Bhat, Daskroi

Bhat ભાત Bhat
Village
Clockwise from topː Moti Talav, Morning View, Farm View, Swaminarayan Temple, Building at Rabari Vas and different areas
Nickname(s): Bhat Gam
Bhat Show map of Gujarat Bhat Show map of India Location in Gujarat, India
Coordinates: 22°52′29″N 72°27′52″E / 22.8748°N 72.4645°E / 22.8748; 72.4645Coordinates: 22°52′29″N 72°27′52″E / 22.8748°N 72.4645°E / 22.8748; 72.4645
Country	India
State	Gujarat
District	Ahmedabad
Founded by	Bhojaji Bhagat, Bhaktidas Patel, Mulshankar Raval and Bhudardas Valand
Named for	Bhojaji Bhagat, Bhaktidas Patel
Government
• Type	Gram Panchayat
• Body	Gram Panchayat
Elevation	33 m (108 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
• Total	5,858
Languages
• Official	Gujarati, Hindi, English
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	382210
Vehicle registration	GJ-1,GJ-27
Website	Bhat Daskroi Blog

Bhat ( [ˈbhaːt] ) is a Village in Daskroi^[2] Taluka in Ahmedabad District of Gujarat State, India. Bhat is located near the bank of the Sabarmati River, 24 km towards west from District headquarters Ahmedabad, 5 km from Daskroi and 49 km from State capital Gandhinagar. Bhat Pin code is 382210 and postal head office is Sarkhej. As per constitution of India and Panchayati Raj Act, Bhat village is administered by Sarpanch (Head of Village) who is elected by representative of village.

History

Dudheshwar Mahadev Temple

In 13th century, 1246 Thakor Bhojaji Bhagat and Bhaktidas Patel inaugurated the village, at that time village Bhrahmin Mulshankar Raval and Bhudardas Valand, one home of Prajapati dynasty and many other caste people was there. Bhojaji Bhagat and Bhaktidas Patel both was a great Devi Bhakta, because both was famous for their devotion the village was known as Bhagatnu Gam. A village of a devotee. By the time circumstances from the Bhagatnu Gam, word 'Ga' removed so the name was Bhatgam and later from this name the real name 'Bhat' comes out and now village is known as Bhat Gam. Nowadays Bhojaji Bhagat's inheritors are known as Bhagatwala Vas and Bhaktidas Patel's inheritors are known as Kothari Families.

Village main entry was from west side, there is a Temple of Goddess Mahakali and at outskirts side to protect village there is a Temple of Goddess Chacharwadi Khodiyar. This temple is known as village outskirt's Goddess Temple, and villagers worshiping goddess Chacharwadi Khodiyar as Village Goddess Gam Mata. Temple was inaugurated to protect the village from boundary of village. Because temple connects four villages namely Bhat, Chacharwadi Vasna, Tajpur and Moraiya, temple is famous as Chacharwadi Temple. Every year at the festival of Rama Navami a big fair festival is celebrated by the villagers in the temple area.

A very ancient historical temple of Bhadreshwar Mahadev is situated on the bank of Sabarmati River in the east side of village. In every Krishna Janmashtami villagers used to go to temple of Bhadreshwar Mahadev. But after the flood in Sabarmati River it was not possible to go to temple every year so villagers constructed new temple in the village. And because the Bhadreshwar Mahadev Shivalingam was appeared from the cow's milk the name of new temple given is Dudheshwar Mahadev.^[3] Every years for the beneficiary of the village a Yajna is performed.

Geography

Bhat lies at 22°52′N 72°28′E / 22.87°N 72.46°E / 22.87; 72.46 in western India at 33 metres (107 ft) above sea level near the bank of the Sabarmati River in north-central Gujarat. The facility of Narmada Canal has been provided for the village, The canal frequently dried up in the summer, leaving only a small stream of water, and the village is in a sandy and dry area. However, with the execution of the Narmada Canal by Sardar Sarovar Dam Project and Embankment, the waters from the Narmada river have been provided to the canal to keep the canal flowing throughout the year, thereby eliminating Bhat's water problems. Except for the small hills of Dudheshwar Mahadev Tekri, Patel Nivas and Thakor Nivas the village is almost flat. Two lakes lie within the village's limits - Moti Talav and Vasdar Talav.

