User:Abhinay.leo/Bharuch Trivia

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Interesting facts^[1][2]

Mythological

• Bharuch derives its name from the great sage
  River Narmada
  .
• Many years before Bhrigu Rishi came here, Bharuch was the residence place of Goddess Lakshmi. At that time Bharuch was known as Shrinagar. The palace of Goddess Lakshmi was fully made of gold. Today this golgen palace is not there but a place named Soneri Mahel (Golden Palace) is still there in Bharuch.
• Bhrigu Rishi was well-versed in all the Shastras. He is also known as the Father of
  Jyotish Shastra (Indian Astrology). The first book on Jyotish Shastra known as Bhrigu Samhita
  was written by Bhrigu Rishi at his ashram in Bharuch.
• Navagrahas
  . He presides over Shukravar (Devanagari: शुक्रवार) or Friday.
• Chyawanprash
  , which is widely used in India, as a rejuvenative, energiser and immunity booster. It is often called "the elixir of life" due to its numerous nutritional properties and benefit to the body.
• Sages like
  Parshurama
  were from the linage of Bhrigu Rishi.
• In Bharuch, the celebrated Asura king Mahabali, conducted great sacrifices (ten ashwamedha yagyas). In this sacrifice, Lord Vishnu came in the disguise a dwarf Brahmin called Vamana (fifth incarnation of Lord Vishnu), interfered with the king's sacrifice and measured the whole universe with his three steps. Shukracharya was the priest of King Mahabali.
• Lord Vishnu
  ) was born in the sixth generation of Chyavana.
• Bharuch is the only place in India to have the honour as a place where
  Parshurama. Other two incarnations, Rama and Krishna
  also visited Bharuch during the course of pilgrimage (tirthyatra).
• Out of nine
  Navagrahas (planets), three namely Chandra (or Soma), Budha and Shukra
  are from Bharuch. Thus out of the seven days of a week, three are named after them namely Somavar, Budhavar and Sukravar. This is a great honour for Bharuch.
• The great sage
  Lord Shiva
  .
• Many great sages like
  Adi Sankaracharya
  , etc. also have performed penances in Bharuch.
• There are around 1000 temples in Bharuch city.
• According to the Skanda Purana, there are fifty-five (55) tirthas located in Bharuch.
• The priests of Bharuch were famous for their learning in the other regions too. As per the mythological stories, Agnihotri and Samvedi, the learned priests of Bharuch and Shukaltirtha were famous up to the Kashi in the northern India.

Historical

• Bharuch is the oldest city of Gujarat. It is also the second oldest city of India. Bharuch has a known history for about 8000 years.
• Bharuch had trade relationships with the ancient Greek and Roman Empires. Bharuch was called by the name of Barygaza by Greeks/Romans. North India also traded with western and southern nations via Ujjain and Bharuch. (Also see: Periplus of the Erythraean Sea) (Also refer: http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/periplus/map/periplus_map.html)
• Somnath
  Temple. He was the first Union Minister of Food and Agriculture of independent India.
• Omkarnath Thakur, the first Indian musician to perform in Europe was from Bharuch.
• University of Bombay
  , named after his mother, as was the library. He is also well known for his contribution to society and his donations to causes and institutions that are still very much a part of India today.
• Nehru-Gandhi Family
  has their ancestral origins in Bharuch.
• Ahmed Patel was born in Ankleshwar, near Bharuch. He is the political advisor to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. He is among the core think tank of the INC today. He is also the Treasurer of All India Congress Committee.
• One of the oldest library of Gujarat, Raichand Deepchand Library (started 1858) is located in Bharuch. It has a collection of around Two Lacs books.
• Bharuch is one of the Indian cities which has a Martian crater named after it. The crater is named Broach.