60-445: Gandhidham , initially known as Sardarganj , located in the eastern part of Kutch district, in the state of Gujarat. It is the largest and most populous city in (Kachchh) Kutch District , Gujarat , India . It was created in the early 1950s for the resettlement of Sindhi Hindu refugees from Sindh, Pakistan , in the aftermath of the partition of India . The city was named after M K Gandhi . An economic capital of Kutch , Gandhidham
120-646: A blind thrust . Villages situated on the blind thrust in the eastern part of the Kutch mainland hill range (viz. Jawaharnagar, Khirsara, Devisar, Amarsar and Bandhdi) were completely erased during the 2001 earthquake. There are ninety-seven small rivers in Kutch District, most of which flow into the Arabian Sea , but some of which feed the Rann of Kutch. Twenty major dams, and numerous smaller dams, capture
180-650: A literacy rate of 71.58%. 34.81% of the population lived in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 12.37% and 1.05% of the population respectively. Kutch district has a Hindu majority and Muslim minority with around 1% of Jains. Most Muslims are rural and Kutchi-speaking, and are concentrated in areas closest to the Pakistan border such as Banni . Lakhpat (41.20%) and Abdasa (38.01%) taluks have significant concentration of Muslims, while rural areas of Bhuj taluk have nearly 40% Muslims. Elsewhere, Gujarati Hindus and Muslims are in proportions consistent with
240-562: A municipality in Kutch district (kachchh) in the state of Gujarat , India . Bhachau was one of many devastated towns in the Kutch region of the Indian state of Gujarat , during the 1956 Anjar earthquake as well as in the 2001 Gujarat earthquake . As of 2011 it had a population of 39,532 in over 8,647 households. Bhachau is often mentioned in the TV show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah , as
300-581: A comparatively large group in Kutch And there lives a brave and noble community like Ahir . Because most of the population of the Kutch district is Hindu or Jain , the food of the region is largely vegetarian. Jains also refrain from eating root vegetables ( kandmool in Hindi) such as potatoes , garlic , onions , and yams . The district also features a sizeable population of Muslims, who eat vegetables, chicken, mutton and occasionally camel meat. In
360-503: A geometric style for their embroidery. The Garacia Jats are experts in tiny embroidery on the yoke, which intermingles with red, orange, blue and green threads. The Dhanetah Jats love embroidering broad pear-shaped mirrors using orange, black, yellow and red in chain stitch. J. P. Dutta 's Bollywood film Refugee is shot on location in the Great Rann of Kutch and other locations in the Kutch district of Gujarat , India. This film
420-475: A nomadic tribe in Gujarat. Kutch embroidery is unique in the sense that a net is woven on a cloth using thread. The net is then filled in using the same thread by intricate interlocking stitches. The patterns are usually built around geometric shapes. This embroidery follows its own traditional design logic and juxtaposition of colours and motifs. The Rohanas tribals of Kutch specialise in skirt work. The Sodhas use
480-401: A registration number starting with GJ-12. The district is well connected by road, rail and air. There are four airports in the district: Naliya, Anjar, Mundra, and Bhuj. Bhuj and Anjar are well connected with Mumbai airport . Being a border district, Kutch has both an army and an air force base. The history of Kutch can be traced back to prehistoric times. There are several sites related to
540-531: Is 5 km developed fully . The airport road dividing wards 5 & 7 divides this city, whereas Municipality is one, known as Gandhidham Municipal Corporation (from 2023). These towns are divided in two parts wherein land is recognized as Wards & Sectors. They have six wards each 1 to 6 in Adipur and 7 to 12 in Gandhidham. These wards consist of commercial, industrial and residential plots of land. The land which
600-488: Is a district of Gujarat state in western India , with its headquarters (capital) at Bhuj . Covering an area of 45,674 km , it is the largest district of India. The area of Kutch is larger than the entire area of other Indian states like Haryana (44,212 km ) and Kerala (38,863 km ), as well as the country of Estonia (45,335 km ). The population of Kutch is about 2,092,371. It has 10 talukas , 939 villages and 6 municipalities . The Kutch district
