Memories Of A Lost World
Diu
Until 35 years back Diu was under Portuguese control. It was also the first landing point
of the Parsis when they fled from Persia. In the 14th and 16th centuries,
Diu was an important trading post and naval base from which the
Ottoman Turks controlled the shipping routes in the northern part
of the Arabian Sea.
The Portuguese finally secured control in 1535 by
taking advantage of a quarrel between Sultan Bahadur Shah and the Mughal
emperor, Humayun. It remained a Portuguese colony
until the Indian take over in 1961. Along with Daman, it is
governed by New Delhi as a Union Territory.
There are still 30-odd Portuguese-speaking families in town, but most of the others speak
Gujarati.
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Portuguese Fort
Diu's crowning glory is the huge fort constructed in 1547. The fort has a double moat. Oceanic erosion and neglect have reduced the sturdy structure to near ruins. Piles of cannon balls litter the place and the ramparts
have a superb array of cannons, many old and in good condition.
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Palitana
Palitana is considered the holiest Jain pilgrimage centre in India.
A 600-metre ascent from the town to the Shatrunjaya hilltop is a walk of
some two km. Over a period of 900 years, 863 temples have been
built here. The hilltop is dedicated entirely to the gods.
Jains believe that merit is derived from constructing temples. Some of the earliest temples here
were built in the 11th century. In the 14th and 15th centuries they were destroyed in Muslim raids. The current temples date from the 16th century onwards.
The largest temple is dedicated to Shri Adinath, the first
Jain trithankar. It is usually full of masked nuns and monks and hums with prayers.
You need a permit to shoot photographs. No leather is allowed inside. Shoes have to be left outside.
Chairslings and dolis can be hired at the base of the hill. Bargaining is a must before
you hire either mode of transport.
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Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad, Gujarat's principal city and often mistaken as the state capital (Gandhinagar), is one of India's major industrial cities. It has many textile mills, is dirty and also very populated.
Still, the city has some of the finest examples of Islamic
architecture in India. Ahmedabad is one of the
best places to study the blend of Hindu and Islamic architecture
-- the Indo-Saracenic style.
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