The Enchanting Hues of the Rann of Kutch

We started towards our destination crossing the very breadth of the country, from Kolkata in West Bengal to Kutch, the largest district in India, in its western most part Gujrat. We took a flight to Ahmedabad and a late night train from there to reach Bhuj early in the morning by 8 30. We had pre booked our accomodations for the trip with Rann Utsav , an extraordinary venture by Gujarat Tourism. We had a trip of 3 nights and 4 days and our adventures were about to begin. From Bhuj we made our way towards Tent City situated in Dhordo village. We got our tents and was enthralled by the hospitality of the organizers. Tent city itself is a 24/7 fair going on where one can indulge in multiple activities. During Full moon nights they have cultural music festivals running through entire evening and well into the night. The rustic music in the enchanting backdrop of rann is an experience of a lifetime. Though we were exhausted from long travel we set out to the White Rann in the evening for one of the most Mersmerising sunset I have seen in my life, and I have seen quite a few as I have a penchant for the ephemeral hues of dusk. That night we had a beautiful completely veg Gujrati dinner. Though we are not accustomed to eating veg, I must say the food was mouthwatering. I strongly belief the local cuisine is a must during travel, so that was also taken care of. That night was the full moon of ras as we call it in our part of the country. The moonlight seeped into the white Rann and created the most beautiful landscape ever. No camera can do justice to it ever. This is an experience to be had, a moment to behold.  With tired legs and happy hearts we retired to our tents for the day

We started early morning for a quaint town on the Arabian Sea called Mandwi. It took us about 150 minutes to reach there. We saw the memorial and resting place of the last mortal remains of the great Shyamji Krishna Verma, one of the luminaries who dedicated his life for our freedom. It's an excellent reminder to what it cost our forefathers to give us what we have today ( I hope we are doing justice to their sacrifices). From there we had lunch at a private beach. Our entire tour was cordinated by Gujrat tourism so we did not have to bother a bit. Mandwi is a beautiful place with blue waters meeting faded sand. It's relatively empty and a beautiful place to spend an afternoon. The water is shallow and ideal for a dip. While coming back we treated ourselves to local street food which was lip smacking to say the least. We also visited Vijay vilas Palace, the summer palace of the kings of Kutch, but you may remember it better as the palace where Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was filmed. It's a beautiful palace showing Indosaracenic  architecture at its regal best . Then exhausted after a long day we reached back to tent city . But festival never ends at tent city. Moon was up, music was on and we had the time of our lives. ..

Day 3 started with the splendour of Sunrise on the White Rann of Kutch, the moon was setting, the early hues of dawn was coming forth on an endless expanse of White sand , boundless in every direction one can see. Even though tired and sleepy, exhaustion was drained it seconds after such a magnanimous sight. We returned to tent city there after and bought beautiful clothes from local weavers and artisans. They fill their lives with colour to oppose the harsh intangible conditions in which they thrive. That afternoon after lunch we made our way to a village of local artisans called Gandhi Nu gam. The women fold create beautiful embroidery while the men are exceptional carpenters known for their Intricrate wood work. We bought some more trinkets and made our way to Kalo Dungar, literally translated to Black Hills. It's the highest point in Kutch and provides exquisite panoramic view of the entire White rann and the surrounding areas. An old temple of Rishi Duttatreya, the famed Guru of Parashuram rests on the hilltop for years. The sunset with the enchanting sounds of arati will surely give you Goosebumps. It was serene, enchanting and mind bogging at the same time.

On the last day of our trip we bade farewell to the tent city Dhordo . We had a early morning flight next day so we decided to cover Bhuj and it's surroundings before we embark for Ahmedabad. We  visited another beautiful palace of the kings of Kutch, the Kutch museum, which the oldest museum in Gujrat established around 1830 ad. We couldn't visit the famed Swami narayan temple as it was closed when we reached it about 5 minutes too late. It remains closed from 1pm to 3 300pm everyday. We visited a beautiful gorge known as Khadi Nadi, a dry beautiful riverbed. The last stop on our tour was Bhujodi town, where artisans of Bhuj sell there beautiful artwork.

Its a trip that has everything
A trip with something for everyone
Hills, beach, white dessert, temple, palace, adventure, food whatever sails your boat you will get it here.

Its a trip of a lifetime

Saach mein Kutch nehi dekha  toh Kuch nehi dekha

#rannkerang

Thank you Gujarat Tourism