Travel To Kutch

White Rann

Kutch

It is also spelled as Kachchh. It is one of the most adventurous destinations in Gujarat. The main attraction is the White Rann.

How to plan a tour??

The best time to visit Kutch is from October to March 

The Rann Utsav is a fair that begins from November until February another reason to visit in these months.

Usually, 4 Days/3 Nights would be enough to visit all the places in Kutch.  

If still some places are missed then it can be extended for a week tour plan. 

Itinerary

Day 1: Arriving early morning at Bhuj and sightseeing in Bhuj City and in the afternoon go to Mandvi.

Day 2: White Rann of Kutch

Day 3: Mata No Madh, Lakhpat, Narayan Sarovar, Koteshwar

Day 4: Samadhi of Jesal Toral in Anjar.

Bhuj City

Bhuj city is the Municipality and the Headquater of Kutch.

There are many places to visit in Bhuj city.

1. Prag Mahal and Aina Mahal

2. Bhuj Ki Chhatriya (Umbrella) 

3. Shri Swaminarayan Temple

4. Ram Kund (Stepwell)

After arriving at Bhuj there are many Hotels available, but usually, when I have visited with family or friends, we have preferred to stay at Dharmashala which is cheaper in comparison to hotels. It depends on individual preferences and budgets. Traveling is easy as there are many auto-rickshaws available that can be hired for a day for sightseeing and local buses too are another option to travel within Bhuj city.

Prag Mahal

Prag Mahal

The Prag Mahal is a nineteenth-century royal residence situated in Bhuj. It is named after Rao Pragmalji II, who appointed it and development started in 1865. 

It was designed by Colonel Henry Saint Wilkins in what the local tourist office describes because of the Italian Gothic style.

The royal residence is made of Italian marble and sandstone from Rajasthan. 

It has a 45-foot high pinnacle with a clock, from where you can see the whole Bhuj city. 

There is additionally a temple in the yard behind the royal residence with pleasantly cut stonework.

Timings to visit Prag Mahal are 9:00 am – 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm. Open All Days.

Aina Mahal

Aina Mahal

The Aina Mahal or 'Palace of Mirrors' is an 18th century Palace that is situated near to the Prag Mahal in Darbargadh. 

The palace was worked by Rao Lakhpatji of Kutch State around 1750. Lakhpatji's lord expert Ram Singh Malam structured the royal residence and embellished it in the European style with glass, mirrors, and tiles. 

It was harmed in the 2001 Gujarat quake and some portion of the structure was reestablished and now houses the Aina Mahal Trust.

The above picture is the exterior of the Aina Mahal.

Bhuj Ki Chhatriya (Umbrella)

Bhuj Ki Chhatriya

Chhatris are raised, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indian architecture. 

The word Chhatri signifies "shade" or "umbrella." with regards to design, the word is utilized to allude two unique things. 

The Chhatris in Bhuj mainly belonging to Jadeja rulers of Kutch.

The Chhatri of Rao Lakhpatji is exceptionally renowned for its complex structures and carvings. A large portion of them, however, has been demolished in the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. The rebuilding work is going on.

Timings to visit this place is from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Shri Swaminarayan Temple

Swaminarayan Temple

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Bhuj was constructed by Swaminarayan, founding father of the Swaminarayan Sampraday. This temple comes under the Nar Narayan Dev Gadi.

God Swaminarayan asked Vaishnavananand Swami to continue with a group of the saints to Bhuj and construct a temple.

The earthquake on 26 January 2001 destroyed much of the town of Bhuj, including this temple related to the founding father of the Swaminarayan Sampraday. The saints and satsangis of Kutch residing in India and satsangis (worshipers) living abroad have resolved to construct a replacement temple a brief distance off from the current site.

The timings to visit this place are 5:30AM - 11:20AM and  3:30PM - 8:45PM.

Ram Kund (Stepwell)

Ram Kund

                               

The Ramkund well is a square stepwell around 56 feet on a side, with sculptures depicting characters from the Ramayana, for example, Lord Ram, Devi Sita, Lakshman, and Lord Hanuman, as well as the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu along the walls.

On your stroll down to the water you experience an unexpected quiet, coolness, and calm, you can stop for some time to ponder on your journey.

