Things to do in Kutch (Kachchh)
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Little Rann Sanctuary
This is not a region for the faint-hearted. The barren, blindingly white land of Little Rann is nature at its harshest and most compelling, and home to India’s last remaining population of khur (Asiatic wild ass). There’s also a huge bird population, and the area is one of the few places in India where flamingos are known to breed naturally. Khurs and flamingos are protected in the 4953-sq-km Little Rann Sanctuary. The area is punctuated by desolate salt farms, where people eke out a living by pumping up ground water and extracting the salt. Heat mirages disturb the vast horizon – bushes and trees seem to hover above the surface.
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Aina Mahal
Next door to the Prag Mahal is the beautiful Aina Mahal which was built in 1752 at a cost of Rs2 million. It lost its top storey in an earthquake, but the lower floor is open, with a fantastic 15.2m scroll showing a Kutch state procession. The 18th-century elaborately mirrored interior is a demonstration of the fascination with all things European – an inverted mirror of European Orientalism – with blue-and-white Delphi-style tiling and the Hogarth lithograph series The Rake’s Progress. In the bedroom is a bed with solid gold legs (the king apparently auctioned his bed annually).
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Sarad Bagh Palace
This graceful Italianate palace was built in 1867, in the midst of shady trees full of crows and bats. It lost most of the 3rd floor in an earthquake, and the remaining lower floors are closed. However, nearby is an adjacent building, the former dining hall, which houses an eclectic museum. Standout exhibits are two huge stuffed tigers that the erstwhile maharao of Kutch shot, and the aforementioned maharao’s coffin.
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Prag Mahal
Prag Mahal is in a forlorn state, damaged by an earthquake and dusty, but is worth visiting for its ghostly, exuberant Durbar Hall, with broken chandeliers and gold-skirted classical statues that wouldn’t look out of place decorating a gay nightclub. Several scenes from Lagaan, the much-acclaimed Bollywood cricket blockbuster, were filmed here.
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Vijay Vilas Palace
This is a nicely proportioned 19th-century palace, 7km west of town in the centre of extensive, overgrown orchards and plantations, and set by a magnificent private beach. The palace was used as a setting for Lagaan and many other Bollywood hits. There’s not much of interest inside but the view from the rooftop pavilion is worth the climb.
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Kutch Vipassana Centre
Towns to the east of Bhuj were hardest hit by an earthquake, but many, including Anjar and Rahpar, have been rebuilt and are handy bases for trips to see artisans at work. To the south, Bada village is the base for the Kutch Vipassana Centre, which runs free 10-day meditation courses.
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Desert Coursers
Desert Coursers is a family-run tour company that organises interesting safaris and village tours in the Little Rann. It runs Camp Zainabad, offering comfortable and attractive kooba (traditional thatch-roofed huts) in a peaceful, remote setting. Advance booking is advised.
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Noorani Mahal
This popular non-veg place gets packed out with mostly men eating chicken, but there’s also mutton and veg cooked in the tandoor or in a spicy north Indian curry.
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Green Rock
This popular, 1st-floor, AC place opposite the STC bus stand serves up tasty lunch-time thalis, as well as an extensive multi-cuisine, all-veg menu.
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Jesal
This smart multi-cuisine restaurant offers good breakfast options, as well as curries and Chinese for lunch and dinner.
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Zoraba the Buddha
In the heart of the city, Zoraba’s (the sign says ‘Osho’) is a massively popular place for cheap veg Gujarati thalis.
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Folk Art Museum
This Museum displays embroidery, children’s toys, beautiful paintings and traditional mud huts.
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Green Hotel
A small, multi-cuisine veg restaurant in the bazaar that’s related to – but not as good as – the Green Rock.
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Crossword
A tiny branch of this franchise with a good selection of books and magazines.
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Kachchh Museum
This is Gujarat’s oldest museum. It houses many ancient artefacts.
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