Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal
| Verulam | |
|---|---|
  Verulam Verulam shown within South Africa
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Location within Durban  Verulam | |
| Coordinates: 29°39′S 31°03′E / 29.650°S 31.050°ECoordinates: 29°39′S 31°03′E / 29.650°S 31.050°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Municipality | eThekwini |
| Established | 1850[1] |
| Area[2] | |
| • Total | 18.13 km2 (7.00 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
| • Total | 37,273 |
| • Density | 2,100/km2 (5,300/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011)[2] | |
| • Black African | 38.2% |
| • Coloured | 1.5% |
| • Indian/Asian | 59.1% |
| • White | 0.3% |
| • Other | 0.9% |
| First languages (2011)[2] | |
| • English | 62.2% |
| • Zulu | 25.4% |
| • Xhosa | 4.9% |
| • S. Ndebele | 1.3% |
| • Other | 6.2% |
| Postal code (street) | 4339 |
| PO box | 4340 |
| Area code | 032 |
Verulam is a town 27 kilometres north of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and is now part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Area.
History
In 1850 a party of 400 methodists settled here and formed the town. The town was then named after the Earl of Verulam, patron of the Brits who settled here.
Demography
Verulam is inhabited mainly by people of Indian descent. The population is over 63,000. There are several primary and secondary schools catering for all races and all areas of the town. The town contains densely populated residential and industrial areas, which include a multitude of shopping centres, mosques, temples & churches. At the outskirts are large farming areas, several built-up townships, and rural townships. There has been slow but steady progress in modernising the town by providing adequate infrastructure to the rural areas.
Places of interest
There are a few major attractions in Verulam. One is the Sri Gopalall Hindu Temple which was opened in 1913 by Mahatma Gandhi. It is situated in the small suburb of Temple Valley in Verulam. It is one of the oldest temples in South Africa and still caters for prayer & wedding ceremonies. Another beautiful must see place is called the Gayathri Peedam situated in Brindhaven. This is the only temple in Africa that houses two(2) full figure Gayathri Murthi's. The ashram is very busy with Sacred Mantra Chants and Crystal Healing Crusades, weekly Navagraha's, Full Moon (Pournami) prayers and Friday Satsangs. The Peedam hosts a spectacular meditation garden; a Hanuman Shrine, Shiva Mandir, Sani Shrine and the only Mahavatar Kriya Babaji Shrine in Africa. The ashram focuses on community and youth development programs.
Verulam cemetery holds the remains of Muslim writer and motivational speaker Ahmed Deedat.
The Hazelmere Dam, just a few kilometres from Verulam, features a variety of activities, such as watersports, fishing, nature walks, bird watching, a wide range of game, campsites & luxury accommodation.
Verulam market is a fresh produce market attracting customers from all around KwaZulu-Natal. Verulam has many brilliant schools. This mainly includes primary schools such as Lotusville Primary, Verulam Primary, Dawncrest Primary, Verulam Secondary, Mountview Secondary, Temple Valley Secondary, Verulam Independent School and Glenhaven secondary school. Dawncrest Primary is a very interesting school in Verulam, in that many of the top pupils at Mountview Secondary usually attend Dawncrest Primary in their formative years. Temple Valley Secondary is one of the best schools in Verulam achieving a 95%+ pass rate for the past 5 years. Other schools of interest would be Mountview Secondary, with 100% pass rate for a few years and often featuring pupils in the top 5000 in SA for matric results.
References
- ↑ "Chronological order of town establishment in South Africa based on Floyd (1960:20-26)". pp. xlv–lii.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Main Place Verulam". Census 2011.
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