1. The Great White Desert (Rann Utsav)
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| White Desert |
Rann utsav, Carnival of Music, Dance, Enhance the nature beauty of White Rann /
Dessert when the flash light of Full Moon spread it on the white land starts
every year of December onwards at Kutch, Gujarat & marks this celebration
till Holi. Lots of Tourist visit from different parts of the world just to feel
the view of shimmering landscape at rann utsav that gives the enchanting
moments of this Fest, which feels like as Heaven On Earth during Rann Utsav Festive
Time specially on Full Moon night when moon light flash it on the White Dessert
/ Rann and it creates White Milky Color only at rann utsav, kutch, gujarat,
india.
2. Mandvi Beach & Vijay Villas Palace
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Narayan
Sarovar or Narayansar is
a village and place of pilgrimage for Hindus on the Kori Creek. It is located
in Lakhpat taluka of Kutch district, Gujarat, India. The ancient Koteshwar
temple lies only 4 km away.
Koteshwar is a small village and the location of an ancient Shiva temple. It located near the mouth of Kori Creek, in the west of Kutch district of Gujarat, India. In past, the temple was almost entirely cut off from the mainland by tidal creeks but now is connected by road. Koteshwar Shiva is said to be the Bhairava of Hinglaj Mata residing at Hinglaj. The virtuous devotees are therefore recommended to visit Koteshwar after they have visited Hinglaj Mata.
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| Mandvi Beach |
Mandvi
Beach is the closest to the town center, across the bridge to the east side of
the river, then down the road past a place called Salaya, accessed from just
near the Kashi-Vishvanath Temple (sometimes the beach is called
Kashi-Vishvanath Beach.) Wind Farm Beach is 7 km west of town, named for the
windmills that line it to generate electricity for the area. You can get fresh
coconuts and other snacks, swim in very pleasant water, and enjoy a nice view
of the coastline.
Vijaya Vilas Palace is the famous one time summer palace of
Jadeja Rajas of Kutch located on sea-beach of Mandvi in Kutch.
The palace was built during reign of Maharao Shri Khengarji III,
the Maharao of Kutch, as a summer resort for the use of his son & heir to
the kingdom, the Yuvraj Shri Vijayaraji and is therefore, named after him as
Vijaya Vilas Palace. The construction of palace started in year in 1920 and
was completed in year 1929. The palace is built with red sandstone. It has
all the elements of Rajput architecture and draws largely on the plan of
palaces of Orchha and Datia. The central high dome on the pillars, the Bengal
domes on the sides, the windows with colored glass, carved stone ‘jalis’, domed
bastions at the corners, extended porch and other exquisitely stone-carved
elements, make the palace worth visiting. The palace is set in the middle of
well-laid gardens with water channels and marble fountains. The carved stone
works of Jalis,
Jharokas, Chhatris, Chhajas, murals and many other artistic stone carvings,
colored glass work on windows and door panels all have been done by the
architect and craftsman from places like Jaipur, Rajasthan, Bengal and
Saurashtra, and local Kutchi artisan community, the Mistris of Kutch and
Suthars. The mixture and mingling of architect and style of different regions
of India, as such, can be distinctly seen in design & architect of the
Vijaya Vilas Palace. The balcony at the top affords a superb view of the
surrounding area. The tiny intricate windows gives one feeling to be out in
open, through which cool sea wind passes out.
3. Black Hill (Kala Dungar)
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| Black Hill (Kala Dungar) |
Kalo Dungar or Black Hill is the highest point in Kutch, Gujarat, India, at 462 m. It is located at 97 km from District headquarters of Bhuj and 25 km from nearest town Khavda.
This
is probably the only place in Kachchh from where a panoramic view of the Great
Rann of Kutch is possible. Since it is located very near to the Pakistan
border, there is an Army post at the top; beyond here, only military personnel
are allowed.
The
Kalo Dungar is also famous for a 400 year old Dattatreya temple. Legend says
that when Dattatreya walked on the earth, he stopped at the Black Hills and
found a band of starving jackals. Being a god, he offered them his body to eat
and as they ate, his body continually regenerated itself. Because of this, for
the last four centuries, the priest at the temple has prepared a batch of
prasad, cooked rice, that is fed to the jackals after the evening aarti.
4. Lakhpat Fort
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| Lakhpat Fort |
Lakhpat
is a sparsely populated town and sub-district in Kachchh district in the Indian
state of Gujarat located at the mouth of Kori Creek. The town is enclosed by
7km long 18th-century fort walls.