Timings to visit this place is from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Mandvi

Vijay Vilas Palace

Mandvi is a town with a region in the Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was at one time a significant port of the district and summer retreat for Maharao (ruler) of the Kutch State. 

The old city was enclosed in the fort wall and the remains of the fort wall can still be seen. 

The city has a four-hundred-year-old boat building industry. Which is as yet functional and ships of wooden are made( Dhow).

There are mainly two places which are for the tourist attraction, Vijay Vilas Palace and Mandvi Beach.

To reach Mandvi there are many private buses and GSRTC state buses available also private taxies from Bhuj can be hired.

Vijay Vilas Palace

The Palace was worked during the norm of Maharao Shri Khengarji III, the Maharao of Kutch, as a pre-summer retreat for the utilization of his adolescent and beneficiary to the realm, the Yuvraj Shri Vijayaraji, and is consequently, named after him as Vijaya Vilas Palace.  

Timing to visit this place is from 8:00 to 6:00 PM.

Mandvi Beach

Mandvi Beach

The primary thing for visiting places in Mandvi is to visit the beach. 

The Maharao's private seashore, behind Vijay Vilas Palace, is 8 km from town and requires a little charge (different seashores are free and open to general society). 

More confined than the others, the Vijay Vilas Beach has pleasant white sand, beautiful spots to swim, and conveniently accessible in cooled tents along the shore.

White Rann of Kutch


Camel Cart Ride


Salt Marsh


Sunset on White Rann

White Rann is one of the marvelous places in Kutch. The reasons being many such as watching Sunset, Camel Cart Riding, collecting large crystals of Salt from the Salt Marsh, capturing landscapes photographs, silhouettes, and many more.

It's situated in the district of Kutch between the Gulf of Kutch and the mouth of the Indus River in southern Pakistan. 

The low-lying mudflats of the White Rann fill with water during the wet season (June-September) and then dry out over the remainder of the year. By December, once evaporation has done its work, the saline crust hardens to make the signature luminous white color. By January, the swamp is a ceaseless white desert.

The Rann is about 100KM from Bhuj, but to reach there we first arrived at Madhapar which comes around 5KM before entering into the Bhuj city. There are many nearby Hotels and Dharmashalas available and from Madhapar there are Busses or Taxies easily accessible to travel to White Rann.

The Rann of Kutch spans in between two countries of India and Pakistan. Due to the sensitive nature of the border, permission is necessary to visit the Rann. This can be gotten by presenting a written request, alongside your photograph character, at the Bhirandiyara town checkpoint, which is around 55 kilometers from Bhuj.

One can also apply for permission at the Gujarat Police DSP office near Jubilee Ground in Bhuj. This permission letter must be presented at the entry point of the Rann.

The government is also developing the village as the ‘Gateway to the Rann’. 

Mata No Madh

Mata No Madh

Mata no Madh is a town in Lakhpat Taluka of Kutch locale, Gujarat, India. The village has a temple dedicated to Ashapura Mata, the household deity of former Jadeja rulers of Kutch State. The town is situated around 105 km from Bhuj.

The temple was built in the 14th century by two Karad Vanias, named Ajo, and Anagor. 

To reach Mata No Madh Temple there are many GSRTC busses available from Bhuj or from Mandvi which could be the cheapest way and for more comfort you can travel by a hired taxi.

The timings of Arti are as follows: 

Mangala Aarti - 5:00 AM

Incense Paste Aarti - 9:00 AM

Sandhya Aarti - 6:00 PM

Lakhpat

Lakhpat

Lakhpat is an infrequently populated town and sub-region in the Kachchh area in the Indian province of Gujarat situated at the mouth of the Kori Creek. The town is encased by 7km-long, eighteenth-century fortress wall.

Lakhpat which also said to be a Ghost Town of Gujarat because today's population is just around 800.
Historically Lakhpat has been a significant trading post connecting Gujarat to Sindh. 

Places to visit in Lakhpat:

Lakhpat Fort

Pir Ghaus Muhammad tomb

Lakhpat Gurudwara Sahib

Lakhpat Gurudwara Sahib

How to travel to Lakhpat??

It is advisable to hire a private taxi from Bhuj or from Narayan Sarovar and Mata No Madh because these places are the nearest destination from Lakhpat.

There are very few GSRTC busses available for Lakhpat.

