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Bharuch (Gujarati: ભરૂચ), also known as Broach, is the oldest city in Gujarat, situated at the mouth of the holy river Narmada. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District and a municipality of more than 1,50,000 inhabitants. As Bharuch is a major seaport city, a number of trade activities have flourished here. Located between Vadodara and Surat, the city derived its name from ‘'Bhrigukachchha’' (Sanskrit: भृगुकच्छ), the residence of the great saint Bhrigu Rishi, which was later abridged to Bharuch.
The priests of Bharuch were famous for their learning in the other regions too. As per the mythological stories, Agnihotri and Samvedi, the learned priests of Shukaltirtha were famous up to the Kashi in the northern India.
The city of Bharuch and its surrounds—today's district—has been settled far back into antiquity and was a major shipping building center and sea port in the important pre-compass coastal trading routes to points West, perhaps as far back as the days of the Pharaohs, which utilized the regular and predictable Monsoon winds or galleys. Many goods from the Far East (the famed Spice and Silk trade) were trans-shipped there for the annual monsoon winds making it a terminus for several key land-sea trade routes and Bharuch was definitely known to the Greeks, the various Persian Empires and in the Roman Republic and Empire and other Western centers of civilization right on through the end of the European Middle Ages.[1][2]
In the first century A. D. Bharuch port has been mentioned as Barigaza. Bharuch which was prosperous and powerful port was an important port of Gujarat till the 16th century. Arab traders used to enter Gujarat via Bharuch and do their business. British, Valandas etc. accepted the importance of Bharuch and established their business centre here. At the end of the 17th century, it was plundered twice but resurged quickly after the plunder and a proverb was also phrased for it, “Bhangyu Bhangyu Toye Bharuch”. As a trading depot, the limitations of coastal shipping made it a regular terminus via several mixed trade routes of the fabled spice and silk trading between East and West. During the British Raj it was officially known as Broach.
This heavily industrialised city is renowned for its textile mills, chemical plants, long staple cotton, dairy products and much more. Gujarat's biggest liquid cargo terminal is situated here. It also houses many reputed multinational companies like Videocon, BASF, Reliance, Welspun Stahl etc. Bharuch is a shopping center well known for its salty peanuts. Because of the distinctive colour of the soil here that is ideal for cotton cultivation, Bharuch is sometimes referred to as 'Kanam Pradesh' (black soil land).
Bharuch derives its name from the great sage Bhrigu. The original name of Bharuch is Bhrigukachchha (Sanskrit: भृगुकच्छ). As per Skanda Purana, Bhrigu rishi came here sitting on a tortoise. Tortoise is known as Kachchha (कच्छ) in Sanskrit. Hence the name Bhrigukachchha.
According to one argument, Bhrigukachchha later developed in to Bharuch (भरूच) in the local medieval vernacular - which seems quite possible according to linguistic developments in Prakrit, Apabharamsa and neo-Indian-Aryan. According to another argument, the present name Bharuch is derived form "Broach" though this unlikely as this seems to be a variant of Bharuch. In ancient India, Bharuch was an important trading port with merchants from the Arabian peninsula using this port for trading with the lucrative Indian market. In popular etymology, Broach is derived form Bar and Oach (બર્+ઓચ). Bar (બર્) means "hill" and Oach (ઓચ) means "located" - so, allegedly without any reference to historical etymology, Broach is taken to mean "located on a hill". According to this popular derivation, Broach was later transformed in to Bharuch without any reference to the rules of Indo-Aryan linguistics; for example, Indo-Aryan b- does not mutate into bh- (it doesn't the other way round either!). However, the port is surrounded by hills which can be still be seen from the old city
According to the Skanda Purana, before Bhrigu rishi came here, Bharuch was the residence place of Goddess Lakshmi.
Bharuch derives its name from the great sage Bhrigu. The original name of Bharuch is Bhrigukachchha. Bhrigu rishi was one of the ten sons of Lord Brahma. There is also a story which indicates that Brighu along with his kins asked for temporary access to Bharuch which then belonged to Lakshmi since Bharuch is located on the banks of river Narmada also known as Rudra Deha. Chanra Mauli Mahadev is the Kul Devata of Bhargavs of Bharuch Brighu never left the place and the Ashram of Brighu Rishi is located on the banks of Narmada.