660-486: Is a growing area for families and retirees. According to the 2011 Census, Gandhidham is Gujarat's 8th most populous city. It is a popular destination for conventions, business, and meetings. Soon after the Partition of India , in 1947, a large group of Sindhi Hindus refugees from Sindh of Pakistan migrated to India. The maharaja of Kutch Vijayaraji donated 15,000 acres (61 km) of land to Bhai Pratap, who founded
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#1732772756100720-630: Is a must. The Authority was constituted by the State Government under their Resolution No. TPS-3858(a) dated 08.08.1958 published in the Bombay Government Gazette part IVB, Extraordinary issue dated 11.08.1958. The GDA was created on 08.08.1958. Schools in the area include CBSE SCHOOLS STATE BOARD ENGLISH MEDIUM SCHOOLS GUJARATI MEDIUM SCHOOLS HINDI MEDIUM SCHOOLS For professional courses like Chartered Accountancy and Cost & Management Accountancy
780-399: Is also next to the border with Pakistan , a neighbouring country of India. When there were not many dams built on its rivers, the Rann of Kutch remained wetlands for a large part of the year. Even today, the region remains wet for a significant part of year. The district had a population of 2,092,371 as of 2011 census, of which 30% were urban. Motor vehicles registered in Kutch district have
840-583: Is amongst the most erratic anywhere in the world with a coefficient of variation of around sixty percent – among the few comparably variable climates in the world being the Line Islands of Kiribati, the Pilbara coast of Western Australia, the sertão of Northeastern Brazil, and the Cape Verde islands. During the "cool" season from October to March, temperatures range from very warm to hot during
900-501: Is around 13.8 km from the city. It also has connectivity to Kandla Airport near village Galpadar. From August 2016 Air connect has started its daily services for Ahmedabad and Surat. They announced one flight from Mumbai to Kandla Airport (Gandhidham) The area is served by Kandla airport near Galpadar town. Daily service is available to Mumbai. SpiceJet announced one more flight for Mumbai from 11 July 2017 onward. Kachchh District Kutch district , officially spelled Kachchh ,
960-678: Is attributed to have been inspired by the famous story by Keki N. Daruwalla based around the Great Rann of Kutch titled Love Across the Salt Desert which is also included as one of the short stories in the School Standard XII syllabus English text book of NCERT in India. The film crew having traveled from Mumbai was based at the city of Bhuj and majority of the film shooting took place in various locations around in
1020-713: Is classified as a dialect of Sindhi . A common misconception is that it is a dialect of Gujarati. The script of the Kutchi language has become extinct. It is now mainly written in the Gujarati script . Samples of Kutch script are available in the Kutch Museum . The increased use of Gujarati language is mainly because of its being a medium of instruction in schools. Important Jain places of Pilgrimage are - Higher education in Kutch has been regulated by Kachchh University since 2003. About 43 colleges in total are affiliated to
1080-403: Is considered a gesture of friendship and welcoming, and dispute settlements invariably involve the parties offering milk to each other. Similarly, in Kutchi engagement ceremonies, the bride's family offers milk to the groom's family as a symbol of accepting their relationship. They also extensively drink buttermilk during lunch. Tea is the most popular drink in this region. Historically Kutch
1140-560: Is home to the Kutchi people who speak the Kutchi language . Kutch literally means something which intermittently becomes wet and dry; a large part of this district is known as Rann of Kutch which is shallow wetland which submerges in water during the rainy season and becomes dry during other seasons. The same word is also used in Sanskrit origin for a tortoise . The Rann is known for its marshy salt flats which become snow white after
1200-837: Is managed by the Kandla Port trust. Kutch is a mineral rich region with a very large reserve of Lignite , Bauxite , Gypsum and other minerals. Kutch received tax break for industries for 15 years after the major earthquake on 26 January 2001. Lignite is mined only by Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) at its two mines in Panandhro and Mata no Madh . The Panandaro mines has now been reserved for GEB and GMDC power plants and GMDC has stopped supplying other industries from there. Kutch also houses cement plants Gujarat Anjan Cement Limited promoted by infrastructure conglomerate Anjan Group and Sanghi Industries Ltd's promoted by Sanghi Group. The companies are now planning to increase
