Carnelian Day 5 - A Slice of Kutchi history and culture

 25th February 2025.

Continued from here.

830 am and we were checked out, done with breakfast and ready to start our explorations of Bhuj.  The Fern at Bhuj was a nice and friendly place to stay.

I remember Bhuj from the horrific earthquake of 2001.   The images of rubble and destruction and lives lost, at that time made me wonder how can families recover and rebuild after such a tragedy.  And now looking at the countryside and the buildings, there was nothing to remind us of it, on the surface atleast, as a tourist.

There is a Smritivan Earthquake Museum that came up in 2022 and you can read more here:  https://www.smritivanearthquakemuseum.com/smritivan-earthquake-museum.html

We did not stop by there, but went on to Darbargarh - and got a slice of Kutchi history.

I was surprised to see a rather huge lake in what I thought was a rather dry part of the country.  Seems to be that the Bhuj kings were also conscious of water conservation (like their Dholaviran ancestors!) and created Hamirsar lake some 450 years ago, and also the canals and tunnels to bring water here, according to Wiki. 

As is quite typical of modern India, the lake was neglected post-independence, and the waters ebbed.  It was only post earthquake that the lake also was restored to some level of viability.

We entered what was probably old Bhuj, narrow roads, fort walls, temples everywhere, along with Daddy Cafe Shop, cable wires, tractors and other such modern intrusions. 

Our large bus had to stop at a wider place, and we walked to the gate of the Palace where we were headed.

Darbargarh - What an interesting collection of buildings we entered!  On one side was the Ranivilas palace, battling to stay in one piece, it seemed to me, earthquake adding to the ravages of time.  Beyond, the Aina Mahal or pleasure palace  and on the opposite side the stauesque Prag Mahal.

Ranivas

 

 

The Ranivas, the Queen's quarters, suffered hugely during the earthquake, when there was just a lot of collapse and damage.  We were not taken in for obvious reasons of safety but just viewing the trellis work and those balconies gives an idea of how grand and jumbled it must have been.  In the earthquake, the Library in the Ranivas just collapsed on itself, burying the entire collection with it.  We were taken around by Shriraj, of the trustees of the restoration and management trust and close to the Jadejas, the erstwhile royal family.

 

Aina Mahal

The Aina Mahal has been opened to tourists as a museum, and we went through with Shriraj, who was an excellent storyteller, weaving the account of  Ramsingh Malam who sailed to Europe and learnt the crafts and architecture styles of the continent and returned to Bhuj and was given a free hand to try all the various styles in different rooms!  

You need to buy a photography ticket even for mobile phones.

Shriraj spoke about the idiosyncratic display of artefacts, and I was in turns amused and amazed at the motley collection!

We entered past this beautifully carved sandstone panel into another world.

There was a board that elaborated on the legend of Bhuj's founding.

"Bhuj, The capital of the Jadeja Dynasty was est. in 1510.  Legends says that the Earth rests on the head of a snake. The first king chose a location on which he wanted to build his empire. He began to hammer a nail on the chosen spot to make the earth stable on the snakes head. One of the King's courtiers asked the King if he was certain that the chosen spot was placed on the head of the snake. The now doubtful King began to remove the nail. And as he did so, the ground began to bleed, this is when he realised he had in fact dug a nail into the head of the snake.
So he dug the nail deeper into the ground little knowing the snake had moved. The earth was now fixed onto the tail of the snake. The people of Bhuj believe that the constant movement of the snake causes earthquakes in this region."

We entered the Fuvara Mahal, which was built in 1740 by Lakhpatji, his entertainment room and where he was supposed to have performed as well.  The marble throne in the centre was meant for the King, the musicians sat on the brocade and zardozi embroidered divan.

 

This central "stage" was surrounded by fountains and a water moat and the lamps would be lit and they would probably shimmer off the water and create quite a magical experience

The ceiling!

We stepped through this door into another space filled with more treasures.

I loved the displays on the coins of Kutch, and the birder in me was intrigued at the whole set of porcelain birdies.

