# Kukarmunda

Kukarmunda (Gujarati: કુકરમુંડા) is one of the seven Talukas that form the Tapi district of Gujarat and Administrative Headquarter of Kukarmunda Taluka. It is located by the Tapi river basin, south of the Satpura hill range.
The distance between Kukarmunda and Vyara is about 110 km, and from Surat is about 178 km. Kukarmunda shares a border with Akkalkuwa,Taloda and the Shahada tehsil of the Nandurbar district of Maharashtra. The total area of Kukarmunda is 0.82 km².

## History

In the early 1970s, Kukarmunda was located on the banks of the river Tapi, but due to frequent flooding the Government of Gujarat relocated the village 4 kilometres away from the river banks.
Kukarmunda is considered a holy place. It is the birthplace of Santoji Maharaj, a freedom fighter who was imprisoned for his activism.
Originally, Kukarmunda was a village part of Nizar Tehsil,the Indian government separated Tapi district from the district of Surat in 2007. Kukarmunda became a Tehsil in 2014 when it was separated from Nizar Tehsil.
In 2014, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Smt.Anandiben Patel, visited Kukarmunda to announce that it would be a new Tehsil of Tapi district, separate from Nizar Tehsil.

## Transport

Bus: GSRTC and MSRTC buses run through Kukarmunda, and take passengers to other destinations.
GSRTC- Seater Buses for Vadodra,Surat,Ahmedabad,Ankleshwar, Bharuch,Navsari,Anand,Dhule are Directly available from Kukarmunda Bus Stand from 5 AM in Morning.Buses for same destinations are also available from Kukarmunda Fata(2 km) and Velda Taki(8 km)
MSRTC- Buses for Mumbai,Pune,Sambhajinagar,Nashik,Jalgaon,Burhanpur are available from Kukarmunda Fata(2 km) while sleeper Buses for Pune and Mumbai are available from Shahada and Nandurbar.Buses for Indore,Khetia,Sendhwa,Pansemal are available from Shahada and Nandurbar
Railway: Nandurbar railway station is located about 28 km from Kukarmunda, and is the nearest railway station,but to travel in Northern and Southern Part of Country Surat and Vadodra JN are Main Railway Station
Air: Surat Airport is the nearest airport to Kukarmunda (178 km). Other nearby airports include Vadodara Airport, Ahmedabad international airport (290 km), and Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Mumbai (400 km).
Distance from Major Cities:
* Gandhinagar-312 km (Capital City of Gujarat)
* Vyara-110 km(District Headquarter)
* Ankleshwar-134 km
* Bharuch-145 km
* Dhule-121 km
* Surat-178 km
* Vadodra-182 km
* Jalgaon-182 km
* Nashik-252 km
* Indore-283 km
* Ahmedabad-290 km
* Mumbai-400 km
* Pune-458 km
* Rajkot-494 km
Nearest Towns and Cities
* Taloda-11 km
* Akkalkuwa-13 km
* Nizar-17 km
* Nandurbar-28 km
* Selamba-34 Km
* Sagbara-38 Km
* Shahada-49 km
* Dadiyapada-64 km
* Dondaicha-64 km
* Khetiya-71 km
* Songadh-90 km
* Shirpur-100 km

## Tourist destinations near Kukarmunda

* Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Senctuary-79 km
* Toranmal Hill Station-83 km
* Purna Wildlife Senctuary-89 km
* Nilkanthdham Poicha-125 km
* Statue of Unity-134 km
* Saputara-162 km

## Culture

Celebration of Ramnavmi:
The Ramnavmi celebration is a yearly celebration in which a Hanumanta idol, once presented by Tulsidasji to Janjasvant swami, is displayed in Ram Mandir of Jasvant Chowk. Every year in the evening people came to worship the idol, and at night, celebrants stand watch (હુંબી ચોકી) or sit guarding the idol (બેઠેલી ચોકી). At 4:00am, one person arrives dressed as Lord Hanumanta to distribute Prasada to the attendees, signalling the end of the ceremony.
Saint Dagaji Maharaj Dindi pilgrimage:
Every year, pilgrims travels from Chopala (Maharashtra) to Asha(Gujarat). They stay at Kukarmunda during this journey.
Dashavtar:
Dashavtar is an annual festival celebrated in Kukarmunda. It takes place in the Swami Samartha Temple area, where participants wear wooden masks of Lord Hanuman, Garuda, Varah Avtar, Nursing Avtar, Ambe Mata and Mahisasur. Celebrations occur there for 8-10 days. On last day of the festival, a staging of the fight between Mahisasur and Ambee Matas occurs. It is believed that first wooden masks were found on the banks of river Tapi.
Tripurari Poornima Celebration
A celebration taking place during Diwali, where people meet up at evening in the Holy Shiva Temple to worship Lord Shiva.
Kukarmunda Fair
An annual fair held every April, going for 5 to 7 days.

## Public infrastructure

* Hospital:
** Kukarmunda Civil Hospital with Ambulance Service
* Market:
** APMC (Agriculture Produce Market Committee) Market
* Government offices:
** Dakshin Gujarat Vij Compony Ltd. (DGVCL) office.
** Group Gram Panchayat Fulwadi (Kukarmunda)
** Kukarmunda Taluka Panchayat
** Police Station Kukarmunda
** Taluka Seva Sadan
** Vishram Gruh (Rest House) Kukarmunda

## Education

* ITI Kukarmunda
* Kukarmunda Primary School
* SK Kapadia School
* Shri Saraswati Vidhalaya (Secondary school)
* Tapi Nursery School

## Banks

In Kukarmunda
* Bank of Baroda
* Fincare small Finance Bank
* Surat district cooperative Bank
Other Banks near Kukarmunda
* HDFC Bank, Akkalkuwa Branch (13 km)
* SBI Bank, Nizar Branch (17 km)
* CBI Bank, Taloda Branch (11 km)
* ICICI Bank, Nandurbar Branch (28 km)
* Axix Bank, Nandurbar Branch (28 km)
* Pujab National Bank, Nandurbar Branch (28 km)

## Villages of Kukarmunda Taluka

* Akkalutar
* Amode Tarfe Satone
* Amode Tarfe Talode
* Aste Tarfe Budhaval
* Ashrava
* Ashapur
* Bahurupa
* Balambe
* Balde
* Bej
* Bhamsal
* Borikuwa
* Chirmati
* Chokhiamli
* Dabriamba
* Fulwadi
* Gadid
* Gangtha
* Gorasa
* Hathode
* Hol
* Itwai
* Jhapampi-alis Jhampa Amli
* Jhumkathi
* Kelani
* Kevdamoi
* Kondraj
* Kukarmunda
* Korala
* Mataval
* Medhpur
* Modale
* Moramba
* Nimbhore
* Parod
* Pati
* Patipada
* Piplash
* Pishavar
* Rajpur
* Ranaichi
* Sadagvan
* Satola
* Taranda
* Tulse
* Ubhad
* Umja
* Untavad
* Varpada
* Ziribeda
* Panibara

## Religious Places

In Kukarmunda:
* ISKCON(International Society for Krishna Consciousness)
* Khandoji Maharaj Temple
* Kukarmunda Mosque
* Pati Mata Temple
* Saibaba Temple
* Shri Swami Samartha Kendra,Dindori Pranit
* Shri Rama Mandir
* Valhari Mata Temple
Nearest Pilgrimage Places:
* Prakasha-28 km
* Astamba-38 km
* Dhareshwar Temple-42 km
* Dev Mogra-50 km
* Kuber Bhenderi Temple,Karnali-135 km
* Pavagadh-211 km
* Ranchhodray Temple,Dakor-251 km