Etymology

According to local folklore, the name Barbodhan comes from the Arabic Bāb Aden or “Gateway to Aden“.[1] 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.

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