Image by Kimberley Coole / Getty Images

Kachchh (Kutch)

Kachchh, India’s wild west, is a geographic phenomenon. The flat, tortoise-shaped land, edged by the Gulf of Kachchh and Great and Little Ranns, is a seasonal island. During the dry season, the Ranns are vast expanses of dried mud and blinding-white salt. Come the monsoon, they’re flooded first by seawater, then by fresh river water. The salt in the soil makes the low-lying marsh area almost completely barren. Only on scattered ‘islands’ above the salt level is there coarse grass, which provides fodder for the region’s wildlife.

The villages dotted across Kachchh’s arid landscape are home to a jigsaw of tribal groups and subcastes who produce some of India’s finest handicrafts – above all, textiles that glitter with exquisite embroidery and mirror work. In spite of the mammoth earthquake in 2001 that destroyed several villages, the residents of this harsh land have determinedly rebuilt their lives and welcome visitors.

Explore Kachchh (Kutch)

0

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Kachchh (Kutch).

  • Nature Reserve

    White Desert

    The name White Desert probably conjures up images of vast, silent expanses of searing salt desert where you can quietly meditate on life. Well, you can…

  • Palace

    Aina Mahal

    This beautiful palace, built in 1752 and part of the Darbargadh palace complex, lost its top storey in the 2001 earthquake, but the lower floor is open,…

  • Nature Reserve

    Wild Ass Sanctuary

    This 4953-sq-km sanctuary covers a chunk of the parched land of the Little Rann and is the home of the only remaining population of the Indian wild ass …

  • Workshop

    Traditional Rogan Art

    The village of Nirona, 40km northwest of Bhuj, features several distinctive crafts (lacquerwork, bell making), but none more so than the award-winning…

  • Monastery

    Than

    In the hills about 60km northwest of Bhuj is the eerie 12th-century monastery at Than. This is a laid-back place, with architecture ranging from crumbling…

  • Workshop

    Kala Raksha

    Based at Sumrasar Sheikh, 25km north of Bhuj, Kala Raksha is a nonprofit trust working to preserve and promote Kachchh arts. It works with about 1000…

  • Workshop

    Khamir

    Khamir is an umbrella organisation dedicated to preserving and encouraging Kachchh crafts in all their diversity. At the Kukma centre you can see…

  • Workshop

    Dr Ismail Mohammad Khatri

    In Ajrakhpur, 6km east of Bhujodi along the Bhachau road, Dr Khatri heads a 10-generation-old block-printing business of real quality, using all natural…

  • Workshop

    Shrujan

    Just past the Bhujodi turn-off, behind the GEB Substation, Shrujan is a nonprofit trust working with more than 3000 women embroiderers of nine communities…

  • Archaeological Site

    Dholavira

    A long drive northeast from Bhuj is the fascinating and remote archaeological site of Dholavira, on a seasonal island in the Great Rann. Excavations have…

  • Palace

    Sharad Baug Palace

    This graceful 1867 Italianate palace, set among shade trees full of crows and bats, was the abode of the last maharao of Kachchh, Madansingh, until his…

  • Palace

    Prag Mahal

    The largest of the three palaces within the Darbargadh walled complex, 19th-century Prag Mahal is in a forlorn state, damaged by the 2001 earthquake, but…

  • Palace

    Vijay Vilas Palace

    This crumbling 1920s palace with its bulbous domes was originally a summer abode for the Kachchh rulers. Its 1st floor is now the main residence of the…

  • Village

    Bhujodi

    Bhujodi, about 7km southeast of Bhuj, is a village of weavers, mostly using pit looms, operated by both feet and hands. You can look into many workshops,…

  • Workshop

    Tejsibhai Dhanabhai Marwada

    In the small village of Kukma, near Bhujodi, several kilometres east of Bhuj, this master craftsman is the only one in the area who specialises in hand…

  • Workshop

    Tana Bana

    One of the graduates of the Somaiya Kala Vidya design school for artisans, weaver Ramji Maheshwari demonstrates his craft on a traditional pit loom…

  • Workshop

    Vankar Vishram Valji

    Vankar Vishram Valji is a family operation and one of the leading weavers in Bhujodi; it sells beautiful blankets, shawls (from synthetic fabric to the…

  • Workshop

    Parmarth

    Run by a delightful family whose work has won national awards, Parmarth specialises in Ahir embroidery. New Dhaneti is 17km east of Bhujodi, on the…

  • Museum

    Folk Art Museum

    This museum, near City Police Station Rd, has displays on traditional Kachchh culture, including reconstructed Rabari bhungas (mud-and-mirrorwork huts),…