Narayan Sarovar

Narayan Sarovar Temple Gate

Narayan Sarovar Temple

Narayan Sarovar Gate

Narayan Sarovar

As indicated by Hindu religious philosophy, there are five holy lakes; collectively all called Panch-Sarovar; Mansarovar, Bindu Sarovar, Narayan Sarovar, Pampa Sarovar, and Pushkar Sarovar. They are likewise referenced in Shrimad Bhagavata Purana. So, Narayan Sarovar is one of the sacred lakes from Panch-Sarovar.

The lake is related to a period of a dry spell in the Puranic era when Narayan (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu) manifested due to the intense prayers of sages and touched the land with his toe, creating the lake, presently venerated as blessed to have a holy bath. (Currently not allowed by the authorities). 

There are temples of Shri Trikamraiji, Laxminarayan, Govardhannathji, Dwarkanath, Adinarayan, Ranchodraiji, and Laxmiji, built by the wife of Maharao Desalji. These are of more enthusiasm to those on a religious pilgrimage.

GSRTC buses (state bus) are available from Bhuj to Narayan Sarovar twice a day which is quite easy and affordable or you can choose to travel by private taxies.

Timing to visit the temple is in the morning from 6:00 AM to 1:00 PM and from 4:00 PM to 8:45 PM in the afternoon.

Koteshwar

Koteshwar Gate

Koteshwar Temple

Koteshwar 

After going over the field of the desert in western Kutch, you discover the Koteshwar Temple, at a spot where the enormity of dry land meets the unfathomable inconceivability of the ocean. After so much dry ground, seeing the sea will stir your spirits; however the ocean is even less affable to people, a calming thought. The main point that breaks the horizon from the level earthy colored skyline toward the east and the wide blue skyline toward the west is the purpose of the Koteshwar Temple, the last station of human development at the westernmost furthest reaches of India.

The tale of Koteshwar starts with Ravana, who won it as a blessing from Lord Shiva for an extraordinary presentation of devotion, this Shiva linga of incredible spiritual force. However, which Ravana, in his presumptuous flurry, unintentionally dropped and it tumbled 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. Incapable to recognize the first, Ravana snatched one and withdrew, leaving the first one here, around which Koteshwar Temple was built. The temple is also known as Kotilingeshwar Temple. 

Koteshwar Temple is almost 2 km from Narayan Sarovar, on the coast, yet visitants to Lakhpat or Narayan Sarovar Wildlife Sanctuary will require a private vehicle; this can as it was be hired in Bhuj. Prices for hired cars range from Rs. 5.50/- per km to Rs. 10/- per km depending on the type of vehicle and whether or not it has AC.

Jesal Toral ni Samadhi - Anjar

Jesal Toral Ni Samadhi

Toward the east of Ajepal's cloister, is a little tiled shed with burial places of Muslim example hallowed to Jesar or Jesal, a Jadeja, and Turi or Toral, a Kathi. The sanctuary is locally known as Jesal Toral ni Samadhi, which actually signifies 'the tomb of Jesal and Toral'. The place of worship at Anjar is under the charge of the Ajepal cloister.

In the fourteenth century Jesar, grandson of Jam Lakha Jadeja, turned into a fugitive, destroyed to fields and towns, slaughtered the individuals, and took away the steers. 

Around then a Kathi lady, Turi or Toral by name, was well known for her commitment and her aptitude in making songs, and still increasingly celebrated for her excellence. 

She lived with an austere called Savasdhir, who didn't see her as his better half however as one who might bring him salvation. The acclaim of her magnificence came to Jesar, who attempted to take her away forcibly yet fizzled. Returning in the appearance of an austere he was generally welcomed and masterminded to hold onto her at some 12 PM adore. 

His arrangements were discovered, and, on his admitting, the organization whose standard was to allow the desire of each asker gave him Turi on condition that he turned into a plain. Jesar concurred, yet before long feeling burnt out on the restriction, again attempted to take Turi away forcibly. She thwarted him, and in time transformed him into a model parsimonious. Settling at Anjar, Jesar kicked the bucket, and Turi was covered alive near to his burial chamber. His relatives, the Jesar' Rajputs have, in every one of the twelve towns, a place of worship of Jesar and Turi.

There are many private buses, GSRTC(State bus), and Trains available from Bhuj.

Timings to visit this temple is from 9:00AM to 8:00PM.