Barbodhan is a village in the Surat District of western India, on the north bank of the River Tapti. It comes within the jurisdiction of the Olpad Taluka.

Etymology

According to local folklore, the name Barbodhan comes from the Arabic Bāb Aden or "Gateway to Aden". It is known that at one time Muslims travelling to Mecca on pilgrimage would pass through this village on their way to the seaport of Surat, hence the name. Some sources suggest that the village was named after the Portuguese factor and traveller Duarte Barbosa, though this seems unlikely as he never actually resided in the area. More recently though the village Barbodhan has become known as the 'Golden Village'. The village has existed for many years, and tombstones in the graveyard indicate that Muslims were buried there some three to four hundred years ago. According to one source the first Indian Muslims to settle here were several brothers with the surname Rawat, who came from Nasirpoor Bhatti, a place near Navsari.

The Diaspora of Barbodhanis

Barbodhanis have always interested in trade and commerce and travelled to foreign lands, undertaking long sea voyages. People left Barbodhan in the early 19th century to settle in Burma, where they established many businesses and were great entrepreneurs; a number of them even became advisors to the Burmese rulers. Then from in the 1840s many other emigrants from Barbodhan went to the island of Mauritius, where they were later responsible for introducing hydroelectric power, as well as being involved in other trading and business concerns. The first Muslim mayor in Mauritius was originally from Barbodhan.

Then came the migration to England from the 1950s to the 1970s. Once immigration to the United Kingdom became more difficult, a number of Barbodhians then left for Canada particularly during the period from the 1970s to the 1990s. A considerable number of Barbodhians undertook further migrations from one of these countries to another; such as from Burma to England, England to Canada or Mauritius to England. Despite the fact that Barbodhan is only a small village, its people have made valuable contributions in societies around the world.

the paper mill, glass factory, farming agriculture, poultry farm, fishing etc.

References

  • Surti Sunni Vohra Muslim Education Society
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20091125090706/http://www.surtisunnivohra.com/] Surti Sunni Vohra Website

See also

  • List of tourist attractions in Surat