Surat: Difference between revisions

Surat (Gujarati: સુરત) is second largest city in the state of Gujarat, India and the administrative headquarters of Surat District. As of 2009, Surat and its metropolitan area had a population of approximately 6.5 million. The Surat Metropolitan Region is the 8^th largest in India and 65^st largest in World. The city proper is 8th most populous city in India. The city has thus been classified as an A status city joining the list of other A status cities such as Pune, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Nagpur.

The city is situated on the left bank of the Tapti River, 14 miles from its mouth. A moat divides the older parts of the city, with its narrow streets and handsome houses, and the newer suburbs. The city is largely recognized for its Textile and Diamond businesses. It is also known as the diamond capital of the world and the Textile capital of India. Ninety-two percent of the world's diamonds are cut and polished in Surat. Surat is also considered a relatively clean city in India. Surat was once largest city in India with a population of 8,00,000 in 1689 AD. It has the highest GDP growth rates in India at 11.5% as of 2008. Surat was the primary port of India during the Mughal period, a distinction it lost to Bombay during the British Raj. ^[1]

Surat is mentioned in the Sanskrit epic, the Mahābhārata when Lord Krishna stopped there en route from Mathura to Dwarka.According to other later Sanskrit records, the area was ruled by the Western Chālukyas in 610 CE, and continued to be ruled by Hindu kings until one of Quṭbuddīn Aibak's generals captured it. The Parsis started to settle there in the 12th century, and added greatly to its prosperity. Local traditions state that the city was founded in the last years of the fifteenth century by a Brahman called Gopi, who called it Suryapūr, or 'City of the Sun'. In 1512 and 1530 it was burned by the Portuguese. In 1513 the Portuguese traveller, Duarte Barbosa, described Surat as an important seaport, frequented by many ships from Malabar and various parts of the world. By 1520 the name of the city was Surat. ^[2]

Surat eclipsed Khambhat as the major port of western India, when Khambhat's harbour began to silt up by the end of fifteenth century. During the reigns of the Mughal emperors Akbar, Jahāngīr and Shāh Jahān, Surat rose to become the chief commercial city of India and an imperial mint was established there. As the major port on the west coast of India, Surat also served as the port for the Hajj to Mecca. At the end of the 16th century, the Portuguese were undisputed masters of the Surat sea trade.There still is a picturesque fortress on the banks of the river built in 1540.

In 1608, ships from the British East India Company started docking in Surat, using it as a trade and transit point. In 1613, the British Captain Best, followed by Captain Downton, overcame Portuguese naval supremacy and obtained an imperial firman establishing a British factory at Surat following the Battle of Swally. The city was made the seat of a presidency under the British East India Company after the success of the embassy of Sir Thomas Roe to the court of emperor Jehangir. The Dutch also founded a factory.

At its zenith, Surat was popularly viewed as the city of Kubera, the God of Wealth. In 1664 the Maratha leader Shivaji sacked and looted the city(see- Battle of Surat). When Shivaji arrived in Surat, he demanded tribute from the Mughal commander of the army stationed for port security. The tribute was refused and instead of battling the Marathas, the Mughal commander(hiding himself in the Surat fort) sent an emissary to assassinate Shivaji, but in vain. Shivaji conquered the city and forces under his command exacted their revenge. Shivaji's army sacked Surat for nearly 3 weeks, looting both the Mughal and Portuguese trading centers. Hoewever, no men or women were molested or taken as slaves as was the Maratha practise. The poor were spared.

The prosperity of Surat received a fatal blow when Bombay was ceded to the British as part of the dowry for Catherine of Braganza's wedding to Charles II in 1662. Shortly afterwards, in 1668, the British East India company established a factory in Bombay (Mumbai) and Surat began its relative decline concurrent with the rise of British interests in Bombay.

Surat was sacked again by Shivaji in 1670. By 1689, the British East India Company had moved the presidency to Bombay. At its height, Surat's population reached an estimated 800,000, but by the middle of the 19th century the number had fallen to 80,000. The British took control of Surat again in 1759, and assumed all government powers of the city in 1800.

