Dadar and Nagar

Dadra & Nagar Haveli is a Union Territory situated near the west coast of India. Individually, Dadra and Nagar Haveli are two unconnected regions separated by the industrial township of Vapi in Gujarat. Nagar Haveli is the larger of the two comprising the town of Silvassa and 68 villages. It is sandwiched between Maharashtra and Gujarat. Dadra has only the town of Dadra and two more villages, and lies within Gujarat just north of Nagar Haveli. Geographically, the Union Territory is located between the hills of the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea coast but is entirely landlocked, even though the coast is nearby. Daman Ganga River flows through the town of Dadra and the capital

In order to keep the English at bay and to enlist their support against the Moghals, the Marathas made friends with the Portuguese and signed with them a treaty in 1779. According to this historic treaty of friendship, the Maratha-Peshwa agreed that the Portuguese will be allowed to collect revenues from Dadra and Nagar Haveli which consisted of 72 villages, then known as parganas. These territories were earlier ruled by the Koli chiefs who were defeated by the Hindu kings of Jawhar and Ramnagar. The Marathas conquered and annexed these territories to their kingdom.

Dadra & Nagar Haveli is a Union Territory situated near the west coast of India. Individually, Dadra and Nagar Haveli are two unconnected regions separated by the industrial township of Vapi in Gujarat. Nagar Haveli is the larger of the two comprising the town of Silvassa and 68 villages. It is sandwiched between Maharashtra and Gujarat. Dadra has only the town of Dadra and two more villages, and lies within Gujarat just north of Nagar Haveli.

Geographically, the Union Territory is located between the hills of the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea coast but is entirely landlocked, even though the coast is nearby. Daman Ganga River flows through the town of Dadra and the capital Silvassa lie on the north bank of the river.

These territories were under Portuguese rule till 1954, when they were amalgamated into the Indian Union. The region is mainly rural except Silvassa, which has become a part of the large Vapi-Daman-Silvassa industrial area. Tribals constitute a majority of the population and Dhodia, Kokna and Varli are the main tribes. Access is easy as the area is close to the Mumbai-Delhi National Highway.

Forty percent of the area is reserved forest. Hirwa Van at Piparia on the Silvassa-Dadra road is a beautiful garden with waterfalls. Vanganga Lake and the island garden in the lake at Dadra is a prime location for song-sequences in Hindi films. The Vanvihar Tourist Complex in Khanvel, 20 km from Silvassa, has a Deer Park and a cactus house. At Brindaban on Sakartod River is Tadkeshwar temple. At Dudhni on the Damanganga River there is a water sports complex.