Bharuch was considered to be sacred among sages, and they would come to Bharuch to pray. The priests of Bharuch were famous for their learning in the other regions too. As per the mythological stories, Agnihotri and Samvedi, the learned priests of Bharuch were famous up to the Kashi in the northern India.
In Bharuch, the celebrated Asura king Mahabali, conducted a great sacrifice. In this sacrifice, a dwarf Brahmin called Vamana (fifth incarnation of Lord Vishnu) came and interfered with the king's sacrifice and put an end to his reign. A sage named Guru Shukracharya, from the lineage of Maharishi Bhrigu, was the priest of King Mahabali.
Sages like Shukra, Chyavana, Markendeya and Jamadagni were from the linage of Bhrigu rishi. Parshurama (sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu) was born in the seventh generation of Bhrigu.
According to the Skanda Purana, there are fifty-five (55) tirthas located in Bharuch. Many great sages like Kashyapa, Kapila, Mandavya, Adi Sankaracharya, etc. also have preformed penances in Bharuch.
Bharuch finds its mention in all major Hindu scriptures like Bhagavata Purana, Shiva Purana, Skanda Purana, Kurma Purana, Matsya Purana, Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc.
The Narmada happens to be one of the most sacred of the five holy rivers of India; the other four being Ganges, Yamuna, Godavari and Kaveri. It is believed that a dip in any of these five rivers washes ones sins away. According to a legend, the river Ganges is polluted by millions of people bathing in it. To cleanse herself, Ganges acquires the form of a black cow and comes to the Narmada to bath in its holy waters. Legends also mention that the Narmada River is older than the river Ganges.
Bharuch is also a sacred tirtha for Jains.
This tirtha is situated in the Bharuch city on the rail and road path, in the Shrimali Pole. Here we see the idol of Muni Suvrata Swami; black in complexion and in Padmasana posture. In the history of the Jainas, this ancient city is important from many points of view. Guru Gautama Swami has eulogized Muni Suvrata Swami, who is installed in Bharuch, in his "Jagachintamani Stotra" composed on the eight tirthas, Bhagavan Muni Suvrata Swami gave sermons to a horse here itself.
Further, many prominent Acharyas have raised temples in this tirtha and have composed works also. At so many places do we come across ancient pieces of art because this is an ancient town. In Bharuch we are shown the Ashvavabodha tirtha of the times of Muni Suvrata Swami, Shakunika Vihara of princess Sudarshana of Simhaladvipa and also the Vihara which was ceremoniously raised by Acharya Hemchandra in which Kumarapala has waved ARATI; is now converted into a mosque.
In the opinion of the archaeologists, the Jamamasjid of present Bharuch is probably this ancient temple. It is believed that in times of such invasions the idol of Shri Prabhu was kept at a safe spot, and, as time passed, new temples were constructed and the old idols were installed. To-day the idol is found in the new temple. There are here eleven other temples besides this.
Bharuch is mentioned in various Buddhist Jatakas. Bharuch was an important Buddhist center in the 7th century and considered to be sacred among sages.
Bharuch is the oldest city of Gujarat. It is also the second oldest city of India having continuous inhitations, first being Kashi (Varanasi). Bharuch has a known history for about 8000 years.
Certainly by the 500s BC, the city was known at least by reputation, via land-sea routes reaching the Levant to the Arab and Ethiopian traders feeding goods westwards to the Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, Western Romans, Carthaginians, and eventually, the Eastern Roman Empires, and the Republic of Venice. It is likely even the Phonecians knew of it and so it has acted since antiquity as a link port to the luxury goods trade from the Far East and the interior of the Indian sub-continent to the civilizations of South-west Asia, the Middle-East, the Mediterranean basin including Northern Africa and Europe.
The ancient Sri Lankan chronicle, the Dipavamsa, mentions that the legendary king Vijaya stopped at Bharukaccha for three months c 500 BC.[3]
The Theragatha, part of the Pali Canon written down in Sri Lanka in the 1st century BCE, mentions Vaddha Thera and Malitavamba Thera of Bharukaccha, as contemporaries of the Buddha, while the Therigatha of the same canon mentions Vaddhamta Theri of Bharukaccha.
