DONE BY

SRINATH GOWTHAM.V
SURYA.J
LOCATION
INTRODUCTION :
 Kutch is the largest district of Gujarat and
second largest district in India covering an
area of 45 , 612 sq km and is part of Kathiawar
peninsula .

 It is the land of deserts ,

dry salty alluvial mudflats , and great stretches
of water .
 Kachchh literally means something which
intermittently becomes wet and dry ,a largest
part of district is rann of kachchh which is
shallow wetland which submerges during rainy
season and becomes dry during other
seasons and marshy salt flats when shallow
water dries up .(TORTOISE)
 Kachchh District is surrounded by the Gulf of
Kachchh and the Arabian Sea in south and
west, while northern and eastern parts are
surrounded by the Great and Small Rann
(seasonal wetlands) of Kachchh .
 Language – Kutchi to the lesser extent of
Guajarati , Sindhi and Hindi .
 Population – 2,090,313
 The district is basically a wide stretch of dry land
comprising hills and deserts with a fertile coastline
on one side overlooking the Arabian Sea.
 In spite of the scarcity of water, the area is rich in
agriculture where crops with lower water
requirements are cultivated.

 Being a dry land, Kutch experiences extreme

climatic conditions characterized by sweltering
summer and scanty rainfall.
 The winter season is pleasant from the month of
October and lasts till January with average temperature
ranging from 12°Celsius to 25°Celsius. And sometimes
low as 2°Celsius
 The summer season in Kutch is extremely hot up
to 48°Cels and starts from the month of February and
lasts till June
 The Kutch region receives an average rainfall of
around 14 inc.
 Central, western, and southern coastal desert
areas-hot and dry climate-nomadic and semi
nomadic communities-circular mud and thatch
houses-scarce resources.
 According to epic and literatures:
 Kutch was existent in the time of Mahabharata and
some reports indicate that it existed even before that,
in the in the time of rama and ravana.
 According to the historian Mr.Mavji Kanji Maheta of
Kutch,Krishna was from the family of Yadu and his son
Samb was the first man of Jadeja family which was the first
family of kutch.
 But according to Dulerai Karani , a poet and a
supervisor, samb was not the initiator of the jadeja family
instead it was Krishna’s grandson Vajranabh.
 He drew his conclusion on the basis of Shrimad
Bhagvat Harivansh and Mahabharat’s ancient literature.
CIVILIZATION:
 2600 before Jesus birth Harapan civilization
evolved on banks of river Sindh similarly Kutch
was evolved on the banks of river Godavari.
 The ancient civilization’s is found around Bhuj ,
Madhapar, Kukma, and Naphtha districts . It has
been proved from excavated weapons made from
stones ,which indicates cave man civilization.
 During 78 to 400 inscriptions on prevalence of
Jainism and Buddhism also found.
 Around 150 inscription on stones found in junagard
made by the king Rudradam includes the name of
Kutch .
 Rudradam’s rule was ended by Abhirs defeat.
further Gupta ruled (proofs found in the coins)
 Rulers: Valabhis , Arabs attacked Kutch along
with Sindh , Marvad and Ujjain in 0738-39.
 Migration in and out of land led to the birth of many
religions, the inscriptions found in stones and carvings
give out the fact that 2 centuries before Jesus birth ,
Jainism and Buddhism had already spread in Kutch.
 Eventually mogul came into India, it became the
existence of Muslim in Kutch also.
They built mosque , monuments, forts etc.
CULTURE OF KUTCH
 They worship Banyan , Tulsi , Pipal . they also
worship cows and snakes.
 Women are protected and if any problems occurs
they solved with the help of elders instead of going
to court.
 In many castes of Kutch, cattle are important than
education.
 People keep fasts during the religious days and
festivals.
 Many people believe in ghosts and supernatural
believes.
 Kutch has many places and buildings that are
examples of local cultures.
 Narayan Sarovar is the Ancient and pious place
for Hindus. It is the one of the five holy ponds in
India.
