- Nargol
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Nargol — town — Coordinates 20°13′59″N 72°45′00″E / 20.233°N 72.750°ECoordinates: 20°13′59″N 72°45′00″E / 20.233°N 72.750°E Country India State Gujarat District(s) Valsad Population 54,700 (2001[update]) Time zone IST (UTC+05:30) Area
• 5 metres (16 ft)
Nargol (also: Nargole) is a village located in the southern region of the Indian state of Gujarat 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. Nargol beach is dotted with Casuarina trees and the waters have a population of sea turtles. The nearest town is Vapi, located about 25 kilometres (16 mi), and the nearest airports are Daman and Surat. The nearest railway station is Sanjan, (about 11 kilometres from the village) with frequent train connections to both Mumbai in south and Gujarat in the north.
The countryside surrounding Nargol is typical Indian countryside dotted with small farmhouses. Around Nargol you can see water buffalos swimming in the rivers or quiet landscapes of dry savannah where only a few people have their homes. The beaches are wide and lonely sandbeaches with big tidal water level differences. Out on the sea you can daily spot traditional small fishing boats that patrol the coast in search of fish. In the village the palm trees are high and the temperatures are tropical.
Nargol is a small town with houses mostly not visited by owners. The beach is rarely visited by locals and is not very crowded. It is an interesting holiday destination and sees a few tourists, who come there to enjoy the isolation and peace of mind. The seaside is part of the Gulf of Cambay (Gulf of Khambhat), which has very clouded waters with almost no visibility. This is possibly because of the large rivers that bring their humus to the sea around the bay.
One of the most exciting new archaeological discoveries of the 21st century - an ancient city which is said to be over 9000 years old - has been found 30-40 meters under the sea. This is one of the main findings of the marine archaeology in the Gulf of Cambay. The scientists made this discovery in the year 2000.[1]
The Village has some good surroundings on all four sides. Arabian Sea to the West, Umbargaon to the south which is separated by a river and you still need a boat/ferry to cross to the other side. To the East is the Village of Sanjan which is known as the place where Parsi first landed in India and to the North is Saronda. Saronda is a beautiful small village with a population of around 1200 and has a beautiful hill with forest covered all over it. It also has two beautiful Lakes and sea on the other side. Saronda is also home to Shashikant J Patel who is a well known personality in the state of Gujarat for his efforts towards rural upliftment and is also well known as a brave journalist. Saronda is also very well known for the initiative of Neera industry set up for the upliftment of backward in the region.
Nargol has experienced problems with the water scarcity as well as salinity problems. [2] UNICEF has made efforts to teach village leaders about issues concerning child survival and development.[3]
Yatinbhai Bhandari is the 2007 elected Sarpanch (Village Head) of Nargol. [3]
For emergency situatuons the local telephone number is 108. The Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI) takes care of road and fire accident victims on a 24-hour basis through the year.[4] The telephone pin code for Nargol is: 396135 (this is not needed for the emergency calls).
There is also a market every Friday and most necessary items are available there.
Contents
Religious activities
Nargole beach
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.
Near the beach is an Agiary (or fire temple, which is the place of worship for parsis) often visited by the Parsis 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, the oldest and most famous of the Parsi fire temples. In the village there is also a Parsi Association Guest House.[5]
Nargol has great importance for the followers of Sahaja Yoga. One of the Casuarina trees (or Saru trees) is called "Nirmal Tree" ("Nirmal Briksh") [6]. The tree is a local sight and can be found nearby the beach. According to the founder and holy spiritual leader of Sahaja Yoga, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, the Sahasrara chakra was opened in Nargol in the year 1970 under this tree, thus marking the beginning of Sahaja Yoga.[7] The forest land surrounding "Nirmal Tree" has been declared and inaugurated as "Nirmal Van" ("Pure Forest") in an official ceremony on 2nd march 2009 by representatives of the Indian government and other state authorities. This means that the Casuarina forest surrounding the holy tree will have a status of a protected area. The authorities protected the area by declaring it as part of the Eco-zone under the Nargol, JFMC (South Valsad Forest Division of Gujarat State) for promotion of environmental awareness, ecotourism and peace project.[8]
In Nargol there is also the Sri Auromira international school (SAIS), which is a base for the followers of Sri Aurobindo. The school is 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. [9]
For the local people's medical neccessities there 3-4 small scaled clinics. The one majorly favoured is that of Dr. D. R. Vyas, who is serving the people of nargol as well as sourroundings since 30 years.
There is also a Shree Swaminarayan Mandir (temple) located in Nargol. The movement is led by Acharya 1008 Shree Tejendraprasadji Maharaj.[10]
Geography
Nargol is located at 20°14′00″N 72°45′00″E / 20.2333°N 72.7500°E. It has an average elevation of 5 metres (16 feet).
References
- ^ BBC News | SOUTH ASIA | Lost city 'could rewrite history'
- ^ http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:s802ja8iZtgJ:ddws.nic.in/popups/CaseStudies/Women%2520at%2520the%2520Helm.pdf+nargol+village&hl=fi&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=fi
- ^ a b UNICEF India - Child protection
- ^ Any emergency services like ambulance, fire, available in nargol, gujarat? - Yahoo! Answers
- ^ http://ignca.nic.in/bibzs004.htm list of Parsi Anjumans (Associations) in India
- ^ Sahaja Yoga centers, meditation meetings, Meditation Centres
- ^ Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi and Sahaja Yoga
- ^ http://ignca.nic.in/bibzs004.htm Sahaja Yoga org
- ^ Sri Auromira International School
- ^ About swaminarayan temple and swaminaray sampraday
External links
- http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/9/Nargol.html
- http://ignca.nic.in/bibzs004.htm list of Parsi Anjumans (Associations) in India
- MSN Map
Categories:- Villages in Valsad district
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