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Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu

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Union Territory · Capital: Daman

Key facts
TypeUnion Territory
CapitalDaman
Formed26 January 2020 (two Union Territories merged); liberated from Portuguese rule in 1954 (Dadra and Nagar Haveli) and 1961 (Daman and Diu)
Official languagesHindi, English, Gujarati (Marathi is widely spoken)
Population (Census 2011)5,86,956
Andaman and Nicobar IslandsAndhra PradeshArunachal PradeshAssamBiharChandigarhChhattisgarhDadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and DiuDelhiGoaGujaratHaryanaHimachal PradeshJammu and KashmirJharkhandKarnatakaKeralaLadakhLakshadweepMadhya PradeshMaharashtraManipurMeghalayaMizoramNagalandOdishaPuducherryPunjabRajasthanSikkimTamil NaduTelanganaTripuraUttar PradeshUttarakhandWest Bengal

Known for

  • A Union Territory formed on 26 January 2020 by merging Dadra and Nagar Haveli with Daman and Diu
  • Portuguese-era forts and churches of Daman and Diu
  • Beaches such as Ghoghla in Diu, a Blue Flag beach, and Devka and Jampore in Daman
  • Industrial units in Silvassa, Dadra and Daman making textiles, yarn, plastics, chemicals and medicines
  • Forests and tribal culture of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, home to the Warli, Kokna and Dhodia communities
  • Fishing harbours and seafood of the Daman and Diu coast

Main sources of income

Industry employs many workers who come from other States, while farming and forest work remain the main livelihood in the tribal villages of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

  • Manufacturing: A large number of factories in Silvassa, Dadra, Naroli and Daman, drawn by earlier tax incentives and nearness to Mumbai and Gujarat, making synthetic yarn, textiles, plastics, packaging, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and engineering goods
  • Tourism and hospitality: Beaches, forts and churches of Daman and Diu, and the lakes, gardens and forests around Silvassa, visited mostly by tourists from Gujarat and Maharashtra
  • Fisheries: Marine fishing from Diu and Daman by fishing communities, with fresh and dried fish sold to Gujarat and Maharashtra
  • Agriculture and forests: Paddy, finger millet (nagli), pulses and vegetables grown by tribal farmers in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and forest produce
  • Trade and services: Shops, transport, real estate and government services in the towns of Silvassa, Daman and Diu

Top 5 specialities

  1. Textiles and synthetic yarn: Silvassa and its industrial estates are a centre of polyester and other yarn spinning, weaving and texturising, sold to textile makers across India
  2. Plastics, packaging and pharmaceuticals: Factories in Daman and Dadra and Nagar Haveli make plastic goods, packaging film and medicines that are sold across the country
  3. Fresh and dried fish: Pomfret, Bombay duck, prawns and other catch landed at Diu and Daman, sold fresh or sun-dried; fishing is the main livelihood of coastal families
  4. Paddy and nagli farming: Tribal families in Dadra and Nagar Haveli grow rain-fed rice and finger millet on hill slopes for food and for sale in local markets
  5. Bamboo craft and tribal painting: Baskets and household items woven from bamboo, and Warli-style wall paintings, made by tribal artisans and sold at Silvassa and at fairs

Best practices

  • Blue Flag beach management: Ghoghla Beach in Diu was among the first beaches in India to receive the international Blue Flag certification in 2020, for clean water, safety, waste management and environmental education.
  • Solar power in Diu: Diu was among the first places in India to meet its daytime electricity needs from solar energy, through a solar park and rooftop panels on government buildings, reducing dependence on power bought from outside.

Dance & performing arts

  • Tarpa dance of the Warli community
  • Machhi dance

Festivals

  • Liberation Day (2 August)
  • Navratri

Food

  • Coastal seafood
  • Warli millet dishes

Crafts & heritage

  • Warli painting
  • Bamboo craft
  • Diu Fort

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Traditional recipes (13)

  • Daman bombil fry

    Fresh Bombay duck flattened, coated in spiced semolina and fried crisp outside and soft inside, a favourite of Daman’s fishing families.

  • Sukha bombil chutney (dried Bombay duck chutney)

    Sun-dried Bombay duck roasted and pounded with onion, garlic and chilli into a dry, punchy chutney eaten with rice or bhakri.

  • Daman fish curry

    A thin, tangy home-style fish curry with onion, tomato, red chilli and kokum or tamarind, eaten with rice in the fishing villages of Daman.

  • Daman prawn masala

    Prawns cooked in a thick, spicy onion-tomato masala with garlic and chilli, a popular seafood dish in Daman’s homes and eateries.

  • Daman crab masala

    Mud crabs cooked in a rich, spicy masala of onion, roasted coconut and red chilli, made for special meals on the Daman coast.

  • Diu pomfret masala fry

    Whole pomfret scored and coated with a red masala of chilli, garlic and lemon, then pan-fried, a seafood favourite of Diu.

  • Diu dried fish curry

    Sun-dried fish or small dried prawns simmered with onion, tomato, garlic and chilli, a strong-flavoured curry of the Diu fishing households.

  • Nagli bhakri (finger millet flatbread)

    A thick, hand-patted flatbread of finger millet flour baked on a clay or iron griddle, a daily food of the tribal villages of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

  • Rice bhakri

    Soft rice-flour flatbread made with hot water and patted by hand, eaten with fish curry, vegetables or chutney in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and the Daman coast.

  • Nagli ambil (finger millet drink)

    A thin, cooling porridge of finger millet flour cooked in water and mixed with buttermilk, drunk in the fields in summer.

  • Bamboo shoot bhaji

    Tender bamboo shoots gathered from the forest in the monsoon, boiled and stir-fried with onion, chilli and spices, a seasonal tribal dish.

  • Takla bhaji (sickle senna leaves)

    Young leaves of takla, a wild plant that springs up with the first rains, cooked with onion, garlic and grated coconut.

See all 13

Traditional dances (3)

  • Tarpa dance

    A circle dance of the tribal communities of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, in which men and women follow the player of the tarpa, a long wind instrument made from a dried gourd.

  • Tur and thali dance

    A tribal group dance of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, danced to the beat of the tur, a drum, and the ringing of a brass thali (plate).

  • Portuguese-influenced folk dances of Daman and Diu

    Couple and group dances of the Christian and Luso-Indian families of Daman and Diu, set to violin, guitar and songs that show four centuries of Portuguese influence.

Famous places (6)

  • Diu Fort

    A massive sixteenth-century Portuguese fort at the eastern tip of Diu island, surrounded by the sea on three sides and a rock-cut moat on the fourth.

  • Naida Caves

    A maze of rock tunnels and chambers just outside the Diu town wall, with shafts of sunlight falling through openings in the roof.

  • St Paul’s Church, Diu

    A Portuguese church with an ornate white façade and carved woodwork, still in use, standing near the old churches of Diu town.

  • Moti Daman Fort

    A large Portuguese walled town on the south bank of the Damanganga river, with churches, old houses and government offices inside its walls.

  • Ghoghla Beach

    The longest beach of Diu, on the mainland side of the creek, with clean sands and calm water; it holds the international Blue Flag certification.

  • Dudhni Lake

    A large reservoir on the Damanganga river set among forested hills in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, known for boating and tribal villages around it.

Sources