 Sthanks of gods and goddesses are built with
well connected.
 Jakkhas’ places are built on high hills or terrace
and their statues made along with horses.
 People do aerobatics shifts , wrestling . Play
Dhandia raas and other kind of sports.
 In every village we find Kuldevi’s Deris and that are
built for protection of village.
 In the west side of any village resides hanuman’s
Deris and out of village Vachradada’s Sthanaks , at
the entrance Nagdeva Deris.
 At olden days after king dies they used to built
Chatardis.
 Kutchies civilization and architecture of houses are
very different and artistic.
 There are three basic habitats :1) Maldharis’ habitat
2) Farmers’ habitat 3) Fishermens’ habitat.
 Maldharis’ have their house made of clay
and bamboo . It keeps cool in summer and and
protects from rain and cold .these huts ceiling
are done In bamboo and artistically well
defined.
 Banni and Farmers have lanes and their
houses on the sides of lanes. they call their
house as delis.
 Fishermens’ built their house in sand and
they call as Bhonga. Kharva; Bhdalas ,
Vadheros resides same.
COSTUMES:
 Olden days men wear’cheni ‘on cheni they
wear black, yellow and red border thin
khes,abho and ajrakh on shoulders.if they do
not wear cheni, they wear dothi made of thick
cloths.men wear high heel,sharp pointed
embroidery shoes.they wear cap called paagh
and men without paagh was considered as
shameful.
 Men wears loose trousers a long sleeved under jacket
, a short coat and a plain or silk bordered cloth.men
prefer white cloths except muslims.
 Rabari- women wear long black woolen skirt –ludi
,backless blouse –kapaduand black veil -odhani.men
wear white tightly gathered upper garment-kadiya
and white wrapped dhoti.
 Charan wear dhibdo ie) blouse or cholies fully
open at backside.
 Embroidery and mirror are the work done for their
costumes.
 Garacia jat wear only red and black chunis. The blouse of
jat women is long and often reaches down to feet .
 Abhas consists of gold and thread embroidery with
sequins and badla work traditional dress of
khatri,menon,korja muslims womens.
 Ahir young women wear skirts of red, green , blue ,
orange or brown die with rich embroidery . Old married
women wear plain cotton tube skirts and plain blouses in
subdued colors .
 Harijans women wear cotton
silk or satin printed skirt ,
blouse and chuni . Men
normally in whites.
 On the day before janmasthmi
dhebaias,rabaris,machoya,an
d aahir casts people
organized gokulia weddings.
 The groom is dressed up like
king. he wears traditional
dress which is embroider and
with the embroider sword in
his had.
JEWELLERY:
 Jewelry of kutch’s jat,rabari,aahir and charan
women depict their culture.
 Aahir women and children wear haydi whereas jat
women wear vadlo or mkoda chakkra around neck .
 Huldo wear by all women of kutch .
 Musilm women wear artistic ankle bangals called
ghunla.
Rabari women’s main jewels akota that they
wear in their nose.it is too heavy and so is
supported by a look of hair. men also wear
kadku in ear.
Jats are known by their nose-rings and
black cotton tied to the hair .
Rabaris men wear golden ear-rings .
FOOD:
 The majority of the population is
vegetarian
 Jains, Buddhistss and some other
caste perform strict vegetarianism.
Jains also refrain from eating
kandmool food grown below the
ground such as potatoes, garlic,
onion, suran, etc.
 Hindus perform various degree of
vegetarianism but certainly do not
eat beef.
In the villages, staple foods include bajra and
milk; bajara na rotla with curd and butter milk is
very common food for all the Gujarati people.
Bajra was introduced by a brave king of this
region named Lakho Fulani. During his period of
exile, he came to know about this grain in some
tribal regions.
They also extensively drink buttermilk during
lunch.
 Milk is considered to be sacred food and
offering it to somebody is considered a gesture
of friendship and welcoming .
FESTIVALS AND FAIRS :
 Navarathiri : is the important festival for
matha . And they have fairs in mata’s madh .

