Exploring Gujarat, # 3; Junagadh to Bhuj, Kutch district and Bajana area; Culture, Tribes and Nature

In 2019 we travelled to Gujarat, India. For the time being our last big trip because of the Corona crisis, I fear. I hope everything will return to normal.

But how we enjoyed our trip. Gujarat is one of the most interesting federal states of India but still , but is still one of the least known regions of India in Western India, between Mumbai and Rajasthan. Gujarat has impressive jain temples on hilltops, deserts, vast salt flats with a wide variety of birds, villages with colorful minority groups such as the Rabari, Harijians, Ghats, Ahirs, Dhaneta jat, Banni, Ravari, Meghwal and Rathwa and many itinerant nomads with their sheep, goats and camels.

Gujarat is still little visited. So for those who do not want to meet other tourists on a trip and want to experience daily life in the countryside, like us, Gujarat is an Eldorado. Besides, Gujarat is also known as the residence of the last Asiatic lions.

The third part of our video report starts with a visit to the sadhus in Junagad. Then we travel to Bhuj. The closer to Bhuj, the drier the landscape becomes. The Kutch region has been inhabited for four thousand years and thus has an ancient history around its capital Bhuj. The word "kutch" literally means "island" in Sanskrit. This refers to the time when the "ranns" were closed by the Indus River that flowed into the sea here.

Bhuj was an important trading center for centuries. With its old merchant houses, temples and palaces. Bhuj is one of the most atmospheric cities in India, despite the consequences of a devastating earthquake that struck the city in 2001. A lot of people from the surrounding villages go to the city to shop; so you see representatives of many different tribes in Buij (Rabari tribe woman in black, Dhaneta jat woman wearing the Nathli gold nose ring, etc).
We visit the small picturesque villages were various tribes have settled (Banni and Ravari tribes)who still live quite traditional and pure. In the mud houses (bhungas), you will find beautiful mirrored walls and colorful handicrafts, for which the Kutch region is known. Mud has played a major role in the Banni community for centuries, especially in building the round houses. The bhungas are known for their design and the outer wall is often painted by the women. The women are beautifully dressed in traditional costumes. The local Meghwal community has beautiful embroidery that is expertly decorated. In Nirona a master copper butcher shows how to make and become a copper bell and in Ajrakhpur they show how textiles are processed there (block printing).
At the end of this impression of our trip in Gujarat we are in Bajana on the edge of little Rann van Kutch. Bajana is an important destination for bird watching, but we also make a number of village safaris and visits, much less romantic, a salt factory where hard work is required under appalling working conditions.
music used in this video o.a.:
2: Music: India - www.bensound.com Composer: Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound)
3: Borrow the Happiness by Kabbalistic Village | https://soundcloud.com/kabbalisticvillage Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com, Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (CC BY-ND 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/
4: • Kevin MacLeod - Jalandhar Jalandhar by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com/ Promoted by MrSnooze https://youtu.be/8dIHA5VcM4k Creative Commons — CC BY 3.0 https://goo.gl/Yibru5

Видео Exploring Gujarat, # 3; Junagadh to Bhuj, Kutch district and Bajana area; Culture, Tribes and Nature канала jan-arend van Boeijen