Geography[edit]

Virar lies on the western coast of Maharashtra, to the north of Mumbai and experiences warm, humid climate throughout the year.

The average annual temperature in the city hovers around 26.5 to 27.0 °C (79.7 to 80.6 °F). July is the wettest month while January is the driest.[2]

The closest airports to Vasai-Virar are

History and culture[edit]

The name Virar, as some believe, comes from the Hindu Goddess Ekvira, mother of the immortal sage Parshuram. Just as Tunga Parvat becomes "Tunga-ar", similarly "Vira" becomes "Vira-ar". Virar is also home to the ruins of a grand temple of Goddess Ekvira Devi on the banks of Vaitarna River at the foothills Tunga Parvat which according to folklore was gradually destroyed amidst the raiding and looting by Mohamedeans and the subsequent rule by Portuguese.

Local legend describes this site as the final destination of the Shurparaka Yatra.

A massive Kund dedicated to Goddess Ekvira stands in this city even today under the banner of Ekvira Theerth or Virar Theerth, west of which stone carvings about 3 feet long and 9 inch broad in size can be found. Female figurines of Yoginis of Ekvira devi can be found in the same vicinity alongside roughly cut stone statues of cow and calf, an identifier of the Govardhan Math which symbolises Moksha and footprints of a cow carved in stone.

Historically, Virar has been home to Agri (caste) Samaj primarily involved in fishing, salt-making and rice farming. Large number of Koli people are inhabitants of the region as well.

Virar and several other nearby regions including the coveted Vasai Fort was under the direct control of the Portuguese during the 16th century before being recaptured by the Maratha Empire in a hard-fought Battle of Vasai led by Chimaji Appa against the odds in 1739.

To celebrate his victory and to fulfil a vow taken in front of Devi Vajreshwari, Chimaji Appa had a temple built for the goddess nearby. The Vajreshwari Temple still stands there as a relic of Maratha glory.

Demographics[edit]

According to the 2011 India census,[3] Virar has a population of 1,221,233, of which 649,535 are male and 571,698 are female. Virar has an average literacy rate of 91.95%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; male literacy rate is 81%.

Over a period of time Virar has become a cosmopolitan suburb with approximately 50% population being Marathi speaking and the rest a mix of other communities, mainly the Gujaratis and the Catholics. 70% of the population is below 30 years. The slow and gradual adoption of the cosmopolitan nature of the city is the result of migration from the Mumbai mainland to this part due to ever increasing cost of the real estate property.

Among minority languages, Gujarati is spoken by 28.30% of the population and Hindi by 15.31%.[4]

Education[edit]

The city's public school system is managed by the education ministry of the Government of Maharashtra. Hence the syllabus is under the state pattern devised by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education. There are also other private schools that offer syllabi under Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) guidelines besides the state pattern. The late Shri Vishnu Waman Thakur Charitable trust (VIVA College) and the Agashi-Virar-Arnala Education Society are the two most prominent bodies which have opened many institutes offering education ranging from kindergarten to PhD degrees in Virar. One can get graduate and post graduate degrees in Arts, Commerce, Science, Management studies and Technology through these institutes.

Schools such as N.G.Vartak High School,National English High School, Royal Academy, St. Xavier's High school, John XXIII, MGM and Utkarsha Vidyalaya were the most popular for English primary education in the early 90s. More recently, international schools with the CBSE and ICSE syllabi like Taramai Vartak ,Muljibhai Mehta, Rustomjee International School, National English High School and Gurukul Excellence International school have attracted considerable attention. Pre-primary schools such as Gurukul Wave Pre-primary school is gaining lot of popularity.

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