India’s Wealthiest Village: Dharmaj. A name that sounds ordinary, but its story reshapes everything you know about Indian villages. Nestled in Gujarat’s Anand district, this village has redefined rural India, blending global wealth with a deep sense of home. Here, every family tells a story that spans continents. But their hearts never left this 17-hectare patch of land.
The journey began in 1895, when Dharmaj sons Jotaram Kashiram Patel and Chaturbhai Patel set sail for Uganda. Others, like Prabhudas Patel, made Manchester their home, earning the affectionate title ‘Manchesterwala’ back in Dharmaj.
Govindbhai Patel built a tobacco empire in Aden. Each journey abroad wove a vast and interconnected diaspora. Today, roughly 1,700 Dharmaj families live in Britain, 800 in the United States, 300 in Canada and 150 in Australia and New Zealand, with many more across Africa and beyond.
The difference is striking. These NRIs did not sever ties with their roots. They became Dharmaj’s backbone. A formal experiment in 2007 brought this global network together to drive local development and the results are breathtaking.
RCC roads line the village, bordered with blocks. No garbage piles or stagnant water mar the landscape. Cleanliness is a shared responsibility, enforced by the Panchayat and embraced by every villager.
Entertainment and green spaces reflect equal foresight. Surajba Park in Gouchar offers swimming, boating and gardens at modest rates. Fifty bighas of land provide green fodder year-round for livestock. An underground drainage system, operational since 1972, remains unmatched by many Indian cities.
Economically, Dharmaj is a marvel. It has 11 bank branches, spanning nationalised, private and cooperative lenders, handle deposits exceeding Rs 1,000 crore. The first Dena Bank branch opened here on December 18, 1959. Gram Sahakari Bank followed on January 16, 1969, under H.M. Patel, a Dharmaj native and later India’s finance minister.
Luxury is woven into everyday life. Mercedes, Audi and BMW cars glide through the streets. Houses like “Rhodesia House” and “Fiji Residence” celebrate overseas ventures. Even cemetery donation plaques in shillings reflect Africa’s enduring influence on the village’s growth.
Dharmaj’s panchayat model is a national lesson in governance. With resources, local support and NRI involvement, the village achieves true self-governance. Each year, Dharmaj Diwas on January 12 draws NRIs home, celebrating the village they have built together.
Dharmaj is more than wealth. It is a blueprint of ambition, unity and vision. It proves that a global outlook and local devotion can create something extraordinary, a village that is rich in money, heritage and heart.