 

 The ivory inlay door and the letter from the Royal Albert Museum

 

 There were letters of correspondence between the Mughals and the Jadeja rajputs in beautiful calligrpahy scrolls and there was a detailed collection of leaf pressings, and collections of shells and mother of pearl.

We each found something that fascinated us, a mirrored frame here a porcelain artefact there, paintings and more.  We were running out of time, and were hurried  on to Pragmahal.

Pragmahal

For some reason, I have not taken a picture of the entire Mahal!  Just views like this.  

The 19th century Prag Mahal was never completed, Shriraj said.  From what I understood, this is designed as Italian Gothic, with marble and sandstone.  It could not have been cheap, and probably escalating costs were its undoing.  

Shriraj told us to look for the Rajput motifs in the midst of the Italian decorations. 

The clocktower was damaged in the 2001 earthquake - and now visitors are not allowed in there. 

This lovely Photo by Devaroon showcases the entry steps to the first floor

I found some dragons in the decorations, there were monkeys and other little delightful details.  And the roof decorations had two doggie pictures as well.  All quite a mishmash!

Please click on the above picture to enjoy a full panoramic view of the main durbar hall, with its chandeliers, viewing gallery, choir boys holding up the pillars, stained glass and stuffed animals.

There was a delightful ghost story too for this room, which now completely eludes me.  Something about one of the workers being terrified in the morning, as if he had seen a ghost!!

 Around 11, we were done with our tour, and we had a half hour of touristy shopping of Kutchi craft at the craft store in the complex.

We set off for lunch at our next halt - Shrujan and the LLDC

 

I loved this floor design that captured block printing so nicely.

Many of my more culturally aware friends were aware of LLDC and Shrujan - it was a first for me.  I had not heard of this NGO/Trust that was doing so much for Kutchi handicraft, embroidery and therefore women's empowerment.  What I learned was that they have revived many of the embroidery styles and are also systematically documenting them, so that these oral and practised traditions are not lost for future generations, but documented and kept for the future.  

Very inspiring and impressive.

I loved this board that was there in the Museum - 

"Kutch is Unique!

The land that we know as Kutch was born in the sea. It existed even before the Jurassic period when the entire East-West plate surfaced out of the sea.  This elevation is called the Bhui Ridge. It is in the shape of the shell of the tortoise or kachua, from which comes the name Kutch.

So Kutch was born in the sea and rose from it. We know this on account of the fossils of the sea creature called ardhlakhvo (the ammonite) and the dinosaur eggs that have been found in Kutch. Both these creatures were there in Kutch when it emerged from the sea. 

The Jurassic period dates back 213 to 144 million years. That is at least how old Kutch is
Immediately after the Jurassic period came the Cretaceous period when the rivers started flowing and the sandstones that stored sweet water in their belly were formed. This was followed by the Tectonic movement when the underground volcanoes broke through the Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks to create the black basaltic hills and fertile soil that gave rise to the thorn forests. Finally, there was the Recent Period when the Alluvial plains formed the grasslands.

Not only does Kutch have the four main geologies of the world but these diverse geologies also gave rise to its diverse ecosystems -
There is the desert ecosystem of the Rann, which has clayey soil. In the middle of the Rann, there is brackish water caused by the intermingling of water from the sea with the sweet water of the rivers. This brackish water gives life to millions of small sea creatures, which in turn attract migratory birds, such as the flamingoes that fly 3000 to 4000 kilometres to the Ran during the breeding season

Kutch also has the mangrove ecosystem along its coast, where the sea and land converge. The mangroves are the nurseries and hatcheries of almost all of the sea life. Kutch is the only place in the world where an arid desert ecosystem has a mangrove ecosystem huddled next to it.

There is also the thorn forest ecosystem that grew out of the fertile lava soil that poured forth during the Tectonic movement.  These thorn forests became protected areas or rakhaals because of their extraordinary biodiversity and the rare and diverse animal, bird and insect life that abound in them.

And there are the grasslands. For centuries the river waters kept bringing down the silt to the shallow sea that existed to the north of Kutch. Over time, the sea retreated towards the Ran and land emerged from the sea. In the Kutchi language, that which gets created is called Banni. So 'Banni was the name given to this 'created land famous for its grasslands with their 40 and more varieties of grass.

