DIU

DIU

The small ex-Portuguese island of Diu is a perfect escape from modern India. In fac: it is hardly like India at all, more like a displaced Greek island. The clean, cobble_ streets, the pastel houses, the Catholic churches and the old bastioned fort, the colourful fishwives in the elegant market square and the sleepy, relaxed atmostphere—everything about Diu is pleasantly Mediterranean. It makes the perfect base from which to explore south Gujarat, and offers some marvellous beaches.

Diu derives its name from the Sanskrit word ‘Dweep’. Between the 14th and 16th centuries it was a busy and important seaport and naval base, used by merchants all over the world as a trading point with India. When the Portuguese set their heart on it, in the mid-16th century, Diu was under the rule of the Sultans of Oman. Their first offensive, led by Nunho da Cunha (the Portuguese governor), was launched in 1531, but failed. A short time later though, Bahadur Shah (the Sultan of Gujarat) was forced to let the Portuguese build a fortress on the island, in return for their armed help against Humayun, the Mughal emperor. The massive Diu Fort was completed in 1547 and gave the Portuguese the foothold they needed to seize the whole island from the Shah, as well as the opposite coastal village of Ghoghla. For the next 350 years, Diu was administered by a Portuguese governor. Only on 19 December 1961 did it return, along with the other Portuguese pockets of Goa and Daman, to Indian rule, after 450 years of foreign rule.

Now, Diu is a tidy, neat and attractive town. Since liberation, it has gained a number of new schools, roads, bridges and communications which have brought it slowly back into line with modem India. Yet it retains much of its old Portuguese charm, and is never anything less than completely relaxing. As a coastal fishing-town, the first thing you’ll notice here is the powerful reek of fish—perfectly natural, since most of Ghoghla /Diu’s ulation make their living from the sea. They are a happy, colourful and multi-national ple, most of whom speak Gujarati and follow the Hindu faith. They are tuned in to terriers, and you won’t for once feel either odd or conspicuous. The only time you’ll remember you’re in India is at weekends when busloads of Gujaratis from far and wide ome over for a party. Diu is the only place in ‘dry’ Gujarat they can get a drink For comfort, visit during the comparatively cool season of November-February. s still pleasant in March-April, but a bit too warm for most. Avoid coming in ay-June at all costs: a swarm of tourists hit the beaches, and you can forget all about mace and quiet.

Travel Query India

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