Saputara

Saputara સાપુતારા abode of serp
Hill station
View of Saputara from the table top
Saputara
Coordinates: 20°34′47″N 73°44′48″E / 20.57972°N 73.74667°E / 20.57972; 73.74667Coordinates: 20°34′47″N 73°44′48″E / 20.57972°N 73.74667°E / 20.57972; 73.74667
State	Gujarat
District	Dang District
Elevation	1,000 m (3,000 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	6,301
• Density	3,151/km² (8,160/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Gujarati
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	394720
Telephone code	+02631
Vehicle registration	GJ
Website	http://www.saputara.net/

Saputara is a hill station municipality in the Dang district of Gujarat state in India.

Geography

This hill station is on a plateau in the Dang forest area of Western Ghats (Sahyadri) range at an altitude of about 1,000 metres.

Saputara means the 'Abode of Serpents' and a snake image on the banks of the river Sarpagana is worshiped by the Adivasis on Holi.

Saputara has been developed as a planned hill resort with amenities like hotels, parks, swimming pools, boat club, theaters, ropeways and a museum. It is 172 kilometres (km) from Surat and 250 km from Mumbai. The Maharashtra state border is 4 km from Saputara. Excursions from Saputara can be made to the wild life sanctuary in the Mahal Bardipara forest, 60 km. and to Gira Waterfalls 52 km away.

Sight-seeing

Valley view from sunset point.

Artist Village: See tribal artefacts on display. Simple accommodation is also available^[1]
Vansda National Park: Prior permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden, or Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) is needed before visiting the park
Purna Wildlife Sanctuary: Situated at Mahal, 60 km north of Dangs
Boating: on the Saputara Lake
Sunrise Point: Offers the best view of Saputara and adjoining Malegoan. It is a walk of 1.5 km in the direction of Waghai. The name implies the point should only be visited at sunrise, but at any time of the day there is a panoramic view.
Sunset Point : Has a scenic view of a of Dang Forest. The forest around Saputara is dotted with Adivasi (tribal) villages.
The Ropeway: A ten-minute ride across the valley to Sunset Point .

Gira falls

Gira Falls: Is an excursion option 52 km from Saputara. Best during the months of June to November.^[2]
Gardens
- Rose Garden, a garden with many varieties of roses.
- Step Garden, a garden set up in steps. On the steps are laid plants and flower pots
- Lake Garden, on the banks of Saputara Lake

Travel information

Saputara is 46 km from Saptashrungi (a site of Hindu pilgrimage), 172 km from Surat, 80 km from Nashik, 280 km from Mumbai, 112 km from Bilimora 420 km from Ahmedabad, 300 km from Vadodara, 589 km from Bhavnagar, 603 km from Rajkot.

Air: Surat Airport is the nearest, 172 km away, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Mumbai is the nearest international airport 360 km away.^[3]
Rail: Bilimora is the nearest railway station on Western Railways. There is a narrow gauge (0.7 m) (small train) from Bilimora to Waghai.Waghai is 52 km from Saputara .
Road : Bus facility is available from Chikhli, Bilimora, Nasik and Surat. By bus Saputara is about three hours from Bilimora. Government buses are available from there.

Pictures

The Dang forest, en route to Saputara
Saputara lake viewed from ropeway cab
Saputara lake.
Valley viewed from sunset point.
A village amidst vast spans of Dang forest.
Gira Water Fall saputara

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saputara.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.