The city and the surrounding district remained comparatively tranquil during British rule. Even during the Revolt of 1857 (also known as the first struggle for India's independence), peace was not disturbed, owing to the largely mercantile interests of the local population.In the 19th century the Bawamia family was the wealthiest and most powerful family in the city of Surat, they were also heavily involved in the development of the city by focusing on maximizing exports to increase revenue and hence increase savings which led to investment in the diamond industry.

A fire and a flood in 1837 destroyed many of buildings of Surat. Among the interesting monuments that survive that destruction are the tombs of English and Dutch merchants and their families, dating to the 17th century, including those of the Oxenden brothers.

By the early 20th century, the population had slowly climbed to 119,306 and Surat was a center of trade and manufacturing, although some of its former industries, such as shipbuilding, were extinct. There were cotton mills, factories for ginning and pressing cotton, rice-cleaning mills and paper mills. Fine cotton goods were woven on hand-looms, and there were special manufactures of silk brocade and gold embroidery (known as Jari). The chief trades were organized in guilds. Manufacturing and trading brought an eclectic mix of ethnicity to the city, making Surat's culture unique.

In 1992, violent riots took place between Hindus and Muslims, the first and worst of their kind in the modern history of Surat. In 1994, a combination of heavy rains and blocked drains led to flooding of the city. A number of dead street animals and public waste were not removed in time and a plague epidemic spread through the city, which caused a number of countries to impose travel and trade sanctions. The municipal commissioner during that time, S. R. Rao and the people of Surat worked hard in the late 1990s to clean the city up, after which it was recognized in many circles as the 'second-cleanest city in India'.

Surat is a port city situated on the banks of the Tapti river (damming of the Tapti caused the original port facilities to close, the nearest port is now in the Hazira area of Surat). The city is located at 21°10′N 72°50′E / 21.17°N 72.83°E / 21.17; 72.83.^[3] It has an average elevation of 13 meters. The Surat district is surrounded by Bharuch, Narmada (North), Navsari and Dang (South) districts. To the west is the Gulf of Cambay. The climate is tropical and monsoon rainfall is abundant (about 2,500 mm a year).

Surat has grown in area since the early 1700s. The oldest part of the city developed in the area between the train station and the area known as Athwalines. Since the 1970s most of the new development including the most desirable location for the city's burgeoning middle and upper class is the area between Athwalines and the coast at Dumas.

Surat's city area has many unique neighborhoods and associated names:

• Muglisara (Where an old Mughal Caravan Sarai still exists and serves as headquarters for SMC)
• Bhagal (An open air vegetable market operates here)
• Rander (Formerly an independent town now incorporated into Surat.)
• Jehangirpura (Home to an ISKCON temple)
• Mahidarpura (Nearby Delhigate)
• Gopipura (Named after Gopi, the Brahman who founded the city.)
• Katargam (Close to Varachha.Katargam is an ancient town famous as Diamond hub'.)
• Sayadpura (Named after a Sufi saint,Sayyid who was buried there.)
• Shahpore (Home to many Parsi institutions including the Parsi Panchayat School and the Sir J. J. School)
• Nanpura (Surat district's headquarters)
• Athwalines (More modern and developed place. Also known as 'New Surat')
• City Light (Also known as the Navi Mumbai of Surat due to its perfect town planning and high rise buildings.A Science City is under construction here.)
• Ghoddod Road (One of the best roads in New Surat.)
• Amli Ran (Birthplace of the Author and Poet Narmadashankar Dave)
• Tower Road (Site of the famous Clock Tower)
• Sagrampura (So named because horse carriages (sagram gāḍī) owners lived there)
• Chowk (The central crossroad between the oldest part of the city and newer areas)
• Mota Mandir (Old market area)
• Varacha : (The reason why Surat attained world renown. Many of the world-class Diamond Companies are established in this area. Almost all the people involved in the diamond industry live and work here.)

Surat has a tropical monsoon climate, moderated strongly by the Arabian Sea. The summer begins in early March and lasts till June. April and May are the hottest months, the average temperature being 30 °C. Monsoon begins in late June and the city receives about 800 mm of rain by the end of September, with the average temperature being around 28 °C during those months. October and November see the retreat of the monsoon and a return of high temperatures till late November. Winter starts in December and ends in late February, with average temperatures of around 22 °C, and little rain.

