There are two simple reasons for the timing. The region is divided into two parts, one is called the Great Rann of Kutch and the other one is called the Little Rann of Kutch. The Kalo Dungar (the “black hills”) is the highest point in Kutch (460m above sea level) and the perfect place for a panoramic view of the white desert. [1], There are over 200 bird species in the Rann of Kutch, including the threatened species lesser florican (Sypheotides indicus) and houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata). [1], The Rann of Kutch is the only large flooded grasslands zone in the Indomalayan realm. This city was built on the Tropic of Cancer, possibly indicating that Dholavira's inhabitants were skilled in astronomy. Little and Great Rann of Kutch are birders’ and photographers’ delight. Our lodging at a local safari camp allowed us immersion into this diverse landscape of cultures. It is about 7500 km2 (2900 sq miles) in the area and is reputed to be one of the largest salt deserts in the world. (2017). They include several large herbivores, including Indian wild ass (Equus hemionus khur), chinkara (Gazella bennettii), nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), and blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), and the large predators wolf (Canis lupus), striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), desert wildcat (Felis lybica), and caracal (Felis caracal). [3] Kori Creek and Sir Creek, tidal creeks which are part of the Indus River Delta, are located at the western end of the Great Rann. ‘Rann’ word is actually a Hindi word meaning ‘desert’. The Hindi word is derived from Sanskrit/Vedic word iriṇa (इरिण) attested in the Rigveda and Mahabharata. The Great Rann of Kutch is the larger portion of the Rann. The History of the Rann of Kutch began with early neolithic settlements. Kori Creek and Sir creek are located in the Rann of Kutch area, which is part of Indus river delta. Rann Utsav is a festival by Gujarat Tourism in winter months,starting Mid November and ends with Holi in the month of March. Both put together makes the famous Rann of Kutch, the largest thriving land for exotic wildlife. So, the festival time will be best to visit. Common grass species include Apluda aristata, Cenchrus spp., Pennisetum spp., Cymbopogon spp., Eragrostis spp., and Elionurus spp. Sunsets at the Great Rann of Kutch are a treat to the eyes after exploring the region. Indus river branch called Koree river, shifted its course after an earthquake in 1819 isolating Rann of Kutch from its delta. Rann, because of its proximity to the Gulf of Kutch and geographical location, lies … It is a seasonally marshy region, the word Rann meaning "salt marsh", alternating with medaks, elevated pieces of land where vegetation grows. [11], This inhospitable salty lowland, rich in natural gas, was one scene of perennial border disputes between India and Pakistan that, in April 1965, contributed to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Also known as the Great Rann of Kutch, the White Desert is a vast area of pristine white salt desert often explored for its natural beauty and ecological importance. The Rann is actually a combination of 4950 sq kms of Little Rann and 7850 sq kms of the Great Rann. Wildlife | Pilgrimage. The little rann of Kutch (also spelled as Kuchchh) is one of the best tourist places in India located near the Great Rann of Kutch in Kutch district of Gujarat state. Rann of Kutch is in the top left in turquoise colour. Tensions spurted again in 1999 during the Atlantique incident. The Kutch is also famed for its ports, beaches, pilgrimages, and textiles and handicrafts. Some parts extend into the Pakistani province of Sindh. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository The Rann of Kutch is a seasonally marshy saline clay desert located in the Thar Desert biogeographic region in between the province of Sindh (Pakistan) and the state of Gujarat (India). This camp provides enthusiasts an opportunity to enjoy being in the wild and at the same time, feel the luxury and comfort of home too. Rann of Kutch is a white dessert. It is divided into the Great Rann and Little Rann. In fact, it’s a Family holiday destination to explore fun moments and store in cameras for life time. Winter temperatures reduce dramatically and can go below 0 °C (32 °F).