Introduction
Bharuch district of Gujarat is situated in the southern part of the state of Gujarat. The district has 8 talukas, of which the major ones are Bharuch (District headquarter), Ankleshwar, Valia, Jhagadia and Jambusar. The total area of the district is 5,253 sq. km. as per 2001 population census the population of the district is 1.3 million with 261 persons per sq. km.
History of Bharuch District
Bharuch district was a major shipping building centre 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 utilised the usual Monsoon winds or galleys. Many goods from the Far East were trans-shipped there for the annual monsoon winds making it a station for several key land-sea trade routes and Bharuch was certainly known to the Greeks, the various Persian Empires and in the Roman Republic. With the advent of the Age of Discovery, the existence of deep draft sea going shipping it began a long slow decline in importance as it was a bit too far north to be convenient to shipping not confined to keeping within sight of shore.
Geography of Bharuch District
The geographical location of Bharuch district is 21.30 degree to 22.00 degree North (Latitude) and 72.45 degree to 73.15 degree East (Longitude). The average rainfall of the place is 800 mm.
Education of Bharuch District
Bharuch district has a literacy rate of 74.79 percent. There are 850 primary, 118 secondary and 55 higher secondary schools in the district. The 17 ITIs offer several industrial training programmes in Cutting and Sewing, Fitting, Diesel engine mechanic, Information Technology and electronic system management. K.J. Polytechnic College present in Bharuch offers diploma courses in electronics, mechanical, computers, cosmetic design, and chemical civil and in electrical engineering. Narmada College of Management in Bharuch offers MBA courses and has an intake capacity of 60.
Economy of Bharuch District
Economy of Bharuch district in the state of Gujarat is dependent on diversified sectors such as textiles, drugs, chemicals and petrochemicals, and pharmaceuticals and ports and ship building. Quite a few private business conglomerates have their presence in Bharuch. Some of them include Guardian Corporation, Videocon, Welspun-Stahl Rohrren, Aventis, Badische Anilin - und Soda- Fabrik (BASF), Reliance, Rallis, Pfizer, Larsen and Toubro (L & T), Bayer, Tatas, Aditya Birla Group, Wockhardt, Glenmark, Lupin and Gujarat Fluoro chemicals Ltd. Outstanding port connectivity with the presence of Dahej port makes it an investment destination in port and ship building activities. Several key private players have developed their facilities in and around Dahej port, including Indo-Gulf, Gujarat Chemical Port Terminal Company Limited (GCPTCL) and Petronet LNG Ltd.
More than 11,500 units of small and medium enterprises, involved in diverse sectors, such as chemicals and petrochemicals, textiles etc. are present in the district. With over seventy medium and large scale industries, Ankleshwar is the most important industrial center in Bharuch witnessing a large number of business activities. Ankleshwar being a most important industrial center has shown substantial contribution in the economic development of the district. Chemicals, engineering and textiles are the three major Small Scale Industry sectors present in Bharuch district.
Major horticulture crops being produced in the district are mango, cucurbits, banana, papaya and brinjal. In the year 2006-07, Bharuch had the highest production of Banana accounting for 8, 18,940 metric tones, followed by cucurbits with a production of 22,720 MT. Total production of cotton in Bharuch district was 257100 Bales.
52 percent of the State`s lignite is found in Bharuch district. Besides lignite, the district is also well-known for its reserves of Fuller`s Earth, Silica, Agate, Limestone and Calcite.
Emergence of PCPIR region, Dahej SEZ and passing of DMIC are likely to further fuel the industrial and financial growth of the district. Centrally located within the industrial belt, Dahej is an ideal site in Asia to serve north, west and central India and international destinations such as, Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America. Bharuch district is the exclusive producer of Silica sand and presence of a large number of Lignite has made the district a flourishing industrial base for a number of industries. The district witnesses a large number of industrial estates and Special Economic Zones (SEZ). Leveraging the existing industrial base, Bharuch attracts a large number of business conglomerates, such as, Sanofi Aventis, Glenmark, Lupin, BASF, Bayer Crop Science and EI DuPont etc.
Tourism in Bharuch District
Tourism in Bharuch District comprises of several ancient monuments like the Vaishnav Haveli, Narmadamata Temple and Swaminarayan Temple which are over 150 years old, and other fabulous places which involve Bhrigu Rishi Temple, Raichand Deepchand Library, Golden Bridge and Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, amongst numerous others.
Pilgrimage Tourism in Bharuch District
Bharuch district is notable for its numerable ancient temples, Shiva Lingas or Nav Nathas and many other religious sites which are visited by thousands of pilgrims every year.
