Surat Heritage (5)

A virtual tour through Surat's heritage

THE ARTISTIC

HERITAGEOF

સુર્યપુર

A special exhibit in Connecting
experiencing ethnicity Surat to its
Surtis.

Nishka Sanklecha

1.

HISTORICAL
PLACES

A castle in the clouds
Surat Castle



One of Surat's most important ancient landmarks is this
mediaeval castle, which Khudawand Khan planned and
constructed between the years of 1540 and 1546.
Fortifying the defensive against the Portuguese was the primary
goal of the Fort's construction. The Fort was constructed in
Portuguese design on an atypical square foundation.

Surat reportedly was burned by the Portuguese in 1512, just
before Barbosa(Portuguese traveller) arrived in Gujarat. The
following year, 1531, saw another Portuguese burning of Surat.

Sultan Mahmud Shah III of Ahmedabad (1538–1554), who was
very irritated by the recurrent devastation of Surat, gave the
order for the construction of a very powerful fortress and
assigned the task to Safi Agha, a Turkish soldier who had been
elevated to the rank of Khudawand Khan.



The following tours of the Surat Castle are organized to learn
more about Surat's ancient times:

Diamond gallery: Displaced in this gallery are many
processing tools for diamonds as well as a unique film on
diamonds.
Arms and Armour gallery : Swords, combined weapons,
shields, fisticuffs, armour, and cannon balls discovered during
fort excavation. 
Coins and currency gallery : Indian money is featured in a
gallery with other currencies from around the world that
encourages global awareness.
Woodwork gallery: This gallery showcases Surat's ornamental
art pieces, furniture pieces, and facade woodwork.
The museum has many galleries that allow visitors to expressly
discover about Surat's heritage.

Dining Arrangements Arms and Armour Gallery

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King's era

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SERENITY OF THE LAKE

Gopi Talav

A tiny body of water named Gopi Talav is located in Surat,
surrounded by dazzling yellow sands.
Malik Gop, a wealthy merchant, and the Surat governor built
it sometime around 1510. A Brahmin businessman named
Malik Gopi settled in Surat, and his contributions are
acknowledged for assisting the city develop. The area he
developed was called Gopipura and Surat celebrated Gopi
talav subject with global attention.

The municipal corporation of Surat later revamped Gopi talav
back in the year 2012 for renovation and redevelopment.
Gopi Talav, a prominent tourist destination, also improves its
contemporary appearance by commemorating the beauty of
the Gopi Lake with multiple global observers to experience
the exciting carnival.

The well-maintained garden contributes to the area's
potential as a popular tourist destination. To experience the
gopi talav with a flourish of greens, the garden contains a
variety of puzzling gardens and flowers.

Boating rides

Entrance

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SURAT
CLOCK
TOWER

In Zampa Bazar (Chotta Bazar
Surat), stands the Clock Tower, a
historically significant monument. It
was built in 1871 as a tribute to his
father by Khan Bahadur Burjorjee
Hormusjee Fraser.The Clock Tower
is a remarkable example of the
craftsmanship and construction from
timeless classic.

The 80-meter-tall tower's clock is a
testament to the British
clockmakers' superior craftsmanship,
but the Clock Tower has been silent
for a long time. During the early
days, the whole city could hear the
ticking sound of this mechanical
timepiece at night. These clocks'
mechanical components were
recently swapped out by battery-
operated quartz ones.

The Clock Tower is best visited in
the evening when the bazaar seems
to be more active. This structure
serves as a symbol for Surat. The
Zampa Bazaar is a wonderful spot to
shop and wander because to its wide
selection of fabrics and distinctive
embroidered crafts.

VIBRATION
OF IDEAS

Andrew's Library

It began its existence in 1850. The
library was co-founded by wealthy
pearl merchant Rao Bahadur
Naginchand Jhaveri, who frequently
made contributions to the growth of
the city, and was named after
Andrews, a retired magistrate.

It was founded on July 1st, 1850,
making it one of the state's oldest
libraries. The impressive architecture
and design of this library, makes it
stand out in the area of huge
commercial city, is what makes it so
fascinating, together with its
collective history. The library
includes a remarkable collection of
books, both ancient and rare,
covering many subjects, including
science, business, engineering, and
medicine, among others.

For people from all walks of life, it
is a necessary component of any
metropolitan setting. The library is
regularly utilised by students and
researchers for their purposes, which
is beneficial for individuals looking
to learn more. The most recent
books will assist readers in staying
up to date with recent
advancements in their areas of
interest.

