Daman

Introducing Daman

The ex-Portuguese enclave of Daman is like Diu’s feral cousin – a wild-eyed resort town on a grey, soupy sea that ain’t no tropical paradise. There is the piquancy of old Portugal here though, in the fine forts and churches (the evening services are spiritually charming), and a booze-soaked whimsy (to be sure, to be sure) that attracts exiles from Mumbai and feni-filled Gujarati thrill-seekers swaying harder than the palms on nearby Devka Beach.

Along with Diu and Goa, Daman was taken in 1961 from the Portuguese, who had seized in 1531. The Portuguese had been officially ceded the region by Bahadur Shah, the last major Gujarati sultan, in 1559. For a time Daman and Diu were governed from Goa but both now constitute the Union Territory of Daman and Diu, overseen by Delhi.

You are forbidden to take alcohol out of Daman unless you have a permit; there are police checks as you leave.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009