1260-420: Is owned and managed by SRC (The Sindhu Resettlement Corporation Ltd) is known as 'Wards' and The land which is owned and managed by KPT (Kandla Port Trust) is known as 'Sectors'. There are 13 such sectors in Gandhidham. Apart from this, there is vast land managed by GDA (Gandhidham Development Authority) which is known as "NU". For the construction of any permanent structure in these townships, the permission of GDA
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#17327727561001320-490: Is saline, thus agriculture is not an option. Hence salt production is the only livelihood option for Agariyas. As per the Salt Commission's report there are 45000 Agariyas working in the salt pans of Kutch. Out of the estimated total annual production of India of about 18 million tonnes, Gujarat contributes 75% – mainly from Kutch and other parts of Saurashtra. Kutch is one of the most prolific regions in India in
1380-1026: Is situated in Bharat Nagar; the courses provided are BCA and BBA . Gandhidham Institution of Medical Sciences (GIMS) has been started for aspiring Medical/ Pharmacy students/ Gandhidham is connected by road and rail to the rest of India. Transport Nagar, on the outskirts of Gandhidham, is the hub of all major transport activity. There are trains to, Ahmedabad , Allahabad , Varanasi , Kanpur , Agra , Lucknow , Faizabad , Patna , Jodhpur , Ajmer , Alwar , Abu Road , Jaipur , Mumbai , Vadodara , Surat , Yesvantpur , Kalyan , Bhiwandi , Pune , Kolkata , Ahmedabad , Indore , Bangalore , Thiruvananthapuram , Kochi , Kollam , Kota , Delhi , Durg , Guwahati , Puri , Chengannur , Jalgaon , Bhusaval , Raipur , Vizag , Nagercoil , Vijayawada , Warangal , Rajahmundry and several other cities. Many private companies operate bus services to major cities in Gujarat like Ahmedabad and Rajkot. India's largest port, Kandla
1440-406: Is the city of Bhuj which is geographically in the center of the district. Gandhidham is the largest city and Financial centre of Kutch. Other main towns are Rapar , Nakhatrana , Anjar , Mandvi , Madhapar , Mundra and Bhachau . Kutch has 969 villages. Kala Dungar (Black Hill) is the highest point in Kutch at 458 metres (1,503 ft). Kutch is virtually an island, as it is surrounded by
1500-496: The 2011 census Kutch District has a population of 2,092,371, roughly equal to the nation of North Macedonia or the US state of New Mexico . This gives it a ranking of 217th in India (out of a total of 640 ). The district has a population density of 46 inhabitants per square kilometre (120/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 32.16%. Kutch has a sex ratio of 908 females for every 1000 males, and
1560-573: The Arabian Sea in the west; the Gulf of Kutch in south and southeast and Rann of Kutch in north and northeast. The border with Pakistan lies along the northern edge of the Rann of Kutch, of the Sir Creek . The Kutch peninsula is an example of active fold and thrust tectonism . In Central Kutch there are four major east-west hill ranges characterized by fault propagation folds with steeply dipping northern limbs and gently dipping southern limbs. From
1620-742: The Indus valley civilization in the region, and it is mentioned in Hindu mythology . The region is also mentioned in Greek writings during the reign of Alexander the Great . For a time, it was ruled by Menander I of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom , which was then overthrown by Indo-Scythians . The region was later ruled by the Maurya Empire and Sakas . In the first century CE, it was under
1680-578: The Western Satraps , followed by the Gupta Empire . By the fifth century, the Maitraka dynasty of Valabhi took over from which its close association with the ruling clans of Gujarat started. Hieun Tsang refers to Kutch as Kiecha in his writings. In the seventh century, Kutch was being ruled by Charans , Kathis , and Chavdas . The Chavdas ruled the eastern and central parts by
1740-684: The Bambhan, the Malwan, the Kankawati , and the Saraswati rivers. However sea water from the Arabian Sea still continues to be driven into the Great Rann by storm tides aided by high winds. Water remains a serious issue in Kutch. Kutch's thirst for water is satisfied by Narmada river flowing from Sardar Sarovar dam. Kutch is divided into four zones: Under the Kutch princely state , Kutch
