Surat (Gujarati: સુરત, also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital of the Indian state of

Gujarat.[2] It is the administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in
India with a population in 2010 nearly the double of that in 2001. The city has been ranked 36th
in the list of world's largest cities. Surat Metropolitan Region is widely regarded as one of the
cleanest Metropolitan Regions in the country with the city proper being the third cleanest city in
India.[3][4]
The city is located 306 km south of state capital Gandhinagar, and is situated on the left bank of
the Tapti River (Tapi), the centre being around 22 km (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.[5] 92% of the world's diamonds are
cut and polished in Surat.[5] It has one of the highest GDP growth rates in India at 11.5% as of
2008.[5] Surat was the primary port of India during the Mughal period, a distinction it lost to
Bombay during the British Raj.[5]

Contents
[hide]
• 1 History
○ 1.1 Old English & Dutch Cemetery
• 2 Geography
• 3 Climate
• 4 Economy
○ 4.1 Diamond polishing
○ 4.2 Textiles
○ 4.3 Real Estate
• 5 Government and politics
• 6 Transportation
○ 6.1 Air
○ 6.2 Rail
○ 6.3 Sea
○ 6.4 Road
• 7 Infrastructure
• 8 Demographics
• 9 Culture and festivals
• 10 Education
• 11 Media
• 12 Sports
• 13 Satellite towns
 • 14 Places of interest
• 15 Photo gallery
• 16 References
• 17 External links

[edit] History
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 it was
captured by one of the generals of Quṭbuddīn Aibak. The Parsis started to settle there in the 12th
century, and added greatly to its prosperity. In the early centuries during the reign of Maratha
King, the port of Surat was used as the gateway to Mecca for pilgrims of the Hajj from India's
interior regions. Both the Makkai Pul and the Mughal Sarai guest house for hajjis (pilgrims) are
indicators of this historical significance.
Local traditions state that the city as we know it today was founded in the last years of the
fifteenth century by a Brahman named Gopi, who called it Suryapūr (City of the Sun). In 1512
and 1530 Surat was burned and ravaged by the Portuguese Empire who were trying to maintain
influence in the area. In 1513, the Portuguese traveler, 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.[6]
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 emperor Akbar, Jahāngīr
and Shāh Jahān, Surat rose to become a 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 1615, 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 King Shivaji attacked Surat, a key Mughal power centre, and a wealthy port town which
generated a million rupees in taxes. 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(Stationed at 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.
The prosperity of Surat received a fatal blow when Surat 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 1687, 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.
[edit] Old English & Dutch Cemetery
The structure of the Old English and Old Dutch cemeteries in Surat is dominated by the largest
monuments of Europeans in all over India. These graves are also some of the oldest tombs which
have survived from the earliest times of British and Dutch activities at Surat.
The English traders settled in Surat in 1608 followed by the Dutch in 1617. French and also
Swedes - even for just a short period - commenced trading-enterprises here. However, it seems
that there are no re-mainders of their burial culture left today. Along with the Dutch also
Armenian traders left a quite big cemetery in Surat. Both nations share the same burial ground
only separated by a wall.
[edit] Geography
Surat the second capital of Gujarat is growing much as its neighboring metro Bombay and by
2020 it is estimated that Surat will be the largest city in Gujarat state and its urbanization will
stretch from Kosamba in north to Billimora in south. 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 Metropolitan Region). The city is located at 21°10′N
72°50′E / 21.17°N 72.83°E / 21.17; 72.83.[7] 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.
[edit] Climate
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.[8]
[edit] Economy

Surat Growth Map

Diamond Market
Surat is known for diamonds, textiles and recently for diamond-studded gold jewellery
manufacturing. Real Estate is a new emerging business in Surat.
[edit] Diamond polishing
Surat is Commercial Capital of Gujarat and also one of the economic hubs of India. Surat is
famous for its diamond industry and textile industry, along with silk and chemicals. It is at the
heart of the world's diamond-polishing industry, which in 2005 cut 95% 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.
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.
[edit] Textiles
Surat is known for producing world-class synthetic textiles.".[9]

