Vapi (India)

Vapi (IAST: vāpī, ), is a city and Municipal Corporation in Valsad district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is situated 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.It is located near Maharashtra. The town originally belonged to the Kshatriya Jagirdar family Palande during The Great Maratha Empire. After independence from the British Crown, the Jagirdar system was abolished by the Indian government in 1951 and the community of Anavil Brahmin who formerly acted as tax farmers during the era of the Maratha Empire received the land. It is believed that the city got its name from the old small stepwell which was built by Maratha and is situated near the Balitha area.The meaning of vapi (वापी) in sanskrit is a water reservoir or a water storage body. Vapi is one of the largest industrial areas in Gujarat in terms of small-scale industries, dominated by the chemical industry.