Very often heavy monsoon rain brings floods in the Tapi basin area. In last two decades, the city has witnessed major floods every four years, the worst being the flood of August 2006, perhaps the costliest in the city's history. In the second week of August 2006, a massive flood caused severe damage to the city of Surat. According to a report released by Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad (IIM-A), massive flood after release of water from Ukai Dam had caused major human tragedy and property damage estimated at Rs 22,000 cr on that day. In less than three days, at least 150 people died directly due to flood and many other due to water-borne diseases that followed. More than 1500 animal carcasses were later hauled out of the mud.^[4]

Surat is economic capital of Gujarat and also one of the economic hub of India.Surat is famous for its diamond industry and textile industry, along with silk and chemicals. It is at the heart of India's thriving diamond-polishing industry, which in 2005 cut 92% of the world's diamond pieces and earned India $15 billion in exports. Gujarati diamond cutters emigrating from East Africa established the industry in 1901 and by the 1970s Surat-based diamond cutters began exporting stones to the US for the first time. Though much of the polishing work takes place on small weight stones, Surat's workshops have set their eyes on the lucrative market for finishing larger, pricier stones in the future. It is a major production centre for synthetic textiles in India.

The November 18, 2008 issue of the Wall Street Journal had an article about the diamond industry in Surat. It claims that 80% of the world's finished diamonds are cut and polished in this city. However the wages of the industry's workers remained flat for years and 250,000 workers, or one-third of the city's diamond industry workforce, has left between 2005–2008, leaving about 500,000. Only after a July 2008 strike did the workers obtain a 20% salary raise, their first in a decade.

Surti households have been declared the most prosperous in the country by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) and Future Capital Research's Roopa Purushothaman in their latest study. The average annual household income (AHI) in the diamond city is Rs 4.57 lakh - the highest in the country.^[5] The study says that Surat's AHI is almost equal to China's per capita income of 2007 and double the national per capita income. Even its GDP growth of 11.5 per cent for the many consecutive years is the fastest in the country. ^[6] Recently Surat's Diamond and Textile industry faced the recession due to slowdown in US economy but the picture has changed and today Surat is the only city in world not facing recession. The textile industry is boosted than past times and Diamond industry is also in better condition than previous times. The oldest business of Surat JARI has made Surat the world Embroidary capital. There are approximately 80,000 Embroidary units in Surat which makes Surat the embroidary capital too.

Surat also has many large industrial units such as Reliance petrochemical plant, Essar's 10 million tonne steel plant, KRIBHCO fertilizer plant, L&T Engineering unit, gas processing plant of ONGC, NTPC gas power plant. All at Hazira and ABG Shipyard (Shipbuilding Yard) and Ambuja Cement (grinding Unit)at magdalla port where as Torrent mega power plant and GIPCL are located at Kamrej

The Surat Mahanagar Sewa Sadan, earlier known as Surat Municipality is responsible for the city's civic infrastructure as well as carrying out associated administrative duties. BJP is at present having majority and is the ruling party. Surat Mahanagar Sewa Sadan is the wealthiest municipal corporation in India which really works hard for Surat and its citizen providing necessary amenities. The Surat city also has maximum numbers of FLY-OVERS in India which also makes it as fly-over capital of India.

Surat's infrastructure is improving rapidly. The city has recently seen the completion of a large number of road projects, particularly elevated roads, or flyovers, in the diamond and textile zones of the city. This has significantly cut down the commuting time for many people traveling to the diamond and textile districts. One of the very few "Multi-Layer Flyovers" in India is now in Surat over Majura Gate. The Varachcha Flyover of Surat is India's longest flyover under city municipal limits in the four lane category.

The Golden Quadrilateral highway system passes through Surat. The city is connected to the National Highway 8 through a 16 km connector highway. National highway 6, also known as Surat - Kolkata Highway, starts from Hazira and passes through surat city and connects the city to Dhule, Nagpur, Raipur, Sambalpur, Kharagpur and Kolkata.

