Rann Utsav - a melange of colours and culture of Kutch !

I still remember the Gujarat tourism advertisement where Mr. Bachchan says "Kutch nahi Dekha toh kuch nahi Dekha" and that's the time when Rann of Kutch caught my attention and, since then, it has been sitting at the top of my travel bucket list. I planned for this a few times earlier but for some or other reasons it did not work out. Recently, when I saw it trending like anything on Instagram, I thought it was high time to plan and execute, otherwise the place might lose its charm in the coming years due to overpopulation. 

After doing a bit of research on the internet, I have finalized the 5-day itinerary from Ahmedabad where the main attraction was the famous Rann Utsav at Dhordo white Rann, and then we would explore other parts of Kutch like Dholavira and Bhuj, Mandvi etc. 

Day 01 - Ahmedabad to Dholavira

On 26th Dec evening we took a flight from Pune to Ahmedabad and stayed there overnight. The next day, early morning, we started our journey from Ahmedabad towards Dholavira, which is a small town on the little island of Khadir, an offbeat destination near Bhuj which has become a sensation for travel enthusiasts on Instagram in recent years.
 
After half an hour's drive from Ahmedabad, we stumbled upon an ancient temple called The Sun Temple, Modhera. This is one of those architectural legacies of the 'Solanki' rule in Gujarat. The structure of the temple with 3 main sections (Suryakund, Sabhamandap and Garbhagruha) was elegantly built with twelve representations of "Adityas" carved on the pillars. A walk around this serene temple campus definitely gave us the positivity for the rest of our journey. After clicking some stunning pictures here, we resumed our drive towards Dholavira.

Sun temple, Modhera

The terrain started changing as we were going closer to Dholavira, and we started seeing long patches of completely dry, cracked land on both sides. After driving some distance through this barren land, we entered the Rann of Valve. This area was beautiful, and we had already started seeing some dried up patches of salt along with some small wetlands. 
Being a regular birdwatcher, I knew this area was a hotspot for a lot of migratory birds, including the Greater Flamingos, so I was constantly searching for something interesting. While we were able to spot a small group of flamingos along the bank of the lake, surprisingly, we spotted a pair of Dalmatian Pelicans fishing in the lake. This is probably the world's largest fresh water bird and a very rare sight. This sighting really made my day.
After a continuous drive of around 6–7 hours since the morning, we finally reached the White Rann Resort, Dholavira, at around 2 pm. After such a long and tiring journey, it was mandatory to rest up for some time before we got ready to enjoy the beauty of White Rann in the evening. 

At around 4.30, we were at the entry point of the famous "Road to Heaven". This 30 km long road passes through the Great Lake of Rann and offers a beautiful mix of crystal clear blue waters, small dump patches of white salt which then slowly turn into long white crystal beds with the backdrop of clear blue skies, making it even more dramatic. The experience of driving here is really out of this world and even thousands of pictures or videos here can not express the real beauty of this place.

Road to heaven 

After driving for about 10-15 km on this road, we reached the place from where we could only see endless white desert on both the sides of the road and a lot of people were enjoying the desert. Seeing a  lot of people wearing traditional Gujarati attires, and dancing the Garba music all over the Rann with the setting sun in the background was a mesmerizing experience. We could not resist being part of this colorful event and ended up spending the whole evening in the same place enjoying every bit of it. After sunset, when we were not able to take any more photos, we headed back to the resort. After having a delicious special Kutchi dinner, we went for a short star-gazing session organized by the resort. Witnessing such a clear and pollution-free sky in the middle of a white desert with millions of stars twinkling above was a lifetime experience. After this experience, we can imagine how magical this place will look on a full moon.

Day 02 - Dholavira to Rann Utsav at Dhordo village

After a hectic first day, we were a bit too lazy to wake up early and get ready. After having breakfast at the resort, we went directly to the Harappan civilization site, which is another famous attraction in Dholavira.

It's one of the UNESCO World heritage sites that holds the ruins of one of the largest Harappan sites known to exist in India. It is a very well-preserved archaeological site of an ancient Indus Valley Civilization city. We spent a good 1-1.5 Hrs exploring the whole site and, at the end, visited an interesting museum preserving all the things of that Era. Even though not being a history lover, I liked this place. 

Harappan civilisation site, Dholavira

From here we went off for our next destination, which was Tent City. We again had to cross the  road to heaven, and we got another opportunity to experience its beauty at different times of the day. The weather was clear and nice, and we were going slowly enjoying every bit of this heavenly drive. We took a few more photo breaks at some amazing locations with spectacular views that we missed yesterday. At the end of this road, we reached the village Khavda, which is the closest village to the Indo-Pak Border. Khavda is also famous for its sweets and handicrafts. 