It was known to the Greeks and Romans as Barygaza, and probably had a settlement of Greek traders. As one southern terminus of the Kamboja-Dvaravati Route, it is mentioned extensively as a major trading partner of the Roman world, in the 1st century Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. One of the Periploi describes numerous Greek buildings and fortifications in the area, although mistakenly attributing them to Alexander the Great who never reached this far south, as well as the circulation of Indo-Greek coinage in the region:
Excavations near the banks of the river Narmada in Bharuch have revealed many archeological and architectural wonders, mostly temples. Later Bharuch was part of the Mauryan Empire (322–185 BC), the Western Satraps, the Guptas and the Gurjars.[5]
According to historical accounts, the kingdom with capital at Bhinmal (or Srimal) was established by the Gurjars (or Gujjars).The kingdom of Bharuch was the offshoot of this Kingdom.[6]
As part of the Sultanate of Gujarat, it was subsequently annexed by the Mughals, and finally by the British. It is also situated near a small village called Halderva where two Islamic priests were found performing miracles.
Princess of Sinhal, Sudarshana had built the Shakunika Vihara in the Bhragukutchh during the rule of Sampati (229 – 220 BC) and a Bharuch trader became responsible for the memories of the princess. This depicts trade relations between Laat and Ceylon.During the Prarga – Maurya period in Gujarat, King Pradyot Mahaveer of Ujjain ruled over Bhragukutchh in 550 AD.
He was contemporary of Gautam Buddha. Maurya period was between 322 – 185 BC. Post Maurya period is mentioned between 185 B.C. and 23 AD. During the decade of 70 – 80 AD coins of Greek writing were used in Bharuch. The Activity region of Jain priest Arya Khapoot (1st century AD) was in the Aatapata region of Bharuch. He had released the Ashvaavabodh pilgrim in Bharuch out of the control of the Bauddhas.
Kshatraya era (c.23 - 400 AD)
In the 1st century AD, kings of Shaka community established their rule in Gujarat. Nabhovaahan (Nahapana), the king of Bharukutchh was very prosperous. During the Kshatraya era Bharuch port was very prosperous. It was a gateway of trading through land and waters both routes. Like other ancient ports, trading of slaves also took place at the Bharuch port.
Seven caves have been discovered from Kadiyadungar near Jhajhapore near Ankleshwar of the Bharuch district. These caves seem as the Bauddha Vihaaras. It seems that they were sculpted in 1st or 2nd century.
Gupta Era (c.415 – 470 AD)
During this time kings of Trekootaka dynasty ruled the north of the Konkan and south of the Laata. Trekootaka ruled over the Surat district but the border of their state could not be decided. In the lines of Daspur of the weavers of Laata ( South Gujarat ) it has been mentioned that Sun-Temple was built in 437.
Maitrak Era (c.470 – 788 AD)
It is known that in 540 AD which dynasty ruled over the Bharuch state In 540, a Mahasamant named Sangramsinh ruled over Bharukutchh, But nothing is known about the king. During this period Hakem Usmanbhai Hakem had attacked over Bharuch. In 648 AD, King Dhansen – 4 of Vallabhi had put winning camp in Bharukutchh. A Muslim traveller Al – Biladuri had written in his notes that in 713 – 714 AD.
Governor of Sindh, Hasam Bin Amru Tughlakhi came to Gandhar port by boat. He destroyed the idols and the temples and built Mosques in place of them in the time of 760 AD Arab Hakem Hisham of Sindh had attacked the Gandhar port near Bharuch. In the post Maitrak era during 788 – 942 AD Rashtrakuta kings of south Laata ruled over Bharuch.
Solanki Era (942 – 1304 AD)
In 942, Moolaraj 1st established the rule of Solanki dynasty in Anahilvaad Patan. Till this time the importance of Bharuch as the trade centre was continued. It was the capital of Laata region at the starting of 11th century. It was the centre for the ships coming from China and Sindh in the 12th century Mahatma Vastupal had established a library in Bharuch.
