Virar
Virar | |
|---|---|
City | |
UTC+5:30 (IST) | |
| PIN | Virar (West) - 401303, Virar (East) - 401305 |
| Telephone code | 91250 |
| Vehicle registration | MH- 48 |
| Website | www |
Virar (Pronunciation:
Virar railway station is one of the prominent[1] railway stations on the Western Line of Mumbai Suburban Railway due to being the station on the line with high frequency of local-train transit for both ends, Palghar (Dahanu) as well as Churchgate (South Mumbai).
Virar City is governed by Municipal Corporation and is situated in Maharashtra State, India. Virar is connected by roads to Mumbai- Ahmedabad Express Highway at Virar Phata(An exit node of highway towards Virar). Virar is famous for Jivdani Temple (Virar East) and Arnala Fort and Arnala Beach in the west in the northern coastal area of konkan region.
As per provisional reports if
Geography
Virar lies on the western coast of Maharashtra, to the north of Mumbai and experiences warm, humid climate throughout the year.
The average annual temperature in the city hovers around 26.5 to 27.0 °C (79.7 to 80.6 °F). July is the wettest month while January is the driest.[2]
The closest airports to Vasai-Virar are
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) 37.15 km (23.08 mi)
- Pune Airport (PNQ) 148.81 km (92.47 mi)
- Surat Airport (STV) 188.29 km (117.00 mi)
History and culture
 |
The name Virar, as some believe, comes from the
Local legend describes this site as the final destination of the Shurparaka Yatra.
A massive Kund dedicated to Goddess Ekvira stands in this city even today under the banner of Ekvira Theerth or Virar Theerth, west of which stone carvings about 3 feet long and 9 inch broad in size can be found. Female figurines of Yoginis of Ekvira devi can be found in the same vicinity alongside roughly cut stone statues of cow and calf, an identifier of the Govardhan Math which symbolises Moksha and footprints of a cow carved in stone.
Historically, Virar has been home to Agri (caste) Samaj primarily involved in fishing, salt-making and rice farming. Large number of Koli people are inhabitants of the region as well.
Virar and several other nearby regions including the coveted
To celebrate his victory and to fulfil a vow taken in front of Devi Vajreshwari, Chimaji Appa had a temple built for the goddess nearby. The Vajreshwari Temple still stands there as a relic of Maratha glory.
Demographics
According to the 2011 India census,
Over a period of time Virar has become a cosmopolitan suburb with approximately 50% population being Marathi speaking and the rest a mix of other communities, mainly the Gujaratis and the Catholics. 70% of the population is below 30 years. The slow and gradual adoption of the cosmopolitan nature of the city is the result of migration from the Mumbai mainland to this part due to ever increasing cost of the real estate property.
Among minority languages, Gujarati is spoken by 28.30% of the population and Hindi by 15.31%. The local Communities like Kupari, Vadwals, Bhandhari, Panmali, Aagri have their local dialects of Konkani which are widely spoken in these communities. [4]
Education
The city's public school system is managed by the education ministry of the Government of Maharashtra. Hence the syllabus is under the state pattern devised by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education. There are also other private schools that offer syllabi under Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) guidelines besides the state pattern. The late Shri Vishnu Waman Thakur Charitable trust (VIVA College) and the Agashi-Virar-Arnala Education Society are the two most prominent bodies which have opened many institutes offering education ranging from kindergarten to PhD degrees in Virar. One can get graduate and post graduate degrees in Arts, Commerce, Science, Management studies and Technology through these institutes. [citation needed]
Tourism and places of attraction
Despite being in close proximity to the ever busy lifestyle of Mumbai, Virar manages to be a well known tourist place for many reasons.
Jivdani Temple
This temple of
Vajreshwari temple
Gaskopari village
The Gaskopari is a beautiful old village in virar east. then backside of this village has small mountain . and on the top of the mountain there is vaishanavdevi old temple. we can see the whole virar east view from top of the mountain also see the khadi, railway tracks clearly and also see the jivdani devi mountain straight. and in rainy season the mountain looks beautiful. few peoples know about this temple and mountain.
Baronda Devi Mandir
Baronda devi Temple is located near Papad Khind Dam, atop hill in Virar East.