Textile Market
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.[10] 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.[11] Recently Surat's diamond
and textile industry faced the recession due to slowdown in US economy but is recovering. JARI,
the oldest business in Surat, and 80000 embroidery units make the city a major center of the
embroidery industry.
Mega Industries
Surat also has many industrial Giants such as KRIBHCO mammoth fertiliser plant, Reliance
petrochemical plant, Essar's 10 million tonne steel plant, L&T's heavy engineering unit, GSEG,
gas processing plant of ONGC, NTPC gas based power plant, shell LNG terminal All these at
Hazira and ABG Shipyard (Shipbuilding Yard) and Ambuja Cement (grinding Unit) at Magdalla
port where as Torrenthas mega power plant and GIPCL has got a huge lignite power plant in
kamrej area.
[edit] Real Estate
Housing sector is the most preferred segment in Surat too like in other parts of the country.
Leading property developers are coming up with all kinds of affordable and luxury homes to
woo buyers from all classes i.e. to cater to the needs of both nationals and NRIs. Though the
industrial sector of the city is quite well established, expansion work is going on in full swing.
Even the retail property sector is developing manifold to meet the recreation needs of its growing
population with number of malls, multiplexes and retail outlets opening up across the city. Surat
real estate is at its best with builders taking keen interest in developing property in the
peripheries of the ‘Silk City'.
[edit] Government and politics
The Surat Municipal Corporation is responsible for the maintaining city's civic infrastructure as
well as carrying out associated administrative duties. At present, BJP is the ruling party with
majority. Surat Municipal Corporation is one of the wealthiest municipal corporation in India.
Surat has the maximum number of flyovers in India.
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Air

Airport
Till May 2006, Surat was the only city in the world with a population of over 4.6 million people
without a functioning airport. The Surat Airport was closed down due to technical reasons in
2001. The new airport finally became functional with Surat-Delhi IA flight on 6 May 2007.
Currently daily flight is operated to Delhi (Except Saturday). By June 2012, Surat will get a full
fledged International Airport which is under construction at Magdalla-Dumas near Surat. The
current plan proposed by Air India is to serve the Jeddah flight from Surat which will decrease
pressure on Ahmedabad Airport in the peak season of Hajj.
Surat Railway Station
[edit] Rail
Surat railway station is under the administrative control of the Western Railway zone of the
Indian Railways. It connects Surat with Bombay, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Indore, Jaipur,
Jabalpur, Satna, Patna, Bhopal and other cities of North India. There is also a connection to the
Central Railway zone through Udhana Railway Junction and the Tapti line which connects Surat
with cities of central India namely Jalgaon, Amravati and Nagpur. Passenger trains range from
local trains that stop at all stations on the way to express trains like the August Kranti Rajdhani
Express and the Mumbai Rajdhani Express. In addition, there are freight trains that move the
goods produced by the city to the rest of the country and beyond, and bring supplies into the city.
Surat Railway Station which was built by the British is one of its kind in India, as the railway
platform is on the first floor of the railway station and the train reaches the platform through an
inclined ramp.
[edit] Sea
Surat has its own port which is used for shipping freight. A plan to connect Surat with Bombay,
Goa, Dubai, Bhavnagar through ferry services is moving forward. The Surat-Bhavnagar ferry
service is much awaited by the citizens. This would help Surat connect with the Saurashtra
region of Gujarat state reducing commuting time by at least 6 hours.
[edit] Road

Surat Athwalines
Due to heavy traffic congestion on major highways passing through Surat city New expressways
are planned and will be completed by 2013. Surat has excellent roads according to Business
Today Magazine.[9] Surat Municipal Corporation tries to improve road infrastructure of the city.
The major highways passing through Surat are the Udhana-Mumbai Highway also known as
Udhana-Navsari Highway, Surat-Ahmedabad Highway also kown as Varachha Main Road,
Surat-Kolkata Highway also known as Dhulia Highway. Due to rapid urbanization and to get rid
of fatal accidents Surat Municipal Corporation and Surat Urban Development Authority has
planned to develop an Outer Ring Road and Middle Ring Road which are under construction to
decongest the traffic from the major Highways passing through city. The city has recently seen
the completion of a large number of road projects, particularly elevated roads, flyovers, in the
diamond and textile zones of the city. Surat is also known as city of flyovers having the highest
number of flyover in India. 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 Eastern expressway also known as Varachha
Flyway is one of India's longest flyover under city municipal limits in the four lane category.[12]
[13]