[10]. Little Rann of Kutch, also known as the Sanctuary of Wild Ass is the last refuge of the Indian Wild Ass ‘Khur’ and hence a protected piece of land. Rann Utsav has cultural programs such as the BSF Camel show held at 5 pm, adventure activities like hot-air ballooning, many stalls selling trinkets, handicrafts, food, etc. The nilgai and blackbuck are threatened species. The Banni grasslands are also a part of the Great Rann of Kutch. The Rann of Kutch covers around 26,000 square kilometres (10,000 square miles). With the Kumbh Mela portion of our trip behind us, we set off for the western desert region of India known as the Great Rann of Kutch. From the city of Bhuj, various ecologically rich and wildlife conservation areas of the Kutch/Kachchh 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. Little Rann of Kutch is the only place on this planet where the Asiatic Wild Ass lives and thrives. The Great Rann of Kutch is on the Pakistan/India border just east of the India distributary mouths. Rann of Kutch is a vast salt marshy area in the Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat, parts of the Rann of Katch region lies in the Sindh region of Pakistan. The Great Rann of Kutch, along with the Little Rann of Kutch and the Banni grasslands on its southern edge, is situated in the district of Kutch and comprises some 30,000 square kilometres (10,000 sq mi) between the Gulf of Kutch and the mouth of the Indus River in southern Pakistan. [17] The 500 km long LBOD, begins from northern Ghotki district in Sindh province of Pakistan and joins Rann of Kutch in the Badin district of Sindh. In India the northern boundary of the Greater Rann of Kutch forms the International Border between India and Pakistan, it is heavily patrolled by India's Border Security Force (BSF) and the Indian Army conducts exercises here to acclimatize its troops to this harsh terrain. [25], Rann Utsav gives visitors not only a chance to experience a full moon on salt deserts but also get a taste of the local culture, cuisine, and hospitality. [1], The Rann of Kutch is home to about 50 species of mammals. The waters evaporate during the long dry season, leaving the Rann dry again by the start of the next monsoon season. [28], J. P. Dutta's Bollywood film Refugee was shot in the Great Rann of Kutch along with other locations in the Kachchh district. The Little Rann of Kutch lies southeast of the Great Rann, and extends southwards to the Gulf of Kutch. “The early to mature Harappan (4,958 to 4,332 years before present era) snail isotopes suggested that the mangrove was fed by a ‘glacial river’ debouching in the Rann of Kutch. The Great Rann of Kutch is one of the most visited tourist attraction sites in the state of Gujarat. In very wet years, the wetland extends from the Gulf of Kutch on the west through to the Gulf of Cambay on the east.[5][6]. There are areas of sandy higher ground, known as bets or medaks, which lie two to three metres above flood level. [1], Trees are rare except on the bets which rise above the flood zone. The people of the Indus civilization appear to have settled in the Rann of Kutch around 3500 BCE. To know more about rann utsav packages from mumbai, rann utsav tent booking, how to reach kutch rann utsav, Ran utsav full moon tour package, Kutch rann utsav online bookings and offline bookings. [14] Pakistan's Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary protects the northern portion of the Great Rann and adjacent Thar Desert. The Rann of Kachchh is located in the Thar Desert bio-geographic area in Gujarat with some parts in Pakistani province of Sindh. [1] The area has desert on one side and the sea on the other enables various ecosystems, including mangroves and desert vegetation. Winters is the best time to visit Great Rann of Kutch as water starts receding from September onwards. [18] Rann of Kutch is the joint water body of India and Pakistan. In India's summer monsoon, the flat desert of salty clay and mudflats, which average 15 meters above sea level, fills with standing water. So anyone visiting the Little Rann of Kutch is required to get permission from the forest department and is allowed a visit only during daytime and under the permitted time. Trees and shrubs grow on the bets, and they provide refuges for wildlife during the annual floods. The 'Rann Utsav' is purely mesmerizing. [2] They include the Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary (7506.22 km2), which was established in 1986 and covers much of the Great Rann, and the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary (4953.71 km2), which was established in 1973 and covers much of the Little Rann. Some scenes or song sequences in Indian films like Magadheera, D-Day, R... Rajkumar, Gori