The Rann Utsav: Kutch

Actually colours are playing here @White Rann, Kutch a district of Gujarat, India.

The multicolour hued natural beauty reflect a marvellous kaleidoscopic view of White Rann in this festive which continued from November to third week of February each year. 

The What Rann is the salt desert of Kutch. The surface is too hard to press or break. The nature used to paint on this white canvas with the light of Sun and Moon.

Kutch is blessed with profusion beauty of nature and it is rich in varieties of ecosystems including the mangroves, desert plants and wildlife. This land is ecologically important for epidemic and endangered animals and plants.

The Panoramic view of White Rann, Kutch. The history of founding the Rann Utsav is also dramatic. There are some stories about this that long ago our Prime Minister had a vision of the full moon view on this white salt desert which was displaying a look alike diamond droplets on earth. No doubt it is a great step towards mankind.

This is a stunning creation of nature on the culture-light-colour-vibe under the full moon in month of December on a boundless white shimmering desert landscape manifests the dazzling moments not less than a fairy tale which is unique to this world. 

There are plenty number of activities in Kutch during Rann Festive. One of them is Camel Cart, you can move around the desert on this cart. You need to go a short distance from tent or Bhunga to the desert. You can walk the distance, but native will insist you to take a jeep or camel cart though the jeep price is unexpectedly high i.e. 500 INR. You need a of 100 INR PP and 50 INR and 25 INR for your four wheeler and two wheeler charge respectively.

This desert and the surroundings resorts are only opened from November to March and remain closed for rest on the months.

A van to drive on the white desert. It is one of the activities of Rann Utsav.

Kutch is a largest salt desert of world covering approximately 7500 km2 area of Gujarat, India and it is divided in Great Rann of Kutch and Little Rann of Kutch. 

The word Rann means salt marsh.  It is a seasonal marsh land because during the monsoon period this area submerged in water for four months.

Just before one decade this area was not developed, with very poor condition of road, lack of water and neglected civic infrastructure.   

A Dramatic change has come to the peoples of Dhordo village which is near White Desert with the start of Rann Utsav and a high profile ad campaign anchored by Amitabh Bachhan on TV and other media this area.  You can also get the accommodation in Dhordo village with cheap rate in Bhunga.

The villagers tamed camels and they earn from its products. The refrigerated milk collection centres have been established and rate of camel milk is quite high as 100 INR per litre.  

The festive has been started from 2005 with the profound development of world class road connectivity in entire Kutch. And surely it is one of the good step of our Prime Minister to help on earnings the Kutchi peoples of these area. The 'Tent City' a govt. of India operated tourism will super facilities accommodation, activities and Gujarati food. Booking can be done through online only. 

The temporary tents of Tent City which prepared only for the festival. They have different kinds of package including accommodation ans transportation. You will get more information about this on internet. But the cost is too high. 

You will get the traditional flavour of whole Gujarat in Rann Utsav. The  beauty of salt desert of Kutch was hidden from us long back, due to festive the view got revealed and the wow-factor portrait to us.

Rann Utsav is a carnival of traditional Gujarati music, dance form, enormous collections of handicrafts, bandhani sarees, traditional ornaments, mirror works, block prints, local foods and many more.

The market of handicrafts, bandhani sarees, jewelleries, varieties  of jute or cloth bags with mirror works, with a huge number of collection shawls, dupattas, jackets and many more. If you are shopaholic definitely you search all those. 

If you are going back in flight Make sure you check-in luggage is not more than 15 Kg as there are plenty things to shop. 

You can experience and explore the culture of Gujarat in this festive. To listening the folk song of Gujarati music in an evening with local snacks and drink was an unremovable memory. 

Morsing also known as Morching, in common English it is called as "jaw harp", a musical instrument of metal ring in the form of horseshoe. This is used in Rajasthan, Carnatic music of South India, Sindh of Pakistan. It also played in Rabindrasangeet in Bengal and folk song of Assam. It was often used in Bollywood music by music directors like R.D.Burman and S.D.Burman. 

My Journey: 

I have started from Pune to Ahmedabad via flight. After spending the whole night Ahmedabad airport took an ordinary bus towards Bhuj and around 5 o'clock of evening I have reached at Pramukh Swami Nagar which is 2 km off Bhuj bus stop.

One day in Bhuj:

My homestay, a Bhunga was booked from AirBnb at Pramukh Swami Nagar, Bhuj. Such a unique crafting and lighting was done in this hut.. really felt chill after the long 9 hours of bus journey.

A round bed in a circular room. Look at the size and shape of bed. When I was searching for accommodation and stuck specially with Bhunga due to its interior and the awesome looking bed.

The elaborate interior inside the Bhunga, really appreciating the idea of light decoration. The decoration of ceiling light was done with the trash material. 

