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A journey to Dahanu, a small sleepy coastal town on the shores of Arabian Sea will take you away from the hustle and bustle of the city life in the arms of nature. Discover Dahanu with ‘Tarpa Gholvad’! Located between majestic hills and vast expanses of the Arabian Sea, Dahanu lies only on three hours journey from Mumbai, Surat and Nashik. Well connected by Western Railway and National Highway No.8, Dahanu also has good road networks with public transport facilities joining distant places as far as Pune, Thane, Kolhapur, Shirdi and many other cities in Maharashtra. History : Dahanu’s historical significance can be traced back to around 1500 AD. Dahanu finds place in the trade map of the east, prepared by Sir Hamilton during the beginning of the 18th century. Dahanu has also been described in 1882 under the title of “Places of Interest in Thane,” as a fort and a seaport. “Dahanuka” also occurs in one of the Nashik cave inscriptions. Geography : Dahanu, also the headquarters of Dahanu Taluka of Thane District lies in the Northern Konkan region of Maharashtra state. The taluka can be divided into two regions; east, i.e. the junglepatti, which is the forest-clad hilly tribal interior and the west, the bandarpatti (the sea-coast). Culture : Dahanu has a conglomeration of people from almost all walks of life. Dahanu also has many temples like the Mahalaksmi Temple, the Santoshi Mata Temple, the Sai-Baba Temple, the Hanuman Temple, etc. apart from Jain Temples and also has Mosques, Churches, a Gurudwara and a Fire-Temple. You will also find Warli places of worship. Dahanu, since ages has distinctly been identified with Warlis and Zoroastrians. The Warlis : The Warlis, an indigenous tribe, is often referred as the ‘King of the Jungle’, because of their legendary identification with forest. Their houses are made using ‘karvi’ or ‘kasar’ grass walls covered with a paste of red mud and cow-dung. The floor is too made of mud and cow-dung mixture. To protect the earthen wall coat from heavy rains, the thatched roof is four way sloping. Most of the Warlis work as farm labours for their livelihood and cultivate paddy during monsoons. Government support and contribution of various NGOs have given a lift to the Warli’s standard of living and have created awareness about health and hygiene amongst them. The Warli Art has also gained world-wide reputation of late, with many local Warlis taking part in out-country exhibitions. Painted in white on a brown earthy surface with basic geometric figures viz. the square, the triangle and the circle, the Warli paintings depict their way of life, their rituals and customs. The Zoroastrians : Progressive in their attitude, the Zoroastrians (also known as Parsis), have played a key role in shaping Dahanu’s destiny. These Iranian refugees had spend almost 12 years of their most trying moments in the caves of Bahrot Hill, for protecting their sacred fire. They tilled the soil Dahanu and turned this town green with vegetable, fruit and flower gardens. Their culture and cuisine have added a unique Persian flavour to the land. Economy : The social mosaic of Dahanu is dotted with agriculturists, artisans, potters, basket weavers, jewelry die-makers, salt manufacturers, balloon manufactures, toddy tappers and fisher folks. Dahanu is lined with fruit orchards and is distinctively famous for its Chikoo (Sapota/Sapodilla) fruit. Till date, the economy of Dahanu survives on its chikoo plantations. Chikoo finds its market all the way up to Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Udaipur and Pune with new areas being regularly tapped. Dahanu’s rich marine belt has vast wetlands. Fishing in these wetlands is an age-old occupation which sustains thousands of fishermen families. Yet another occupation which supports a sizable population of Dahanu is salt manufacturing in wet lands. Dahanu Taluka has one of the largest areas under forests in Thane district. Apart from firewood, this forest yields many a products like teak, ain, khair, hed, bibla, shisham, sawar, apta, kalamb, palas, karvi, bamboo, shikakai, mohuwa, bel, tad, chilhar, palm, charcoal, honey, gum etc. and has a recorded data of more than 100 varieties of trees & plants apart from shrubs, herbs, grass and medicinal plants as well as wild birds & wild animals. Outdoors : For the sport enthusiasts, Dahanu could be a within reach ideal camping destination. Trekking and Venturing out into the surrounding mountains of Bahrot (1,760 ft), Mahalaxmi (1,540 ft), Gambhirgad (2,270 ft) and Asherigad (1,680 ft) could prove a paradise for trekkers. Though there is no professional trekker’s club here, it would not be difficult to find some one to accompany you, if you ask for!

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