1800-571: The Gada family and the protagonist Jethalal hail from there. Some villages of Bhachau are included in Vagad but not Bhachau. Bhachau is located at 23°17′N 70°21′E / 23.28°N 70.35°E / 23.28; 70.35 . It has an average elevation of 41 metres (134 feet). One of the historical places in Bhachau is the hill of Kathhad Dada . This article about
1860-683: The Gandhidham, was devastated. Considerable damage also occurred in City Gandhidham and Bhachau and Anjar with hundreds of villages flattened in Taluka of Anjar, Bhuj and Bhachau . Gandhidham was the dream of Pratap Dialdas. He requested great Leaders of India for the procurement of land in the Kachchh region. They requested Maharao Vijayraj Ji of Kachchh for granting of land for re-settlement of Sindhi community people migrated from Sindh. Maharao, without any delay, granted 15000 acres of land for
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1920-531: The Kutch District of the Indian state of Gujarat including the Great Rann of Kutch (also on BSF controlled "snow white" Rann within), Villages and Border Security Force (BSF) Posts in Banni grasslands and the Rann, Tera fort village, Lakhpat fort village, Khera fort village, a village in southern Kutch, some ancient temples of Kutch and with parts and a song filmed on set in Mumbai's Kamalistan Studio. Just after
1980-610: The Sindhu Resettlement Corporation Ltd. (SRC) to rehabilitate Sindhi Hindus that migrated from Sindh in Pakistan . The Sindhu Resettlement Corporation Ltd was formed with Acharya Kriplani as chairman and Bhai Pratap Dialdas as managing director. The corporation's primary goal was to help displaced people find new dwellings by building a new township. The original plan was prepared by a team of planners headed by Otto H. Königsberger , director of
2040-564: The afternoon and are cool to pleasant in the mornings. Whilst during the hot season, afternoon temperatures become sweltering and extremely unpleasant, especially when, with the approach of the monsoon, humidity increases. The city is represented by a constituency in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly . It forms part of the Kachchh Lok Sabha constituency . The Gujarat earthquake of 2001 majorly affected
2100-460: The area of textile art. Kutch Embroidery is dense with motifs, and a variation with mirrors sewn into the embroidery is one of the signature arts of this region. Within the category of Kutch embroidery there are several sub-categories as each tribe and sub-tribe produces a unique signature form of art. Kutchi embroidery is an evolving expression of the craft and textile traditions of the Rabaris,
2160-402: The capacity at Abdasa location from 3–9 million tons per annum. By 2015, the company plans to produce 20 million tons. Kutch district has a scanty forest cover. Hence there is negligible risk of illegal cutting of forests. This coupled with the adequate facilities available at Kandla port has helped establish the timber market. In 1987, "Kandla Timber Association" was formed in order to resolve
2220-406: The city of Gandhidham along with many nearby towns like Bhuj, Anjar, Bhachau and more. The shock, which measured 7.7 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI ( Extreme ), killed 13,805–20,023, left roughly 166,800 injured, and many were left homeless including Gandhidham. The death toll in the Kutch region was 12,300. Bhuj, which was situated only 50 km away from
2280-480: The division of housing in the Government of India. Later, the plan was revised by Adams, Howard and Greeley Company in 1952. The foundation stone of the town was laid with the blessings of Mahatma Gandhi in 1947. Hence, the town was named Gandhidham. To clean the desert where it was built, Pratap gave an incentive of 25 paise to kill scorpions and 50 paise to kill snakes. The original plan envisaged 400,000 as of
2340-469: The existence of two major ports i.e. Kandla and Mundra transportation as a business has thrived. Since historical times the people of Kutch have formed the backbone of trade between Gujarat mainland and Sindh. After the formation of Pakistan this trade stopped for good, but due to the inception of the Kandla port, trade boomed again. Kandla port is also in Kutch. It is considered Gateway to India's North. It
2400-487: The far western edge of India has resulted in the commissioning of two major ports: Kandla and Mundra . These ports are closest to the Gulf of Arabia (and thus to Europe by sea). The hinterland of north-western India hosts more than 50% of India's population. Quality of roads is good in Kutch. The large part of the growth of Kutch came after intense development by the state government as part of 2001 earthquake relief. Due to