The priest Chakradhar Swami of Bharuch was during the era of Bhimdev 2nd. He established the Mahanubhav community which was spread in Maharashtra. One Madresa was built during the Solanki era in Bharuch.
Middle era (1293 - 1872 AD)
The middle era history of Bharuch district can be divided in three main parts, out of which, we can say that Sultanat era – 1297 to 1572. Mughal era – 1572 to 1736 and Maratha era – 1783 to 1802 were the eras of struggle. Bharuch was ruled by Delhi Sultanat for 94 years, Gujarat’s independent Sultanat for 181 years, Mughal Sultanat for 164 years, independent emirs for 36 years and Maratha rule for 19 years.
During these times revenue was collected from Bharuch and hundreds of people specially the rich people were killed .Same way in the cities on the banks of river Kavi in Jambusar taluka there were many big and rich Muslim communities. They were mainly formed by the foreign traders.
On taking a bird’s eye view of the financial structure of the whole era of Gujarat’s sultanat it can be seen that the era was cheaper and prosperous also when Akbar had won over Bharuch during Mughal era it had 12 Paraganas. The annual growth of all 559 villages of the Bharuch, Hansot, Olpad, Mandvi, Galaa, Jambusar, Dahej, Koral, Ankleshwar and Tadakeshwar paraganas was Rs. 75 lac. As given in the Tabakka – E – Akbari there is a description of severe draught and spread of contentious epidemic in Gujarat.
Jahangir Rule (1605–1627 AD)
On understanding the importance of Bharuch district as the trade centre, British had taken permission from Jahangir for establishing the office during this era. Jahangir also gave permission for trade to the British. A big office building built by the Valandas in the 1700s, can be seen in the Kansarvaad in Bharuch. This building has a fort around it.
Attacks by the Marathas (1664 to 1685 AD)
Marathas had plundered Bharuch twice. Due to six draughts between 1681 and 1696 prosperity of both the ports was ruined. By the end of the 17th century their place was taken over due to the development of Mumbai port. In 1772, after the control of Bharuch was taken by the British, Valandas also left their trade centre in Bharuch.
Independent Nawaabs of Bharuch (1736 to 1772 AD)
During this period independent Nawaabs rule over Bharuch. Nizamumude, Abhesinh, Damaji Gayakawad of Vadodara, Mirza Baig, ahemad Baig, Hakem, Nawab Mozumkhan, Prabhudas Seth of Bharuch, Peshwa Bajirao etc. rulers fought and ruled over Bharuch during this period. It can be said that the movement for freedom struggle against foreign rulers in Bharuch started in 1905. But before that in the struggle of 1857 also Bharuch district had played an important role. Bharuch had contributed in the Swadeshi and Home Rule movements also. In which Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi of Bharuch also joined the national struggle.
Contribution in Dandi Yatra and Satyagraha movement
In 1930 the movement of Satyagraha had spread in Gujarat which had affected Jambusar also. On the 12th of the March 1930 when Gandhiji started the Dandi March with some of his supporters, the route of Dandi Kuch in Bharuch district was from Devaataa village of Borsad taluka via Jambusar Amod on the other side of the river Mahi via Bharuch and Ankleshwar on the other side of the river Narmada and reaching Dandi via Surat. The Dandi Kuch arrived in Kareli village on 20 March and 22 March 1930 became a memorial day in Jambusar which is a proof of the history of freedom struggle.
The land of Jambusar reminds us of two historical moments of the freedom struggle.
Contribution of the leaders from Bharuch in other national movements
Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi of Bharuch district had participated in the Home Rule movement. He was imprisoned for participating in struggles of Bardoli movement in the year 1938, “Savinay Kanoon Bhang” in the 1930 and personal movement in the year 1940. Chunilal Shivlal Modi, who was born in 1913 in Bharuch, participated in the struggle of “Savinaya Kaanoon Bhang” in the 1930 at the age of 18 years. Chandrashankar Manishankar Bhatt of Amod played a leading role in spreading the movement of “Hind Chhodo”.