Uttamrao Patil Udhyan is botanical garden in the papad Khind area of Virar. Spread over an area of 4 acres near the Shiv mandir of Papad Khind it is built with the help of Maharashtra Van Vibhag(Maharashtra Forest Department). It has a collection of various trees and types of flowers with information displayed on the boards. Also a nursery is set up in the udhyan for growing rare plants. Major attractions in the garden include the Panchavati baug, the Navgraha baug and the Aromatic Baug within the garden to name a few.
Holy Spirit Church Nandakhal
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The Holy Spirit Church (built in circa 1573 AD) is located in Nandakhal, a village and parish in Virar west. The church is 450(as of 2023) years old and was built by the Portuguese after their arrival to the Vasai region. The church has one of the largest Samvedi Christians(Kupari) population in Vasai. It is also the Mother church of 7 other child churches separated for the convenience of parishioners (namely Umrale, Nanbhat, Bolinj, Rajodi, Vatar, Virar(W) & Virar(E) churches of North Vasai).The old structure has undergone several repairs and constructions over the years and Church also has 2 Catholic schools in its vicinity namely St. Joseph English school & Carmel Convent High School.
St. Peters Church
This church was erected in the early part of the 20th century and was one of the first under the
St. James Church
The St. James church located at Agashi on the road connecting Virar and Arnala, was first built in 1568. Portuguese were the best known seafarers among the European clans who built homes near the sea wherever they went. 'Agasi', the then small port village was one such place. Owing to its nearness to the sea and availability of wood from the jungles, which the Portuguese needed for boat building and constructions, Agashi soon became a permanent settlement for the Portuguese. The St. James Church that came into being during this early period was built using stones and bricks hence it withheld during the Muslim attacks of 1594. But during the raids of Marathas of 1739 it was mostly destroyed. The Marathas however permitted the priests to carry on religious ceremonies in the region and the church was rebuilt by 1760. In the year 1900 the church was renovated.[5]
Jain Temple
For
Beach and resorts
The Arnala beach and Rajodi beach is situated just a few km west of the railway station. some others are Navapur beach and Vatar beach, just a few minutes away from Rajodi beach. most of these beaches are secluded and serene. These are a favourite spot for the teenagers and elderly alike. There are regular State transport buses and autos that carry the tourists to the beaches from the railway station. There are many resorts such as the Visava Resort, Kshitij water park and Resort, Arnala Beach Resort, Anand Resort, Mamta Resort, Patil Resort, Yesh Resort, the Green Paradise resort, Swagat resort, etc. With resort there is also one famous cake shop in Virar which is Kekmart that have come up recently owing to the increase in a number of people coming from the main city land. The major occupation of farmers near Arnala beach is floriculture and they cultivate a wide variety of flowers. They also cultivate rice and various vegetables.
Amusement parks
Note: Yazoo Park is currently closed. Yazoo Park, developed by Rustomjee and Evershine developers , spread over 12 acres, was started in 2011. Yazoo park is the center point of attraction with so many international level rides & games. people of the Virar and nearby areas from Borivali to Dahanu visit Yazoo park with family and kids. It is located at Global City, near Narangi Phata level crossing about 10 minutes from Virar Railway Station. It boasts of entertainment such as Toy Trains, Giant Wheel, Merry-Go-Round, Free Fall, Game Zone, Bump'em Cars, Floating Restaurant, etc.
The Great Escape water park located near the
Sports
Virar is the closest and the best place near Mumbai for paragliding training. Being a coastal area the winds at Virar are laminar, predictable and ideal for aviation sports. Early morning and evening winds are suitable for beginners and mid and early afternoon conditions are perfect for advance flyers. Black Beauty hill, Twin Rock hill, Jivdani hill, Tungareshwar, Kaner hills are a few locations for hill flying.
Vasai-Virar Kala Krida Mahotsav is an annual sports event for the sportsperson of Virar and the neighbouring localities. The event has been a great success for the last 17 years, with participation coming from regional schools, colleges and grampanchayats. Other games like Karate and Kho kho have created state level players. Every year this event is conducted at the year end precisely from 26 Dec to the new years night at the Chimajiappa Playground and the New English School, Vasai.
