1) Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Earlier the territory was ruled by the Portuguese. It was in 2nd August 1945 that the territory was set free and administered by the ‘Dadra and Nagar Haveli Administration’. The territory functioned freely under no as such dominance. Thereafter, on 11th August 1961, the territory was made the part of Indian region and was stated as the Union Territory of Indian. This territory has Gujarat and Maharashtra at its peripheries. Because of this, the territory is highly dependent on the road networks of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Dadra and Nagar Haveli has an area of about 491 square kilometers. From its early days, the area is known for its rural culture and so most of the population that lives there belongs to a tribal community. 40 perfect of the total geographical area is densely covered with forest. While the cultivation is prosperous in this territory, the major crop production is paddy. Besides Chiku, Mango and Banana, the production of sugarcane have taken a big leap.
As the place was stated to a Union Territory, major steps were taken towards its development. ‘Damnganga Reservoir project’ was one of the finest irrigation schemes that were initiated and successfully completed. After providing irrigation facilities, the villages were given with the facility of electricity. This commenced rural development. Villagers were provided with wells and tube wells also. Dadra and Nagar Haveli highly dependent upon tourism. It has been set in the priority list so as to attract much of the tourists with their cultural activities.
To attract tourists, their major festivals such as Kite festival, Tarpa festival and World tourism day are celebrated on a large scale. They throw upon their cultural aesthetics so as to gather the tourists; celebrating the festivals, all together. Silvassa is the capital of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and also one of the major tourists' spots with the famous Hirvavan Garden situated there. Other famous tourist attractions include Van Udhyan Tribal Museum, Tadekeshwar Shiva Mandir and Van Vihar Udhyan mini zoo.
2) Andaman and Nicobar Islands
In early times, the island was remote and so its inhabitants used to survive on hunting and fishing. The area of this territory is 8249 square kilometer. It is situated on the tropical coast and so the climate of the area usually remains humid. After becoming the union territory, there was a flourishment of agriculture and industry. Main food crop production is paddy crop and the cash crops of that area include Coconut and Areca nuts. More field crops like pulses are also grown while a variety of fruits are also produced such as papaya, sapota, mango, etc. Being next to the sea, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDC) has yielded a lot of prosperity through Fisheries and Fish/Prawn processing industries. Further, it also deals with Tourism, industries based on handicrafts, furniture-making, shells, and rice-milling, etc.
Being a tropical area, Andaman and Nicobar Island has 96 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 9 National Parks and a Biosphere Reserve. The famous tourist spots here include Cellular Jail, Havelock Island and Ross Island. The islands are known to be eco-friendly and attract a lot of tourists. The lush green forests and marine life is a treat for the naturists. As the island is covered by sea from all its sides, people can visit it by airways of ship services. Tourists enjoy seaside adventures such as scuba diving, island camping, and beach sunsets. It is a tremendous experience to see the corals and enjoy on the beach and whilst the mesmerizing view.
From India, one can get the shipping service from Vishakhapatnam, Chennai and Kolkata and Airlines are available from Kolkata and Chennai to reach Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Within the Island, there are around 205 buses which operate through 13 stations.
3) Lakshadweep
This Union Territory consists of a total of 27 coral islands which are scattered in the Arabian Sea. These islands are constituted with reefs and atolls and are submerged with the help of and banks. The overall island lies 280 kilometers to 480 kilometers off the coast of Kerala. It is surprising to know that out of all the 27 coral islands, only 11 of them are inhabited. The early history of the Island shows the existence of two three major religions. Earlier, the islanders were known to be Hindus but then with the influence of Arab traders, they got converted into Islam. The third religion of this Island tells about Buddhism. The pieces of evidence come from the archaeological sites dating back to the 6th and 7th century. It is believed that the islanders were not satisfied with the dominant rule of Portuguese and so they tried to demolish Portuguese’s empire with the help of the Raja who belonged to Chirakal. Later then, the Raja of Chirakal established his rule on these islands.
The islands were also invaded by Tipu Sultand and the East India Company but in 1956, the Government of Indian took the charge of these islands and stated them as a single Union Territory of India. Lakshadweep is major in Coconut production. It is declared as an organic product with the highest amount of quality oil content in the world, which is 72 percent.
Because of huge coconut production and other fibers, the Government has encouraged a lot of fiber product units. They are popular in the production of mats and coir yarn. Tourists travel among these islands through ferries or motor vessels or even helicopters during bad climatic conditions or any emergency. Although being a tourist spot, the people there are conscious of their surroundings and don’t tend to put any pressure on nature.
4) Daman and Diu
Daman and Diu are two separate areas with a distance of 600 kilometers. They are divided by the Arabian Sea. History says that Daman and Diu were under the rule of Rajputs (Chowda) from the 8th century to the 13th century. After that, it was under the control of Muslims for about 200 years. In the 16th century, the place was ruled by the Portuguese for the next 450 years. Finally, in 1961 it was declared as an integral part of India. Daman and Diu became the Union Territory of India in 1978. Daman lies in the direct contact to Daman Ganga River and is sited between the Indian states, Gujarat and Maharashtra. It is also at a distance of about 170 kilometers from Mumbai, one of the famous metropolitan cities of India. Diu Island is situated off the coast of Kathiawad in Gujarat. The coastline of Diu is around 21 kilometers. The mainland of the Diu Island is surrounded by Gir-Somnath and the Arabian Sea, also touching the Amreli district of Gujarat.