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, Amravati, Nagpur, Raipur, Sambalpur, Kharagpur and Calcutta. The National
Highway 228, also known as Dandi Heritage highway, starts from Sabarmati in Ahmedabad and
passes through Anand, Kheda, Ankleshwar and passes through Surat city to Navsari and ends up
in Dandi.
Local transport
On 22nd 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. Bus rapid transit system is planned for the
city and the project is expected to be completed by end of 2011.
[edit] Infrastructure
Surat has a computerized water distribution system and while computerized drainage system is
under implementation. It has one of the best water treatment plants in India. Every part of Surat
has drainage and street lights.[9] Several government and private run hospitals are there in Surat
to provide medical assistance to the citizens and the visitors. The authority has stressed on E-
Governance to bring speed in the overall administration works. Numerous top grade schools and
colleges enrich the education scenario of the Surat City.
[edit] Demographics
The population of Surat according to new city limits is 4,706,429.[4] Males constitute 53% of the
population and females 47%. Surat has an average literacy rate of 83%, higher than the national
average of 79.5%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 70%. Gujarati, Sindhi, Hindi,
Marathi, Telugu, and Oriya are the main languages spoken in Surat. Telugu speaking are mostly
hailing from Telangana, because of poverty and misery there. In Surat, 13% of the population is
under 6 years of age. Over 0.6 million people or about 11% hail from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Surat also has sizeable Parsi and Jewish populations.
Because of unauthorized residential buildings and slums, 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 5.0 million people live within the Surat
Municipal Corporation.
[edit] Culture and festivals

Ponk Market
Surat is known for its Surti cuisine, which includes perennial favorites such as "Ghari" (a type of
sweet), Locho, Undhiyu, Rasaawala Khaman, and Surti Chinese. Unlike cuisines in other parts of
Gujarat, Surti cuisine is quite spicy. Roadside kiosks, called "laaris" or "rekdis", are quite
popular in Surat. In the cooler winter months, Surtis 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 Uttarayan 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.
[edit] Education
Schools in Surat are either municipal schools, run by the Surat Municipal Corporation or private
schools, which in some cases receive financial aid from the government. The schools are
affiliated to the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSEB), the Central
Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) and few schools are affiliated under National Institute of
Open Schooling (NIOS). 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. Some
of the best schools in Surat are Delhi Public School, Surat which is situated on the Dumas road,
Delhi Public School, Tapi on situated on Dandi Road,J H Ambani and S D Jain and Essar
International.
Surat is the home of Shree V. T. Choksi Suryapur Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, located in Amliran
near the Kavi Narmad Chaklo.
Surat is also the home to the prestigious institute, "Educationam" which is rapidly growing to
cater not just to Chartered Accountant students but also in the field of primary and higher
secondary education.
Surat has the prestigious Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT),
commonly known to local people as SVR from its earlier name SVREC (Sardar Vallabhbhai
Regional Engineering College). It is one of the NITs.It is among the top five of all 20 NIT's in
India and top most in Gujarat for technical education. With its festivals through out the year , the
college keeps a very vibrant atmosphere inside as well as outside the campus. The college is
favorite destination for morning joggers of the city.[14] There are few other Engineering Colleges
in Surat are Government Engineering College, Surat (GEC), Sarvajanik College of Engineering
and Technology (SCET), C K Pithawala College of Engineering and Technology (CKPCET) and
Bhagwan Mahavir College of Engineering and Technology.
The city holds the prestige of providing Medical Education to students.It has two medical
colleges - "Government Medical College and New Civil Hospital" and "SMIMER", both giving
the degrees of MBBS and MD,MS.The City also holds one Ayurvedic college namely "Shri
O.H.Nazar Ayurvedic College and Hospital",giving BAMS degree affiliated to Gujarat Ayurved
University,jamnagar,Gujarat,India.
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.
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.[15]
[edit] Media
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 English dailies such as
The Times of India, Indian Express 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. Many Marathi newspapers like Loksatta, Lokmat, Sakal are also 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,Airtel,SUN DIRECT, BIG TV. Broadband internet
connections are also available in the city. Broadband service providers include BSNL, TATA
Indicom, Reliance Communication, YOU Broadband and Hathway Communications. 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.
[edit] Sports

Indoor Stadium

Magdalla Boat Race

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. 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 Gymkhana (RG). 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.
An annual boat race takes place in Surat, in the Tapi river, starting from an island in Arabian sea,
sailing upstream Tapi to Magdalla.
[edit] Satellite towns
Surat is a metropolitan city with a metropolitan region of around 4207 km2. It has many satellite
towns within 30 to 100 km radius.
These are some of the important Satellite Towns of Surat Metropolitan Region:
1. Bamroli
 2. Hazira
3. Sayan
4. Bardoli
5. Palsana
6. Sachin
7. Kadodara
8. Kosamba