Surat is connected to the national railway system through the Western Railways. It is connected to Mumbai and beyond to south India. There are also links to New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and other cities to the north. The Surat Railway Station is in the eastern-central part of the city near major hotels and business houses. There is also a connection to the Central Railways through Udhana Junction and the Tapti line which connects surat with central India and cities like Jalgaon,Amravati. There are numerous daily trains that travel to the north, south and east throughout the day. Passenger trains range from local trains that stop at all stations on the way to express trains like the August Kranti Rajdhani Express. In addition, there are goods trains that move the goods produced by the city to the rest of the country and beyond, and bring supplies into the city.

Till May 2006 Surat was the only city in the world with a population of over 4.5 million people without a functioning airport. Construction of Surat Airport was suspended due to technical reasons in 2004. The new airport finally became functional with Surat-Delhi IA flight on 6 May 2007. Currently daily flights are also operated to Ahmedabad and Jaipur. By June 2012,Surat will get International Airport which is under construction at Dumas near Surat.

On 22^nd August 2008, the SMSS bus service was opened by the city Mayor Dr. Kanubhai Mavani. It is considered the best city bus services in India. These buses are CNG-fueled and have an LCD screen in the front giving details about the journey. The conductor uses an electronic machine to print out the tickets. The bus stops are modern and comfortable. The bus service in general is relatively hi-tech and modern.

Surat has successfully started BRTS project and is expected to get BRTS, Bus Rapid Transit System, by 2010.

Surat is expected to get the Metro by 2015 in its 1ST phase Surat will be connected by Navsari which is 40 km. In the 2nd phase Udhana and Hazira will be connected which is 35 km. The project is under construction as TWIN CITY project is passed and signed by the State Government of Gujarat.

Surat has its own port which is used for shipping freight. A plan to connect Surat with Mumbai, Goa, Dubai, Bhavnagar through ferry services is moving forward.

The Surat-Bhavnagar sea highway is under consideration of State Government of Gujarat and will be starting from Hansot in Bharuch and end up in Bhavnagar city. Once the highway will be completed Surat will be directly connected by Saurastra region of Gujarat. The sea highway will be the longest sea highway in World which is estimated to be 70 km long.

Surat-Bhavnagar ferry service is a much awaited service by the citizens. This would help Surat connect with the Saurashtra region of Gujarat state reducing commuting time by at least 6 hours.

The population of Surat according to new city limits is 53,74,429.Males constitute 56% of the population and females 44%. Surat has an average literacy rate of 83%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 70%. In Surat, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. Around 5% of the total population is oriya,over 0.6 million people hail from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Surat also has sizeable Parsee, Jews and Bohra Muslims.

Because of unauthorized residential buildings and shanty towns, which cause difficulties in counting the residents of these areas, combined with the explosive growth in population (mostly through migration), it is generally believed that as of 2009 about 5.4 million people live within the Surat City Corporation.

Surat is known for its Surti cuisine, which includes perennial favorites such as Ghari (a type of mithai), Locho, Undhiyu, Rasaawala Khaman, and Surti Chinese. Surti cuisine is not as sweet as other Gujarati food, and is quite spicy. Roadside kiosks, called "laaris" or "rekdis", are popular. In the cooler winter months, Suratis converge at river Tapi's banks to eat Ponk, a roasted cereal that is available only in this part of the world.

All major Indian festivals are celebrated in Surat. Navratri,Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi are celebrated with great enthusiasm. The kite-flying festival of Utraan which falls on Makar Sankranti — 14 January — is very popular in the city. It is also well known for the celebration of Chandi Padvo which usually occurs around October and is a holiday unique to Surat. This day comes after one of the two biggest full moon days of the Hindu calendar year, "Sharad Purnima". On this day, Surtis buy almost 100 tons of Ghari and other Surti delicacies, then head to the city's seaside beach area, Dumas where they have dinner and a late night snack under the full moonlit sky.

Schools in Surat are either "municipal schools" (run by the SMC) or private schools (run by trusts or individuals), which in some cases receive financial aid from the government. The schools are affiliated either with the Gujarat State Board or the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE). Gujarati or English are the usual languages of instruction. The government-run public schools lack many facilities, but are the only option for poorer residents who cannot afford the more expensive private schools. A majority of residents prefer private schools because of better infrastructure and the use of English as a medium of instruction.

