Kutch is the Largest District of Gujarat

Kutch

Histroy of Kutch

The history of Kutch, located in the far west of the western Indian state of Gujarat, dates back to prehistoric times. The Kutch region was founded by a Paramara Rajput king and resisted invasions for centuries. The region has sites related to the Indus Valley Civilization and is mentioned in Hindu mythology. From the earliest times, Kutch is mentioned in Greek writings of the time of Alexander. It was ruled by Menander I of the Greco-Bactrian Empire, which was overthrown by the Indo-Scythians, followed by the Maurya Empire and the Sakas. In the first century, it was under the Western Satraps and then the Gupta Empire. By the fifth century, it was subjugated by the Vallabhi dynasty. After this, it began to have close association with the ruling Phools of Gujarat. The Chalukyas ruled the eastern and central parts until the seventh century but then came under the Chalukyas by the tenth century. After the fall of the Chalukyas, the Vaghelas ruled the state. After the conquest of Singhu by the Muslim rulers the Rajput Sama started moving southwards towards Class I and initially ruled the western region. By the 10th century they controlled the important region of Kutch and by the 3rd century they controlled the entire Class I and adopted a new dynastic identity Jadeja. For some 3 centuries the kingdom was divided and ruled by three different branches of Jadeja brothers. In the 16th century Kutch was brought together under one rule by Rao Khengarji I of these branches and his direct descendants ruled for two centuries and had good relations with Gujarat and the Mughals. One of his descendants, Rai Dhan Singh II left three daughters, two of whom died young and the third son Pragmalji I took over the state and established the present lineage of rule in the early 17th century. Descendants of other brothers established kingdoms in poor wards. After a turbulent period and battles with the Singh khans, the state was stabilized in the mid-18th century by a council of bar bhayats who made the Rao the nominal head and ruled independently. The state accepted the suzerainty of the British East India Company in 1819 when it was defeated in some battles. The state was devastated by an earthquake in 1819. Under subsequent rulers, the kingdom stabilized and trade prospered. After India's independence in 1947, Kutch accepted the sovereignty of India. and an independent commissioner was constituted It was made a state within the Union of India in 1950 The state witnessed the 1956 earthquake On 1 November 1956, Kutch State was merged with Bombay State, which was split into the new Gujarat and Maharashtra states in 1960, of which Kutch became a part of Gujarat state as Kutch district The district was affected by a cyclone in 1998 and an earthquake in 2001 The state witnessed rapid industrialisation and growth in tourism in the subsequent years.

Famous Place in Kutch

1. Vijay Villas Palace
2. Little Rann Of Kutch - Wild life sanctuary
3. Rann of Kutch
4. Shyamji Krishna Varma Memorial
5. Kalo Dungar
6. Kutch’s white desert (Rann of Kutch)
7. Dholavira
8. Kandla
9. Mandvi Beach
10. Narayan Sarovar
11. Mata no Madh
12. Shri Bhadreshwar Jain Tirth

1. Vijay Villas Palace

Vijay Vilas Palace, located in Mandvi, Gujarat, India, was built as a summer resort for the son of Maharao Shri Khejar III and son officer Yuvraj Shri Vijay Raj Ji. Its construction began in 1920 and was completed in 1929. The palace is named after Yuvraj Vijay Raj Ji. It is known for its red sandstone construction and Rajput architectural style inspired by the palaces of Orchha and Datia.

2. Little Rann Of Kutch - Wild life sanctuary

The Little Run of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary is officially known as the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary. It was established in 1972 to protect the endangered Indian wild ass. This salt marsh in Gujarat, India is spread over 4953 square kilometers and serves as a staging ground for these unique species and an important wintering ground for migratory birds. The history of the sanctuary highlights the importance of conservation of this ecosystem.

3. Rann of Kutch

The Rann of Kutch also included the industrial site of Khirsara where a warehouse was found. Some Indologists like A.S. Gaur and Mani Murali have argued that during the Indus Valley Civilization, Kutch was an island group protected by the salt marshes of today.

