Navsari

Navsari is the ninth biggest city in the state of Gujarat in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Navsari District. Navsari is situated between Surat & Mumbai. Navsari is a twin city of Surat. It is located 37 km south of Surat. As per 2011 Census of India, Navsari is 16th biggest city of Gujarat state. It ranked 10th most populous city of Gujarat in 1991 Census of India and 2001 Census of India. Navsari is the 25th cleanest city of India according to the Swachh Bharat Urban mission. Dandi village near Navsari was the focal point of the great Salt March led by Mahatma Gandhi during civil disobedience movement of India. Navsari was originally known as "Navasarika", and was the capital of a vishya (an administrative unit) in the Lata region. It is identified with "Nusaripa", a city mentioned in Ptolemy's 2nd century Greek-language work Geography. The Chalukyas of Navasarika, who governed the area around Navsari as subordinates of the Chalukyas of Vatapi, repulsed an Umayyad invasion of the area in 738-739 CE. According to the Parsi tradition, in 1142 A.D., when they first came to Navsari, the city was named Nag Mandal. The Parsis found the city's atmosphere similar to that of the Sari region of Iran. In the Persian language, "now" means new, and "Sari" refers to the region in Iran, hence the name Naoo Sari. Two families of Parsi Zoroastrian priests settled in Navsari in the early 13th century, and the town soon emerged as the main center of the Parsi priesthood and religious authority. As the Parsi community grew at other places in India, the priests from Navsari were sought by the new Parsi settlements throughout the country. It is the home of the Bhagarsath Atash Behram established in 1765, which is now a World Heritage Site. Surat replaced Navsari as the principal settlement of the Parsi community in the 18th century, following its rise as a major trade center for the European factories, and the Maratha incursions into Surat; Surat itself lost this position to Bombay in the later years. Navsari is located at .