Bharuch  district General information

Bharuch (also known as Broach) district is a district in Gujarat state. Bharuch town is the headquarters of the Bharuch district. Today the city is well known for its textile mills and long staple cotton.

The nearby island of Kabirwad, in the river, features a gigantic banyan tree which covers a hectare.

History

It is an ancient town with a 2000 year history situated at the mouth of River Narmada. One of the oldest seaports which flourished in the 1st century AD. Bharuch came under the rule of the Solanki rajputs much later. The city got its name 'Bhrigukachba' from the Temple of Bhrigu Rishi, the name later shortened to Bharuch. Bharuch was an important Buddhist center in the 7th cent. Under the Rajput dynasty (750-1300), it was the chief port of West India. In the 17th century, English and Dutch factories were established here.

It was here, on the banks of river Narmada, that the Asura king Mahabali, conducted a great sacrifice. In this sacrifice, came a Bhrahmin boy named Vamana, who interferred with the king's sacrifice and put an end to his reign. A sage named Guru Shukracharya, in the lineage of Bhrigu, was the priest of king Mahabali.

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 Mauryas, the Guptas, and Rudrama. As part of the Sultanate of Gujarat, it was subsequently annexed by the Mughals, and finally by the British.

It was known to Greek as Barigaza and was having a greek settlement.

The 150-year-old Golden Bridge connects Bharuch to Ankleshwar across the Narmada River.


Geography

Administratively, it contains the talukas (administrative subdistricts similar to a boro or township) of Ankleshwar, Hansot, Jambusar, Jhagadia, Panoli, VALIA and Vagra.

    * Area : 9,308
    * Population : 1,370,656

It also contains the city of Bharuch. The district was 25.72% urban as of 2001. [1]

The primary religious grouping is Hinduism, although Muslims make a significant minority in the district at 27%. The area is also the home of the Hindus forming the majority 72% of the population.