India Guide
Gujarat
Kutch
Bounded on the north and east by marshy flats and on the south and west by the Gulf of Kutch and the Arabian Sea, the province of KUTCH (also Kuchchh or Kachchha) is a place apart. All but isolated from neighbouring Saurashtra and Sind, the largely arid landscape is shot through with the colours of the heavily embroidered local dress. Kutchi legends can be traced in sculptural motifs, and its strong folk tradition is still represented in popular craft, clothing and jewellery designs. Few tourists make it to this region, but those who do are invariably enchanted.
With a little effort, you can head out from the central city of Bhuj – whose population and medieval centre were devastated by the 2001 earthquake – to villages, ancient fortresses, medieval ports and isolated monasteries. The treeless marshes to the north and east, known as the Great and Little Ranns of Kutch, can flood completely during a heavy monsoon, effectively transforming the region into an island. Home to the rare wild ass, the Ranns are also the only region in India where flamingos breed successfully, during July and August, out of reach of any but the most determined bird-watchers who can cross the marshes by camel. The southern district of Aiyar Patti was once among India's most fertile areas, and though drier today, still supports crops of cotton, castor-oil plants, sunflowers, wheat and groundnuts. Northern Kutch, or Banni, by contrast, is semi-desert with dry shifting sands, arid grasslands and no perennial rivers; the villagers rely on their livestock and the income drawn from traditional crafts.