2.

CULTURE

FOOD
O'CLOCK

Suratis food

The city of Surat is also known as
Suryapur. The city is the second
largest in Gujarat. The Parsis and
western Chalukyas are among the
numerous people from different
racial and ethnic backgrounds who
have migrated to this city in search
of money and a variety of business
opportunities. The Surat population
speaks a language known as Surti
Gujarati.

The cuisine of Surat is distinctive
not only to its region but to all of
India. Some of the most exclusive
and distinctive Surti foods include
Surti Undhiyu, Locho, Rasawala
Khaman, Surti Ghari, Ghotalo, and
Cold coco. While maize and bajra
are consumed in North Gujarat and
Saurashtra, jowar is mostly
consumed in Surat.The Surti
Gujarati thali is a delightful treat for
the palate. Pulses, cereals, rice,
veggies, and various toppings like
chutney, pickle, buttermilk, salad,
and papad are the four main
components of the Surati Gujarati
Thali. In Surti cuisine, green
peppers, ginger, and jaggery are
often utilised ingredients.

SURAT
TEXTILE
INDUSTRY

The majority of India's textile
production occurs in Surat.The
manufacturing of yarn, weaving,
processing, and embroidery are the
core activities of the Surat textile
industry. The market for synthetic
items in Surat is well known.
Its primary business is the
manufacturing and trade of
synthetic textiles. Surat produces 25
million metres of processed fabric
and about 30 million metres of raw
fabric per day.Pure silk saris or silk
saris with elaborate zari work are
both reasonably priced at the textile
market.

The largest textile market in Surat is
named "Surat Textile Market,"
which is located in the 500 billion
rupee synthetic textile hub of Surat
and has 6,50,000 power looms, 150-
200 wholesale textile markets,
20,000 producers, and 50,000–
60,000 embroidery machines. There
are now brocade and jari work-
related industries. The city is also
well-known for its computer-aided
embroidery creations.

source

SURAT
DAIMOND
INDUSTRY

Surat has about 6,000 polishing
machines and employs close to one
million people. Surat is known for
polishing nine out of ten diamonds
in the world.Surat is famous for its
diamond cutting and polishing and is
known as the Diamond City of India.
90% of all diamond cutting and
polishing on the planet takes place
in Surat.This port city was already a
significant commerce route because
of British and Portuguese influence.
As pierced stones, beads, and gems
became more common in the area,
interest in diamonds also increased.

The most modern, large-scale
diamond cutting factories in the
world, as well as more than 5,000
diamond manufacturing facilities,
are located in Surat, which is also
renowned as the largest diamond
manufacturing centre in the world.
Over 100 companies are listed in
Surat, which is quickly becoming a
major centre for the manufacture of
jewellery.

Navratri




An avatar of "Goddess Durga" is worshiped each year during

Navratri to commemorate the day she defeated Mahishasura

and the ultimate triumph of "Good over Evil."

The event lasts for nine days and nights because Durga is

renowned for defeating an evil demon in a fight that lasted nine

days and nights. aanddifafett

rreinbtutceosl.or that represents one
Each day is symbolized by
of her distinctive qualities

Surtis attend every Navratri site within 9 days because they are
so enthusiastic about the festival. To display their flawless grace
on the greatest days of Navratri, they begin practicing garba
before six months. They have an insane assortment of gorgeous
garba outfits, complete with jewelry and the finest accessories.
A month prior to Navratri, large exhibitions take place showing
off handcrafted chaniya cholis and exquisite jewelry pieces.

What's special?


















Over bridges

Surat is home to the most number of overbridges in all of India,
with 115 total bridges now in use
in the city, including 14 river
bridges, 61 bay bridges, 28 flyovers, and 12 railway overs. In
addition, Surat City is currently working on 19 under-constructed
bridges and has two new bridges that are ready for opening.

What's special?


















Cleanliness




One of the cleanest cities in India is Surat. The city of Surat used to
be quite dirty, but after being hit by the plague in the early 1990s,
things started to improve. S R Rao, the municipal commissioner in
charge at the time, put in place a number of measures to maintain
the cleanliness of the city.
Surat came in second place among urban local bodies (ULBs) with
more than 1 lakh inhabitants in the Swachh Survekshan 2022, the
government's yearly cleanliness assessment. Out of a possible 7,500
points, the city received 6,925, placing second behind Indore,
Madhya Pradesh, which received 7,146.

'The artistic heritage of suryapur is a wrap up of
Surat's heritage and culture.

THE END

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Nishka Sanklecha