Guj: નવસારી navasārī
‘New Centre/Capital’ [Navasārika] City/District, Gujarat
From Skt/Prakrit: nava, ‘new’; sāra, ‘core’, ‘centre’ ; and suffix -ika, ‘place/inhabitant of’. Recorded in 6th–7th century Maitraka and Chalukya inscriptions; later shortened to Navsari.
The name goes back at least to the 2nd century CE, when inscriptions mention Navsārika. That’s far older than the Per/Urdu: sarāi (‘inn, rest-house’) which later appears in North Indian place names like Mughalsarai. So although the form looks like “New Inn”, that etymology doesn’t fit chronologically even if it is a popular derivation.
Navsari has strong Parsi connections. Jamsetji Tata, the industrialist, and Dadabhai Naroji, the first Indian M.P. in Britain (1892-5) and founding member of the Indian National Congress, were both born here. This has led some to suggest that it means ‘New Sari’ [Per/Skt/Hin/Guj: nav, ‘new’] after the Persian city Sari. But references to Navsari and Navsarika (at least 2ndC) pre-date the Parsi migration (13thC).
Gandhi’s Salt March ended at the Dandi seashore near here.
For related place names see Indian Place names and Gujarat place names.