Dinkar Rao Nabheram Desai of Bharuch participated in all the movements of freedom struggle and was imprisoned for five times. Tribhuvandas Chhaganlal Paalejwala of Palej village had played a leading role in picketing the foreign cloths shops in Bharuch in the year 1930. Manishankar Bhatt of Panjareli village had motivated the youth of the district to participate in the freedom struggle. Maganbhai Rugnathdas Patel of Bhadaam village had played a leading role in the Dholera movement in the year 1930.
Manishankar Ranchhoddas Sukawala of Bharuch had played an active role in non co-operation movement in the year 1920 – 21.
Ratuprasad Nathalal Bhatt of Bharuch participated in all freedom movements and was imprisoned, Vinodchandra Chunilal Shah, “Savinaya Kaanoon Bhang” movement, Chunilal Dharamlal Shah of Amod and Chhotubhai Mitilal Patel of Tegava village had devotedly served the freedom fighters, Tribhuvandas Purushottamdas Luhaar ( Sundaram ) of Matar village, non co-operation movement in the year 1920, Desaibhai Bakorbhai Patel of Kahanava village, historical Dandi Kuch, Nathuram Kashiram Bhatt of Raima village, Yashvantray Rajaram Joshi of Malanpore village of Hansot district, Shanabhai Jhaverbhai Patel of Uber village, Vitthalbhai Ranchhodabhai Patel of Sarbhan village, Raysangh Dabhai Parmar and Vishnu Dattatrey Bhoder of Bajodara village had participate in all the freedom movements in the district along with Chhotubhai Purani.
Surajben Hardev Banarasi of Aasta village of Hansot Taluka, who was born in the year 1905 and widowed at a young age, got renowned as the leading lady freedom fighter and female worker. She was imprisoned for participating in the freedom movement, contributed significantly in the activities related to the uplift of the women and activities of creative programs. Like the other districts of Gujarat Bharuch district also had participated actively in various freedom struggles and had suffered loss of property and lives of their citizens. Almost all the talukas of Bharuch district had enlightened their people about political and national spirit by participating in freedom struggle through local leadership and history is the proof of the activities of the uplift of the people by implementing the creative programs instructed by Gandhiji.
Bharuch is located at .[7] It has an average elevation of 15 metres (49 feet). Bharuch is a port city situated on the banks of the Narmada river (damming of the Narmada caused the original port facilities to close, the nearest port is now in Dahej. The Bharuch district is surrounded by Vadodara (North), Narmada (East) and Surat (South) districts. To the west is the Gulf of Khambhat.
Bharuch has a tropical savanna climate (under Koppen's Climate classification), moderated strongly by the Arabian Sea. The summer begins in early March and lasts till June. April and May are the hottest months, the average maximum temperature being 40 °C (104 °F). Monsoon begins in late June and the city receives about 800 millimetres (31 in) of rain by the end of September, with the average maximum being 32 °C (90 °F) during those months. October and November see the retreat of the monsoon and a return of high temperatures till late November. Winter starts in December and ends in late February, with average temperatures of around 23 °C (73 °F).
Very often heavy monsoon rain brings floods in the Narmada basin area. The city had witnessed major floods in the past, but now the floods have been controlled after the damming of the Narmada.
Bharuch has always been prosperous because of its location on the Narmada River. Although water tends to be scarce in Gujarat, one never finds difficulty in getting water in Bharuch. As a result of this, agriculture and other linked commercial activities have flourished in Bharuch. Bharuch is also a central stopping point for many villages spread around its boundaries. People from these small villages come to Bharuch when they want to shop for new clothes, or make a major purchase. Lately a lot of retiring expatriates have been returning to Bharuch and building new houses giving the economy a boost.
Traditionally, Bharuch has been the center of the peanut processing and marketing industry with a well established brand name around the country. Almost none of the peanuts are grown in Bharuch itself but the best of the crops from neighbouring regions are brought here for processing. Mr. Kirit P Modi a local resident and businessman holds the Intellectual Property rights for manufacturing roasted salted peanuts in a hygienic process. Bharuch is also the home of the Bandhni method of clothing design and is well known for this traditional art form.