[edit] Places of interest

Surat Fort
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 Surat Fort — The Old Fort was built by Britishers in the 1616 to fortify the defence against
the Bhils. It is now used for municipal offices.
The Sardar Patel Museum — Established in 1898, and originally called the Winchester
Museum;, this museum has a collection of over 10,000 specimens of arts and crafts.
Clock Tower
Gaurav Path — A well planned and well-built 6 lane road to decongest the traffic in Piplod area
of the city. Dotted with multiplexes, shopping malls, show-rooms and restaurants. This road
connects the the city to its airport and Port of Magdalla. Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of
Technology is also located on this road. Extending this road till Dumas is underway.
Jawaharlal Nehru Garden — Colloquially known as Chowpaty, this is the largest and one of
the oldest gardens in the city. It houses a musical fountain as well. The adjoining area is one of
the most famous eating spots with sequences of stalls serving Indian snacks along with Chinese
and South Indian cuisines.
Saputara is a hill station in the Sahyadri Hills only 170 km from Surat at an altitude of 1140
meters above sea level. Lying at a higher altitude Saputara has a cool climate.
Wilson Hills, Gujarat is a hill station in the Sahyadri ranges of Valsad district near dharampur
at an altitude of 850 meters (2700 feet) above sea level. The nearest hill station of Surat. It enjoys
a cool and a serene climate throughout the year. It is only 120 km from Surat.
Vansda 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 July and January.
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. Suvali has two
wells with water rich in iron and sulphur. Suvali beach is fringed by feathery casurina trees.
Thirty-nine kilometres south of Surat, Navsari- The Twin city of Surat 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.[16]
Science City — One of the best Science City in India. Developed by the Surat Municipal
Corporation in City Light Town and is one of the most attractive places in the city.
[edit] Photo gallery
Tapi River

Kargil Shahid
Chowk

Dutch Cemetery

Ek Thamb Masjid
in Rander (Built
on only one pillar)
[edit] References
1. ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates". Surat Municipal Corporation.
http://www.suratmunicipal.gov.in/content/city/stmt13.shtml. Retrieved 15 September
2010.
2. ^ Detailed profile of Surat district-Introduction: Surat & Tapi
3. ^ "Chandigarh cleanest city, Mysore number two". CNN-IBN. 2010-05-11.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/190-cities-lack-liveable-condition-government/115038-3.html.
Retrieved 2010-09-13.
4. ^ a b "Union Ministry gives Surat 'global megacity' status". oneindia.
http://news.oneindia.in/2007/02/08/union-ministry-gives-surat-global-megacity-status-
1171025079.html.
5. ^ a b c d Adiga, Aravind (2004-04-12). "Uncommon Brilliance". Time Magazine.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,501040419-610100,00.html.
Retrieved 2007-10-17.
6. ^ "Name of City". Encyclopaedia Britannica Online.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/574951/Surat#ref=ref275386. Retrieved
2007-10-17.
7. ^ "Location". Falling Rain. http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/9/Surat.htm. Retrieved
2009-11-06. [dead link]
8. ^ "IIM-A Report on Flood". IIM-A.
http://www.iimahd.ernet.in/publications/public/FullText.jsp?wp_no=2008-07-06.
Retrieved 2008-07-06. [dead link]
9. ^ a b c "Next Best Cities Of India". Business Today.
http://businesstoday.intoday.in/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=11651&Itemid=1&issueid=19&sectionid=22&seci
d=0&limit=1&limitstart=3. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
10. ^ Mehta, Yagnesh (2008-08-09). "Annual Income". NCAER.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3344364.cms. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
11. ^ "GDP". Indicus Analytics. http://www.financialexpress.com/news/gdp-growth-surat-
fastest-mumbai-largest/266636/. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
12. ^ "Varachha flyover may not be the longest". The Times of India. 2004-01-30.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/453731.cms. Retrieved 2010-05-07. [dead
link]

13. ^ "CM to inaugurate Varachha flyover". The Times of India. 2004-01-29.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/CM-to-inaugurate-Varachha-
flyover/articleshow/450954.cms. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
14. ^ SVNIT webpage
15. ^ "Parsi Theater". Times of India.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Ahmedabad/Parsi_theatre_academy_in_Surat/ar
ticleshow/1593424.cms. Retrieved 2007-02-11.
 16. ^ "Dutch Governor's Tomb". British Library.
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/d/019pho000000201u00029000.
html. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
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