Sopara
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Sopara सोपारा |
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| city | |
 Sopara
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| Coordinates: 19°28′N 72°48′E / 19.47°N 72.8°ECoordinates: 19°28′N 72°48′E / 19.47°N 72.8°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Maharashtra |
| District | Palghar |
| Elevation | 11 m (36 ft) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Marathi |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
Sopara (सोपारा) or Shurparaka (Sanskrit: शूर्पारक, Śūrpāraka) (by some identified with the Ophir mentioned in the Hebrew texts) was an ancient port town and the capital of the ancient Aparanta. The site of this ancient town is located near the present day Nala Sopara town in the Thane district, now in the newly created Palghar district, of the state Maharashtra, India.
Nala Sopara is one of the busiest western suburbs of Mumbai city. In ancient times, it was the largest township on India's west coast, trading with Mesopotamia, Egypt, Cochin, Arabia and Eastern Africa.
The Mahabharata and the Puranas state that the Śūrpāraka was reclaimed from the sea for the dwelling place of Parashurama and it became a tirtha for this reason. The finding of the relics in a stupa and the rock edicts (the fragments of the 8th and 9th major rock edicts) of Ashoka in 1882 prove the importance of this port town from the 3rd century BCE to the 9th century CE. The Buddhist text Mahavamsa (VI, 46,47) states that the first king of Sri Lanka, Vijaya sailed from Supparaka (Sopara) to Sri Lanka.Ptolemy mentioned this town as Soupara, and it was a major commercial centre during his time According to the Jaina writers, Shripala, a mythical king married Tilakasundari, daughter of king Mahasena of Soparaka. Jinaprabhasuri (14th century) in his Vividhatirthakalpa mentioned Soparaka as one of 84 Jaina tirthas (sacred places). He also mentioned about an image of Rishabhadeva located in this city till his time.
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