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Desert National Sanctuary Reviews

Adjoining region of Rann of Kutch
Feb 25, 2003 08:48 PM4530 Views

India is a vast country with varied geographical features and terrain and as I had promised, I am back with a review on an interesting destination which very few people are aware of. Its remoteness has kept it a place apart for centuries. The Rann of Kutch (also called Kachchh) located in the state of Gujarat in the Western most tip of India is a unique place to visit.


Originally an extension of the Arabian Sea, the Rann of Kutch has been closed off by centuries of silting. During the time of Alexander the Great it was a navigable lake, but it is now an extensive mudflat, inundated during monsoon seasons. It is a sandy, barren area over half of which is desert and marshland. It has salt plains, caused by flooding of the Rann by sea, river and rainwater; punctuated by highlands called bets, above the monsoon flood mark where scrub flora and grasslands offer a refuge to wildlife.


It is divided into the Little Rann which has a 4,950 sq. km wild a s s sanctuary which was created in 1973 and the Great Rann which is a 7,850 sq. km desert wildlife sanctuary. Together they form the largest adjoining tracts of protected wildlife territory in India.


The sanctuary is known for its herds of the handsome chestnut brown Asiatic (Wild a s s), which is the last of India's wild horse family, does not survive elsewhere in Indian lowlands, but


The endangered Asiatic Wild A s s commonly known as khacchar, which is the member of wild horse family is found here. These animals are tall, chestnut brown and white in colour, and are exceptionally fast. The wild a s s depends on the thorny scrub of the higher ground area for its feed. This is the only sanctuary in India where wild a s s occurs apart from Ladakh where another race of the wild a s s is found.


The Indian wolf standing 28 inches at the shoulder is the prime predator of the Rann. The Rann also supports a thriving population of gazelle, blue bull, black buck, chinkaras, Indian foxes, jackal, jungle cat, hare and birds from the houbara bustard, spotted & Indian sandgrouse, francolin partridge, bustard quails, desert wheatear, desert larks, steppe eagle, imperial eagle, short toed eagle, laggar falcon etc to flamingoes, pelicans, ducks, cranes and storks. You can see Gazelles and chinkaras moving about freely across the Rann


Kachchh produces some of Gujarat's most exquisite crafts like embroidery, applique work bed sheets and cushion covers, 'Bandhani’ (tie and die) fabrics, enameled silverware and other handicrafts.


It has a remarkably heterogeneous population belonging to 18 different tribes, each with its own language and culture.


The best time to visit Kutch is between October to March every year. However it is ideal if a visit to Kutch can coincide with the Kutch Mahotsav. This is a tourist festival organised by the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat between February and March every year. You can access the sanctuary from the southern part and take a jeep safari. In the rainy season the area is inaccessible due to flooding from the sea and the only means of transport is the camel.


Soon after the rains subside and the sea waters recede, the surface starts drying up and you can see the salty crust on top which hardens enough to be able to drive a vehicle on it while down below it is still swampy. You can see the white salty surface for miles together. As it dries up further, the salt crust breaks up and the surface is visible, however it is still flaky. Soon it is hard enough to drive a vehicle cross-country.


I have driven a vehicle cross-country on the surface. The first time the going is slow as the surface gets compressed. The second and subsequent drives flattens it out further and once the crust has become smooth, you can drive a vehicle at over 100 km per hour without a bump or a ripple, but the moment there is a slight rain the area becomes swampy again. When the surface is slightly wet and you drive cross-country, you are likely to get stuck in the swamp. Once I found that I was moving in a circle in slow motion despite the fact that my steering was straight. I was moving at 30 Km per hour and my vehicle kept skidding in a large circle. With difficulty I managed to get out of the slow skid. There was no danger of overturning as the complete area was flat for miles together.


At places there are small pools of water with crystal clear blue water. It is tempting and you may feel like getting in and having a bath and drinking the water. But beware! The water is saturated with salt. If you put your finger in the water and take it out, your finger gets coated with salt. If you try to get into the pool, you will find your feet sinking into the swamp.


If you go to the Rann from Bhuj you can go upto India bridge which is a bridge across a salt river running to the east of the Rann. You have to cross the bridge to get into the Rann. This is the gateway to the Rann and is the only access by road to India from the Rann. The area across India Bridge is under the control of the BSF and the army and is inaccessible to the civilian population except with permission from the military authorities. The Rann can be accessed from Dasada, 93 kms from Ahmedabad. Jeep safaris can be organised on prior notice from Dasada .


In the Rann the summers are hot and the winters are mild. However the vast opens of Kutch make winter nights colder. The average temp is a maximum of 42-degree C and a minimum of 7-degree C.


A visit to India is incomplete if you have not seen the Rann of Kutch for you will not find anything like this anywhere in the world.


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