Vasai-Virar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (May 2008) |
}
Vasai-Virar is a city in Maharashtra state in western India. It is located in Thane District, 50 km north of Mumbai. The city is located on the north bank of Vasai Creek, part of the estuary of the Ulhas River. Vasai-Virar is an agglomeration of several formerly separate towns, including Vasai, Virar, and the ancient city of Sopara. Vasai-Virar has four stations Naigaon, Vasai Road, Nala Sopara, and Virar on the Mumbai suburban railway's Western Railway railway line.
The town of Sopara was center of the Indian Ocean trade going in Roman times, but its harbour has since silted up. Trade shifted to Vasai, which traded in horses, fish, salt, timber, and quarried basalt and granite, and was a shipbuilding center. Vasai came under the control of the Sultans of Gujarat in the 15th century. The Portuguese attacked the city in 1528, and captured it in 1532. The city, known to the Portuguese as Baçaim, became the center of Portuguese India's Northern Province, which included a string of Portuguese settlements extending almost 100 km along the coast and in some places 30-50 km inland. Other settlements in the Northern Province included Daman, Mahim, Thane, Kalyan, Salsette, Bombaim (Bombay), and Chaul.
In the second half of 16th century the Portuguese enclosed the town in a new fortress wall with 10 bastions. The city reached the height of its prosperity at the end of the 17th century. During the 18th century, the city was eclipsed by nearby Bombay, which had been ceded to the British in 1661, and shortly thereafter became the headquarters of the British East India Company in India. The Marathas captured Kalyan in 1720, and in 1737 they captured Thane and Salsette Island from the Portuguese. The other Portuguese settlements in the northern province were captured in 1738-39, and in February 1739, the Maratha General Chimnaji Appa laid siege to Baçaim, which capitulated on 16 May 1739.
The British captured Salsette and Baçaim, which they called Bassein, from the Marathas in 1774, at the start of the First Anglo-Maratha War. The Treaty of Bassein was concluded between the Marathas and the British East India Company on December 31, 1802, which left the British in possession of Bassein.
The Great Indian Peninsular (GIP) (present Central Railway) and the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway (BB&CI) (present Western Railway) were built through Vasai-Virar in 1860, and regular rail service started in 1869. The first electric locomotives first started operating on the line in 1927. Four stations on the Mumbai Suburban Railway serve the town Naigaon, Vasai Road, Nala Sopara and Virar. The region has seen a building boom since the 1980s, including the expansion of branch plants and offices from Mumbai. The land development boom has resulted in the loss of much of the region's wetlands and forest cover. Communicable diseases are widespread here due to the open sewers and stagnated water everywhere.
[edit] The story of Virar and Jivdani
The name Viraar comes from Eka-viraa. Just as Tunga Parvat becomes “Tunga-ar”, similarly “Vira” becomes “Vira-ar”.There is a huge temple of Eka-vira Devi on the banks of Vaitarna River at the foot hills Tunga Parvat, (this is now totally broken by the continuous raids of Mohamedeans and Portuguese in last 400 years), where people used to conclude their “Shurpaaraka Yatra”, as described in the Puranas and local legends. There is a huge tank here dedicated to Eka veera Devi called “Viraar Tirtha”, i.e. “Eka- Viraa Tirtha”.Even today, on the west banks of Viraar Tirtha, one finds a carved stone about three feet long and nine inches broad. Below that is a group of female figures of the Yoginis of Ekaveera Devi.Nearby one can find a stone with a roughly cut cow and calf (Savatsa Dhenu), a symbol of Govardhana Math which symbolizes eternity or Moksha.Moving ahead near the foot of a knoll of rock are two cow’s feet (Go-Paad) roughly cut in rock. The legendary story of Jeevdaani Devi is as follows: During their forest journey, Pandavas came to Shurparaka. They visited the holy temple of Vimaleshwar consecrated by Lord Parashuram and on their journey to Prabhas halted on the banks of Vaitarni river. There they worshipped the Bhagavati Ekaveera on the banks of Viraar Tirtha and seeing the serenity and lofty nature decided to carve caves in the nearby mountains. They did so on the hills nearby and installed and worshipped the Yoga Linga of Ekaveera devi in one of the caves. They called her Bhagavati Jeevadhani (That is Goddess, who is the real wealth of life). Doing so Pandavas also made a set of small caves now known as “Pandav Dongri” about a mile from Shrigaon for the hermits.Many yogis used to stay in Pandav Dongri and have darshan of Jeevdhani Devi. After the onset of Kali Yuga, and after the advent of the Buddhist faith, the number of Vaidik Yogis lessened and slowly people forget the hillock and the devi. During times of Jagadguru Shankaracharya’s advent, a Mahar or Mirashi used to stay in Viraar who used to graze the village cattle. He came to Nirmal Mandir for the darshan of Jagadguru Shankaracharya Padmanabha Swami and requested His Holiness to bless him so that he could have darshan of his beloved Kuladevata. Jagadguru was pleased with the devotion of Mahar and advised him to serve Go-Mata on the foothills of Jivadhani, and at appropriate time he would have darshan of his Goddess and attain Go-Loka. He literally for the rest of life followed the advice of Jagadguru Shankaracharya and herded the village cattle. While grazing the village cattle, he used to see a cow grazing along with, whose owner never paid him for herding her. By his virtue, he determined to find the owner of the cow. He followed the cow on the top of Jeevdhan Hill. A beautiful woman with divine features appeared. The Mahar remembered the words of Jagadguru Shankaracharya and understood that she is none other than his Kuladevi Jeevdhani, he was overjoyed and asked “Oh Mother ! I have grazed your cow, will you not pay me for her herding ?”. The Devi just smiled in delight and was on the point of putting some money in the Mahar’s hand, when he said “Do not touch me, I am Mahar. Give me something which cannot be spoilt by touch, words, smell, figure, and ether.” Knowing this Devi asked “Lo my child , whence from you learned this unique knowledge of Varnashram Dharma and Moksha Dharma?”. To this Mahar replied, “From none other than by the Grace of Jagadguru Shankaracharya”. Bhagavati was pleased by this and said “By your virtue (Punya), see this cow which is none other than Kaamadhenu has taken your forefathers to higher abodes by her tail , crossing the Vaitarini”. Thus saying the Mahar saw the cow lept from the hill top putting her two feet prints on hill foor and other two across Vaitarini River in heavens. Now Devi told, “I confer upon you the thing which you demanded that is Moksha.” Saying so the Mahar attained Moksha (The real Jeeva Dhana, the real wealth of Life)and the Devi was about to disappear in the cave, when a barren woman saw all this divine incident screamed “Devi Devi , Amba Amba, will you leave this barren daughter of yours without our jeevan dhan a child in my laps?”. Devi was pleased by her prayers and said “ Great indeed are you who saw all three of us. I henceforth bless you with a child.” The lady was not satisfied by this, she said “Oh Mother of the three worlds, do not just bless me , but let all barren daughters of you who pray you be conferred with the child”. Devi was pleased at this and said “See henceforth, due to the advent of Kali Yuga , in order to maintain purity of rituals, I will stay into a hole in the niche of the cave. The barren women who offer me the beetlenuts in this hole, as is offered in my original place in Mahurgad, will be rewarded with a progeny”. Thus saying the Devi disappeared. This lady spread out the incident and thus once again the Jeevdhan hill started to be visited by the pilgrims. THE NOW INSTALLED MURTY IS VERY RECENT ONE, BUT THE ORIGINAL DIVINE PLACE OF DEVI IS THE HOLE IN THE NICHE OF THE CAVE, WHICH IS THE MAIN PLACE OF WORSHIP.
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
