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When talking about Gujarat and its famous towns and cities, you will surely come across many of them. Well-known for various reasons, each town and city hold its own kind of importance. This time we are going to talk all about Bhuj. A municipality and a district headquarter of Kutch, this small little town has some very interesting facts hidden in its history.
If the etymology of the city is to be believed, legends have a story that Kutch was once reigned by Naga chieftains in the history. The queen of Sheshapattana, Sagai, stood up against the last Naga chieftain, Bhujanga. After the battle, when her husband was defeated, she committed sati. The hill where the queen and her husband lived became famous as Bhujia Hill and the town situated at its foothill came to be known as Bhuj.
It is said that the town was founded in 1510 by Rao Hamir. And soon after, in 1549, it was made the capital of the former princely state of Kutch. However, during the year 1590, Rao was compelled to acknowledge the supremacy of Mughals in and around the area. As a result, Bhuj started getting recognition as Suleiman Nagar among the entire clan of Muslims residing there.
There are no fewer stories of attacks on this small town of Kutch. All in all, Bhuj was attacked almost six times and it was successful in two defences and failed in the other four. There were times when Bhuj was taken over by several Muslim rulers. Not just that, but even Britishers took over the Bhujia hill fort once in 1819.
Although Bhuj lost a major part of the city on battlefields, the town didn’t have its say in front of the natural disasters either. Back in 1819, the significant earthquake in June destroyed approximately 7000 houses and took nearly about 1140 lives. Approximately one-third of the survived buildings were severely damaged, and the north side of the town wall came to the level of the ground. And then, again in 1956 and 2001, the headquarter of the largest district in India had to face yet another earthquake.
These two earthquakes took away a major part of the property and human lives from Bhuj. Several parts of the town had to be demolished because of extreme damage and the other parts had to be repaired. However, fortunately, after the earthquake of 2001, the town had seen a tremendous amount of development in terms of both improved infrastructure and transportation. Therefore, it wouldn’t be a bad thing if we consider Bhuj as a survivor and a fighter of its own.
Moving forward, as a considerable part of a religious country, you will even find devotees in this town. Back in 1822, Bhuj had its very first Swaminarayan Sampradav temple. There are several other places of interest that can attract visitors from across the globe. One of the considerable parts of this town is the fort. The old city of Bhuj was surrounded by a fort wall with five significant gates.
These gates are considered to be famous as Mahadev, Sarpat, Patvadi, Vaniyavad, and Bhid. And there is also a small gate, which is considered as the sixth window and is known as Chhathi Bari. The fourth wall of the gate is almost 35 feet in height and four feet in thickness. And, in the history, this wall was used to arm approximately 51 guns.
However, in the present state, the wall doesn’t hold enough significance. Much of its parts are have either fallen down or have been demolished and badly damaged during the 2001 earthquake and the redevelopment of the city. Despite all of these things, its still holds the attention of the tourists.
If you are planning to visit this town, you will come across many other amazing sight-seeing places. For instances, you can visit Hamirsar Lake, Aina Mahal, Prag Mahal, Chhatardi, Sharadbaug Palace, Kutch Museum, Ramkund, Mohammad Pannah Masjid, Bharatiya Sanskriti Darshan Museum, Hill Garden, Tapkeshwari Temple, Trimadir, and many more in the extensive list.
There is even a historic Bhuj House for you to visit. Built in the 19th century, this Bhuj House is the courtyard estate meant to be the Parsi Bhujwala family’s ancestral state. However, today, this estate has been redeveloped and made into a private boutique hotel which still dazzles to be the specific part of the era when the Parsi community was prevalent and was in close relations with the British barracks of the Kutch during the period of colonial India.
Apart from its rich heritage, the town is equally famous for keeping the historic craftsmanship alive. You will find several art forms and crafts from the Kutch region which boasts about the culture of Gujarat. Right from the textile craft and art of Bandhani, leatherwork to embroidery and other types of handcrafted items, there is no dearth of awe-inspiring products in the bazaars of Bhuj.
In fact, there is a place called ‘Bhuj Haat,’ situated near the Jubilee Ground, where you will find the majority of talent displayed on stalls. Artists and craftsmen from the nearby villages exhibit their artwork there and make sales. Hence, if you are planning to visit Bhuj anytime soon, you should definitely pay a stroll to this Haat.
When we talk about a certain place, there is one thing that holds the utmost importance. Any guesses? Yes, it is the regional food which also keeps us connected to our roots. And Bhuj cuisine, with its delicious flavours and varieties, can be hard to resist once tasted. One of the famous eatables of Bhuj is Kutchi dabeli – a kind of burger prepared with mashed potato and cooked with chutneys and masala curry. Doesn’t it sound so tempting? Along with pakvans, you can even find regional Gujarati sweets here. The town is even famous for serving Gujarati thali that consists of different types of local food.
And did you know you can get the authentic and original taste of Bhuj right at your doorstep? SaleBhai is your one-stop solution to all your cravings. You will find all types of famous delicacies such as Kutchi peda – a traditional sweet of the land of Kutch, badami halwa – made of refined flour, dry fruits, and pure ghee and much more such delightful bites here.
You can also try their mohanthal,magaj ladu, khajur pak, gulab pak, and churma ladu. The list is just endless. SaleBhai guarantees that these products are procured from the best and trusted vendors in town – who uses only fresh and authentic ingredients to provide you with a regional Gujarati taste.
Furthermore, if you are inclined towards the art, you can even check out an extensive range of handmade paintings available at SaleBhai. So simply navigate through the options on our website and buy the one that best fits for you. Bring part of Bhuj to your home and take pride in its culture. Order now!