Place · estuary shrine · India
Vimaleshwar
/ʋiməleːʃʋəɾ/
Also known as Vimleshwar, Vimaleshwar Mahadev
A shrine near the point where the Narmada empties into the Gulf of Khambhat. Pilgrims reach the salt flats here, bathe where fresh water turns tidal, and mark the end of the downstream leg before crossing the estuary.
- Periods
- Classical and Puranic Age, Regional Flourishing, Islamic Age and Bhakti Traditions, Early Modern Age, British Colonial Age, Republic and Living Practice
- Function
- Sacred site & pilgrimage
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
- Location
- 21.642, 72.585
Worth knowing
The sea bath at the river's mouth is the turning point of the whole circuit of Narmada Parikrama, the moment the walk stops going out and starts coming back.
Connections (1)
- Site adjacencyGulf of Khambat
Vimaleshwar stands near the point where the Narmada empties into the Gulf of Khambhat, whose tidal range is among the highest in India — over ten metres at spring tides. Pilgrims on the parikrama must cross the estuary by boat here to change banks and begin the return leg, and the tides govern when the crossing can be made at all. It is the single pivot on which the three-year circuit turns.
On these journeys
Sources
Wikipedia, “Bharuch”. Archaeological Survey of India and State Archaeology monument records, and the standard regional literature.
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