Bharuch derives its name from the great sage Bhrigu. The original name of Bharuch is Bhrigukachchha (Sanskrit: भृगुकच्छ), which was later shortened to Bharuch during the Muslim rule. Bhrigu Rishi was one of the ten sons of Lord Brahma. He selected Bharuch for his residence due to nine Swayambhu (self-menifested) Shivalingas and its proximity to the holy 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 JyotishShastra (Indian Astrology). The first book on Jyotish Shastra known as Bhrigu Samhita was written by Bhrigu Rishi at his ashram in Bharuch.
Shukra (शुक्र), popularly known as Shukracharya (शुक्राचार्य) was the son of Bhrigu Rishi, and preceptor of the Daityas, and the guru of the Asuras, identified with the planet Venus, one of the Navagrahas. He presides over Shukravar (Devanagari: शुक्रवार) or Friday.
Chyavana (Sanskrit: च्यवन) was also the son of sage Bhrigu and was known for his rejuvenation after penances for several years. He was well known for his knowlwdge about Ayurveda. He prepared a tonic known as 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.
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.
Parshurama (sixth incarnation of 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 Lord Vishnu incarnated for three times. These three incarnations are of Dattatreya, Vamana and 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 Durvasa (generally known for his anger) was also from Bharuch. He is supposed to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva.
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.
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, an educational trust wad founded by a Bharuchian K. M. Munshi. He is a well-known name in Gujarati literature. He was also the main driving force behind the renovation of the historically important 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.
Bombay Stock Exchange and Bank of Bombay was founded by Premchand Roychand (born 1831). He was the son of Roychand Dipchand, a merchant from Bharuch. He was known as the "Cotton King" and "Bullion King". He donated Rupees 200,000 for building Rajabai Clock Tower in the 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.
Feroze Gandhi belonged to a Parsi family of Bharuch. He was the husband of Indira Gandhi His ancestral home still exists in Kotparsiwad area in Bharuch. Thus the biggest political family of India, the 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.
^Ganpatram Desai, ભરૂચ શહેર નો ઈતિહાસ: પ્રાચીન તથા અર્વાચીન (Gujarati Book- History of Bharuch City: Ancient and Modern)
^Hargovan Bechardas, ભરૂચ શહેર નું વર્ણન (Gujarati Book- Description of Bharuch City)
