Uttarvahini Narmada Parikrama: Back to the Roots
Hi,
So this is the first time in a year that I am writing the blog immediately after coming from the excursion, trip, or trek, whatever you say. I usually write next week, or sometimes after months also. But what motivated me to write immediately after coming from this one?
The fact that kids surprise us after each trail, or why we have not heard about this one in all these years or the dedication and faith of the people living in the vicinity of the river. The way they are committing their time and energy to people like us is commendable. They’re not doing it as a sense of duty. It is their selfless act of kindness… Will talk about it later in the blog.
First, let me start with a brief introduction to parikrama. As we all know Narmada river starts from Amarkantak and ends at Bharuch. Narmada parikrama means circumambulating the river. You can begin at any point, and then you must come to that point again. The total journey is around 3500 km. Yes, you read it right. It is close to the famous Appalachian Trail in the USA (3540 km).
Many of us won’t be able to do the whole Narmada Parikarma, and this Uttarvahini Parikrama is our best option. Whenever any river goes from south to north direction, it is very optimistic. And this Uttarvahini Narmada Parikrama is as propitious as the main Narmada Parikarma, and it is done in the month of Chaitra as per the Hindu calendar.
Narmada runs from south to north from village Rampura near Garudeshwar to Tilakwada (near Men- Narmada river Sangam). So this is the path of Uttaravahini Narmada parikarama. You can start from Rampura or you can start from Tilakwada also.
We left for Tilakwada at around 5 am and started our parikrama by 6:30. But we were late as we met many people from the Rampura side at that time, so they had already finished half of their journey by then. So our advice is to start early at around 4:00 am so you can avoid heat.
In Tilakwada, the parikrama starts at Maninageshwar Mahadev temple. The path is very well marked. From concrete roads to farms and fields, from Narmada on your right side to Banana plantations on either sides and beautiful temples, this path has all of these!
And what can I say about the hospitality of nearby villagers? You will get water, chhas, sharbat, and snacks at specific intervals. Their altruistic behaviors toward ‘parikramavasi’ are mind-blowing. We truly cherished the value of our beliefs and our roots. This is our faithful India, where people believe in the ideas of people, irrespective of their names, their religion, or their status. On many stalls, they have mentioned, ‘ Please don’t offend us by giving us money.’ We were speechless!
From Tilakwada you have to go to Rengan village and from here you can take a boat service which charges 20 Rs per person. On this way, there were many kids from nearby villages. Please keep a few handy treats for them. No! they do not expect that. It is totally your choice.
From Rengan boat will take you to Rampura. Most people start their journey from this side. One free medical camp is also there at this site.
Now you have to go from Rampura to Guvar. At this site, the journey is mainly through a concrete road compared to the opposite side. Once you reach Gopaleshwar, you must take a right turn and walk by the riverside from now onwards.
At this end, they also have good boat service with exact charges. But on the opposite end, the sand is very sticky and with a slit, so be careful. After this, you can clean your feet at the beautiful Narmada Men Sangam, where you can feel the urgency in the Men River water to meet Maa Reva. The way the small stream of Men is gushing into mighty Narmada is a sight to behold. Take a dip here, and you will feel blessed. Our kids were at this place for more than 45 minutes, and all our weariness disappeared in those minutes. From this Sangam, you need to climb steep stairs and reach Vasudev Kutir, and from there, via, Tilakwada village, you will go up to Maninagenswar temple.
So shout out to all people; please spread the word about this and embark upon this journey, if not spiritually, then just as an experience. We bet you won’t be disappointed and at the end, you will definitely shout – “Narmade Har”. That’s the power of our river. You will indeed be in a state of lassitude, but you will have immense positivity.
Narmade Har
SaSha
If you really want to understand the true meaning and feeling behind this parikrama, there are a few amazing books in Gujarati Literature. Sharing the names and Amazon links for the same:
There are three books by Shri Amrutlal Vegad and one by Shri Dhruv Bhatt in Gujarati. All three are amazing and greatly inspiring.
