Kutch District
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Kutch (Kuchchh) District, State of Gujarat |
Kutch (also spelled
Cutch,
Kachh,
Kachch, and
Kachchh) is a
district of
Gujarat state in western
India. Covering an area of 45,612 km
2, it is the largest district in the state of
Gujarat and the second largest in India. According to some theorists, the name "Kutch" is a reference to the shape of the area, which when viewed from space, resembles a
tortoise. The word for "tortoise" is
Kaachbo in the
Kutchi and
Gujarati languages. It is known as "The Mystery Land" because of its people and religion(s), little is known about this entire area.The district had a population of 1,583,225 of which 30% were urban as of 2001. [
1]
Kutch is virtually an island, bounded by the
Arabian Sea to the west; the
Gulf of Kutch, which separates it from the
Kathiawar peninsula, to the south and southeast; and by the
Rann of Kutch, a sprawling but seasonal wetland, to the north and east. In ages past, the Rann of Kutch was an extension of the Arabian Sea. A range of hills runs east-west, parallel to the Gulf of Kutch. The border with Pakistan lies along the northern edge of the Rann of Kutch; the north-eastern border with Pakistan along Sir creek is the subject of a border dispute.
It is recorded that a massive
earthquake hit Kutch on
June 16,
1819. This partially changed the course of a section of the
river Indus and caused a surface depression that became an inland sea.
Administrative divisions
The administrative headquarters of Kutch district is
Bhuj.
The languages spoken predominantly in Kutch are
Kutchi and
Gujarati. Kutchi is a language that draws heavily from its neighbouring language groups:
Sindhi, Punjabi and Gujarati, however it is usually considered a dialect of Gujarati. Mostly people of the Kutch speak Kutchi, as well as Kutchis who have moved to more commercial areas such as Ahmedabad, Baroda and Rajkot. The Kutchi language has not historically been a written language, though in modern times it is occationally written in the Gujarati script. Kachchhi and Gujarati are not mutually intelligible though Sindhi and Kachchhi are to some extent.
A number of Kutchi kanbis migrated to Africa, especially
South Africa, in the early 1960's and also form a substantial expatriate population in the United Kingdom.
Kutch has a strong tradition of crafts and is famous for its embroidery. Some of the finest
ari embroidery was stiched for royalty here whilst women in every village were busy preparing beautiful clothes and decorations for dowries. Unfortunately many of these fine skills have now been lost though some are being rejuvenated through handicrafts initiatives.
Another important art of Kutch is Bandhani, which was primarily originated in the region. Women wear sari of Bandhani art in festives like Marriages, Navaratri and Diwali. Handprinting is used to make the Bedspreads, pillow covers and other such furnishing products for households.
Remote and sparsely populated while the district of Kutch may be, it has had an interesting history.
Kutchi people have migrated now to almost all M.E.D.C Countries,Mostly in to the U.K, U.S.A, Australia, New Zealand Canada and other parts. Kutchi indians who live in the England are situated Mostly in and around London and all other urban areas, areas like Manchester, Birmingham, Oldham, Bolton, blackburn & Cardiff
Dholavira, The Ancient Metropolitan City, locally known as Kotada Timba Prachin Mahanagar Dholavira, is one of the largest and most prominent archaeological site in India, belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. It is located on the Khadir island in the Kutch district of Gujarat - the island is surrounded by water in the monsoon season. The site was occupied from about 2900 BCE for about a millennium, declining slowly after about 2100 BCE, briefly abandoned and then reoccupied, finally by villagers among its ruins, until about 1450.
Kutch was formerly an independent state, founded in the late
13th century by a samma rajput named Jada, from which name the
Jadeja rajputs derive their patronymic. The Jadeja dynasty ruled not only Kutch but also much of neighbouring
Kathiawar for several centuries until the
independence of India in 1947. In
1815, Kutch became a
British protectorate and ultimately a
princely state, whose local ruler acknowledged British sovereignty in return for local autonomy. A beautiful mirror palace, one surviving relic of the princely era is the
Aina Mahal ("mirror palace"), built in the 1760's at
Bhuj for the Maharao of Kutch by Ram Singh Malam who had learnt glass, enamel and tile work from the Dutch.
Upon the
independence of India in 1947, Kutch acceded unto the
dominion of India and was constitited an independent commissionerate. It was created a
state within the
union of India in
1950. On
November 1,
1956, Kutch was merged with
Bombay state, which in
1960 was divided into the new linguistic states of Gujarat and
Maharashtra. Kutch thereupon became a part of
Gujarat state.
After the
Partition of India in 1947, the province of
Sindh, including the port of
Karachi, ended up in
Pakistan. The Indian Government constructed a modern port at
Kandla in Kutch to serve as a port for western India in lieu of
Karachi.
The epicenter of
2001 Gujarat Earthquake was in this district. It was the most severe earthquake (out of more than 90 earthquakes) to hit Kutch in 185 years. Much of Bhuj was destroyed or damaged as were many villages. Many of the attractions of Bhuj including the Aina Mahal have still not been restored.
*
Popular daily Kutch Mitra now on net.*
Comprehensive information about Kutch on panjokutch.com*
Genealogy of the ruling chiefs of Kutch*
Post-independence chief commissioners of Kutch*
First ever Kutchi Digital Directory*
Kutchis in USA*
Kutchis in mumbai*
Computer Graphics reconstruction of Dholavira.