The commonly spoken languages in Daman and Diu are Hindi, English, and Gujarati. It is believed that a good amount of aged people living in Daman and Diu can also speak Portuguese, all because of their ancestors and history. The islands are economically depended on the tourism and fishing industries. It is also famous in trade of quality salt.The main attractions of Diu happen to be its churches and beaches. Famous churches include St. Paul’s Church and St. Thomas Church. Among the famous beaches, there are Ghoghla beach and Nagoa beach. Tourists enjoy and appreciate the evening boat cruise rides.
Favourable months to visit Daman are from February to May and October to December although; Diu remains pleasant throughout the year. There is no railway facility in Daman and Diu as such. Vapi (western Mumbai) is the nearest railway station to Daman and Delvada (9 kilometers away). Mumbai has the nearest airports to both the Islands.
5) Puducherry
Formerly known as Pondicherry, Puducherry covers an area of about 483 square kilometers. It was made out of four of the exclaves from ancient French India namely Mahe, Yanam, Karikal, and Pondicherry (now as Puducherry). The place was ruled by the French for almost 138 years and then it was declared as a Union Territory by the Government of India in 1954. Official languages of Puducherry are Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu. Fisheries and tourism are the main sources of the economy of the people of this place. Paddy is the major crop cultivated after pulses. A variety of nuts and spices are also cultivated as about 80 percent of the cultivated land is irrigated. Puducherry is home to a number of small scale industries such as leather, wood, rubber, cotton, paper, etc. It was also the background setting for Booker’s prize-winning novel ‘Life of Pie’ (2001).
A major tourist spot in Pondicherry is that of Sri Aurobindo Ashram. He was a great poet and Indian spirituality prophet who had followers worldwide. Puducherry is known for its Franco Tamil architecture. The unique town planning and handicrafts attract a lot of visitors and artists. Tourists can reach the place by both airways and railways. There are direct train facilities to Puducherry from Vellore and the nearest airport from Puducherry is Chennai.
6) Chandigarh
There stands a famous history on declaring Chandigarh as a Union Territory of India. Back then, Chandigarh was the part of Ambala district of Punjab. After the partition, when Lahore became the part of Pakistan, Punjab remaining in India was left without a capital. For Punjab, Chandigarh was declared as the capital. Because of Chandigarh being the capital of two states, it was declared as the Union Territory by the government of India. Being near the wide lake, the city experiences hot summer, cold dry winters, and tropical rains. The name Chandigarh was derived from the ‘Chandi-Temple’ which is located there only.
The city was declared as Union Territory in 1966. It is a well-planned and organized city brained by the French Architect, Le Corbusier. He also designed buildings such as Capitol Complex with its High Court, Secretariat and Legislative Assembly and Open Hand Mountain. People can see and catch the unique feature of the town-planning of Chandigarh in its map. All the roads of this city are intersected at right angles making it very easy to understand the whole city sector wise (the city is mapped in sectors). Chandigarh serves as capital to both the states that are Punjab and Haryana. The city is planted with a huge number of trees and greenery never goes out of sight.
Everything in the city is well planned including the parking areas and even the shopping complexes. The major cultivated crop is wheat and the irrigation facility is mainly through deep-bore tube-wells. The city is counted under one of the best cosmopolitan cities in India. The basic facilities and lifestyle of people living in this area are fine. The major tourists' attraction is Rose Garden, Rock Garden, and The Sukhna Lake. It is believed that this area was part of the Harappan civilization as some evidence was found from the aquatic and amphibian fossils.
7) New Delhi
Delhi is the national capital of India. It is known since the time of Mahabharata, as it shows continuous pieces of evidence of inhabitation. Many and many of the rulers have ruled his region, starting from the 13th century with Mauryas, Pallavas, and Guptas to the 15th century with Turks and Afghans. Then Mughals invaded the region in the 16th century. Later the empire was under the British for more than 200 years from the 18th century to the early 19the century. Delhi was declared as the Union Territory of India in 1956. The major food crops of Delhi are wheat, bajra, and maize; nowadays emphasis is put more on the production of fruits, dairy products, and poultry farm products. It is the largest commercial center of northern India and has almost every type of industry be it sports good, electrical goods, footwear, textiles, fertilizers, hosiery, and even software.
Not just a modern city, Delhi is quite rich is religious and heritage places. Humayun’s Tomb is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Delhi and it is the first garden-tomb in the Indian subcontinent. Another UNESCO World Heritage site is Lal Quila or Red Fort, a remembrance of Mughal rulers. Further famous historical spots which are of great importance include Jama Masjid, Agrasen ki Baoli, Qutub Minar, India Gate, Lotus Temple, Jantar Mantar, Nizammudin Dargah, etc. These places are must-visit. Every year Delhi attracts a large number of tourists and this is why tourism also pays a good fortune in Delhi’s Economy.
Delhi has good air connectivity and regular international as well as domestic flights. Railway facilities are the major part of the Indian economy and that of Delhi too. Quite a good load of passengers uses railways as a daily traveling medium in Delhi. Also, the metro rail project has been accomplished very well in Delhi and it proves to be very useful for people in routine terms.