Just a few Kms from Khavda, there is a very small village called Gandhi nu gam which is also very famous for local Kutch handicrafts. People here have set up stalls in front of their houses to sell a variety of handicrafts and other things which they prepare in-house during the rest of the year. All the items, from the smallest keychains, purses and shawls and quilts were designed very artistically and skillfully. Although this place offered a lot, we could only do a little bit of shopping here due to time constraints.

From here we directly drove to the tent city at Dhordo village where the actual Rann Utsav takes place. The road towards Dhordo was completely bare, parched land and nothing more. We drove through this no man's land for almost 20-25 kms, but then as we came closer to Tent city, atmosphere changed drastically. We started seeing a lot of signboards welcoming Rann of Kutch, accompanied by a lot of food junctions and shopping markets. This whole area was full of festive vibes, and it was overwhelming for us, especially after the last one hour's drive.

After reaching The Gateway of Rann resort and completing all the check-in formalities, we rushed to one of the food junctions to try out a variety of mouth-watering food options, including Famous Kacchi Dabeli, Kathiawari Thali and other local cuisines. A bunch of beautifully decorated handicraft stalls spread all over the place were so attractive, but again, we kept them for the evening as we had to reach the Rann on time for the sunset.

We kept our personal vehicle in the parking near tent city and then, from there, boarded a Govt bus to go into the Rann. We had already got an online permit for entering the Rann (Rs. 140 per person), so we got easy entry on the bus, otherwise one has to do it on the spot. The bus dropped us at the entrance of Rann from where we had to go another 1-2 Kms to actually enter the desert. There were a lot of nicely decorated, colorful camel carts available which took us to the Rann in 10 mins. Throughout this ride we could see long spread salt marshes on both the sides, and it felt like we were passing through the mountains full of snow. It was a fun ride with an enthusiastic rider who played some Dhinkchak Bollywood music along with local folk music, setting the perfect tone for the evening.

Entering the Rann and walking on this white bed where all you can see is the never ending salt marshes and the blue skies over it was an experience which can not be expressed in words. The people in colorful dresses, local artists performing live music amidst the Rann, a lot of kites flying around tell you why Rann Utsav is called a mélange of colors and culture.

As the golden hour began and all eyes and cameras were pointed in one direction to capture that golden moment. The Rann was looking mesmerizing with the sun setting into the sparkling white Rann, leaving behind the radish orange hue spread all over the white bed. At this place one can just admire the surroundings and wonder about the whims of nature. This was definitely  the most vibrant place I have been to and the most memorable sunset I have witnessed till date. After such a wonderful experience, I can say Rann Utsav is definitely one of India’s most celebrated cultural festivals, that offers a magical blend of art, culture, and adventure.

Glimpse of Rann utsav, White Rann

After enjoying this evening to the fullest, we went back to the tent city area and spent an ample amount of time at those attractive souvenir shops which we missed in the afternoon. We also enjoyed a well organized cultural programme at our resort where the local villagers put up a great show giving you a glimpse into the culture of Gujarat. By 9.30 we wrapped up our dinner and went back into our "Bunga"(traditional Kutch style Mud house) to catch some good sleep and get ready for another eventful day.

Day 03 - White Rann to Bhuj via Kalo dungar

After witnessing the beautiful sunset from the Rann yesterday, it was time to witness the other side. It was still pitch dark and freezing cold when we left the resort at 6.30 am to go for sunrise. We took the same bus that dropped yesterday to the Rann and reached there at around 7. The shades of orange have just started painting the horizon to unfold the beauty of Rann. In spite of the chill and windy weather, a lot of people gathered full of energy and enthusiasm to witness this golden moment. Within a few minutes, the sun began to rise slowly, illuminating the whole Rann with its golden rays...what a glorious scene it was !! Totally worth the efforts we made in coming here so early in such a freezing cold.
It was a totally different experience compared to yesterday. Because of fewer crowds, we could feel the vastness of this place and spend some peaceful time here amidst nature. It was another moment to cherish for a long time.

Blissful Sunrise at the Rann

After the sunrise, while we were returning to the resort, we saw a few people setting up the equipment for paragliding at the gate. The setup looked interesting and when we inquired about it and saw their earlier videos, it looked thrilling, and immediately we decided to go for it. They had very professional and experienced pilots and, thanks to the perfect and clear weather, we could fly up to 3500 feet. The 360 degree views of the White Rann and Tent City from the top were just mesmerizing. As shooting was not allowed, I was not able to capture those, but they were stored in my heart. Those were definitely the best few minutes of the trip.

Now it was time to say goodbye to this amazing place and continue our journey to explore more of a cultural/historical side of Kutch. Before that, there was another unique place we wanted to visit known as Kalo Dungar without which the tour of Kutch could not be completed. It is the highest point of Kutch, and it was just 25-30 kms from Dhordo. 

While we were on the way to Kalo Dungar, we came across a mysterious area called Magnetic Hill. On this road, if you keep your vehicle in neutral at a specific place, it will start moving against gravity. It was so amazing to experience this wonder of nature. 

