Vapi

For Vapi is a very important for industrial business development model, see Vapi.

Vapi ꪜꪖρ꠸
Capital of Industries
Smart Industrial City - Vapi
Vapi Location in Gujarat, India
Coordinates: 20.372°N 72.917°E / 20.372; 72.917
Country	India
State	Gujarat
District	Valsad
Government
• Type	Vapi Municipal Corporation
Area
• Capital of Industries	72 km2 (28 sq mi)
Elevation	27 m (89 ft)
Population  (2025)
• Rank	287
• Urban	230,000
Demonym(s)	Vapians, Vapikars, Vapiwale
Languages
• Official	Gujarati
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	396191 / 396194 / 396195
0260	91260
Vehicle registration	GJ-15
Website	m.vapimunicipal.com

Vapi (IAST: Vāpī, IPA: [ˈʋɑpi] ^ⓘ) is a city and municipal corporation in Valsad district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is near the banks of the Daman Ganga River, around 28 km south of the district headquarters in the city of Valsad, and it is surrounded by the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

As of January 2025, the following 11 villages were merged into the former Vapi Municipality to make Vapi Municipal Corporation:

• Balitha
• Salvav
• Chiri
• Chharwada
• Chanod
• Chandor
• Karvad
• Namdha
• Morai
• Vatar
• Kunta

History

Local tradition links early settlement in the Vapi region to the Palande Kshatriya family; some accounts also mention the ancestral name Kadambande. During the period of the Great Maratha Empire, the jagir was granted by Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to Sardar for his bravery during the loot of Surat, and for maintaining vigilance of Portuguese in Daman.

Historically, the region had strategic importance due to the presence of forts in and around the area. Two forts are said to have existed to the north and south of Vapi — Arjungad and Vikramgad — along with fortifications near Silvassa. After India gained independence, the Jagirdari system was abolished in 1951 by the Government of India.

Following this, the land was transferred to the Anavil Brahmin community, who had earlier served as tax farmers during the Maratha era. It is believed that the city derives its name from an old small stepwell, built during the Maratha period, located near the Balitha area. The word Vapi (वापी) in Sanskrit refers to a water reservoir or water storage body.

Geography

NH 48 bisects the city. The western part was the original location of the town, while the eastern part consists mainly of industry and newer residential areas. Mumbai is roughly 180 kilometres (110 mi) to the south, and Surat is about 120 kilometres (75 mi) to the north.

The Arabian Sea, at the delta of the Damanganga, is about 7 km to the west. The city has tropical weather and enjoys three distinct seasons: winter, summer and monsoon, with rainfall ranging from 250 centimetres (98 in) to 300 centimetres (120 in) per annum. The Dhobikhadi, Bhilkhadi, Kolak and Damanganga rivers flow through Vapi.

Surrounding locations include Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Umargam, Sarigam, Bhilad, Udvada, Sanjan and Pardi.

Transport

Upcoming Vapi's Bullet Train Station

National Highway 48 passes through Vapi. It is connected to all major cities. It is the only place from which one can visit Daman and Silvassa. City bus service is available.

To cater to industry, the city hosts what is called a "floating population". The Vapi railway station on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad rail link of Western Railway has become the direct beneficiary in terms of revenues due to daily commuters. It is the only city connecting Daman district with Dadra and Nagar Haveli district.

A coast guard airport is running in Daman where private charters can operate with prior permissions. It will also be one of the stations in the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor, otherwise known as the 'Bullet train project'.

Economy

⁨Vapi⁩ has an estimated GDP per capita of $⁨11.4 thousand⁩. ⁨Manufacturing⁩ industries account for about 40% of all workers in the city.

Demography

As per census of 2011 done by the Indian government, population of Vapi in 2011 was 163,630, of which male and female are 94,105 and 69,525 respectively. The average literacy rate is 89%. Gujarati and Hindi are the most common languages, although due to its need of workers in factories at all levels from labourers to executives, people from all states of India can be found here thriving.

According to 2011 census, Hinduism is majority religion in Vapi city with 77.37% followers. Islam is second most popular religion with approximately 18.37% following it. Christianity is followed by 0.62%, Jainism by 3.11%, Sikhism by 0.15% and Buddhism by 0.15%.