2460-406: The film shooting of Refugee finished, the film crew of another Bollywood film Lagaan descended on Bhuj in Kutch and shot the entire film in the region, employing local people and villagers from miles around. A set of a full period Village was constructed for the film with typical Kutch style mud houses or huts with thatched straw roofs called boongas . Bhachau Bhachau is a city and
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2520-487: The gradual increasing dimension of the linear chain of hillocks towards the west along the Kutch mainland fault and the epicentre of the earthquake of 2001 lying at the eastern extreme of Kutch mainland fault, it is suggested that the eastern part of the Kutch mainland fault is progressively emerging upward. It can be suggested from the absence of distinct surface rupture both during the 1956 Anjar earthquake and 2001 Bhuj earthquake , that movements have taken place along
2580-532: The main city has its face directed to the East. Due to the very high potential evapotranspiration , Gandhidham has a hot semi-arid climate ( Köppen BSh ) receiving around 385 millimetres or 15 inches of rainfall per year. Almost all rainfall occurs during the monsoon season from June to September — outside this period, Gandhidham averages just 15 millimetres or 0.59 inches of rain in eight months. Gandhidham's amount of rainfall, although not especially low on paper,
2640-549: The national professional accounting body of India like Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and Institute of Cost Accountants of India have opened an examination centre at Adipur. Colleges for graduation and higher studies are Tolani College of Science & Arts, Tolani Commerce College, Pharmacy college and Diploma in Engineering, Management Institute situated nearby in Adipur . DNV International Educational College
2700-544: The other brothers founded states in Kathiawar . After turbulent periods and battles with the armies of Sindh, the state was stabilized in the middle of the eighteenth century by a council known as Bar Bhayat ni Jamat who placed Rao as a titular head and ruled independently. The state accepted the sovereignty of the British East India Company in 1819, when Kutch was defeated in battle. That same year,
2760-496: The purpose. Bhai Pratap said this is too big land and cannot be developed by SRC Ltd, therefore, he desired to keep with him only 2,600 acres, and the rest of the land was given to KPT and GDA for management. Today Adipur and Gandhidham townships are the townships of pride in the District of Kachchh only with the grace of Rajput Kshatriya ancestors – Provided by Ram Amarnani. Distance between twin-townships of Adipur & Gandhidham
2820-575: The rainy season runoff. While most of these dams do not affect the Ranns, as they are on rivers that feed directly into the Arabian Sea, storage of rainy season water upstream from Kutch and its use in irrigation has resulted in less fresh water coming into the Ranns of Kutch during the rainy season. This is true of the Great Rann, but particularly true of the Little Rann which is fed by the Luni , Rupen ,
2880-564: The rest of Gujarat. Languages of Kutch district (2011) According to the 2011 Census, Kachchhi speakers are a majority in 5 out of the 10 tehsils: Abdasa (76.06%), Lakhpat (69.71%), Mandvi (62.48%), Nakhatrana (54.54%) and Mundra (50.66%). In addition, they are 43.39% in Bhuj, 18.06% in Anjar and 14.13% in Gandhidham. However in Rapar and Bhachau, they are only 0.14% and 1.05% respectively. Kutchi
2940-633: The seventh century, but Kutch came under the rule of the Chaulukya dynasty by the tenth century. After the fall of Chaulukya, the Vaghelas ruled the state. By the thirteenth century, the Vaghelas controlled the whole of Kutch and adopted a new dynastic identity, Jadeja . For three centuries, Kutch was divided and ruled by three different branches of the Jadeja brothers. In the sixteenth century, Kutch
3000-490: The shallow water dries up each season before the monsoon rains. The district is also known for ecologically important Banni grasslands with their seasonal marshy wetlands which form the outer belt of the Rann of Kutch. Kutch is surrounded by the Gulf of Kutch and the Arabian Sea to the south and west, while the northern and eastern parts are surrounded by the Great and Little Rann (seasonal wetlands) of Kutch. It