Tatvamasi – Dhruv Bhatt – this has both – Gujarati edition and English edition
Tire tire Narmada – Amrutlal Vegad – link
Parikrama Narmada Maiya ni -Amrutlal Vegad – link
Saundarya ni Devi Narmada -Amrutlal Vegad – link
Points to consider:
- This is a very well-marked trail and you will meet thousands of parikramavasi like you, so safety is not concerned.
- Government has also kept toilets at many places.
- You can take your water but there are stalls at regular intervals.
- Please don’t litter. Keep our rivers clean.
- One of the ideas for writing this blog today is that this is just the second day of Chaitra month, so you still have 4 Sundays with you.
- It is mentioned at places that the total path is 20 km, but it is not more than 15 km.
- In one of the images, there is a contact number. You can ask about it also.
Hi
I am hitendra and i wanto join in 2026 for parikrama can you share the dates and प्रवास वर्णन
yes surely..i will find out and let u know. thanks for approaching.
Hi, I am Ganpat from Ahmedabad can u please brief me how to proceed for parikrama as I am planning from 12th of December.
Thanks
Thanks for approaching. But usually this parikrama takes place during the Chaitra month so in March. During December you might not get the boat ride to cross the river.
Hello, I am Chandrika, also from Bangalore. I would like to do this parikrama in 2026, Chaitra masa. Kindly advise
Hi. thanks for reaching out. will surely look for it and will send you an email ASAP.
Namaskar.
Hello Admin,hope you all are doing good,we are from south india Bengaluru and we would like to do Uttarvahini Narmada Parikrama in coming Chaitra masa 2026
as we are from Karnataka we don’t know the local language Gujarathi and can manage in Hindi.
we want your guidance for this holy pilgrimage,we will be reaching Vadodara from Bengaluru from there onwards we need your help for Accomdodation at Tilakwada
Regards
Namaste. Hindi is totally good here. Mostly all people speak and understand hindi so no issues with language. As of stay options, there are few Daramshala near Tilakwada near temples or you can stay at Vadodara. It is the best and safe option.
Could you please advice? My mom and her friends are going for every Poornima to suklatirth for pooja since last 25 years.
They want to do this Parikrama on upcoming Poonam which is on 12th April.
They all are senior citizen and healthy but my mom somehow face difficulties for longer walk.
they will come in group with 40 to 45 women so if you could advice the best possible route and timing and any other advice also please suggest.
We really appreciate and Maa Reva blessed you!
hey sending you email. please check, Narmade Har…
Narmade har
If not walking thy can do it by car….the small cars are allowed there..
V have just done it on 4th of ths month at night…
oh that’s great. thank you so muhc. it will be helpful to many. Narmade har
Great information! Thanks for sharing.Maa Reva blessed you and your family.Narmade Har!Narmade Har! Narmade Har!🙏🏻
Thank you so much…
Hi Thanks for sharing the info. could you suggest the best route or approachable route to go for parikrama? this is my first time and i am from Vadodara. from where i should start and what could be the route? thanks for the info in advance?
thank you…
you can go either from Rampura or Tilakwada. we personally prefer to go from Tilakwada in a way that you can reach Rampura side just before sunrise because sunrise from the bank near Gopaleshwar Mahadev temple is spectacular. so you can start from tilakwada at around 3:30-4 am. but it depends on your speed. because the Parikrama is of 20 km so one way it is appx 10 km. and to witness sunrise you have to cover at least half of Rampura side also.
Or some people prefer to do night parikrama in that case start from Rampura side at midnight.
I hope this helps.
Thanks for the info.. this hidden insight will definitely help us.
Narmade Har ..!
Beautifully Written ! Thank you so much for sharing your insights, they are helpful.
Thank you so much for your kind words..Narmade Har…
great
Thank you…
Narmade har…
Thanks for the information
Narmade Har..
narmade har
want to read books related to narmada parikrama
please suggest .
