Bharoch (Gujrat) the 2nd oldest city of India

BHAROCH :

Bharoach is very important District w.r.t Hindu pauranik religious places viz Samagam of Narmada river into the sea, Jambusar Mahadev,etc. However the Muslim population is in majority. There are countless number of Madarsas.Bharuch formerly known as Broach, is a city at the mouth of the river Narmada in Gujarat [Bharuch is the oldest city of Gujarat. It is also the second-oldest city of India , first being Kashi (Varanasi). Bharuch has a known history for about 8000 years. Bharuch was ruled over by too many emperors in the princely states era. Chandragupta Vikramaditya and other kings of the Gupta dynasty ruled over here up to 5th century and later it was ruled over by the kings of Gurjar ancestry till 7th century. The time period of 8th to 13th century was said to be an important and very well-known part under the rule of Rajput Emperors. Solanki ancestry's great emperor Sidhdhraj Jaisinh had built up Kot (fortification) and darvaja (doors) around the whole Bharuch which was known as 'Malbari Darvaja'. These are renamed as 'Katopor Darvaja'and 'Zadeshwari darvaja' later. In the first half of 16th century, Bharuch was ruled over by Changez Khan. Then, Mughal king Humayu ruled over in 1534 AD.

BC era
Certainly by the 6th century BC, the city was known everywhere, and was readily accessible 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 Phoenicians 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 civilisations of South-west Asia, the Middle-East, the Mediterranean basin including Northern Africa and Europe.

During the Prarga–Maurya period in Gujarat, King Pradyot Mahaveer of the Pradyota dynasty of Ujjain ruled over Bhragukutchh in 550 BCE. He was a contemporary of Gautama Buddha. The Theragatha, part of the Pali Canon written down in Sri Lanka in the 1st century BC, 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. The ancient Sri Lankan chronicle, the Dipavamsa, mentions that the legendary king Vijaya stopped at Bharukaccha for three months c. 500 BC.[8]

Excavations near the banks of the river Narmada in Bharuch have revealed many archaeological and architectural wonders, mostly temples. Later Bharuch was part of the Mauryan Empire (322–185 BC), the Western Satraps, the Guptas and the Gurjara-Pratiharas.[9]

The Maurya period was between 322 and 185 BC. The post-Maurya period is mentioned between 185 BC and 23 AD. 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.

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:

"The metropolis of this country is Minnagara, from which much cotton cloth is brought down to Barygaza. In these places there remain even to the present time signs of the expedition of Alexander, such as ancient shrines, walls of forts and great wells." Periplus, Chap. 41
"To the present day ancient Drachmae are current in Barygaza, coming from this country, bearing inscriptions in Greek letters, and the devices of those who reigned after Alexander the Great, Apollodotus and Menander." Periplus Chap. 47[10]. * History of Bharoach collected from googal]

Golden Bridge:





Railway Station ,Bharoch:

Deendayal Upadhyaya Bhojnalaya :

Deendayal Upadhyaya Bhojnalaya which is just at a distance of 100 meters from Bharoch Railway Station where the food is provided  in lunch & dinner in Rs.15/- only in the form of "Prasad" with a proper sitting arrangement like a good Hotel.

Jama Masjid,Bharoch:

 

Swami Narayan Mandir about a distance of one kilometer Mangal Bazar in Bharoch:
This is a beautiful temple, marvelous architecture with beautiful art of painting on the walls and Gumbaj , lovely garden maintained in the temple campus.However the Corporation is not giving attention to keep its surroundings neat,clean and hygienic.

on the way From Ankleshwar to Bamleshwar (Bharoch):

Maszid DARUL ULUM, HASOD,near DANDI PATH(ANKLESHWAR) , District Bharoach,GJ

Koteshwar:

Koteshwsr Mahadev, near Hashod, towards Bimleshwar Darya road, Distrct Bharoach.yahan Maine Badam ke ped ke neeche gire sukhe Badam ke fal prapt kiye.

Bamleshwar temple:

Dariya river at the coastal area of Bamleshwar :

This is the temporary river forms from sea water for a limited time depending on the movement of moon. The picture shows the river without water at 2pm on 18th May 2018 and after 2.30 pm the river  was full of water and water level was increasing gradually>

Salt Farming near the coastal area using the sea water through canal

Archaeological Survey needs to give attention  to renovate this historical pond. The beauty of this pond was the victim of Panchaytiraj local Politics. One decade before this pond was full of water a lovely picnic and religious place.