 Janmasthami : mandvis ravadi fair held on

this day and on second day they have
rathyatra .
 Shitla saptami :
 Location – hamirsar lake , bhuji.
 Celebrated on the birthday of lord krishna
 First day they celebrate shitla saptami.
 Second day janmashtami procession for breaking
the mataki or pot hanging overhead with milk and
money. ( done on the remembrance of lord krishna
at gokul ).
 Hajipir:
 location: hajipir .
 It is celebrated on the name of saint hajipir (
muslim ) who gave his life to save cow from bandits
.
 Jesal and toral : celeberated in the memory of
saintly people at anjar . Together they served the
people in kutch .
 Dada mekan : celebrated on very holy day
mahashivratri for the remembrance of dada mekan .
He spent his whole life in desert to help anyone lost
in the rann of kutch , with the partners of a dog and
a donkey .
 Mota yaksha : three days festival the legend
yekshas came to save people from cruel rural and
thaught them skills to improvise their life style.
Celebrated near the temple built in their memory at
mini teranetar .
 Naagapanjami : celebrated at the temple of naga
dev at the top of bhjia hill .
Lacquerware:
 Lacquerware Craft of Kutch Wool turning and
lacquering on it is another traditional craft.
 designs of flowers and leaves are worked .
 Lacquered bed posts, Dandia (Stick) Godiva
(cradles) handles of spoon, velans (chapatti roles)
Bajots (low stool) Patla, flower pots and powder
boxes are produced .
Wood Carving :
 Teak wood and local babul is used for middle relief
carving
 The geometrical and floral motifs used in carving
very minute designs show the high skill of the
craftsmen.
Terracotta Pots :
Pots are made in different sizes and shapes .
colours of white red and black with the help of
brushes made out of bamboo sticks or cotton
 The painting work is done by women.
 The common motifs used are waves, straight
lines and zigzag lines, peacocks in various
postures, leaves, fish and flowers.
 After painting the pots are baked in traditional
kilns
 Anjarakh printing :
 This is a very complex hand printing
technique using wooden blocks and dyes .
 Embroidery,beadwork and applique work:
 Embroidery is also a major craft and
specially beadwork embroidery seen in
Gondla ,and leather embroidery for moldy
footwear .
 The various style of embroidery with the
community and area-rabari embroidery , Ahir
embroidery, Sindhi embroidery, Banni
embroidery, Mutwa embroidery, aria
embroidery, Soof embroidery and some
styles include mirror or bead inlay.
 Motifs used in this type of embroidery are many-
floral, peacocks, animals, birds, trees etc. Persian
influence can be seen in the motifs.
 These days shiny plastic pieces e.g. sequins are
used in place of mirrors
 The embroidery is used IN embellish ‘ghagras’ –
these are long colorful skirts, cholis or blouses,
Torahs or wall and door hangings, floor mats,
cushion covers, bolster covers, footwear called
Mojadis etc.
 Bandhani :it is the most important traditional
handiwork of kutchies .
 It is an art of dying .
 Mud work :
 Is an artistic wall piece . Walls are highly
decorated with mix of camel dung mud and
mirrors . This work is usually done by
women .
 Handloom weaving :
 Weavers weave wool , cotton acrylic yarn
to make shawl , yardage , jackets
 Silverware & other metal work:

MUSIC:
Bhorr & Bhorrinbo Bhorr & Bhorrinboe:
 In Kutch, it is known as Bhorrindo, It is very
ancient folk instrument of music. Bhorrindo is a
simple hollow alluvial clay ball or like an egg
shaped with three to four holes, one somewhat
larger than others. The holes are arranged in an
isosceles triangular form. It is easy to play and it is
used while cattle grazing .
Dak or Dakul Dak Dakul :
 The Dak or Dakul is mainly used by the
medicants and jugglers of the Bhuva
community. These Bhuvas play the Dak or
Dakul at the time of elimination of the
elements like ghost etc.
Duff :
 it is an outdoor instrument and is used mainly
for accompaniment with folk dance.
 The Duff is played on many festive
occasions like Holi, Muharram procession
etc.
Damaru :
The origin of the Damru has been
attributed to great antiquity and
accoding Indian mythology Damru is
associated with Lord Shiva.
Damru is also represented as an
attribute of Shiva Natraja in ancient
sculptures.
The Damru is used for accompanying
devotional and ritualistic folk music.
Generally, it is used by mendicant`s
snake charmers, gypsies and jugglers.
 COLOR AND SYMBOLISM : colors and type of their costumes
symbolize their castes , community , they are .
the jewelery the they wore represents their culture ,
community etc .
traditional colors such as red , green , blue , black , yellow ,
maroon , brown are often wore by them
bandhani : it has a deep root of social customs . it is a symbol
of married life . it is must in marriages of hindus and muslims
. traditional colors of red , green , yellow , dark blues are
used .
Almost every part of the kutch surrounded
by cremated stones called ‘ palia ‘ that are
symbol of bravery of the people
Settlement of dispute invariably follows
offering milk to each other as a concluding
remark. In the Kutchi engagement ceremony,
the bride's family offers milk to the groom's
relatives as a symbol of accepting their
relationship.

Ahir young women wear skirts of red,

green , blue , orange or brown die with rich
embroidery . Old married women wear
plain cotton tube skirts and plain blouses in
subdued colors .
HOUSING TYPOLOGIES
Traditional rural house -Bhonga
The Bhonga is a traditional construction type in
the Kutch district of the Gujarat state in India.
Bhonga construction has existed for several
hundred years.
This type of house is quite durable and
appropriate for prevalent desert conditions
 Due to its robustness against natural hazards as
well as its pleasant aesthetics, this housing is also
known as "Architecture without Architects.

ARCHITECTURAL ASPECTS:
BUILDING CONFIGURATION
Bhonga is circular in plan, with cylindrically
shaped walls and topped with conical roof. The
inner diameter of the Bhonga is typically between
3m to 6m.
A Bhonga generally has only three openings one
door and two small windows.
• These buildings are typically found in flat terrain.
•They do not share common walls with adjacent
buildings.
• When separated from adjacent buildings, the
typical distance from a neighboring building is 3.0
meters.
FUNCTIONAL PLANNING
• The main function of this building typology is
single-family house.
•Main door of the Bhonga is the only means of
escape
MODIFICATION TO BUILDING :
•Recent Bhongas constructions have used wide
variety of construction materials.
•These include the stone or burnt brick masonry
either in mud mortar or in cement mortar.
•Traditional roof consists of light-weight conical
roof, while some recent constructions have used
heavy manglore tiles on roofs. Some recent
constructions have used circular strip footing
below the wall, while traditional construction
simply extended the walls below ground level.
BUILDING DIMENSIONS:
 Typical Plan Dimensions: Inner diameter
generally varies between 3.0 m to 6.0 m
 height : 2.5 meters.
 The typical structural wall density is more
than 20 %. 25% (totally) since
Stone masonry in mud mortar burnt bricks with mud
Walls
or lime mortar
Seton masonry in mud mortar burnt bricks with mud
Foundation
or lime mortar
Frames
(beams &
columns)
Roof and
Bamboo, straw and thatch roof
floor(s)
 STREET SCAPE
Street elevation-planned visual order-
based on social aspect
Varying height, proportion, opening
pattern
HOUSING TYPE 2
HOUSING TYPE 3
HOUSING TYPE 4
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES :
 Narrow and linear houses .
 Construction made up of mud .
 Single bed room plan .
 Central court yard was provided .
 Sloped roof construction .
 The entrance of houses are represented
by Gadi on both sides of doors .
Interwoven open, semi open, and
enclosed spaces.
Belief, religion, climate, materials,
social structure and economy-habitat.
Central, western, and southern
coastal areas-hot and humid climate-
long row type houses, narrow streets
network and dense population-
traditional villages
Desert areas-hot and dry climate-
nomadic and semi nomadic
communities-circular mud and thatch
houses-scarce resources.