Tere Pyaar Mein, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, Lagaan, The Good Road, Dookudu, Sarvam, and Sarrainodu were shot in the area. [4] The Great Rann of Kutch together with the Little Rann of Kutch is called Rann of Kutch. The vast and arid expanse that is the Great Rann of Kutch lies to the north of the Tropic of Cancer (you'll pass through it and see the sign), at the top of the Kutch district. This remarkable place in Gujarat is a massive salt desert that measures around ten thousand square kilometers. This ban was protested and overturned by Indian activist Mahatma Gandhi. Traces of the delta and its distributary channels on the northern boundary of the Rann of Kutch were documented by the Geological Survey of India in 2000. So, the right time to visit Rann of Kutch starts from October and continues till February. One, I don’t want to visit Kutch when it is too crowded and secondly I wanted to avoid the peak season tariff. [6] The Indus city of Dholavira, the largest Indus site in India, is located in the Rann of Kutch. This nothingness is accompanied by a small oasis of water bodies and shrub forests which are homes for pink flamingoes and wild asses. The Indian wild ass once had a wider distribution but is now limited to the Rann of Kutch. The Rann at sunset. Kutch Rann Utsav is the shimmering landscape that gives the enchanting moments of this Fest, which feels like as Heaven On Earth during Festival Time. The Rann of Kutch is also the Great Rann of Kutch, and there is a Little Rann of Kutch as well. as well as camel cart excursion, paramotoring, golf carts, ATV rides, yoga and meditation. This landscape of extreme seasonal wet and dry periods is home to many colorful nomadic tribes. Rann of Kutch is basically a salt desert and probably the largest salt desert that becomes marshland during the rainy season of the year. The non-native tree Prosopis juliflora has become established on the bets, and its seed pods provide year-round food for the wild asses. It is said to have been inspired by the story by Keki N. Daruwalla based around the Great Rann of Kutch titled Love Across the Salt Desert. The Luni River, which originates in Rajasthan, drains into the desert in the northeast corner of the Rann. Other rivers feeding into the marsh include the Rupen from the east and the West Banas River from the northeast. Rann Utsav can be visited by anyone but Tent City with 400 tents allows entry only to those who are staying there. The embroidery is of various styles such as Rabari, Ahir, Sindhi, Banni, Mutwa, Ari and Soof, some of which include mirror or bead inlays. [7] Nara Canal or Puran river which is a delta channel of Indus River empties during floods into Kori Creek located in the Great Rann of Kutch. Kutch Rann Utsav 2019 – 20. The Rann of Kutch is located mostly in the Indian state of Gujarat, specifically Kutch district, for which it is named. Some parts extend into the Pakistani province of Sindh. During the festival 3 to 4-day events are also held at many other exotic locations around the larger Kutch area to expose tourists to the native culture and food, for example, semi-arid grasslands of the Banni reserve exhibits folk architecture, arts and crafts of the area, and folk dance and dance music events are held at several locations with a bonfire under the moon. Specially built local houses are also used to house tourists to give them a taste of local traditions[26] Many adventure clubs and travel clubs organize expeditions. The seasonal wetlands provide habitat for many water birds, including the demoiselle crane (Grus virgo) and lesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor).[1]. [16] Pakistan has constructed the Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) project to bypass the saline and polluted water which is not fit for agriculture use to reach the sea via Rann of Kutch area without passing through the Indus delta. The Indus River Delta lies to the west in southern Pakistan. The Rann of Kutch was a part of both the Maurya[10] and Gupta[11] empires of India. The northern boundary forms the border between India and Pakistan. The Indus Civilization was known to have an extensive martime trade system, so it has been proposed by Gaur et al. I planned my much-awaited Kutch trip just before the full moon of Rann Festival. [7], The Rann of Kutch also contained the industrial site of Khirasara, where a warehouse was found. [37], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}24°05′11″N 70°38′16″E / 24.08639°N 