* Dadra and Nagar Haveli now with capital city Silvassa, in Western India, was ruled by the Marathas till 1779. The 72 villages it comprises were offered to the Portuguese following a friendship treaty. Portuguese rule over the Union Territory lasted until August 2, 1954, and traces of it can still be found.
* Dadra and Nagar Haveli was the first ex-Portuguese colony in India to accede to the Indian Union.
* Almost 94 percent of the citizens of Dadra and Nagar Haveli practice Hinduism.