At present, this heavily industrialised city is renowned for its textile mills, chemical plants, long staple cotton, dairy products and much more. Gujarat's biggest liquid cargo terminal is situated here. It also houses many reputed multinational companies like Videocon, BASF, Reliance, Welspun Stahl etc. Bharuch is a shopping center well known for its salty peanuts. Because of the distinctive colour of the soil here that is ideal for cotton cultivation, Bharuch is sometimes referred to as 'Kanam Pradesh' (black soil land).
In the past 10 years or so a major part of population has moved to countries like United Kingdom, United states of America, The African continent, & other parts of Europe. This definitely brings some economical boost to the local businesses as people come bacfor vacations & spend their earnings here.
Bharuch was a major sea port in the important pre-compass coastal trading routes to points West, perhaps as far back as the days of the Pharaohs, which utilized the regular and predictable Monsoon winds or galleys. Many goods from the Far East were trans-shipped there for the annual monsoon winds making it a terminus for several key land-sea trade routes and Bharuch was definitely known to the Greeks, the various Persian Empires and in the Roman Republic and Empire and other Western centers of civilization right on through the end of the European Middle Ages.[8][9]
In the first century A. D. Bharuch port has been mentioned as Barigaza. Bharuch which was prosperous and powerful port was an important port of Gujarat till the 16th century. Arab traders used to enter Gujarat via Bharuch and do their business. British, Valandas etc. accepted the importance of Bharuch and established their business centre here. At the end of the 17th century, it was plundered twice but resurged quickly after the plunder and a proverb was also phrased for it, “Bhangyu Bhangyu Toye Bharuch”.
As a trading depot, the limitations of coastal shipping made it a regular terminus via several mixed trade routes of the fabled spice and silk trading between East and West.
Narmada River's inland access to central and northern India and with a location in the sheltered Gulf of Khambhat in the era of coastal sea travel grew and prospered as a trading transshipment center and ship building port. Until very modern times the only effective way to move goods was by water transport, and Bharuch had sheltered waters in a era without weather forecasting, compasses, and when shipping was necessarily limited to coastal navigation, and the general East-West course of the Narmada gave access to the rich inland empires at the upper reaches of the Narmada, including easy caravan access to the Ganges valley and the plains of Delhi.
Modern Bharuch is one of the most heavily industrialized areas, not only in Gujarat but in India as a whole, with many large chemical plants producing fertilizers, paints, dyes, cotton, textiles, and dairy products.
Bharuch has also advantage of Gujarat's biggest Liquid cargo terminal. A very large fertilizers, chemicals co. like, GNFC Ltd. is also located in Narmadanagar (a suburb of Bharuch) since 1976.
Large multinationals like the PepsiCo International, Guardian Corporation, Videocon, China Light and Power, BASF, Reliance, Tata Group, Aditya Birla group, Welspun Stahl, Aventis, Wockhardt, Rallis, Pfizer, Ciba, L&T, Bayer, Glenmark, UPL, Lupin, J B Chemicals, Gujarat Fluorochemicals, NTPC, ONGC, GAIL,and GPEC have set up manufacturing units in and around Bharuch and Ankleshwar.
Petronet LNG Ltd, one of the fastest growing companies in the Indian energy sector, has set up the country's first LNG receiving and regasification terminal at Dahej. Dahej nowadays is considered to be fastest growing industrial area with companies like ONGC, GNFC, ABG Shipyard, First carbon, indofil,Birla copper, Adani, Reliance,[10]
As of 2001[update] India census,[11] Bharuch had a population of 148,391. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Bharuch has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 82% and female literacy of 73%. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.
The primary religious grouping is Hinduism, at 70%. However, Muslims make a significant minority at 27%.
Bharuch is administered by the Bharuch Nagar Seva Sadan (Bharuch Nagar Palika). It is a municipality with more than 1,50,000 inhabitants. Bharuch is the administrative head quarters of Bharuch District.
Bharuch Nagar Seva Sadan comprises 14 election wards and 42 seats (corporators). In the 2010, Bharuch Municipality elections, BJP won 30 seats, 11 seats went to Congress and one seat went to NCP.
