Places to Visit In Kutch
1. White Rann of Kutch
Distant from Bhuj to White Rann : 86.4 KM
The Great Rann of Kutch, along with the Little Rann of Kutch and the Banni grasslands on its southern edge, is situated in the district of Kutch and comprises some 30,000 square kilometres (10,000 sq mi) between the Gulf of Kutch and the mouth of the Indus River in southern Pakistan. The marsh can be accessed from the village of Kharaghoda in Surendranagar District. The Great Rann of Kutch together with the Little Rann of Kutch is called Rann of Kutch.
In India’s summer monsoon, the flat desert of salty clay and mudflats, which average 15 meters above sea level, fills with standing water. In very wet years, the wetland extends from the Gulf of Kutch on the west through to the Gulf of Cambay on the east.
The area was a vast shallow of the Arabian Sea until continuing geological uplift closed off the connection with the sea, creating a vast lake that was still navigable during the time of Alexander the Great. The Ghaggar River, which presently empties into the desert of northern Rajasthan, formerly emptied into the Rann of Kutch, but the lower reaches of the river dried up as its upstream tributaries were captured by the Indus and Ganges thousands of years ago. Traces of the delta and its distributary channels on the northern boundary of the Rann of Kutch were documented by the Geological Survey of India in 2000.
The Luni River, which originates in Rajasthan, drains into the desert in the northeast corner of the Rann. Other rivers feeding into the marsh include the Rupen from the east and the West Banas River from the northeast. Nara Canal or Puran river which is a delta channel of Indus River empties during floods into Kori Creek located in the Great Rann of Kutch.
There are sandy islets of thorny scrub, forming a wildlife sanctuary and a breeding ground for some of the largest flocks of greater and lesser flamingos. Wildlife, including the Indian wild ass, shelter on islands of higher ground, called bets, during the flooding.
2. Prag Mahal
Prag Mahal in Located Bhuj.
Prag Mahal is named after Rao Pragmalji II, who commissioned it and construction began in 1865. It was designed by Colonel Henry Saint Wilkins in what the local tourist office describes as the Italian Gothic style, although it would be better described as a Romanesque architecture twist on the Indo-Saracenic Revival style, and many Italian artisans were involved in its construction. The palace artisans’ wages were paid in gold coins. Construction of the palace, which ultimately cost 3.1 million rupees, was completed in 1879 during the regency of Khengarji III (Pragmalji II’s son) following Pragmalji II’s death in 1875. The local Kutchi builder community (Mistris of Kutch) were also involved in construction of Prag Mahal along with Colonel Wilkins.
3. Aina Mahal
The Aina Mahal was built by Rao Lakhpatji (r. 1741–1760) in around 1750. The chief architect and designer of the palace was Ram Singh Malam, who lived in Europe for 18 years and mastered several European craft and architecture skills. The construction costed 80 lakh (8 million) koris or about ₹20 lakh (2 million); equalling three years of the state revenue in that period.
In 1830, Englishwoman Mrs Postnas visited the palace and noted her impressions in her memoir Cutch (1839). She remarked on the “motley and incongruous mélange of ornament” in a room illuminated with large candles where she found six musical clocks playing at once among jelly glasses and old vases.
The palace was converted into a museum in 1977. It was damaged in the 2001 Gujarat earthquake and part of the building was restored and now houses the Aina Mahal Trust Museum.
The Aina Mahal is located near Prag Mahal. It is a two-storey mansion that is constructed with stones and decorated with stone carvings and wood fretwork. The exterior is whitewashed.It was designed in the local style and decorated in the European style. The palace floors are laid with blue delftware tiles and the marble walls are decorated with mirrors that are separated by gilded frames. The walls are also decorated with fitted shelves on which glassware and ceramics were displayed. The rooms were illuminated by hanging candelabra and chandeliers with shade of Venetian glass. The pillars and roofs are decorated with golden mouldings and other ornamentation, and spaces between pillars and walls are filled with triangular mirror compartments.
The first floor has the Audience Hall, the Pleasure Hall, the Hall of Mirrors and the State Apartments. The second floor has the ante-chamber, Darbar (Court) Hall and Marriage Hall.
4. Hamirsar Lake
Hamirsar Lake in Located Bhuj.
Hamirsar lake is a 450-year-old lake named after Jadeja ruler Rao Hamir (1472-1524), the founder of Bhuj. The lake was built during the reign of Rao Khengarji I (1548–1585), the founder of Jadeja dynasty in Cutch, who named it after his father Rao Hamir. Rao Khengarji I chose this place as an oasis in saline and arid Kutch; and over several decades, developed canals and tunnels to bring together water from three river systems and recharge acquifier, to fulfill the needs of Bhuj, which was also declared as capital of his kingdom by him in 1549.
The embankment of Lake Hamrisar was made during reign of Pragmalji II and further improvements done during early part of reign of Khengarji III under supervision of state Gaidher, Jairam Ruda Gajdhar. The embankment work was done by local mason community – the Mistris of Kutch.