Kutch has about 46,000 square kilometres of land. This makes it a small region and perhaps the only region of its size in the world to have such a diversity of geologies and ecosystems. This could be the reason why so many communities from Central Asia and other parts of Asia migrated to Kutch and made it their homeland.

Each community had the wisdom and the knowledge to sustainably live off one of the four ecosystems that Kutch is blessed with.
The maaldhaari (cattle-herder) communities came from as far away as Baluchistan in Central Asia. Like all the other migrant communities, they crossed over from Sindh. These Muslim communities - Mutva, Node, Haalepotra, Jat - remained in the north, moving around in the Banni grasslands, following the rain and making a temporary home wherever they found fodder for their animals.
The Hindu communities - Jain, Bhatia and Lohan among others - moved to the southern parts of Kutch, with its long coastline of 352 kilometres. These communities understood the ecosystem of the sea and became the entrepreneurs, the seafarers and the traders who set out into the world
The presence of different communities and the way they interacted with Kutch is also responsible for its rich and varied crafts tradition.
The migrant communities that settled in the north brought with them a lot of their crafts and their embroidery skills from the traditions of Central Asia, Persia and Turkey. The seafaring communities of the south also influenced the crafts. They brought in the best timber from South- East Asia to build their wooden mansions called havelis. In doing so they patronized several crafts and several generations of craft families. The khundkaam (woodwork) artisans created intricate carvings in different parts of the havelis. Their best artistry was seen on the majestic teak wood doors at the entrance of the havelis.
Artisans from the Gaijar community erected entire havelis without using a single nail. Kamaangari kala artisans decorated the havelis with fresco wall paintings that depicted scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata
The rulers of Kutch, who were migrants themselves, also played a part in sustaining the craft traditions. The most famous example of royal patronage is the Aina Mahal, commissioned by Lakhpat Raja of the Jadeja dynasty in 1752. Ramsingh Maalam, a gifted artisan, lavishly decorated the palace with a variety of crafts, including mirror work, carved woodwork, inlay work, wall paintings, Aari embroider and silver work.
The diverse geologies were also crafted into different building traditions. Each one had its own colour story. Dressed stone in brown, pink, white and black was crafted from sandstone, and used in palaces and havelis. Limestone was used to build beautiful dry masonry random rubble walls. Laterite created bright red walls and from basalt came the majestic black walls.
The diverse geologies and ecosystems, the rich and varied crafts and building traditions - all these make-Kutch unique. However, its most cherished feature is the happy intermingling of opposites. The best metaphor for this syncretism is Lakhpat. Among its 43 heritage structures are places of worship belonging to many religious traditions - some of the oldest Shiv temples, mosques, gurdwaras and dargahs sit next to each other in this remote corner of Kutch. They tell the world that opposites are not to be feared but understood and celebrated."

Indeed!

"The Living Embroideries of Kutch 

Each community had a distinct embroidery style that was passed on from mother to daughter.  Over the centuries, the embroideries changed and evolved. They embraced other influences but kept their core values intact.  Embroidery was a personal craft. Unlike all the other crafts it had no commercial agenda. It was a means of personal expression and a marker of community identity. Women used embroidery to decorate day-to-day as well as ceremonial clothing, household items and adornments for animals.
Some communities embroidered a wide range of items, others were more selective. But all revered it equally.
Over the last five decades we have created a 20,000-strong family of Shrujan craftswomen. We have discovered 42 distinct embroidery styles practised by 12 communities. These include communities that came to Kutch as refugees from Sindh, Pakistan a few decades ago and have now settled here;
This Museum Show - The Living Embroideries of Kutch - is dedicated to the embroidery craftswomen of Kutch who create entire worlds with just an itsy-bitsy needle and some coloured threads."

 Some of us tried our hand at block printing - and I made a little napkin which I am rather proud of.

Around 3pm we left Bhuj for Dasada in the LRK. 

Crossed the mouth of the estuary at the LRK

 

Salt  - everywhere.  Reminded me of Salt marches and Independence.