Historically
it has been very important trading post connecting Gujarat to Sindh. The waters
of Sindhu river used to flow into Lakhpat and further onto Desalpar Gunthli.
Within historic times Lakhpat has had only one very short period of prosperity.
Rice used to be cultivated and Lakhpat used to give an annual revenue of
800,000 Koris just from rice. It is also said that Lakhpat used to generate an
income of 100,000 Koris everyday from maritime activities. Fateh Muhammad,
about the close of the eighteenth century (1801), enlarged and rebuilt its
wall, and here for a time great part of the trade of Sindh centred. Though he
thought it one of the chief supports of his power, Lakhpat declared against
Fateh Muhammad when he opposed the Rao of Cutch State in 1804. A few years
later (1809), the commandant of the fort, Mohim Miyan, drove out the agents of
Hansraj and governed the town on his own accounts. In 1818 Lakhpat had 15,000
people and yielded a yearly revenue of £6000 (? 60,000). After the earthquake
of 1819 a natural dam known as the Allahbund was formed, Indus river changed
its course of flow and started flowing into the Arabian sea further north. Thus Lakhpat lost its importance as a port. By 1820, the population reduced to
6000 inhabitants, consisting chiefly of mercantile speculators from other
countries and families of Hindus driven from Sindh. The walls were in good
repair, but the houses were ruined and did not fill one-third o£ the area. In
1851 all trade had left the town, and it has since remained poverty-stricken
and half deserted. The population reduced to 2500 by 1880.
5. Narayan Sarovar
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| Narayan Sarovar |
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.
6. Koteswar
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| Koteswar |
Koteshwar is a small village and the location of an ancient Shiva temple. It located near the mouth of Kori Creek, in the west of Kutch district of Gujarat, India. In past, the temple was almost entirely cut off from the mainland by tidal creeks but now is connected by road. Koteshwar Shiva is said to be the Bhairava of Hinglaj Mata residing at Hinglaj. The virtuous devotees are therefore recommended to visit Koteshwar after they have visited Hinglaj Mata.
The
story of Koteshwar begins with Ravana, who won it as a boon from Lord Shiva for
an outstanding display of piety, this Shiva linga of great spiritual power. But
which Ravana, in his arrogant haste, accidentally dropped and it fell to earth
at Koteshwar. To punish Ravana for his carelessness, the linga turned into a
thousand identical ones, some versions of the story say ten thousand, some a
million. Unable to distinguish the original, Ravana grabbed one and departed,
leaving the original one here, around which Koteshwar Temple was built. The
temple is also known as Kotilingeshwar Temple.
7. Mata No Madh (Goddess Maa Ashapura Temple)
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| Mata No Madh |
Mata no Madh is a village in Lakhpat Taluka of Kutch
district, Gujarat, India. The village lies surrounded by hills on both banks of
a small stream and has a temple dedicated to Ashapura Mata, the household deity
of former Jadeja rulers of Kutch State. She is also considered patron deity of
Kutch. The village is located about 80 km from Bhuj, the headquarters
of Kutch district. The temple was built in the 14th century by two Karad
Vanias, Ajo and Anagor. They were the ministers in the court of the father of
Lakho Phulani. The temple was damaged by the earthquake in 1819. The temple was
rebuilt by Sundarji Shivji and Mehta Vallabhaji, two Brahmakshatriya in 1823
(Samvat 1880). The temple is 58 ft. long, 32 ft. wide and 52 ft. tall. Except
that it has a passage for walking round the deity, it is much the same as the
temple at Koteshwar. The temple was damaged again by the earthquake in 2001 but
was repaired again. The image of Ashapura Mata in the shrine is a red-painted
stone, about six feet high and six feet broad at the base, narrowing to a point
in a shape, with some rough likeness to a human form. It is said to have come
from Jashod in Marwar. Here every year during the Navaratri, the Rao of Cutch
used to offer a sacrifice of seven male buffaloes.The practice of animal
sacrifice has been stopped. Lacks of devotee from Gujarat and other states
visits the temple during auspicious days of Chaitra Navaratri and Ashvin
Navaratri of which the later hold more significance.Camps and relief facilities
are set up around the road leading to Mata no Madh, every year for this
pilgrimage.