Under the 10+2+3 format, students attend primary and secondary schooling during the first ten years and then may complete two years of higher secondary education, followed by three years at college for commerce, arts or science degrees. Generally, engineering degree courses take four years, while medicine takes about five and half years or more. Most colleges in the city are affiliated with the Veer Narmad South Gujarat University. Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, one of the NITs, is a premier engineering college, is also located here.

A Parsi Theatre Academy is being opened in the Muglisara area of Surat, by Yezdi Karanjia, who has a long experience in staging Parsi plays. It is hoped that it will generate some interest among schoolgoers, and breath new cultural life into the dwindling community.^[7]

Gujarat Mitra, one of the oldest and most respected dailies of the country, is the most popular daily newspaper of Surat and South Gujarat. Besides Gujarat Mitra, other dailies include Gujarat Samachar, Sandesh, Divyabhaskar and Commodity World. Local editions of these newspapers are published in Gujarati. Loktej was the first Hindi daily published in Surat. Rajasthan Patrika and Savera are now the top Hindi daily newspapers in Surat. The national dailies Indian Express, The Times of India and Mid Day are the most popular English-language newspapers. DNA-Daily News and Analysis is a new addition to the list of English dailies available in Surat.

Since the city has the largest synthetic textile manufacturing center in India, there is an exclusive textile newspaper called Textile Graph. It is published in Surat, since 1994, in Gujarati and Hindi versions. The 'Textile Directory of Surat' (5th. edition) comprising business information of textile traders and industry in and around Surat is also published by Textile Graph.

Most cable service providers have local television channels. Satellite TV DTH services are provided by DISH TV, TATA SKY and BIG TV. Broadband internet connections are also available in the city. Broadband service providers include BSNL, TATA Indicom, Reliance Communication, YOU Broadband. Wi-Fi connectivity is available at many cafes. Currently, Surat has four FM Radio stations - Radio City 91.1, Radio Mirchi 98.3, My FM 94.3, Big FM 92.7 along with the national radio Vividh Bharati.

Surat has many sports facilities, the majority of them are dedicated to cricket. The Lalbhai Contractor Stadium and the Pithawala Cricket stadiums have facilities for hosting cricket matches. In addition, Surat has an indoor stadium, used to host events like badminton and table tennis, with modern facilities and seating capacity for 7000. In August 2006, the 3rd Asian gymnastics championship was held in Surat. There are a few sports clubs which provide many types of indoor and outdoor games, including the Surat Tennis Club, Surat City Gymkhana and Rander Islam Gymkhana (RIG). Recently one of the biggest swimming pools in the city has been opened near Palanpur Patiya area. The Rander area also hosts the Royal Cricket Ground.

The Chintamani Jain Temple — The exquisite wooden carvings and paintings are the major attractions of the temple. The temple actively maintained and visited by the city's Jains is situated in the Shahpor area and dates back to 15 century and houses some extremely rare paintings of the Jain monk Acharya Hemachandra, and of the Solanki King Kumarpal. Any visit to the city would be incomplete without a visit here especially for Jains.

Dutch Garden — The ancient Dutch gardens, the Dutch cemetery and Makaipul, the ancient original port from where the ships sailed to other parts of the world are other attractions.

The Old Fort — The Old Fort was built by Muhammad bin Tughluq in the 1546 to fortify the defence against the Bhils. It is now used for municipal offices.

The Sardar Patel Museum — Established in 1898, and origially called the Winchester Museum;, this museum has a collection of over 10,000 specimens of arts and crafts.

Rangupavan — It is an open air theater with a 18 meters by 10.5 meters stage and a capacity of around 4000 spectators. This is one of the biggest theaters in the country. Rangupavan was recently closed.

Dumas and Suvali — Dumas, 16 km from Surat, and Suvali, 38 km from Surat, are well known health resorts on a creek emptying into the Arabian Sea. Suvali has two wells with water rich in iron and sulphur. Suvali beach is fringed by feathery casurina trees.

Gaurav Path — It's a well planned and well-built major road in south-west of the city. Home of multiplexes, shopping malls, show-rooms, restaurants and much more. This expressway is a part of national highway no 6 within city limits. This expressway connects surat with its airport and magdalla sea port. SVNIT is also located on it as well as the beautiful 'Lake View Garden'. A plan to stretch this expressway to dumas.