Bhrigu Rishi Temple
Known to be one of the most renowned and holy temples of the western Indian state of Gujarat, Bhrigu Rishi Temple is located on the eastern part of Bharuch, in the region of Dandia Bazar, on the banks of Narmada River. Initially, Bharuch district was referred to as `Bhrigukachchha`, which was obtained from the name of this ancient temple that was made in the memory of Maharishi Bhrigu. As per legendary tales, this Indian saint was capable of achieving sainthood by accomplishing the perfect balance between actions and wisdom. It is believed that Bhrigu Rishi composed the `Bhrigu Samhita`, his very first astrological work at this place.
Swaminarayan Temple
This temple is over 175 years of age and it is based in Dandia Bazar. The Swaminarayan Temple is quite popular and is adorned with a beautiful combination of different colours on its walls.
Narmadamata Temple
Narmadamata Temple is another temple which is situated in Dandia Bazar and is about 150 years old. The presiding deity of this temple is Goddess Narmada.
Vaishnav Haveli
Belonging to the period around 1725, this more than 150 year old Vaishnav Haveli houses an idol of Lord Krishna, in his avatar of `Bal Krishna`. This idol is believed to have arrived from the area of Mathura.
Nav Nathas
Bharuch is well-known for its nine self-erected or `Swayambhu` Shiva Lingas which are based at several portions of this district. The Lingas are referred to as `Nav Nathas` and consist of Kashi Vishwanath, Bhootnath, Somnath, Pingalnath, Jwalnath, Kamnath, Bhimnath, Siddhnath and Gangnath. It is believed that all these nine Shiva Lingas are existent at this place since numerous ages and that the presence of these Lingas motivated Bhrigu Rishi to opt for Bharuch for the purpose of building his ashram.
Gurudwara Chadar Saheb
According to a mythological story, the Sikh Guru named Guru Nanak had paid a visit to Bharuch during the 15th century. It is said that when a boatman refused to permit him access to his boat, in order to take him across Narmada River, he had done so by walking over a `chadar` or a sheet of cloth. A Gurdwara was later erected in Kasak, known as Gurudwara Chadar Saheb on the area where he had landed, in the district of Bharuch.
Leisure Tourism in Bharuch District
Visitors can decide to visit the Raichand Deepchand Library, Golden Bridge, a historical fort, Soneri Mahal or Golden Palace, a renowned bazaar known as Katopore Bazar and several others.
Raichand Deepchand Library
The Raichand Deepchand Library is equipped with some unique and rare manuscripts and was constructed in the year 1858. More than 2, 00, 000 books are present in this famous library. These books and manuscripts reveal about the regional customs and traditional cultures of Bharuch District.
The Golden Bridge
Constructed in the year 1881, the Golden Bridge was built by the British with an aim to facilitate trade to Mumbai. The bridge was created across Narmada River, with the aide of rust-resistant iron. This kind of iron, during that point of time was much more exorbitantly priced as compared to current-day steel. This imparted the name of `Golden Bridge` to this bridge which connects Ankleshwar and Bharuch.
Fort in Bharuch District
There also exists an ancient fort which has been built about 1000 years ago by Siddhraj Jaisinh which is located at the summit of a hill which overlooks the river Narmada. The fort shelters a church, the Victoria Clock Tower, the Old Dutch factory, Civil Courts, Collector`s Office and some other buildings. At a distance of about 3 km from the fort, there exist some ancient Dutch tombs.
Other Tourism Centres of Bharuch District
Dasaswamedh Ghat, Doodheshwar Madhavev Temple, Dwarkadhish Temple, Bahuchara Mata Temple, Dattatreya Temple, Bhid Bhanjan Hanuman Temple, Bhrigvishwar Mahadev Temple, Gyaneshwar Hanuman Temple, Eidgah, Jama Masjid, Kadiadungar, Kabirvad, Valanda Kothi, and Khodiyar Mata Temple are amongst the interesting tourism spots of Bharuch district. The `Meghraj Festival` is another important feature of this district, which is celebrated in the month of 'Shravan'.
How to reach Bharuch District
By Road:National Highway 8 passes through the district, connecting it with Ahmedabad (182 km) and Mumbai (362 km). Its distance from major industrial centers: Surat (96 km), Jamnagar (453 km), Gandhinagar (210 km), Rajkot (365 km), Vadodara (71 km), Mehsana (256 km), Ankleshwar (13 km) and Vapi (163 km).
By Rail:Almost all the talukas of Bharuch are well connected with the rail network. A broad gauge rail line of 50 km is present in the district. In total, there are 33 railway lines in Bharuch district.
By Air:The nearest airport to the district is in Vadodara (69 km) followed by another airport in Ahmedabad (175km).
By Port:The nearest port is at Dahej. The anchorage is at a distance of 5 km from the old port and 6 km from a container terminal in Jageshwar, Bharuch.
