The Charismatic Kutch(Must take tour to Ran of Kutch)

The Charismatic Kutch

Kutch (renamed to Kachchh to preserve the old cultural name over that used by the British, just like Bangluru over Banglore) is a northern district of Gujarat, which people saw with dismay for years because of its dry land and weather adversities, only until Rannotsav, a desert festival organised by Tourism Department of Gujarat highlighted its beautiful aspects. The motive of Gujarat Government behind organising these festivities every year must have been to invite NRIs and other rich people, to come and spend their big money in Gujarat, but eventually, this initiative has bagged Kutch a recognition on India's tourism map and people are discovering the hidden beauty of this so far neglected and isolated part.

There are numerous pleasant sites in Kutch. The tents provided by tourism department in the tent city of the desert are a bit costly, around 8-10k per day and the private tents cost around 3-6k. People like me would rather choose to stay in some cheaper hotel or even dharamshala in Bhuj, since their main purpose is only to have a night stay. 

Bhuj itself has got some wonderful palaces like Prag Mahal and Aaina Mahal. With the magnificent use of mirrors on the walls and ceiling, well preserved beautiful royal show pieces & excellent design of the music room surrounded by small fountains, mirrored walls and colorful lights, the Aaina Mahal was not only a visual delight, but also an architectural magnum opus


. Apart from these places, there is near by village called Bhujodi, which one should definitely visit if one has a liking for exquisite handicraft. The people in this village weave those artworks themselves and these are then sold across the Gujarat.

Around 80km north from Bhuj is Kalo Dungar (Black Hill), which has a beautiful little temple of Dattatreya with various exclusive view points of the far away creek waters and surrounding hilly area. With the windy, foggy weather and a little trek to various view points, the site was really fun. Not so far from there, right beside the tent city is the white desert that many of you might have seen Mr. Bachchan advertising about. I would say the white desert that the Tourism Department so boasts about is the case of people setting high expectations and ending up with disappointment. Sure it is a different kind of desert, with its upper layer not of sand, but of the salt left after the salty water from the Arabian Sea evaporates. But nothing so interesting other than that. Also because the adventure area with mini rock climbing & bungee jumping kind of activities as well as the cultural program were reserved for those few staying in the tent city and apart from that there was just a small shopping and food stall area.

                                                                     Kalo Dungar:

Around 150 km West from Bhuj was Narayan Sarovar, a huge lake with not a single drop of water last december but the near by Koteshwar temple at the edge of the sea was a really awesome place. The Temple is situated along side the curved beach, from where you can have a vast sea view and fabulous pics. The huge Mahadev temple in the middle of speedily blowing wind and the melodious sound of waves was a real pleasure.

                                                      Koteshwar Temple:

To the south from Bhuj, around 60 km is Mandvi, where the Vijay Vilas palace and beach are the main attractions. The palace, which also has been used to shoot a bollywood movie, is really well maintained and from its terrace one can have the heavenly view of sea, foliage and a bunch of windmills. The beach is a really good place to hang out for fun with camal safari, horse riding, electric boat riding and chopati. The only setback was the water being diry and muddy. While the govt is trying hard to endorse these scenic places, I must say that enough care to preserve the sanctity of nature there is not taken at all. Even if the govt authorities cannot get the beaches cleaned everyday, I guess they should just start providing trash bins at such places and start penalizing those throwing the garbage away.

                   Vijay Vilas Palace:

                                                            Mandvi Beach:

Overall, it was a nice journey to Kutch but one cannot compare it to the royal palaces or sand dunes of Rajasthan. Well, every place has its own thing! Anyway I'll just conclude with a few tips for those who are planning to visit there:

The desert festival is on only for two months a year, near December & January.

The preferable time to visit Kalo Dungar is before noon or in the evening.

The palaces in Bhuj city are closed on Sundays and about every palace is closed before 6 P.M.

Many other religious places like Mata No Madh, Bhadreshwar, Haji Peer Ki Dargaah are on the way to the above mentioned places. 

If you just watch out while you are travelling, you can frequently spot animals like foxes and beautiful birds on your way.

About Author
Disha Shah
Working as System Engineer  
Tata Consultancy Services