Becharaji or Bahucharaji is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

town and

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

capital in

Mehsana district Mehsana district (alternate spelling "Mahesana") is one of the 33 districts of Gujarat state in western India. Mehsana city is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district has a population of over 1.8 million and an area of ov ...

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the 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 fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

state,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The temple of

Hindu goddess Devī (; Sanskrit: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The conce ...

Bahuchara Mata in the town is major pilgrimage centre.

History

The name of the town is derived from

Bahuchar Mata The Bahuchara Mata ( hi, बहुचर माता, Bahucharā Mātā; gu, બહુચર માતા, Bahuchara Mātā) is a Hindu goddess of chastity and fertility in her Maiden aspect, of the incarnation of the Hinglaj. Like other divinit ...

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 Sayajirao Gaekwad III (born Shrimant Gopalrao Gaekwad; 11 March 1863 – 6 February 1939) was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is remembered for reforming much of his state during his rule. He belonged to the royal Ga ...

had extended the

Gaekwar's Baroda State Railway Gaekwar's Baroda State Railway (GBSR) or Gaikwad Baroda State Railway was a narrow gauge railway line owned by the Princely State of Baroda, which was ruled by the Gaekwar dynasty. History The railway track has the distinction of being the fir ...

(GBSR) to the town for its development.

Demographics

According to

2011 Census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...

, 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 state in present-day Gujarat, ruled by the Gaekwad dynasty of the Maratha Confederacy from its formation in 1721 until its accession to the newly formed Dominion of India in 1949. With the city of Baroda (Vadodara) as its c ...

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 (Hindi: चैत्र) 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 Cho ...

month of

Hindu calendar The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika 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. They adopt a s ...

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 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 that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

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

Mehsana Mehsana (), also spelled Mahesana, is a city and municipality in Mehsana district, in the Indian state of Gujarat. Established in 14th century, the city was under Gaekwads of Baroda State from 18th century to the independence of India in 1947 ...

Chanasma Chanasma is a small town and a municipality in Chanasma Taluka of Patan district in the state of Gujarat, India. Etymology There is a legend regarding origin of the name of town. There was a mosque on the bank of the tank in the town which ha ...

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 export ...

by state highways. It is located on ''

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: 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 (per t ...

-Rantej- Patan''

metre gauge Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre. The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, la ...

rail route. State highway no. 7 connects NH-14 from

Deesa Deesa is a city and a municipality in the Banaskantha district in the state of Gujarat, India. History Deesa is situated on the east banks of the river Banas. Deesa was an estate and thana ( faujdari/thanedari ) ruled by the Mandori (Jhalori) ...

, Patan, and

to Becharaji, from where it further goes to

Dhrangadhra Dhrangadhra () is a town, taluka headquarters and a municipality in Surendranagar district in the state of Gujarat, India. During the period of the British Raj, the city was the capital of Dhrangadhra State, one of the eight first-class princely ...

Halvad Halvad is a town and a municipality in Morbi district in the Gujarat state of India. Geography Halvad is located at . It has an average elevation of 46 metres (150 feet). Halvad sits on the banks of the Samatsar Pond. Halvad was a ...

and Maliya. From Maliya, one can connect to NH-8A and reach Kutch. Whereas state highway no. 19 connects

, Kalri to Becharaji, from where it further goes to Dasada, Zainabad,

Patdi Patdi is a town and former princely state on the Saurashtra (region), Saurashtra peninsula in Gujarat, western India. History Patdi used to be an estate in ''prant'' of Eastern Kathiawar. Ruling Desai Patel Shris * .... - .... Bha ...

, and

Surendranagar Surendranagar Dudhrej is a municipality in Surendranagar district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. Dudhrej municipality is directly connected with Wadhwan city and Wadhwan municipality. Etymology Dudhrej was o ...

. Another state highway, SH134, connects Mehsana,

Modhera Modhera is a village in Mehsana district of Gujarat, India. The town is well known for the Sun Temple, Modhera, Sun Temple of Chaulukya dynasty, Chaulukya era. The town is located on the bank of Pushpavati river. History The town was known as D ...

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