70.63778°E / 24.08639; 70.63778, semi-arid grasslands of the Banni reserve, "How Mumbai's residents fought, and won, a battle on behalf of flamingos", "Talks on Sir Creek begin between India-Pak", "Two disasters that defined India's south-west border with Pakistan for ever", "Anthropocene Metamorphosis of the Indus Delta and Lower Floodplain", "Indus re-enters India after two centuries, feeds Little Rann, Nal Sarovar", "Sindh floods: LBOD was a mistake, experts finally agree with residents", "LBOD the culprit behind recurring floods in Sindh", "Evolution of the Delta, the LBOD outfall system and the Badin dhands – chapters 3 & 4", "INDIA TODAY GROUP: India Today, Business Today, Aaj Tak, Care Today, Mail Today, Cosmopolitan, Reader's Digest, India Today Conclave", "In Today – Blogs, Photos, Videos, sports and Business", All the excitement of Gujarat'ss Rann Utsav, "Rann Utsav 2009 | Fairs & Festivals | Home", "LOVE ACROSS THE SALT DESERT – binaljavia", "LOVE ACROSS THE SALT DESERT know more – binaljavia", "Indian School Certificate (Year-12) : List of Prescribed Textbooks", "Akshar Travels khushboo gujarat ki..call us 1800 233 9008", "The Rann of Kutch is emerging as the favourite with filmmakers", Satellite views comparing summer and winter conditions in the Rann of Kutch, Desert (Rann of Kutch) wetlands; 6 February 2003; WWF Global website, KACHCHH PENINSULA AND THE GREAT RANN; The Geological Survey of India, Ministry of Mines, Government of India, Archived news articles from the India Environmental Portal on: Rann of Kutch, Archived news articles from the India Environmental Portal for a Search made for: Banni grasslands, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_Rann_of_Kutch&oldid=997452862, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Articles with dead external links from November 2013, All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English, Articles with dead external links from November 2016, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 31 December 2020, at 15:50. The Rann of Kutch is located mostly in the Indian state of Gujarat, specifically Kutch district, for which it is named. Rann of Kutch is accessible throughout the year but if you know, The kutch festival takes place in winter months. Location: The Great Rann of Kutch, along with the Little Rann of Kutch and the Banni grasslands on its southern edge, is situated in the district of Kutch and comprises some 30,000 square kilometres (10,000 sq mi) between the Gulf of Kutch and the mouth of the Indus River in southern Pakistan The Indus river had been flowing into Rann of Kutch area and Rann of Kutch used to be its catchment area forming part of its delta. Indus river delta branch/channel called Koree river shifted its course after an earthquake in 1819 isolating Rann of Kutch from its delta. Great Rann of Kutch, Kutch Overview The Great Rann of Kutch, is a large area of salt marshland, is located in the District of Kutch, in the western state of India, Gujarat. that there were perhaps ports in the Rann of Kutch.[9]. The area was a vast shallow of the Arabian Sea until continuing geological uplift closed off the connection with the sea, creating a vast lake that was still navigable during the time of Alexander the Great. [2] This area has been inhabited by the Kutchi people.[3]. [8][9] Wildlife, including the Indian wild ass, shelter on islands of higher ground, called bets, during the flooding. [12] Elements of dispute remain in Sir Creek, since 1969, there have been twelve rounds of talks between the two nations, without a breakthrough. Pakistan has constructed the Left Bank Outfall Drain(LBOD) project to bypass the saline and polluted water which is not fit for agriculture use to reach the sea via Rann of Kutch area without passing throu… [1], Rainfall is highly seasonal. [36] Several scenes in Salman Rushdie's Booker Prize winning novel Midnight's Children take place in the Rann of Kutch, including a scene where the protagonist faints from heatstroke in the Rann's brutal climate. Subscribe Now * You will receive the latest news and updates on your favorite celebrities! Rann utsav official dates announced, it will be from 12th Novenber 2020 to 28th February 2021. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net, Global Species : Ecoregion : Rann of Kutch seasonal salt marsh, "Excavations reveal Khirsara a major industrial hub of Harappan era", "Was the Rann of Kachchh (Kutch) navigable during the Harappan times (Mid-Holocene)? 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