3060-541: The specific problems of timber importers and timber allied industries coming up during the period. The timber industry is growing at a faster pace with 300 saw mills working in Gandhidham-Kandla Complex. The Little Rann of Kutch is known for its traditional salt production and various references mention this to be a 600-year-old activity. During the British period, this activity increased manifold. It
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#17327727561003120-439: The state was devastated by an earthquake . The state stabilized and flourished in business under subsequent rulers. Upon the independence of India in 1947, Kutch acceded unto the dominion of India and was constituted an independent commissionaire . It was made a state within the union of India in 1950. The state witnessed an earthquake in 1956 . On 1 November 1956, Kutch State was merged with Bombay state , which in 1960
3180-403: The ultimate population of the town, expecting half of it to be reached in the mid-1970s. A revised plan envisaged three stages of town development with the mid-stage lasting longer with a population of around 150,000. Gandhidham is located at latitude 23.08° N longitude 70.13° E. The main city is constructed in accordance with the principles of Vastu-Shastra (Hindu belief of construction), i.e.,
3240-493: The university, offering courses in humanities, science, commerce, medicine, nursing, education and computer science. Professional courses in engineering, pharmacy and management are regulated through the Gujarat Technological University . Kutch district is inhabited by various groups and communities. One can find various nomadic, semi nomadic and artisan groups living in Kutch. Rabari constitute
3300-466: The villages of the district, staple foods include kadi-khichdi , milk, and bajra (pearl millet). The latter of these was introduced to the region by a king named Lakho Fulani, who was himself introduced to the grain during his period of exile. Bajara na rotla with curd and buttermilk is also a staple among the Gujarati people. In the region, milk is considered to be a sacred food; an offering of milk
3360-419: Was always considered a backward region due to its location and submerged geography. The situation seemed to have worsened after the disastrous Kutch earthquake in 2001. But in the next decade, the economy took an almost miraculous jump start due to the intense efforts of the Gujarat government. Kutch today is a growing economic and industrial hub in one of India's fastest growing states – Gujarat. Its location on
3420-581: Was divided into Bani, Abdasa, Anjar, Banni, Bhuvad Chovisi, Garado, Halar Chovisi, Kand, Kantho, Khadir, Modaso, Pranthal, Prawar, and Vagad. Kutch District is further divided into six subdistricts, each comprising one or two taluka : From the city Bhuj various ecologically rich and wildlife conservation areas of the Kutch district can be visited such as Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary , Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary , Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary , Kutch Bustard Sanctuary , Banni Grasslands Reserve and Chari-Dhand Wetland Conservation Reserve . According to
3480-436: Was divided into the new linguistic states of Gujarat and Maharashtra , with Kutch becoming part of Gujarat as Kutch district. The district was affected by a tropical cyclone in 1998 and the earthquake in 2001 . The state saw rapid industrialization and growth in tourism in subsequent years. Kutch District, at 45,674 square kilometres (17,635 sq mi), is the largest district in India . The administrative headquarters
3540-481: Was unified under one rule by Rao Khengarji I of these branches, and his direct descendants ruled for two centuries and had a good relationship with the Gujarat Sultanate and Mughals . One of his descendants, Rayadhan II, left three sons, of whom two died, and a third son, Pragmalji I took over the state and founded the current lineage of rulers at the start of the seventeenth century. The descendants of
3600-413: Was used to fund a substantial part of the military expenses of the British government. Communities involved in salt production are mainly Chunvaliya Koli, Ahir and Miyana (Muslim), residing in 107 villages in the periphery of Lesser Rann of Kutch. These communities are traditionally known to have the skills of salt production and are known as 'Agariyas'. Water quality in 107 villages of Lesser Rann of Kutch
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