first-class cricketer, who played for

Bombay cricket team The Mumbai cricket team is a cricket team which represents Mumbai in Indian domestic cricket. It is governed by Mumbai Cricket Association. Its home ground is Wankhede Stadium in Churchgate. The team also plays its home matches at Bandra K ...

and

Parsees cricket team The Parsis (''aka'' Parsees) cricket team was an Indian first-class cricket team which took part in the annual Bombay tournament. The team was founded by members of the Zoroastrian community in Bombay. It is affiliated to Mumbai Cricket Associa ...

. *

Hemin Desai Hemin Pratap Desai (born September 10, 1977) is an Indian-born cricketer who played for the Oman national cricket team at the List A cricket, List A level. His highest score in List A cricket was achieved on November 27, 2007, against Namibia n ...

- Indian-born cricketer, who has represented Oman at the

List A cricket List A cricket is a classification of the limited-overs (one-day) form of the sport of cricket, with games lasting up to eight hours. List A cricket includes One Day International (ODI) matches and various domestic competitions in which the num ...

. * Makarand Dave (

Nandigram Nandigram is a census town in the Nandigram I Community development block, Community Development Block of the Haldia subdivision in the Purba Medinipur district of the India, Indian state of West Bengal. In 2007, the West Bengal government all ...

) - Gujarati poet. * Manilal Desai - Gujarati poet. * Nagindas Parekh - literary critic, editor and translator. *

Nanubhai Vakil Nanubhai Vakil (23 May 1902 – 29 December 1980) was a Hindi and Gujarati film director. He directed the first Gujarati feature film, in 1932, with a biopic on the saint Narsinh Mehta, '' Narsinh Mehta'', whose cast included the actress Meh ...

- a Hindi and Gujarati film director. * Narayan Desai - Gujarati author. *

Naresh Bhatt Naresh ( ''Nareśa'': ''nara'' "man" and '' īśa'' "lord") is a masculine given name popularly used among Hindus. Notable people with the name include: * Naresh (actor) (born 1960), Indian movie actor in Telugu cinema * Allari Naresh (born 1982), ...

- Author, and Professor of Sanskrit. * Pramodkumar Patel - literary critic. * Ravindra Parekh - a writer, novelist, poet, critic and translator. * Ushnas - Gujarati poet. * Bindu Desai - Hindi film actress. *

Pooja Jhaveri Pooja Jhaveri (born 1992/1993) is an Indian actress who appears in Telugu, Tamil and Gujarati films. She made her debut with the Telugu film ''Bham Bolenath'' in 2015. Personal life Jhaveri was born into a Gujarati family in Valsad, Gujarat ...

- Telugu, Tamil and Kannada film actress. * Sangeita Chauhan - Indian film and television actress. *

Sheela Sharma Sheela Sharma ( David) is an Indian film and television actress in Hindi and Gujarati cinema, best known for the films '' Nadiya Ke Paar'' (1982), '' Hum Saath Saath Hain'' and '' Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai''. Early life Born in Valsad district, ...

- Hindi and Gujarati film actress. * Rex Sellers - a former Indian-Australian cricketer. *

Sam Balsara Sam Balsara is the founder, chairman and managing director of Madison World and Madison Communications. Early years Balsara was born in Balsar, now called Valsad, Gujarat. His father was a forest contractor, and due to his work the family later ...

- Indian advertising executive.

References

External links

Official website
of the Valsad Nagarpalika.
Official website
of the Valsad Collectorate (in

). {{Authority control Cities and towns in Valsad district