Chanod

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Chanod is one of the most holy and sacred towns in the State of Gujarat in India. Chanod is situated at the bank of River Narmada and is located around 31 miles away from Vadodara and around 14 miles away from Dabhoi. Chanod is famous for performing all sorts of rituals that are done after the death of the individual as per Hindu religion. Such rituals are considered a must and very vital in the Hindu religion and if they are not performed, it is believed that the dead person shall never get peace after the death and his spirit will wander around, unsatisfied. We can easily reach Chanod by hired car, taxi or a State Transport bus from Vadodara. It takes around one hour to drive up to Chanod. Chanod, also known as Chandod, is a small town having native population of around 15000 people. However, many visitors keep on coming here for performing various religious rituals. There is a heavy rush on some auspicious days like full moon days etc. The three Rivers, namely Narmada, Orsang, and Gupt Sarswati, meet here at Chanod. This triveni sangam is considered very holy and gives lot of importance to Chanod. As soon as you reach Chanod, many Brahmins may gather around you requesting you to hire them for performing the religious rituals. Be careful and hire only the person whom you know in advance. There is a big ghat at Chanod, where Narmada River flows with full force in full width of around 1500 feet. The main ghat has 64 steps and is 60 feet wide. You will have to get in to the boat from this main ghat to reach up to the point of triveni sangam. The boats are all rowing boats and no motorboats are available. Be careful in negotiating the rates for this boat. If you want only to go up to the sangam and come back after taking a bath, the rates for the boat shall be around Rs.100 ($2.5) per boat that can accommodate around 12 persons. You must take your bath very carefully and should not go much deeper in the River Narmada as it is not very safe. The water is very deep and the danger of crocodiles is very real in this area. It can take around one and a half hour to go and come back after taking a bath at sangam. Many people come here for Asthi Visarjan of their dead relatives in to this triveni sangam. There are many temples all along the bank of River Narmada and if you want, you can get down from the boat and perform the darshnas in each of this temple. The main temple is of Lord Shiva and is located at the main ghat of Chanod. There is a twin town of Chanod, known as Karnali. Karnali is located around 4 miles North of Chanod. The boat can take you to Karnali in around 2 hours on a clear day. However, if there is a heavy wind or rains, it can take much longer. There is a famous temple of guru Dattatreya at Karnali, where the footprints of Dattatreya Bhagvan can be seen. You need to climb 124 steps to reach to this temple. There is a very big fair here at Karnali on Chaitri Poonam. Around 100,000 people gather here every year on this big day from all over the country. There are no good restaurants here at Chanod that can serve you good food. You should carry your own food with you or you can have your lunch at the house of your Brahmin. You can pay him later for the same. You can only get some hot beverages like tea or coffee and some cold drinks here at Chanod. Hotel Haveli is recently started at Chanod in the old palace of Mandavi State. This hotel is located just at the main ghat of Chanod and offers you the most scenic view of the River Narmada from your room. The rates for a double room in this hotel are around Rs.200 ($5) per day for two persons. The hotel serves Gujarati thali, but it is not up to the standard and may be avoided if possible. The beauty of Chanod and Karnali is really worth seeing in the rainy season from July to October. River Narmada flows full of water and only few steps of the main ghat at Chanod can be visible. It is not advisable to take a boat to go up to sangam or taking a bath in the river during rainy season. You can visit Chanod/Karnali and can return back to Vadodara by late evening. It may not be necessary to stay for night at Chanod. However, if it is required to stay, you must stay at Hotel Haveli. If you happen to stay for the night, make sure to do boating in River Narmada during nighttime. That surely shall be the most memorable experience of your life. I am sure that most of the Hindus shall be familiar to Chanod. However, the details given in this article can help them to enjoy this holy spot.

?Chanod Gujarat • India
Coordinates: (find coordinates)
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
District(s)	Valsad
Population	11,958 (2001)

Chanod is a census town in Valsad district in the state of Gujarat, India.

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[1] Chanod had a population of 11,958. Males constitute 61% of the population and females 39%. Chanod has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 80% and female literacy of 60%. 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Coordinates: 25°32′N, 73°07′E