4. Shyamji Krishna Varma Memorial

Shyamji Krishna Varma, 1 October 1857 to 30 March 1930 was an Indian revolutionary fighter, an Indian patriotic orator, lawyer and journalist who founded the Indian Home Rule Society, India House and the Indian Sociologist in London. A graduate from Balliol College, Krishna Varma was a noted scholar of culture and other Indian languages. He had a brief legal career in India and served as the Diwan of several Indian princely states in India. He had slight differences with the Crown authority. He was dismissed after an alleged conspiracy of British colonial officials in Junagadh and decided to return to England. An admirer of Dayanand Saraswati's cultural nationalism, Krishna Varma believed in Spencer's theory that resistance to aggression is not only justified but also inevitable. In 1905, he founded India House and the Indian Sociologist which rapidly grew as an organised meeting point for radical nationalists among Indian students in Britain at that time and was one of the most prominent exponents of revolutionary Indian nationalism outside India. Krishna Varma fled to Paris in 1907 to escape prosecution.

5. Kalo Dungar

Kalo Dungar is also famous for the 400 year old Ustadre Temple. Legend has it that when Dattatreya walked on earth he stopped at Kalo Dungar and saw a group of hungry jackals he offered his body to a deity and as he prayed his body kept coming alive. Because of this for the past four centuries the temple priest has prepared a batch of prasad cooked rice to be fed to the jackals after the evening aarti. Another legend has it that once upon a time there lived a holy man named Lakh Guru in Kalo Dungar and worshipped Lord Dattatreya. He used to feed wild jackals. There came a day when he found that he had no food so he cut off a part of his body and gave it to the jackal and said "Le ang!" (take part of the body). Over the centuries this word changed to "long"

6. Kutch’s white desert (Rann of Kutch)

Rann of Kutch, also known as the White Desert, has a history dating back to the Bronze Age. It was home to the Indus Valley Civilisation and has been part of various empires and dynasties including the Mauryas, Guptas and Jadejas. In the 19th century, the British East India Company took control of it. After Indian independence, it became part of the Kutch State, which later merged into the Mumbai State.

7. Dholavira

Dholavira is famous for being a major archaeological site associated with the Indus Valley Civilization (Haddappa sabhyata). It is known for exhibiting advanced water conservation systems, careful urban planning and well-formed architecture dating back about 4500 years ago. The site also has a stadium with a seating arrangement. Take a look at the famous Dholavira.

Harappan Civilization - Dholavira is one of the largest and most thoroughly excavated Harappan sites in India. It provides valuable information about the life, cultural and social structures of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Water Conservation System - Dhole Veer is famous for its systematic water management system consisting of reservoir channel, check dams and underground water supply. The system is believed to be one of the oldest and most advanced systems of its kind. Urban Planning The face of the village was carefully planned with fortified walls, settlement areas and a central market which demonstrate advanced urban planning techniques.

Unique features - Dholavira has unique structures such as a large stadium with complex seating arrangements and stone building which is different from the structures found in other Harappan sites

UNESCO World Heritage Site - In 2021 Dholavira was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in recognition of its outstanding natural value.

8. Kandla

Kandla is a census town near Gandhidham city in Kutch district of the state of Gujarat in western India. It is spread over 2,970 square kilometres on the coast of the Gulf of Kutch on the banks of the Kandla Khadi. Located on a steep bank, Kandla is home to the Kandla Port which is one of India's major ports on the west coast. The entire economic activity of the city is centred on the port. Kandla is known as a hub of India's grain exports and oil imports.

9. Mandvi Beach

Mandvi Beach is a white sand beach in the Kutch district of Gujarat, India. It is a popular tourist destination with a rich history and cultural heritage. Famous for spectacular sunsets, camel and horse rides and traditional shipbuilding yards, this beach adds to the charm. The beach is open throughout the day. The facility is best to visit here in the early morning or late afternoon for sunset recreation. There is no entry fee to visit Mandvi Beach.