The city elects one member to the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha and the district elects one member to the Lok Sabha. Bharuch is considered to be a strong hold of BJP and since past 20 years BJP has been winning in Bharuch Vidhan Sabha, Bharuch Lok Sabha and Bharuch Municipality.
Present elected members are:
There are many religions being followed by the people of this town. Usually there is a sense of harmony and co-existence without incident. However, there have been situations in the past in which this delicate social fabric has broken down. Today the city is considered to be a great example of communal equality.
As Bharuch is a renowned tirtha also known as Bhrigu Tirtha in many of Hindu Puranas, it is a host of huge number of temples along the river side.
Bharuch has remained on top in the matters of education and culture. Bharuch is shining since years back because of the internationally famous Pt. Omkarnath Thakur in the field of music. In the field of literature, the literature Gurus like Dr. Kanaiyalal Munshi, Balwantray Thakore and Sundaram has bestowed Bharuch unique pride.
Raichand Deepchand Library was established in 1858. It is one of the oldest library in Gujarat. It has a collection of about 2,00,000 books including some rare manuscripts.
All major Indian festivals are celebrated in Bharuch. Bharuch enjoys a thriving cultural tradition and diverse traditions of different ethnic and religious communities. Popular celebrations and observances include Uttarayan—an annual kite-flying day on 14 January. The nine nights of Navratri are celebrated with people performing Garba—the folk dance of Gujarat—at venues across the city. The festival of lights—Deepavali is celebrated with the lighting of lamps in every house, the decorating the floors with the rangoli and the bursting of firecrackers. Other festivals such as Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Eid ul-Fitr and the procession of Tajia during the Muslim holy month of Muharram are integral parts of the city's culture. It is also well known for the celebration of Chandi Padvo which usually occurs around October. This day comes after one of the two biggest full moon days of the Hindu calendar year, "Sharad Purnima". On this day, people buy tons of Ghari.
The rain (Meghraja) festival celebrated in Bharuch during monsoon is unique in the whole India. In the whole country, the festival depicting the importance of ancient agricultural traditions is celebrated only here. Meghraja Festival is celebrated in the month of Shravan. A 5.5 feet idol if Meghraj (Lord Indra) is prepared from the soil of Narmada river and is worshiped for 25 days. A fair (mela) is organised during the last 4 days of this festival. This festival is celebrated only in Bharuch in whole of India.
Bharuch cuisine is similar to that of Surti cuisine. The most popular form of meal—a typical Gujarati thali—consists of rotli, dal, rice and shaak (cooked vegetables, sometimes with curry), with accompaniments of pickles and roasted papads. Bharuch cuisine also includes perennial favorites such as "Ghari" (a type of sweet), “Malai Ghari” (a unique sweet of Bharuch), Khichu, Undhiyu, Khaman, Nylon Khaman, Phaphada and Jalebi. Unlike cuisines in other parts of Gujarat, Bharuch cuisine is quite spicy. In the cooler winter months, people eat Ponk, a roasted cereal . Roasted salty peanuts of Bharuch are famous world-wide.
Most of the food outlets serve only vegetarian food, as a strong tradition of vegetarianism is maintained by the city's Jain and Hindu communities. Roadside kiosks, called "laaris" or "rekdis", are quite popular.
Non-vegetarian food is also available in some Muslim dominated areas. Novel dishes made from eggs (ghotala, kheema, half fry) are specialties which are savored with much gusto. Apart from this the traditional mutton preparation of tapela, fish (patra macchi), and lemon chicken can also be relished.
Bharuch is famous for....
Bharuch is well connected by Indian National Highway 8 (Mumbai to New Delhi) and by the Western Railway Division of Indian Railways. The railway division also runs the narrow gauge train services to Dahej and Jambusar. The 132 year-old Golden Bridge connects Bharuch to Ankleshwar across the Narmada on the station front while a new bridge connects the highway, the other bridge on the highway has been under maintenance for some time causing regular traffic jams at the four lane NH:8.