According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, the village falls under seismic zone 3, in a scale of 2 to 5 (in order of increasing vulnerability to earthquakes).^[4]

There are typically three main seasons – summer, monsoon and winter. Barring monsoon, the climate is very dry. The weather is very hot during the months of March to June with the average summer temperature ranging from maximum 43 °C to minimum 23 °C. The months of November to February have an average maximum temperature 36 °C and a minimum of 15 °C. The climate is extremely dry during that period. Cold northerly winds are responsible for a mild chill during January. The south-west monsoon winds bring humid climate to Bhat from mid-June to mid-September. The average rainfall is 932 mm.^[5] The highest temperature recorded is 47 °C and the lowest is 5 °C.^[6]

Bhat is characterised by Holi Dhal area which has packed bazaar, Garba Chowk, the Faliya system of buildings, and places of worship like temple and derasar. Bhat houses the main Post Office, the Gram Panchayat, Bhat Primary School, High School, Modern buildings, Residential area and Shops. The village also hoses the main bus station. The colonial period saw the expansion of the village to the Sarkhej-Dholka highway side facilitated by the construction of Rice mill in 2000. This part of the village houses modern buildings, well-planned residential areas and shops.

Climate

Bhat has a hot, semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSh), with marginally less rain than required for a tropical savanna climate. There are three main seasons: summer, monsoon and winter. Aside from the monsoon season, the climate is extremely dry. The weather is hot from March to June; the average summer maximum is 41 °C (106 °F), and the average minimum is 27 °C (81 °F). From November to February, the average maximum temperature is 30 °C (86 °F), the average minimum is 15 °C (59 °F), and the climate is extremely dry. Cold northerly winds are responsible for a mild chill in January. The southwest monsoon brings a humid climate from mid-June to mid-September. The average annual rainfall is about 800 millimetres (31 in), but infrequent heavy torrential rains cause local rivers to flood and it is not uncommon for droughts to occur when the monsoon does not extend as far west as usual.

Demographics

As per Population Census 2011,^[1] The Bhat village had population of 5858 of which 3037 are males while 2821 are females.In Bhat village population of children with age 0-6 is 761 which makes up 12.99% of total population of village. Average Sex Ratio of Bhat village is 929 which is higher than Gujarat state average of 919. Child Sex Ratio for the Bhat as per census is 829, lower than Gujarat average of 890.

Culture

The people in Bhat are predominantly vegetarians. Large chains, pendants and other heavy gold jewellery are a common sight during marriages, festivals and family functions. The attire changes with the season and approaching festivals. The ladies normally wear the Gujarati flavour of the Sari and men wear kurtas and for formal wear shirts and trousers.

Bhat observes a wide range of festivals. Popular celebrations and observances include Uttarayan, an annual kite-flying day on 14 and 15 January. Nine nights of Navratri are celebrated with people performing Garba, the most popular folk dance of Gujarat, at Garba Chowk and various places of the village. The festival of lights, Deepavali, is celebrated with the lighting of lamps in every house, decorating the floors with rangoli, and the lighting of firecrackers. Krishna Janmashtami (Devanagari कृष्ण जन्माष्टमी kṛṣṇa janmāṣṭamī), also known as Krishnashtami, Saatam Aatham, Gokulashtami, Ashtami Rohini, Srikrishna Jayanti, Sree Jayanti or sometimes simply as Janmashtami, is an annual celebration of the birth of the Hindu deity Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu.^[7] Villagers celebrate Janmashtami by fasting and staying up until midnight, the time when Krishna is believed to have been born. Images of Krishna's infancy are placed in swings and cradles in temples and homes. At midnight, devotees gather around for devotional songs, dance and exchange gifts. Some temples also conduct readings of the Hindu religious scripture Bhagavad Gita. The festival of Maha Shivaratri is celebrated in Very early morning, Dudheswar Mahadev temple is flocked by devotees, young and old, who come to perform the traditional Shivalinga worship (puja) and hence hope for favours from the Lord Shiva.People clean and paint their houses and purchase new clothes to wear on New Year's Day. Dhuleti is the colour festival and other holidays are Ganesh Utsava, Ram Navami, Mahavir Jayanti etc.

One of the most popular forms of meal in Bhat is a typical Gujarati thali. It consists of roti, dal, rice and shaak (cooked vegetables, sometimes with curry), with accompaniments of pickles and roasted papads. Drinks include buttermilk and tea; sweet dishes include laddoo, mango, and vedhmi. Dhoklas, theplas and dhebras are also very popular dishes in Bhat.^[8]

Holi Dhal is an open square near the centre of the village that functions as a vegetable market in the morning and a cloth market in the afternoon. However, it is better known for its food stalls in the evening, which sell local street food. It is named after the Hindu ritual of Holika Dahan. The residents of Prajapati pol sell fresh vegetables, while the ice-Cream shops sell various flavors of Ice Cream.