It was 9pm by the time we reached The Fern, Sattva.  What a relief.  The roads on this stretch were not the best shall we say.  Thankfully dinner was served right away, and after five days, there was rejoicing at the sight of butter chicken on the menu!!  Ishaan was a happy trooper.  Sekar was relieved that he did not have to partake of the baingan bartha, which his wife was happy to consume!

The beds were most inviting. 

And we all had mysteriously swinging chandeliers above our heads- which went well with the ghost story of the morning!  (It was that AC in the background that was the culprit, but how mundane is that!). 

Much friendly banter on doors that would not shut and uninvited guests and retired hurt spouses and the long Kutchi day ended.

 

Carnelian Day 3 - Rani ki Wow it was

 23rd Feb 2025 - Patan

Continued from here.

 

Once again, we needed to check out by 8am and head for breakfast.  We were ready early and decided to explore the neighbourhood.  Sandhya was down and briskly walking up and down.  Hotel Raveta seems to be away from town, off the NH10 - and the area is called Tirupati township!

Nothing much to write about the environs - an open sewer ran the length of the road - or was it a stormwater drain?  There were these bird stands - the one with the peacock on it - where pigeons cooed and fed, as also the Jungle Babblers.  One Grey Wagtail hurried and bobbed along the banks, very busy with his/her morning feeding.

The white-breasted waterhens rooted around in the canal.  We strolled in the streets behind the hotel - dusty and dry, and once again many pigeon feeding stands, and we saw Sparrows go in and out of one of these.  

There were Laughing Doves calling, from the wires, cows wandering and of course the street dogs looking at us with hope for a biscuit or morsel.

We got back to the hotel, to see the Buddha fountain also filled with pigeons!  Ebird list here.  

Breakfast was in the ground floor cafe - and there were very nice dhoklas and also khandvi - I quite enjoyed those, though I think my Selvi's poha is better.😆

Our bus arrived - the driver was amazing - never late, kept the bus shiny and clean, and drove steadily.  

We settled into our seats - already habits were forming - Sekar and me sat on the right hand side - all through the trip I think!  We had to pick up the splinter group who were at the other hotel just down the road.

Suddenly we were in the greener and cleaner part of down town Patan it seemed.  I remembered from my Sarkhej ki Roza Ahmedabad story about Patan being the capital of the Gujarat Sultanate before his time.  There were some old fort walls, a couple of large fancy schools, lots of tree lined roads, and then we were there.

Our first glimpse of the ASI complex - standard with lawns and trees.  As with all ASI monuments we were greeted by large lawns and neem trees. I wonder why they do this though - it’s so not part of our old gardens and it’s so water intensive. 

We strolled across the lawns, there was a flash of brilliant blue - an Indian Roller darted across the lawn and settled on this Neem tree.  Do you see it?  Photo by Devaroon

And then just like that - we were at the well!  I just stood there stunned.  Stunned at the sheer size of it, the stark beauty and the wonder, and even more stunned as to how something like this could have been buried and forgotten.

Bhimadeva I - of the Modhera sun temple - had a wife, Udaymati, who is the Rani who is believed to have built this Vav or well in the 11th century, after his demise.  We know nothing about her, it seems?  So she did not rule upon her husband's death, but she was important enough (and wealthy enough) to commission this monument to water.

While one version says that the step well caved in during a flood, it could be that it just silted over.  The well part has always been visible - only no one seemed to remember the step well bit.  The whole ASI restoration makes for fascinating reading.  The fact that it was silted over is seen by many as a blessing in disguise - it saved the step well from vandalism and possibly erosion by wind and the elements.

Supposedly in the 19th century, those pillars that were seen poking out, were vandalised and carted off to build another step well Trikam Barot-ni-Vav  in Patan.  Talk about repurposing.

The whole step well is 64m long, 20m wide and 27m deep with tier upon tier of carvings.  Were these pillars - seen in the foreground in this picture -  the base of an entry arch? 

Clearing The Debris

It was in 1958 that ASI undertook the clearance and restoration work for the Vav, which was filled with silt and water. As the process of desilting and debris clearance started, the water also started receding. The silt had to be cleared bit by bit by hand and carefully checked before disposal for antiquities that could be mixed with the mud.