Heritage sites
- Arnala Fort is located on a small island off the Arnala port. Since the fort is built on an island and surrounded on all sides by water it is also known as "Jaldurg" or "Janjire Arnala". The Portuguese called the island "Ilha das vacas" which means 'Island of the cows' in Portuguese. Before the Portuguese control of the island, the island was controlled by the Muslim rulers of Gujarat. The island is near the mouth of Vaitarna river and the Portuguese used it to observe and control shipping and navigation along the western coast. The Portuguese captain of Basseindonated the island to a Portuguese nobleman. The nobleman tore down the old fort and began construction of 700-foot by 700-foot fort. The fort was never completed by the nobleman but remained under Portuguese control.
- Vasai fort (Bassein fort) is also located nearby. The Portuguese established a fort in Bassein, present day Vasai, on the mainland just north of the Bombay Baji Rao Peshwa, and fell in 1739 after a three-year-long campaign. The remains of the fort can be reached by bus or taxi from the Vasai railway station. The ramparts overlook Vasai creek and are almost complete, though overgrown. Several watch-towers still stand, with safe staircases leading up.
Bollywood connection
Govinda, a leading Bollywood superstar of current period, voted as the tenth greatest star of stage or screen of the last thousand years by BBC News Online users[8] and also an ex Member of Parliament used to stay in Virar in his school days. He passed out from Annasaheb Vartak Smarak Vidyamandir in Virar East.
Military Tank in Virar
The military tank in Virar is placed at VIVA College. The tank is from the Kargil War. The tank was retired in October 2013. It has been in Virar since 15 August 2018. [citation needed]
VVMC Mayors Marathon
Every year the Vasai Virar Mayors Marathon is held which sees stars from across the country criss-crossing the entire Vasai-Virar suburb on the race day and is also a source of great attraction as well as enthusiasm for the people of Virar. The 2014 version of the marathon was held on December 21 and saw Cricket Legend Sachin Tendulkar as well as Anju Bobby George as the Chief Guest.
St. Mother Teresa Church
Virar is home to the only church dedicated to St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta in the state of Maharashtra. The church was blessed by Bishop Thomas Dabre (The first bishop of Vasai) in 2007. The church is located near the Platform No.1 of the Western Railway station of Virar. They have a vibrant Charismatic Prayer Service every Thursday evening; with special healing and deliverance prayers on the 4th Thursdays of every month.
Infrastructure
The growth of Virar is yet to be seen in full as the quadrupling of the railway line between Borivali and Virar has just taken place in 2007. The railways are still pleading the lack of sufficient number of rakes to take full advantage of the quadrupling.
The global city developed by rustomjee and evershine builders is a big township spread over an area of more than 200 acers leading to significant development and new settlements.
The city has seen a lot of development in the past 5 years. The Municipal Council was upgraded to
The Virar East skywalk is uniquely built as it goes right over the Totale lake, situated in the backdrop of the huge VVMC corporation building. A viewing tourist gallery is built in the middle of the 285 m long skywalk.
Virar-Alibaug Corridor Project is a project undertaken by the MMRDA. The Rs 10,000-crore project is expected to provide seamless connectivity by the metro as well as by road from
Governance
Virar falls under the jurisdiction of the newly created
References
- ^ "Western Railways - Mumbai Suburban Locals".
- ^ "Vasai-Virar climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Vasai-Virar weather averages - Climate-Data.org". en.climate-data.org. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
- ^ "Web Data".
- ^ "51st Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. 15 July 2015. p. 151. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- ^ "The East-Indians of Agashi". east-indians.net. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ "Agashi Temple – Virar - Jain Temple at Agashi Virar". Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ^ "Great Escape at Virar – Mumbai - Great Water Park". Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ^ "Bollywood star tops the poll". BBC News. 1 July 1999. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
- ^ Swapnil Rawal (17 December 2007). "After Bandra, MMRDA plans skywalk at Virar". Express India. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ^ Ninad Siddhaye (10 April 2010). "MMRDA claims record footfalls on six skywalks". India Info. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ^ Ninad Siddhaye (6 October 2010). "Virar-Alibaug corridor to be aligned by December". DNA. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ^ Sudhaanshu Atalye (23 October 2009). "It's Thakur junior in Nalasopara now". DNA. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
- ^ Sandhya Nair (17 May 2009). "Virar muscle wins tribal seat". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