From this point, we had to cross a steep Ghat section to reach Kalo Dungar parking area. There was an ancient temple in the parking area and from there we followed the steps which led us to the main viewpoint. From here we can literally see the 360 degree view of Kutch where there is blue Kutch Lake, with white salt around the edges, sharing its borders with Pakistan on one side and Dholavira on the other side. These bird's eye views of the white desert from here were really breathtaking and gave us the true feeling of being at the top. After spending around half an hour at this place taking some excellent landscape shots, we came back to the parking lot. This road from the temple to the view points had a lot of small shops and food stalls as well. Although the place was too crowded and not very clean, the view you get is absolutely worth it. 

Bird's eye view from Kalo dungar

While leaving the place, we thought that watching the Sunset from this point might also be a great experience, but we could not wait as we wanted to reach Bhuj in time, which was another 2–3 hr drive from here. This drive was very boring and tiring due to the terrain, road conditions and lack of good restaurants on the way to freshen up. We felt this was the major problem on most roads in Kutch, that you will not get good restaurants unless you reach the famous tourist attractions. It was already 4 pm when we finally reached our resort, Hotel Shyam Palace in Bhuj, so we decided to spend the evening at leisure just planning the jam-packed itinerary for the next day. 

Day 04, 05 - Bhuj - Mandvi and back to Ahmedabad

There were a lot of places on our list, and we only had one day, so we started early in the morning after having a famous Gujrati breakfast of Jalebi-Fafda and Dal-pakwan at the roadside Thela. I just loved this breakfast and Dal-pakwan was especially yummy.
After a heavy breakfast, we visited an offbeat historical place in Bhuj called Chattardi. It is a cluster of dome-shaped (Umbrella-like) monuments carved in red stones in Rajputana style. As it is not very famous among tourists, there were hardly any tourists, and we could enjoy the place peacefully. With very few people around and the beautiful light, it was a perfect opportunity to do some Architectural photography.   

Chattardi, Bhuj

Our next destination was the famous Aina Mahel and Prag Mahel - The Jewel of Bhuj city. This was a residential place for the royal families of Kutch and gives good insight into their lifestyles and has a good collection of things used by those families. As the name suggests, there are a variety of big and interesting mirrors on the walls of a palace.

After spending around 1-1.5 hours exploring these, it was time for some local Gujarati lunch. In our research, we came across a famous place for lunch in Bhuj called Jalaram Bhojanalay. It was a small restaurant but had the most delicious food of the entire trip. Their Gujarati and Kutchi thali's with 3–4 types of sweets were just amazing. As the place was small we had to wait for around 30 mins to get to the place, but the food was totally worth it. I would recommend this to everyone who visits Bhuj.

After the heavy lunch, we started the journey towards Mandvi, which was another 2-hour drive. On the way, we saw a beautifully carved statue of Shree Adiyogi Mahadev (White) on top of a small hill. There was a small shiva temple also at the base of this hill. 
From there, we took a quick nap for 30 mins in the car and by 4pm, we reached Vijay-vilas palace in Mandvi, which was another Architectural Gem in Kutch. It's an ancient building built in Rajput architecture, is massive and offers great views from the terrace. It served as a summer palace for the Royal family in Bhuj. The huge garden in front of the palace is very impressive.

Vijay vilas Palace, Mandvi

After a complete round around the palace, we went to Mandvi beach for sunset. While going towards the beach, we saw an interesting thing. There were many huge, imposing wooden ships-in-the-making on the side of the road. Later we came to know that the local crafts workers here were expert in this for generations.

The beach was very crowded as it was sunset. A lot of water sports activities going around and kids were enjoying the camel rides and horse rides in the backdrop of a setting sun. After enjoying the sunset along with the Famous Kacchi Dabeli of Mandvi, we rushed back to Bhuj city as we wanted to explore the famous market called Bhujondi before it closed. This market offers a great variety of handicrafts and handlooms offer Gujarat at reasonable rates. After exploring the whole market for a couple of hours and doing a lot of shopping there, we finally went back to the resort.

Mandvi beach

On the morning of the last day, we had just visited the gorgeous white marble Sheree Swaminarayan temple and started our return journey towards Ahmedabad. This return journey was full of crazy chitchats and rejuvenating the wonderful memories we made in the last few days. Overall, it was a fantastic trip and all of us thoroughly enjoyed the charm of beautiful Rann Utsav and the scenic Road to heaven was a cherry on top. I tried my best to express my experiences of the whole journey here, but the beauty of the place is just beyond the words and I would definitely recommend everyone to visit this place at least once. 

Finally, I can summarize the whole trip in one line as ... 

कच्छ नहीं देखा...तो कुछ नहीं देखा !

See you until the next adventure ! 

If you like this, please check out my other travel blogs below

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