There are many auto rickshaws (3 wheeled passenger accommodating petrol/diesel vehicles) and utility vehicles in Bharuch providing the means of transport within the city. Intra-district and Inter-state buses also serve Bharuch frequently, to most of the nearby cities and states. In addition to this there are private bus operators ferrying passengers across Bharuch.
Air : The nearest airport to Bharuch is at Vadodara, at a distance of about 71 km. Indian Airlines and other private airlines connect the city to most important cities of India.
Rail :Bharuch railway station, 'Bharuch Junction' is on Mumbai- Delhi- Ahmedabad line, which connects the Northern, Central & Western Railway link. The main trains which passes through the station are Mumbai-Ahmadabad Shatabdi Express, Mumbai-Vadodara Express, Jammu Tawi-Mumbai Central Swaraj Express and Bandra-Dehradun Express. The major railhead towards north of Bharuch is Vadodara Junction Railway Station (71 km) and towards south is Surat (68 km.)
Bus :National Highway 8 passes through Bharuch and has a good road network . The Bus Station situated in the heart of the city is one the busiest bus terminals in Western India. State transport buses and private luxury coaches connects Bharuch with various centres of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan.
Schools
There are a number of good schools in Bharuch which provide education in English and Gujarati mediums. Schools are affiliated to Gujarat Board, CBSE Board and ICSE. A few schools to name are as under:
and many others.
Colleges
There are a number of good colleges in Bharuch. A few to name are as under:
and many more. Also there are colleges for LLB, LLM, B.Ed., Physical Education, etc. courses.
Shree Narmada Sanskrit Ved Pathashala is 115 year old institute which imparts education in Sanskrit at School, Graduate and Post Graduate levels. It imparts education in the fields of vedas, jyotisha, vyakrana, nyaya, mimansa, etc.
Cricket is the most popular sport in the city. However, other sports are also played.
Shri Batuknath Vyayam Shala was established in 1913 by Chhotubhai Purani and Ambubhai Purani (propagators of Indian gymnastics/vyayam in Gujarat).
GNFC Sports Complex has a number of modern sport facilities, which includes Cricket Stadium (Ranji Trophy matches are also held here), Golf Course, Tennis, Table Tennis, Badminton, Scatting, Swmming Pool, etc.
Rotary Club also has facilities for sports like Table Tennis, Swmming Pool, etc.
There are various avenues for leisure time activities in Bharuch, and there are a few very good parks maintained by the municipal commission. Privately owned parks are also there. Among them, J. B. Modi Park and Vasu Van Nisarg Udyan are very famous.
There are river banks where people go for strolls, as well as a couple of libraries and a few auditoriums. The auditoriums along with movie halls make theatrical entertainment available in the city. There is a crowded but fascinating bazaar in old Bharuch. One can find a number of things in this market.
Bharuch is well known for textile products. Salted Peanuts and Sweets of Bharuch are renowned and admired world-wide.
Of late there has been a boom in the retail sector in the city and there are new shopping malls and multiplexes opening up all over the place. Shopping malls like Big Bazar, Reliance Hyper Market, V-Mart are also there in Bharuch. Multiplexs like INOX, Fame are also there in Bharuch.
There are a number of nice hospitals in Bharuch. Some of them are run by charitable and private trusts. Few to name are as under:
Also there are many clinics and hospitals owned and operated by individual doctors and medical professionals. Pharmacies are also operated and run by individual people. Private hospitals are generally in good condition and include modern technology.
Renowned mythological personalities of Bharuch include Bhrigu rishi, Shukra, Chyavana, Chandra, Dattatreya, Durvasa, Vamana, Mahabali, Jamadagni, Parshurama, etc.
Notable historical figures include King Nahapana, King Bharumala, King Dadda Chalukya, Princess Shobha (Refer: Shobha Somnath Ki), Lallubhai Desai, etc.
Notable personalities from recent times include K. M. Munshi, Omkarnath Thakur, Chhotubhai Purani, Kirat Antani, Ambubhai Purani, Feroze Gandhi, Sundaram, Burjorji Sorabji Godrej (father of Ardeshir Godrej and Pirojsha Godrej, founders Godrej company), Roychand Deepchand, Premchand Roychand, Ahmed Patel, Munaf Patel, etc.
and many more.
