Culture of Bharuch

Bharuch is very rich in terms of culture. It displays the colorful Gujarati culture that includes the vibrancy of its talent and art, richness of its traditions, beauty of its festivals and a lifestyle that is heading towards modernization.

People of Bharuch

People of Bharuch follow different religions but they still live in harmony and peace. The city is considered today to be a great instance of communal equality. The majority of the population are Muslims. There are people belonging to other religions as well which includes Hindus, Sikhs, Jains etc. Bharuch also has a fantastic pool of artists, who are connected worldwide with their exhibitions and display of talent. Their amazing display of art wins hearts of all who visit here. Also Gurjari (Gujarat State Handicraft Development Corporation Ltd.) and Garvi (Gujarat State Handloom Development Corporation Ltd.) has helped to recognize, revitalize and develop handicrafts and handlooms in Bharuch and also in other parts of Gujarat.

The passion of the people towards dance and music shows during the festivals. They love learning new forms by means of music and dance classes in Bharuch.

Literature in Bharuch

Bharuch also has  one of the oldest library in Gujarat, Raichand Deepchand Library which was set up way back in 1858 and  it has a assemblage of about 200,000 books. It also had collection of some rare manuscripts. Also the famous book "Bharuch Shaher No Itihaas" was written by Ganpatram Desai of the Bhargav Brahmin caste of Bharuch who wrote the book in 1900. This classic piece of history is an amazing reference even today. He also wrote another historical novel called "Alexander Na Samay Nu Hind" or "India at the Time of Alexander".
 

Fairs and Festivals in Bharuch

Most of the Indian festivals are celebrated in Bharuch with all its traditions. Bharuch enjoys a healthy cultural and distinct traditions of different ethnic and religious communities. Some of the popular celebrations and observances include

Uttrayan: Uttarayan which is an annual kite-flying day celebrated on 14 January. On this particular day, all the people are engrossed in flying the kites. Kite-flyers from different parts of the country and the world took part in the 26th international kite festival that was held in Bhauch this year. There were around 47 kite-flyers from different parts of country and seven from Ukraine, Russia and France who had come to Bharuch for this festival and they flew kites of all sizes and shapes in the presence of thousands of people who had gathered at the Hostel Ground near Panchbatti. Such an international kite festival was held in Bharuch for the first time.

Navratri: Then comes the  nine nights of Navratri which is celebrated by performing Garba which happens to be the folk dance of Gujarat. Special venues are booked across the city with orchestra playing some famous Gujrati garbas. This tradition of Nine days of Singing and Dancing is a festival that is enjoyed by all communities, age groups in Bharuch district.

Deepavali: Deepavali, the festival of lights is celebrated with the bursting of firecrackers by all the young kids which gives them much pleasure and delight. Bharuch is also well known for the celebration of Chandi Padvo which usually occurs sometime in October. This day comes after one of the two biggest full moon days of the Hindu calendar year, also known as "Sharad Purnima".

Meghraja Festival: Bharuch is also acknowledged for the  Meghraja Festival which is unique to the region and is celebrated in the month of Shravan (August–Sept) for 25 days. During this festival, a 5.5 feet idol of Meghraj (Lord Indra) is prepared from the soil of Narmada river and is worshiped for 25 days. A fair is organised during the last 4 days of this festival. Being an ancient city, Bharuch has a rich historical ancestry. It is a wonderful experience to explore the historical delights of Bharuch

Bhadbhut Fair: The famous Bhadbhut fair, which is also known as south Gujarat's mini Kumbh, takes place in the month of august. However, the month-long fair is held only once in 18 years at Bhadbhut village which is situated at a distance of 20 km from Bharuch on the banks of Narmada river. It witnesses a  gathering of 25-30 lakh people at the village owing to the religious importance of the event.

There is also a seven-day book fair and a clay exhibition organised by Bharuch-based K J Choksi Public Library (KJCPL) which has attracted more then 50,000 booklovers. It contains more then 20,000 books in Gujarati, Hindi and English literature.