Transportation

The Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation runs a circular bus service along the Sardar Patel Ring Road from Sarkhej - Dholka Road on an hourly basis.^[9][10] State Highway 4, linking Vataman to Ahmedabad, passes through Bhat and connects it with Dholka, Sarkhej, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. The National Highway 8A also links Bhat to Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.^[11]

Education

Bhat Primary School Panorama View

Bhat Primary School Campus

Bhat village has lower literacy rate compared to Gujarat. In 2011, literacy rate of Bhat village was 74.08% compared to 78.03% of Gujarat. In Bhat Male literacy stands at 84.05% while female literacy rate was 63.53%.^[1] There is two primary government schools named: Bhat Primary School and Rampura Primary School.^[12]

Schools in Bhat are run either by the Gram Panchayat or privately by individuals and trusts. Majority of the schools are affiliated to the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSEB). After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in junior college (also known as pre-university) in one of three streams — Arts, Commerce, or Science. Upon completing the required coursework, students enroll in general or professional degrees. To get professional degrees students need to go in city Ahmedabad.

Ahmedabad is home to prestigious institutes like the Indian Institute of Management, National Institute of Design, Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad, National Institute of Fashion Technology, the Center for Environmental Planning and Technology, and B.J. Medical College

Many academic and scientific institutions of national repute were set up in Ahmedabad due to the efforts of Vikram Sarabhai. The most important of these are the Physical Research Laboratory and the Space Applications Centre which fall under the Ahmedabad centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation.^[13] The Vikram Sarabhai Community Science Centre aims to educate children about the various aspects of science.

Work Profile

In Bhat village out of total population, 2055 were engaged in work activities. 88.81% of workers describe their work as Main Work (Employment or Earning more than 6 Months) while 11.19% were involved in Marginal activity providing livelihood for less than 6 months. Of 2055 workers engaged in Main Work, 449 were cultivators (owner or co-owner) while 788 were Agricultural labourer.^[1]

Media

Newspapers in Bhat include the Gujarati and Hindi dailies Divya Bhaskar, Gujarat Samachar, and Sandesh.

The state-owned All India Radio Ahmedabad is broadcast both on the medium wave and FM bands (96.7 MHz) in the city.^[14] It competes with five private local FM stations: Radio City (91.1 MHz), Red FM (93.5 MHz), My fm (94.3 MHz), Radio One (95.0 MHz), Radio Mirchi (98.3 MHz). Gyan Vani (104.5 MHz) is an educational FM radio station run under media co-operation model.^[15] In March 2012 Gujarat University started campus radio service on 90.8 MHz which was first kind of it in state and fifth in India.^[16]

The state-owned television broadcaster Doordarshan provides free terrestrial channels, while two multi system operators—InCablenet and Siti Cable—provide a mix of Gujarati, Hindi, English, and other regional channels via cable.^[17] Telephone services are provided by landline and mobile operators such as BSNL, Reliance CDMA & Reliance GSM, Airtel, Uninor, Vodafone and Idea Cellular.

Places nearby

• Sarkhej - About 18 km from Bhat, Sarkhej is a suburban neighbourhood in the city of Ahmedabad. It is primarily known for the Sarkhej Roza is an architectural complex located 8 km south from the city centre. One of the most important roads of metropolitan Ahmedabad, Sarkhej–Gandhinagar Highway, originates from Sarkhej and ends at the twin city Gandhinagar.
• Dholka City - About 18 km from Bhat, Dholka is a city and municipality in the Ahmedabad District of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the headquarters for Dholka Taluka, and is 48 km by road via National Highway 8A southwest of the city of Ahmedabad.
• Sanand - About 16 km from Bhat, Sanand is a city and a municipality in Ahmedabad district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is best known as the automobile hub of Gujarat.^[18][19]
• Ahmedabad - About 22 km from Bhat, Ahmedabad is the largest city and former capital of the western Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. With a population of more than 7.2 million and an extended population of 8.4 million, it is the fifth-largest city and seventh-largest metropolitan area of India.
• Kheda - About 30 km from Bhat, Kheda is a town and a municipality in Kheda district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Kheda, also known as Kaira, is 35 km from Ahmedabad. The National Highway no. 8 connecting Ahmedabad and Mumbai passes through Kheda. It forms the administrative center of Kheda District.

Visitor attractions

• Holi Dhal
• Garba Chowk
• Moti Talav
• Lakkadiya Hanuman Temple

See also

• List of faliyas in Bhat

References