8. Dholavira (Harrapan Civilization)
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| Dholavira (Harrapan Civilization) |
Being
one among the five largest Harappan cities in the subcontinent, Dholavira has
yielded many firsts in respect of Indus civilization. Fourteen field seasons of
excavation through an enormous deposit caused by the successive settlements at
the site for over 1500 years during all through the 3rd millennium and unto the
middle of the 2nd millennium BC have revealed seven significant cultural stages
documenting the rise and fall of the Indus civilization in addition to bringing
to light a major, a model city which is remarkable for its exquisite planning,
monumental structures, aesthetic architecture, amazing water harvesting system
and a variety in funerary architecture. It also enjoys the unique distinction
of yielding an inscription made up of ten large-sized signs of the Indus script
and, not less in importance, is the other find of a fragment of a large slab
engraved with three large signs. This paper attempts to give an account of
hydro-engineering that is manifest in the structures of the Harappans at Dholavira.
The
citadel at Dholavira, unlike its counterparts at “Mohenjodaro”. A New Upcoming
Movie “Mohenjodaro”,star cast by Superstar Hritik Roshan and Directed by
Ashutosh Gowarikar is also based in this monuments.
9. Indo-Pak Border
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| Indo-Pak Border |
In
India the northern boundary of the Greater Rann of Kutch forms the
International Border between India and Pakistan, it is heavily patrolled by
India’s Border Security Force (BSF) and Indian Army conducts exercises here to
acclimatize its troops to this harsh terrain.
This
inhospitable salty lowland, rich in natural gas, was one scene of perennial
border disputes between India and Pakistan that, in April 1965, contributed to
the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Later the same year, Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom Harold Wilson persuaded the combatants to end hostilities and
establish a tribunal to resolve the dispute. A verdict was reached in 1968
which saw Pakistan getting 10% of its claim of 9,100 square kilometres (3,500
sq mi). 90% was awarded to India, although India claimed 100% of the region.
Tensions spurted again in 1999 during the Atlantique Incident.
10. Bhuj
Bhuj,
formerly sacred to the snake Bhujang, was established by Rao Hamirji in 1510
and was made the capital of Cutch State by Rao Khengarji I in 1549. Its
foundation stone as state capital was formally laid on Vikram Samvat 1604
Maagha 5th (approx. 25 January 1548). After 1590, when Rao was forced to
acknowledge Mughal supremacy, Bhuj was known as Suleiman Nagar among Muslims.
The walls were built by Rao Godji in 1723, and the Bhujia Fort by Devkarn Seth
in Rao Desal’s time (1718 – 1741).
According
to legend, Kutch was ruled by the Nāga chieftains in past. Sagai, a queen of
Sheshapattana, allied with Bheria Kumar and rose up against Bhujanga, the last chieftain
of Naga. After the battle, Bheria was defeated and Sagai committed sati. The
hill where he lived later came to be known as Bhujia Hill and the town at the
foothill as Bhuj. Bhujang was later worshiped by the people as snake god,
Bhujanga, and a temple was constructed in his reverence.
On
21 July 1956 as well on 26 January 2001, the city was struck by a major
earthquake which caused a great loss of life and property. Many parts of Bhuj
were demolished due to the extensive damage whilst others were repaired. There
has been a great progress in the city since the 2001 earthquake, with
considerable improvements to roads, transport and infrastructure.
The fort:The old city was surrounded by the fort-wall which had
five major gates; Mahadev, Patvadi, Sirpat, Bhidval and Vaniyavad; and one
small gate known as Chhathi Bari (sixth window). The fort-wall is thirty five
feet high and four feet thick armed with fifty-one guns in past. Much of the
fort wall has either fallen down or been demolished, due to the city’s
development and the earthquake of 2001.
This are the most famous places in Bhuj:-
Hamirsar Lake
Prag Mahal
Aina Mahal
Sharadbaug Palace
Chhatardi
Kutch Museum
Ramkund
Bharatiya Sanskriti Darshan Museum
Swaminarayan temple
Bhujia Fort and Smritivan on Bhujia Hill
Hill Garden
Tapkeshwari Temple
Bhuj
is a famous destination for shopping of handicraft work like bandhni (tie-dye)
and leatherwork. Artists of nearby villages bring their artwork for sale in
Bhuj haat which is situated near jubilee ground. Bhuj is famous for the jolly
nature of its citizens, who usually go to the surroundings of Hamirsar lake to
relax.
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