Narmade Har
There are three books by Shri Amrutlal Vegad and one by Shri Dhruv Bhatt in Gujarati. all three are amazing, greatly inspiring. we actually learn the true meaning behind this tradition.
Tatvamasi – Dhruv Bhatt
Tire tire Narmada – Amrutlal Vegad
Parikrama Narmada Maiya ni -Amrutlal Vegad
Saundarya ni Devi Narmada -Amrutlal Vegad
I have shared the links of the books in the blog above.
Thanks.
If person go for parikrama in march then??
next month itself after holi ?? around 18th march
Yes> Parikrama is usually done in Chaitra month, which starts from 15th march this year.
If person goes for parikrama in march then??
when can we do this parikrama
Parikrama usually is done in Chaitra month. You won’t get boat services otherwise.
Parikrama is running now?
Any stoppage due to flood situation?
according to news it has not started yet.
https://www.facebook.com/p/Uttarvahini-Narmada-Parikrama-100066827053158/
you can get regular updates on this page.
Thanks you so much for the blog.
Can the Parikrama be started after/at around 4 PM to avoid heat?
yes yes…as per ideal situation you should not do it after sunset, but due to extreme heat people prefer it before sunrise and after sunset.
yes yes… as per ideal situation you should not do it after sunset. but due to extreme heat people prefer it before sunrise and after sunset.
Nice blog, I was just curious to know that, if any staying place at night? so we can start easily at 04:30 am.
There are few ashrams. But we don’t have contact number. You can stay at Vadodara.
Thank you for sharing the details.
When will chaitra maas end (different dates as per different calendars), hence
Are these any facilities to stay? I’m coming from Hyderabad.
Welcome… there are few ashrams along the route. Or you can stay in hotel in Vadodara or Rajpipla. Parikrama takes place during Chaitra month.
want to know which is the best point to start the Parikrma if we came from vadodafa side and what time should we reach to that place?
Usually people starts from Rampura, but we prefer Tilakwada. If you want to do during night then reachnthere by 12;12:30, you will finish it by early morning. Or you can reach by 4:30-5:00.
Thanks,mam for all details. can i start the walking at night 10 PM?
Yes! Most of the people are doing that way only because of excessive heat during day time. But just don’t go too much near the river. We saw many crocodiles during night time day before yesterday.
Thanks,mam itna details me likhne k liye. I am in surat right now and having day off on ram navmi pls,guide me, how can i plan this parikrama
Ideally Parikrama timings are 4:30-6:30. You are not suppose to do it after sunset. But people do it at night. As after 9 in the morning it is difficult due to heat. It will be crowded as many people are getting aware. Police and locals are trying their best to manage boats and providing life jackets also but it is getting difficult for them also. So if you want to avoid hassle do during late night so by the time of sunrise you can finish it.
Narmade Har. As per my knowledge we must avoid shoes/chappals when we step inside any holy river or water.
Narmade har
Narmade Har..
Thanks a lot for this valuable information. I really searching for it vigorously.
Narmade Har!!!.
Thank you… Narmade Har!
Thanks 🙏
🙏🏼🙏🏼
Very well narrated and informative. THANKS A LOT.
Thank you..
Naer by railway station?
Rajpipla and Vadodara…
Excellent
Thank you…
got the most accurate and most detailed blog.. Amazing content and writing style is also flawless
Thank you..
Narmade Har🙏
Last year we had done Parikrama first time and we also blessed by Maa Narmada and this year we will go with many more people for Maa Narmada blessings 🙏🙏
Divine Experience😊🙏👍
Yes! it is truly divine. Narmade Har.
Hey… currently i’m doing project in tilakwada village for academic purpose can you plz tell what connectivity is loose in between village and parikrama path, means tilakwada was diverse in culture in terms of art, fairs etc..now what change really need in tilakwada as it is starting n destination for the parikrama vasi. Kindly suggest
wow… thats great to know. i have sent you an email. please have a look.