Daman and Diu
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What was Daman and Diu?
Daman and Diu was a union territory of India comprising two districts on India’s western coast. Daman is an enclave on Gujarat’s coast, north of Mumbai. Diu is an island off the southern coast of Gujarat.
Both Daman and Diu were subject to various local and regional powers. The Portuguese acquired Daman and Diu to control Indian Ocean trade. Daman was conquered by the Portuguese in 1559, while Diu had a Portuguese fort built in 1535. They were part of the Portuguese overseas province Estado da India for over four centuries.
In 1961, Daman and Diu became part of India. Daman and Diu became a separate union territory when Goa attained statehood in 1987. In January 2020, the two districts joined Dadra and Nagar Haveli to become the Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu union territory.
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Where was Daman and Diu located in India?
Daman and Diu was a union territory of India comprising two districts on the country’s western coast. Daman is an enclave on Gujarat’s southern coast, situated 100 miles north of Mumbai. Diu encompasses an island off the southern coast of Gujarat’s Kathiawar Peninsula, 40 miles southeast of Veraval, as well as a small area on the mainland. In January 2020, the two districts joined Dadra and Nagar Haveli to become the Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu union territory.
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Why was Daman and Diu considered a union territory?
Daman and Diu became a union territory because of their history as parts of the Portuguese overseas province, Estado da India, under the governor-general of Goa. Along with Goa, Daman, and Diu were incorporated into India in 1961. When Goa attained statehood in 1987, Daman and Diu became a separate union territory.
Union territories are governed either partially or entirely by the union government of India. In January 2020, Daman and Diu were merged with Dadra and Nagar Haveli to form the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
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What is the historical background of Daman and Diu?
Daman and Diu's history spans from Mauryan times (4th–2nd century BCE) under various local and regional Indian powers. In the 13th century, Daman was part of the Ramnagar state, becoming a Gujarat Sultanate tributary, while several Kathiawar dynasties ruled Diu until the early 15th century when it fell to the Sultan of Gujarat.
The Portuguese acquired Daman and Diu to control Indian Ocean trade, constructing a fort in Diu by 1535 and conquering Daman in 1559. Both became part of the Portuguese overseas province, Estado da Índia, subject to Goa's governor-general. Daman and Diu remained Portuguese outposts until India annexed them in 1961. In 1987, Daman and Diu became a separate union territory. In 2020, it merged with Dadra and Nagar Haveli to form a single union territory.
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Which languages and cultures are common in Daman and Diu?
The population of the territory of Daman and Diu is mainly Hindu, with small Muslim and Christian minorities. Gujarati serves as the primary language in both districts. A small percentage of the population consists of Scheduled Tribes, with the Dubla, Dhodia, and Varli communities being the largest groups.
Agriculture and fishing are the main economic activities. In 1535, the Portuguese built a fort in Diu through a treaty with Sultan Bahādur Shah of Gujarat, and in 1559, they conquered Daman. Both territories remained under Portuguese rule as part of the Estado da Índia until 1961, later becoming part of India.
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What happened to Daman and Diu after 2020?
In January 2020, the union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli were merged into a single union territory named Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Daman is the capital of the new union territory. Before the merger, Daman and Diu was a separate union territory comprising two districts on India's western coast. Both Daman and Diu have a history of Portuguese rule until India's independence.
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Daman and Diu, former union territory of India, which comprised two widely separated districts on the country’s western coast. Daman is an enclave on the state of Gujarat’s southern coast, situated 100 miles (160 km) north of Mumbai (Bombay). Diu encompasses an island off the southern coast of Gujarat’s Kathiawar Peninsula, 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Veraval, as well as a small area on the mainland. The town of Daman, in the Daman district, was the capital of the territory. In January 2020 the two districts joined Dadra and Nagar Haveli to become Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu union territory. Area 43 square miles (112 square km). Pop. (2011) 242,911.
Geography
Daman lies on an alluvial coastal plain, although outcrops of basalt create low plateaus and promontories in the area. The Daman Ganga River flows through the territory, with Daman town situated where the river enters the Arabian Sea. Mean daily maximum temperatures range from the mid-80s F (near 30 °C) in January to the low 90s F (about 34 °C) in May. Annual rainfall, received mainly between June and September, averages about 80 inches (2,000 mm). The greater part of Diu is covered by sand, silt, and marsh; the island portion of the district is separated from the Kathiawar Peninsula by a narrow, swampy creek. Temperatures in Diu are similar to those in Daman, though rainfall is significantly less, averaging less than 25 inches (600 mm) annually.
The people of Daman and Diu are predominantly Hindu, with small Muslim and Christian minorities. Gujarati is the main language in both districts. Less than one-tenth of the territory’s population consists of Scheduled Tribes (indigenous minority peoples who are not embraced by India’s caste hierarchy). Of these communities the Dubla, Dhodia, and Varli are the largest groups.
Agriculture and fishing dominate the economies of Daman and Diu. Rice, ragi (also called finger millet), pulses (legumes), and beans are among the main crops of Daman. In Diu, crops such as bajra (pearl millet) and wheat flourish in the arid climate; a smaller portion of land is cultivated in Diu than in Daman, however. Much of the industrial growth of the territory has been promoted through the efforts of the government of the neighbouring state of Goa. The largest towns of the territory—Diu and Daman—are commercial centres.
Daman district and Diu district are governed locally by district pancayats, whose members are directly elected. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu union territory is headed by an administrator, who is appointed by the central Indian government.
History
The name Daman is probably derived from the Daman Ganga River, while Diu is from the Sanskrit word dvipa, meaning “island.” From Mauryan times (4th–2nd century bce), both were subject to various local and regional powers ruling in western India. In the 13th century Daman formed part of the Ramnagar state, which then became a tributary of the Gujarat sultans. Similarly, numerous dynasties in Kathiawar (Saurashtra) ruled Diu until it fell to the sultan of Gujarat in the early 15th century.
The Portuguese acquired Daman and Diu as part of their grand design to control the trade of the Indian Ocean. In 1535, under a treaty with Sultan Bahādur Shah of Gujarat, the Portuguese built a fort at Diu, an important port on the flourishing commercial and pilgrimage routes between India and the Middle East. By the mid-1550s all Gujarati ships entering and leaving the Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay) ports were required to call at Diu to pay Portuguese duties. In Diu the Portuguese constructed a Jesuit college, which was converted into the majestic Cathedral of Sé Matriz about the turn of the 17th century; the cathedral remains a landmark today.
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Renowned for its docks and shipbuilding yards, Daman (known in Portuguese as Damão) was conquered by the Portuguese in 1559. Both Daman and Diu were subject to the governor-general of Goa as part of the Portuguese overseas province Estado da Índia (State of India). They remained under Portuguese rule for more than four centuries, though the decline of the Portuguese empire in Asia greatly diminished their strategic significance. Daman and Diu survived as outposts of Portuguese overseas territory until 1961, when they became part of India along with Goa. When Goa attained statehood in 1987, Daman and Diu became a separate union territory, and in 2020 that union territory was combined with Dadra and Nagar Haveli union territory.