Choppati — This is also a very popular place in the city. It has a large garden and provides Indian fastfood like Paav Bhajee and Pani puri.

Saputara is a hill station in the Sahyadri Hills only 150 km from Surat at an altitude of 1000 metres above sea level. It is popular among Surtis as a picnic spot. Lying at an higher altitude Saputara has a cool climate and dense forest.

Vansada National Park — It is situated in the Navsari district and is home to leopards, tigers, panthers,pythons and wild boars. The best time to visit is between October and March.

The Water Fun Park — Situated on Hazira Road 16 km away from Surat City, is popular during summer weekends. It is also called Chab Chaba Chab.

Beaches — There are a number of beaches near Surat. Only 16 km away, Dumas is a popular resort with locals. Suvali is 28 km from the city and Ubhrat is 42 km out, while Tithal is 108 km away and only five km from Valsad on the Mumbai to Vadodara railway line.

Thirty-nine kilometers south of Surat, Navsari has been a headquarters for the Parsi community since the earliest days of their settlement in India. Udvada, only 10 km north of Vapi, the station for Daman, has the oldest Parsi sacred fire in India. It is said that the fire was brought from Persia to Diu, on the opposite coast of the Gulf of Cambay, in AD 700. Sanjan, in the extreme south of the state, is the small port where the Parsis first landed; a pillar marks the spot.

The Dutch Cemetery — Located near Kataragam Gate, this impressive mausoleum is that of Baron Hendrik Adriaan Van Rheede tot Drakenstein, who died in 1691. A massive Dome, beautiful pillars and the huge gallery make it a very outstanding monument. ^[8].

Science City — In City Light. It is being developed by the Surat Municipal Corporation and will be one of the most attractive places in the city in the near future.

Surat ranks 1st in Real Estates in India,Consequently many Residential projects are under construction in Surat. The Ahmedabad-based Bhagwati group has decided to set up a world class hotel-cum-convention centre in Surat. The centre-piece of this facility will be a ballroom without columns spanning 20,000 sq ft. The convention centre would have four banquet halls where special events like exhibitions, fashion shows, product launches and premiers would be held along with wedding and reception parties. It will also have 120 luxurious suites and other club facilities like swimming pools, gymnasium, card room and billiards room. He said the convention centre would be first of its type in the country and would accommodate up to 5,000 guests at a time. A Mumbai-based architect firm has been roped in to design the convention centre.

The very happening Dumas Road, which leads to the Arabian Sea, is the site selected by a San Diego-based NRI to set up a Rs 500-crore project which will have a hotel, a condominium tower and multiplex.

The ambitious project, which is just a reflection of Surat's growing potential to attract investment, has been conceived by Chhatrala Business House (India) Pvt Ltd and will be located on about 20 acres of land identified by the state government and offered to investors during the last Vibrant Gujarat investors' summit.

Surat, at present, has only one 5-star hotel and there is an acute need felt by industries in and around Hazira, apart from the diamond and textile sectors, for quality accommodation in the city.

As per the plan drawn up by the promoters Surat will have the tallest building of Gujarat at 40 storeys, unless the high-rises planned along the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad soar higher into the skies.

The Green City — It is a developing township located near Surat.It contents 25 High-rising buildings and Special features such as Huge Garden etc.

• 
  Tapi River
• Dutch Cemetery
  Dutch Cemetery
• Masjid in Rander (Ek thamb - This build on one pillar only)
  Masjid in Rander (Ek thamb - This build on one pillar only)
• 
  Beautiful Gaurav Path at piplod
• Mahadev Temple
  Mahadev Temple
• Chauta Bazar
  Chauta Bazar
• Textile Market
  Textile Market
• Textile Market Flyover
  Textile Market Flyover
• Athwalines flyover
  Athwalines flyover

• Website of Surat Municipal Corporation
• Sardar Patel Museum
• Website of Surat Airport
• An aquantint panorama of Surat by Alfred Robert Freebairn (1794-1846)[1].
• Surat the real booming city
• Website of Surat Hotel Association

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Template:Metropolitan cities of India

((Surat Metropolitan Region)) ((Udhana)) ((Sachin,Gujarat))

Schools and Colleges in Surat