Visit to Silent Shuklatirtha in the Gujarat State in India

The State of Gujarat in India is full of most beautiful spots, which are situated at the bank of holy river Narmada. Many such lovely spots are located near the city of Bharuch. Shuklatirtha is one of such place that is loved by people of Gujarat state in India. It is considered as very holy place of the pilgrimage for Hindus. Thousands of tourists visit this lovely place that is situated on the bank of holy River Narmada. One ancient tree that is the largest and the oldest in the entire State of Gujarat is situated at around one mile from Shuklatirtha, which is commonly known as Kabirwad.

The tourists can easily reach Shuklatirtha from the city of Bharuch, which is around 10 miles away from Shuklatirtha. The tourists are required to travel distance of around one mile by boat from Shuklatirtha in the holy River Narmada to reach the famous Kabirwad. Bharuch is situated on the main railway line of Mumbai-Ahmedabad. Kabirwad is situated at the sangam of Rivers Narmada and Kaveri. There is a belief that the Saint Kabir had stayed at this place for one night and had dropped one small piece of wood in the morning. This small piece of wood has been converted in to a massive tree of Kabirwad over a period of so many years. This Kabirwad has spread in to a large area of around one square kilometer. This tree is around 570 years old and still appears as if it is fresh. The tourists come here to enjoy full day picnic from cities of Bharuch and Vadodara. There are regular buses available from both these cities for Shuklatirtha. The tourists can have long leisurely bath here in the river Narmada as the water is not very deep here. However, one has to be very careful as there are many twisters in the water of River Narmada near Shuklatirtha. There are no hotels or food stores at Shuklatirtha. The only possible way is to order the lunch for your group in advance at the government rest house, which is situated at Shuklatirtha. The hot beverages like tea, coffee, hot chocolate etc are available at Shuklatirtha and Kabirwad. The Hindus believe that Lord Shiva visits this place on no moon night of Hindu month Chaitra. The large fair is held here every year on this day. Thousands of pilgrims visit this holy place on that auspicious day. Kabirwad is situated on the island in the River Narmada. That is why all the tourists have to return back to Shuklatirtha in the evening by boat as there are no facilities for the overnight halt at Kabirwad.

The best option to stay at Shuklatirtha is the rest house that is operated by the State government. Nice and clean double rooms are available at the rate of around Rs.200 ($4) per day. There is a small canteen here at the rest house that can serve standard Gujarati meals at a very reasonable rate of around Rs.50 ($1) per plate. The Gujarati food delicacies are served as breakfast items at this canteen in the morning. Shuklatirtha is the best place to perform yoga and pranayama in the morning due to the spiritual environment all around at the bank of River Narmada. If you happen to love quiet and beautiful places on the river bank, Shuklatirtha/Kabirwad is the best option available to you for enjoying full day picnic while staying at either Vadodara or Bharuch. I would suggest all my readers to visit this unique picnic spot of Gujarat State at least once.