Even before the earthquake of 2001 in Kutch, Hamirsar had lost much of its catchments, and ability to energize the acquifiers of Bhuj. However, after the earthquake, with a view to revive the traditional water system and to develop its catchment to meet the domestic water needs of population of Bhuj, awareness campaign mobilized the citizens, municipality, local press to do the bare minimum repairs to fill up the lake in 2003. The lake became safe and sound before the monsoons of 2003 to impound water. Highest rainfall (22 inches) in the last 50 yrs of span was recorded in 2003 which overflowed the Hamirsar lake making it an occasion to celebrate.
5. Kutch Museum
Kutch Museum in Located Bhuj.
Kutch museum was initially formed as a part of the School of Arts established by Khengarji III, the Maharao of Cutch State. It was founded on 1 July 1877. The museum was earlier known as Fergusson Museum.
At the time of Maharao Khengarji III’s marriage on 19 February 1884 many new items were received and for exhibition of which, a need for new building was necessitated. As such, on 14 November 1884, the foundation stone for the present museum building was laid by the Governor of Bombay, Sir James Fergusson and named Fergusson Museum after him by Maharao of Kutch. The building consisting of two floors cost Rs. 32000 at that time. The museum, constructed in the Italian Gothic style, is located in the picturesque surroundings on the bank of Hamirsar Lake just opposite to the Nazar Bagh Garden. It was designed by the state engineer – Mc Lelland and built by local builders known as Mistris of Kutch under supervision of state Gaidher – Jairam Ruda Gajdhar. The museum remained the preserve of the Maharao of Cutch, till 1948, who showed it only to his personal guests. In those days museum was opened to the public only on important religious occasions.
The museum has the largest existing collection of Kshatrapa inscriptions, dating to the 1st century AD. The oldest Kshatrap six inscription-stones found in Andhau village in Khavda are moved here. They are originally on the hillock and called Lashti. They were erected in time of Rudradaman I. The only Gujarati Abhir inscription of the 3rd century is also here. It also has examples of the extinct Kutchi script (now the Kutchi language is mostly written in the Gujarati script) and an interesting collection of coins, including the Koris – Kutch’s local currency till 1948.
This museum has almost 11 sections. The archeological section has Indus seals. Different kinds of stone tablets are available also. The painting showing the different vocations of Kutch are on the display. There is also an excellent section which covers classical and musical instruments like Nagfani, Morchang and many others, which are put on the display of the museum.
A section of the museum is devoted to tribal cultures, with many examples of ancient artifacts, folk arts and crafts and information about tribal peoples. The museum also has exhibits of embroidery, paintings, arms, musical instruments, sculpture and precious metalwork.
Thus the museum broadly contains, a picture gallery, an anthropological section, an archeological section, textiles, weapons, musical instruments, a shipping section, and even stuffed animals.
On the ground floor of the museum, in the center room, ‘Airavat’ is displayed. ‘Airavat’ is a carved, wooden, snow white Indian elephant with seven tusks. ‘Airavat’ was prepared in Mandvi in the 18th century, in the worship of Tirthankar. The rest of its body is painted with flowers. The Indian Government issued a postal stamp in 1978, depicting this ‘Airavat’, under the postal series “Treasures of Museum”.
The oldest museum of Gujarat, Kutch Museum was also first museum of India to become online virtual museum in 2010.
6. Kutch Bustard Sanctuary
Distant from Bhuj to Kutch Bustard Sanctuary: 103.9 KM
Kutch Bustard Sanctuary or Kachchh Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary, also known as Lala–Parjan Sanctuary, is located near Jakhau village in Naliya Taluka, Abdasa District, Gujarat, India. This sanctuary is one of the two great Indian bustard sanctuaries in Gujarat; the other one is in Jamnagar. It was declared as a sanctuary in July 1992, specifically for the conservation of the great Indian bustard, the heaviest flying bird belonging to the avian family of Otididae. However, the sanctuary presently legally covers a protected area of about 2 square kilometres (0.77 sq mi) of area (202.86 hectares (501.3 acres) of fenced land only and is the smallest sanctuary in the country. Several suggestions have been made to vastly increase the size of this sanctuary as it is a breeding ground of the endangered great Indian bustard. The reason is that its ecological zone is much larger on account of anthropogenic and cattle population pressure that are considered as a ‘biotic threat’ to this omnivorous species.
The main bird species of the sanctuary, the great Indian bustard, locally called “Ghorad,” is a Schedule I bird under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. It is included in the Red Data list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). According to the studies conducted by the Bombay Natural History Society on three Indian bustard species – namely the great Indian bustard, the lesser florican and the Bengal florican – the estimated total population of the great Indian bustard in all 12 sanctuaries in the country is said to be only about 1,000, out of which only about 30 birds had last been counted within the sanctuary, second only to the Desert National Park in Rajasthan which reportedly had about 70–75 birds.
