In search of Lord Vishnu in villages of present day Nalasopara
Nalasopara , part of Vasai Virar municipal corporation is today just another satellite town outside the Mumbai western suburbs in the North, the name Nalasopara is derived from two villages that still exist - Nala and Sopara. But if we dig deeper then Sopara was once the most important port in western India after Cambay right from 3rd century BCE to 9th century. An important Buddhist site where relics in stupa and rock edicts of Emperor Ashoka have been found. The historical chronicles of Sinhalese kingdom (Mahavamsa) mention that Prince Vijaya the first king of Sinhalese kingdom set sail from Sopara to establish what is today, Sri Lanka. The Hindu puranas state that Surparaka was reclaimed from sea for dwelling of Lord Parshuram and it became an important pilgrimage site or tirtha sthal. Nirmal a small locality today is said to have been visited by supreme religious Hindu leader Adi Shankaracharya in 700AD and in 8th century, 5th Adi Shankaracharya is said to have attained ...