10. Narayan Sarovar

The temple place the principal buildings of which are surrounded by a fortified wall outside which are the houses of the villagers was formerly connected with the mainland by a yellow stone road about 3000 feet long and 15 broad which was built in 1863 by Gokul Dass Liladhar Padshah, a Bhatia of Bombay at a cost of about £2500 (1000000 Kutch Kori) now a new road has been constructed. It was famous for its great lake in very ancient times. It agrees with the description of the lake discovered by Alexander and probably lasted till about 1000. The change of the course of the Indus river was partially affected by the earthquake of 1819. From ancient times there was a temple of Adi Narayan in the village on the banks of the lake. For a long time the temple was in the possession of the priests of the Kanphata sect. The temple was taken away from them in about 1550. Sawant was a monk from Junagadh in 1607. In Narnagar a long and wide embankment was built around the tank at Narnagar. A rectangular sheet of water measuring 1056 ft by 990 ft is divided into bathing places by stone walls and adorned with stone stairs on all sides except the east and surrounded by rest houses. There are stone temples with lamps in the centre of the lake measuring 164 ft by 621/2 ft. The temples are approached from the lake by stone stairs and are surrounded by a strong wall. The Vagheli Mahakovar was annoyed with the priest of Dwarika and the wife of Rao Desalji I of Kutch State, along with her Brahmin, went to the lake and killed her. After consultations Narayan decided to elevate the sacrosanct place to Narayan Sarovar. Accordingly in 1734 he first built the temples of Lakshmi Narayan and Trikam Rai in the same style as the Dwaraka temples. He got some village revenue and some taxes paid to him and then built the temples of Adi Narayan, Govardhan Nath, Dwaraka Nath and Lakshmi Ji. The temple of Trikam Rai is similar in style and size to the temple of Koteshwar. It is 70 ft long by 681/2 broad and 61 ft high. It stands on a 5 ft 9 in high platform and has three side porches in the middle all supported by pillars 12 ft high. The centre porch is 21-ft square and each side porch is 9 ft 9 in. The earthquake of 1819 caused the central gable to collapse but it has since been rebuilt. The space between the central and the shrine is paved with white and black marble. The eastern screen wall of the temple has a marble plate with an inscription. The door is plated with silver. The idol is installed in the temple on a silver throne. Below the throne of the idol is a black marble image of Vishnu's Garuda with both hands sitting on one leg with knees bent. Above the idol are 40 gold and silver images which are offered by the devotees. The other Pancha Mandir built by the Vagheli Mahakunwar form a row of 6 domes supported by 14 pillars along with the recently built temple of Kalyan Rai and has 48 pillars with carvings on the base shafts and the rest.

11. Mata no Madh

The temple was built in the fourteenth century by two Karad Vanias, Ajo and Angor. They were ministers in the court of the father of Lakhan Fulani. The temple was destroyed in the earthquake of 1819. The complete construction of the temple was done in 1823. The temple was built by two Brahmakshatriyas Sundarji Shivaji and Mehta Vallabh in 1880. The temple is 58 feet long, 32 feet wide and 52 feet high. There is a path to walk around it. It is similar to the temple of Koteshwar. The temple was again damaged in the earthquake of 2001 but was again repaired well. The image of Ashapura Mata in the temple is a red stone about 6 feet high and 6 feet wide at the base which is a Shankara in shape with a point which has some rough resemblance to a human figure. It is said that it came from Yashoda of Marwar. Every year during Navaratri, the Rao of Kutch offers sacrifice of male buffaloes. The practice of animal sacrifice has been stopped.

12. Shri Bhadreshwar Jain Tirth

According to the 19th century Jain text Bant Vijay Chronicles written by Acharya Bant Vijay, the temple was built during the reign of King Siddha Sen around 5.16 AD. The idol of saint Parasnath was installed by Shri Kapil Kewal Muni in the 12th century AD. The temple was also rebuilt by King Samprati of the Maurya dynasty and stone elephant statues were installed outside the temple. Later the temple was rebuilt by Vanraj Chavda Sangardev Veer Sen and Hari Sen. The first reference to this temple dates back to the 8th century. It is said that a Jain man named Dev Chandra laid the foundation stone of the temple about 1000 years ago. The temple was rebuilt on a large scale by Jagadusha in the 13th century. Since then the temple has been rebuilt nine times and the temple plan has been expanded to include 52 Dev kulikas. Recently the main shrine has been transformed. The temple has been destroyed many times due to natural calamities like earthquakes and the Egyptian history of Kutch mentions that there were architects and artisans who repaired the temple during the earthquakes of 1819, 1844, 1845 and 1875. The lower portion of the east temple is believed to be the oldest probably built around 1170. The temple complex was expanded with lanes then outer wings to the temple and lastly with a large verandah. The temple complex was again completely destroyed in the earthquake of 26 January 2001. Now it has been completely rebuilt as nowhere else were the old temples destroyed to such an extent that it could be completely restored and hence a completely new construction was required.

Famous Food in Kutch

1. Kutchi Dabeli
2. Bajra no Rotlo
3. Ker-Sangri
4. Odho
5. Fajeto (Kutchi Mango Curry)
6. Kutchi Adadiya Paak
7. Churma

Famous University in Kutch

1. Kachchh University
2. ICFAI University
3. Vallabhi University
4. Indian Maritime University
5. Vallabhi University