Using tyre and ropes the light are hanging from the ceiling which is a cone design of canes. I am also keen interested in crafting specially with trash material or plastics and seeing these beautiful arrangements got some idea too for my crafting work.

I was impressed to the warm welcome by the host. It was an awesome experience of staying at Bhunga at that night. I have had dinner with traditional Gujarati and Kuchi food. 

She is a Kutchi Lady, provided me the lunch and breakfast at Bhuj. 

The tradition of having tea in a steel bow. The tea is made-up of camel milk.

A rising sun with brick red canvas @Bhuj from my Bhunga, the time was approximately 7:45 AM on 31st Jan 2019 so, the day was starting quite late to me as I am from easter part of India.

On the field of besides the road the huge number of cows, bulls are roaming in the morning. Their structures are different from the other regions of India such as south and east side.

Wow...she posed for me. She is beautiful with broad shoulder and special creation of the glowing curve horns.

Next day around 10 o'clock I have started towards Kutch from Bhuj, luckily I got a cab near to my accommodation. The Rann of Kutch is 85 km off to Bhuj.

The 162 km long NH 341 connects Kutch to Bhuj. I was traveling with Mr. Meenaben Dave, he was driving the car. He is a resident of Bhuj from his childhood and running a transport agency. He was saying lots of legend, story about Bhuj and surroundings villages. There is an awesome tradition in  some of the village when groom returns with his bride before entering to his home make a pledge that each member of that village including birds and animal will be never hungry in front of the villagers and sarpanch. 
His mom belongs to Jamnagar before marriage and in his childhood he used to fly with his mom to Jamnagar from Bhuj airport and fare was only 150 INR. 

The name 'Bhuj' originates from the name Bhujang means snake. A domestic airport is there in Bhuj. 

On the way to Kutch you can visit to Kalo Dungar aka Black Hills, the highest peak of Kutch. The distance from Bhuj to Kalo Dungar is about 90 km and from there to Kutch is 50 km. 

The hill is also famous for a 400 year old temple of Dattatreya, a three headed incarnation of Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in a same body structure. 

There is a Legend that when Dattatreya walked on the earth, he stopped at the Kalo Dungar and found a herd of starving jackals. As a god, he offered them his body parts to eat and as they ate, his body continually regenerated itself. Due to this for the last four centuries, the priest at the temple has prepared a batch of Prasad i.e. cooked rice to feed the jackals after the evening Aarti.

Kalo Dungar is one of the non costal brink where you can have a good panoramic view of Kutch. From here the sky and desert become indistinguishable. 

The Indo-Pak border Lakhpat is 145 km off to Kalo Dungar, with permit paper you can visit otherwise beyond this point only military personnel are allowed and paper works need to be done from Bhuj.

You can have Mawa a dense sweet dish of camel's milk product near Bhirandiyara on the way to Kutch.

Accommodation in White Rann (Rann Utsav): I have never planned any accommodation Wherever I used to go. Get down at the place,  having the view through my eyes and using my cameras, taking videos, collecting information, taking to the native people and having local foods, then if I feel to stay there I search around for the space to stay.

I spent one day at Bhugna of White Rann Resort, Dhordo. This Bhunga is quite different from the Bhuj one. 

Here also you can have the real flavour of Kutch where its outer walls painted with mud colour and inner walls decorated with Kutchi paintings with mirror work along with warmth in the chilly breeze of winter.The thickness of that wall keeps cool in summer. 

Bhunga is one of the main attraction of Kutch. It is a traditional  round shaped mud house with thatched roof. Bhungas are well built in a circular form to provide the stability during natural calamities like earthquake, cyclone, sandstorms and protection in every climate. 

A double floored Bhunga where the dormitory facilities are there for a group of people.

The night view of Bhunga with painting on mud wall. It is believed that Halajee who migrated from Sindha, Pakistan is to start this type of Bhunga 300 Years ago. 

The mirror works on the mud wall of inside the Bhunga of White Rann Resort at Dhordo village. A worthy spent of 24 hours at this hut. The circular shape of wall is fully ornamented with the small pieces of mirrors. The crafting are embellished in such way that whoever will stay here will get a fabulous view of the hut at both day and night. The eye catching fantastic works are adding more  value to this trip. 

The grand reception area of resort. The rent is high as 5k per night including the dinner. So, its better to go there and search according to your budget for room.

The dinner was provided by the resort. The hospitality was really appreciating. The list of food-menu  is quite high and I asked them to give me name of all the items. So, here is it. If you are not foodie damm sure you can't complete all, so taste all these and obviously taste the 'rasoon chatni'. I has that first time and it was too yummy delicious in taste. You will find the receipt in 'My Interest' tab of my blog.

It is a famous advertise about Kutch and I will say it's really worthy. The history of founding the Rann Utsav is also dramatic as I get to know from different source.