Becharaji or Bahucharaji is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

town and

taluka A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ...

capital in Mehsana district of

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

state,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The temple of Hindu goddess Bahuchara Mata in the town is a major pilgrimage centre.

History

The name of the town is derived from Bahuchar Mata or Bahucharaji, a Hindu goddess. The region around the town is known as Chunwal. The Bechar village is located 1 km south of the temple while Sankhalpur village is located 2 km north of the temple. The modern town developed around the temple between these two villages. The ruler Sayajirao Gaekwad had extended the Gaekwar's Baroda State Railway (GBSR) to the town for its development.

Demographics

According to 2011 Census of India, Becharaji has a population of 12,574 including 6,540 males and 6,034 females.

Politics

The town is part of the Bechraji Assembly constituency.

Landmarks

Bahuchar Mata Temple

The nearby villages were taken over by the

Baroda State Baroda State was a kingdom within the Maratha Confederacy and later a princely state in present-day Gujarat. It was ruled by the Gaekwad dynasty from its formation in 1721 until its accession to the newly formed Dominion of India. With th ...

and the annual allowance of Rs. 10,500 was paid. The temple is now managed by the state government. The Kamalias, the Solanki Rajputs of Kalri and the Pavaiyas (eunuchs) claim themselves the hereditary worshipers of the deity. A major fair is held on the full moon day of

Chaitra Chaitra () is a month of the Hindu calendar. In the standard Hindu calendar and India's national civil calendar, Chaitra is the first month of the year. It is the last month in the Bengali calendar, where it is called Choitro. Chaitra or Cha ...

month of the

Hindu calendar The Hindu calendar, also called Panchangam, Panchanga (), is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes ...

Amenities and economy

There are large number of guesthouses, dharamshalas and other facilities for the devotees in the town. There is a post office and government hospital in the town. The Mandal Becharaji Special Investment Region has a number of major automobile companies like Maruti Suzuki Gujarat plant which produces 10 lakh (one million) cars every year.

Transport

Bahucharaji is well connected by

railways Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to roa ...

and state transport (ST) buses. There are many private vehicle operators as well. It is connected with Mehsana, Chanasma and

Viramgam Viramgam is a town and former princely state in the Indian state of Gujarat. The town is located in the Ahmedabad district, which contains the city of Ahmedabad, the state's largest city. Gateway Distriparks notably flagged off the first ex ...

by state highways. It is located on ''

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

-Rantej- Patan''

metre gauge Metre-gauge railways ( US: meter-gauge railways) are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre. Metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by several European colonial powers including France, Britain and ...

rail route. State highway no. 7 connects NH-14 from Deesa, Patan, and Chanasma to Becharaji, from where it further goes to

, Dhrangadhra, Halvad and Maliya. From Maliya, one can connect to NH-8A and reach Kutch. Whereas state highway no. 19 connects Mehsana, Kalri to Becharaji, from where it further goes to Dasada, Zainabad, Patdi, and Surendranagar. Another state highway, SH134, connects Mehsana, Modhera and Kalri to Becharaji.

References

External links

Official Website of Gujarat Tourism
{{Commons category, Bahuchara Mata Temple Mehsana Hindu temples in Gujarat Shakti temples Cities and towns in Mehsana district Devi temples in India