“It was the most risky project of my career,” says Bhopal-based retired ASI archaeologist Narayan Vyas, who did the documentation work at the site for seven years between 1981 and 1988 and also holds a PhD degree on the stepwell. “For days, I would sit on the narrow ledges that run along the walls on a chair working. If I looked down I felt dizzy, it was so deep,” he remembers.

Work was slow – the process took more than three decades to complete. Bisht recalls that when he had taken charge of the Indore circle (which includes Patan) in 1989, only three levels had been exposed. The rest was completed under him. The top two levels of the stepwell had been destroyed – ASI rebuilt them, but without any of the sculptural adornments that must have been there originally. After the desilting, the sculptures had to be cleaned with distilled water. “Chemical cleaning and treatment was done to protect the structure and sculptures,” says Vilas Jadhav, another retired ASI archaeologist who had also worked at the Vav.

(Source:  https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pride-of-patan-the-journey-of-rani-ki-vav-from-a-being-buried-art-treasure-to-the-reverse-of-the-new-rs-100-note/story-2vFSa1l6JZtGLhUx6pC7NI.html)

We climbed down the steps, and I for one did not know where to look - row upon rows of beautiful sculptures, intricate designs, amazing "engineering" must have gone in to get this sandstone step well in place.  Who were the builders, the architects?  who were the sculptors?

Kalki - the one we await.  Riding Devadutta the horse, and with maidens pouring water?  Enemies are underfoot and crushed.

Mahishasuramardhii was one of my favourites - so beautifully sculpted, though I felt she did not have a "fierce" look.

Do you see the 3 owls?  Meera had set Sheila and me the task of finding them, we failed miserably, so distracted were we, and she had to point them out, eventually! 

The most wondrous feat of engineering cum ingenuity for me was the reclining Vishnu - seen at the far end, through the various layers of pillars - carved so when the well was full of water he would appear reclining in the ocean!  How cool  is that I thought. 

There was Balarama, Buddha, Rama, Parvathi and so many more - dancing women everywhere.  ASI estimates that there must have been at least 800 sculptures in al!

Varaha once again with a maiden pouring water?

Some one remarked very wryly, isn't this all a bit much, what is one supposed to see?  Then we discussed and imagined how Patan residents would have visited the well ever so often, and then each day they could sit in a different spot, admire a different sculpture, or maybe have a favourite spot, have rendezvous with secret lovers under specific figures, the possibilities were endless!

What was interesting was along with the innumerable gorgeous apsaras, there were female sculptures like this - with khatvanga  in hand.  Rani Udaymati - I wish we could know more about her, and the brief she gave the "design team". 

You had to admire the scale of it...

and the intricate details of each panel.

A vertical panoramic shot from where we stood to the top.

Here's a video of the well, and also zooming in on the Vishnu at the rear.

A couple of hours later, we reluctantly  moved out of the step well, came around to the actual well at the rear.  There are guards ensuring that people do not try any stunts like trying to look into the well. But there should be a way for us tourists to see the well face as well = I have since seen pictures, and even the well wall has beautiful work on it.

From the well, looking back at the step well , where we had just come from.

Even these walls were sculpted!

A pair of rose ringed parakeets seem to have made a nest in the wall - and were busy feeding their young ones - I think.

I could have quite happily lingered longer. We then went to the Patola museum and I learnt about the Patola style of double ikat weaving. No photos allowed but it was a pretty cool place. The family said they were involved in the this for 28 generations and claimed to trace their lineage back to the Solankis. 

And then we drove and drove (some 5 hours) and drove all the way to the island of Khadir where Dholavira is located. Along the way I saw 2 flamingos, a roller and one wild ass as well besides the longest every cattle procession ever!

We entered the Rann salt areas halfway through - and then travelled on the old Road to heaven - to reach Khadir Bet island.

Lunch was so so. And we reached the rather nice Evoke hotel in the evening. Checked in and then went off to see the sunset at the rann - what a lovely experience it was.   Sekar's
 photos below