Bharuch

D1

Bharuch ( Gujarati: ભરૂચ, formerly Broach ), is located in northwestern India, at the mouth of the Narmada in the Gulf of Khambhat a port city in the state of Gujarat. Bharuch has approximately 170,000 inhabitants ( 2011 census ) and is the capital of the district of Bharuch.

Bharuch is a very old, historically important port and trading city, which is mentioned in the Mahabharata. It was formerly called Bharakuccha or Bhrgukaccha, in the Periplus Maris Erythraei and Ptolemy it is called Barygaza in Xuanzang she is mentioned as Barakacheva. Under British colonial rule, the city was called Broach.

In the future, Bharuch should be combined with the lying on the other side of the river community Ankleshwar to a double city.

History

At about 500 BC was the most important port Bharuch northern India for export to western countries. The Indian road network was already so far developed at the time that Bharuch road links to the Himalayas ( Shravasti ), the Deccan ( Ujjain ), the Bay of Bengal ( Tamralipta ) and the Khyber Pass ( Pushkalavati ) had. The latter route used dealers to continue to go to Bactria and then to China or to the Caspian Sea. Was exported About Bharuch then among others nard of Kashmir, the Hindu Kush and from Kabul; Muslin of Bengal; Cotton fabric of Ujjain; Raw silk, silk yarn and silk fabric from China.

In the Periplus Maris Erythraei, about 80 AD, Bharuch is frequently mentioned as a goal of monsoon route for crossing the Indian Ocean, including from Muza in ancient South Arabia. For this route Bharuch was the main port for North India. Finds of Roman gold and silver coins of the emperors Augustus and Tiberius prove passages in the Periplus, which Roman coins were introduced in Bharuch and exchanged for local currency. At that time Bharuch capital of the satrap Nahapana.

Economy

Today, the city of Bharuch has only a small harbor, which is mainly used by fishermen. The new port Dahej is located five kilometers from Bharuch.

The city is the regional center of massive industrial development. In the district of Bharuch, whose capital is the city, there are many industrial areas, mainly in the chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, engineering, shipbuilding and textiles. There are a total of more than 11,500 companies, including more than 70 large-scale enterprises. The largest industrial zone, Ankleshwar, comprises over 2600 acres.

Environment

Soil erosion and salinization of the river are current problems. At Narmada above Baruch is the site on the controversial Sardar Sarovar dam.