Of the twenty three species of the bustards found in the world, the magnificent, tall, long-necked great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) is the only one to have been recorded as endangered according to the 2009 IUCN Red List Category (as evaluated by Bird Life International – the official Red List Authority for birds for IUCN). This categorization is based on the fact that its population is on the decline as a result of hunting and continued agricultural development.
7. Hajipir Dargah
Distant from Bhuj to Hajipir: 118.3 KM
Hajipir Dargah is located in Kutch, Gujarat, India. The Dargah is dedicated to a Muslim saint Hajipir. It is believed that he came to the place as a soldier in the army of Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghauri. He settled at Nara after he left the service. He died while saving cows from decoits. He had performed the Hajj so he was known as Haji Pir. He is also known as Zinda Pir or Vali Pir.
The annual fair is organized on the first Monday of Chaitra month (April). People from all over Gujarat visit the shrine and also visit Karol Pir Dargah nearby.
8. Mandvi Beach
Distant from Bhuj to Mandvi Beach : 60 KM
9. Mata no Madh
Distant from Bhuj to Mata no Madh: 95 KM
10. Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary
Distant from Bhuj to Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary: 142 KM
Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary also popularly known as Narayan Sarovar Wildlife Sanctuary or Narayan Sarovar Chinkara Sanctuary notified as such in April 1981 and subsequently denotified in 1995 with reduced area, is a unique eco-system near Narayan Sarovar in the Lakhpat taluka of Kutch district in the state of Gujarat, India. The desert forest in this sanctuary is said to be the only one of its kind in India. Located in the arid zone, a part of it is a seasonal wetland. It has 15 threatened wildlife species and has desert vegetation comprising thorn and scrub forests. Its biodiversity has some rare animals and birds, and rare flowering plants. Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has identified it as one of the last remaining habitats of the cheetah in India and a possible reintroduction site for the species. The most sighted animal here is the chinkara (population estimated in the range of 1200–1500), which is currently the flagship species of the sanctuary.
In 1992, the Gujarat state government’s department of mining and geology pointed out that there were huge deposits of limestone, lignite (brown coal), bentonite and bauxite inside the protected area of the sanctuary and argued that the ban on mining in the sanctuary was holding back development of the local economy.
An order dated July 27, 1993 of the Gujarat State Government initially de-notified the Sanctuary, by annulling the earlier notification of 1981 under which Narayan Sarovar had been declared a wildlife sanctuary. It issued a decree which abolished the original sanctuary and established a new one, consisting of 16 disjointed patches. This de-notification had reduced the area of the sanctuary from765.79 square kilometres (295.67 sq mi) to disjointed ribbons of land totaling only 94.87 square kilometres (36.63 sq mi) in favor of commercial mining interests. The commercially biased court order reduced the area to a mere one-eighth of the original size, with a comment that the area was “substantially in excess of the requirements of a Sanctuary”. Following the de-notification, the Gujarat state government planned to grant a lease to a cement company for open-cast mining in 2,000 hectares of land inside the original erstwhile Sanctuary to allow the mining of limestone, lignite and bauxite and for other industrial additives as it seemed an ideal location for a cement factory. The country’s, or even Asia’s, largest cement manufacturing unit was planned to be built there. Open-cast limestone mining is known to be harmful to the environment resulting in the release of large clouds of dust. Environmentalists feared that in the arid region of Kachchh district, these dust clouds would have harmful effects on both vegetation and wildlife as the limestone dust would condense in the cool nights settling on the leaves proving disastrous for the forests in the vicinity.
11. Dholavira
Distant from Bhuj to Dholavira : 205 KM
Dholavira (Gujarati: ધોળાવીરા) is an archaeological site at Khadirbet in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District, in the state of Gujarat in western India, which has taken its name from a modern-day village 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) south of it. This village is 165 km (103 mi) from Radhanpur. Also known locally as Kotada timba, the site contains ruins of an ancient Indus Valley Civilization/Harappan city. Dholavira’s location is on the Tropic of Cancer. It is one of the five largest Harappan sites and most prominent archaeological sites in India belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. It is also considered as having been the grandest of cities of its time. It is located on Khadir bet island in the Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary in the Great Rann of Kutch. The 47 ha (120 acres) quadrangular city lay between two seasonal streams, the Mansar in the north and Manhar in the south. The site was occupied from c.2650 BCE, declining slowly after about 2100 BCE. It was briefly abandoned then reoccupied until c.1450 BCE.
The site was discovered in 1967-68 by J. P. Joshi, of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and is the fifth largest of eight major Harappan sites. It has been under excavation since 1990 by the ASI, which opined that “Dholavira has indeed added new dimensions to personality of Indus Valley Civilisation.” The other major Harappan sites discovered so far are Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Ganeriwala, Rakhigarhi, Kalibangan, Rupnagar and Lothal.