KUTCH Road Trip

                           

  👉 Kutch Road Trip

White Dessert. PC- Deep

• In 2019, me with my friends Deep, Mac, Harsha, Madhura, Chirag, and Vinit stepped foot on the land of white desert known as Rann of Kutch.
• The main purpose of our trip was the wedding, "Jigglo ki Shaadi !!".
• As we entered his native place, Rampar near Kutch, we were welcome by a heartbreaking cold and red lights were blinking on either side of the road, which at first glance was a mystery but very eyecatching. As we travel closer, it was windmills all around us which were blinking.
• After a long journey of about 900 km, from Mumbai to Kutch, rest was mandatory. We were allotted a house with an open terrace, it was a dark night, instead of sleeping we had some different plans to stay awake, star gazing was one of them. Later we started playing games, had fun, enjoyed a lot, it was a night to remember.

Rann Of Kutch. PC- Vinit

• Then the following day we visited White Dessert early in the morning. Despite the main events being closed, I enjoyed spending it with my friends.
• Kutch is famous for its great Rann of Kutch, an enormous white salt desert that lies within the boundary of Thar Desert. The endless white field of salt is truly wonderful to watch.
• Afternoon, we had a great lunch there, a typical Gujarati Thali with lots of buttermilk and delicious sweets. After lunch, we planned to travel toward the only mountain in that region, for sunset.
• Kalo Dungar. Going in, as the name suggests it was very frightening, but we had a very safe and exciting journey there.

Kalo Dungar. PC- Vinit

• The place was filled with life, markets, and various cultural events happening on a small mountain.
• The best part overall was sunset which was truly amazing and local tribes were most fascinating with their pathani suits. It was a special experience to walk through their local markets, witness their traditional dance, music and see how they interact.
• Kalo Dungar is also famous for a 400-year-old Dattatreya temple situated at a hilltop.

Local Tribe. PC- Harsha

Sunset Kalo Dungar.

• I hope to be back there again soon as it was the last village where we have military checkpost guarded by our brave-hearted and discipline Border Security Force (BSF).
• Despite a long journey from Kutch, I highly recommend going!

     

          The Wedding Ceremony

• Sangeet Day, In Gujarat, as expected it all started with Garba and the whole village was dancing and enjoying the event. Many new forms of Garba were performed, in which all age groups of people were taking part.

Garba Night.

                                     

• In between, various Gujarati snacks were served which were delicious.
• Finally, the wedding day arrived, both the bride and groom are taken to the mandap, surprisingly there were two couples wedding in the same mandap.
• At the mandap, antarpat (curtain) ceremony is performed during which bride and groom standing right next to each other, but separated by a curtain. After chanting of a priest, the curtain goes down and the couple exchanges garland in front of a sacred fire.
• In between various fun, customs were performed and then the bride and groom take seven rounds around the fire, representing the seven principles and promises they make to each other.
• Once the seven rounds are done, the groom puts sindoor on brides head and ties mangal sutra around her neck which symbolize that she is married and belongs to him.
• In this way, all wedding rituals are wrapped up.

          Return Journey

Kutch. PC- Deep

• On our way back to home we visited Khari Nadi (canyon), was a beautiful landscape, I was amazed by the place as it was spread over a large area of spectacular rock formation.
• Khari Nadi is a fissure formed during the Bhuj earthquake, it is now a popular destination for photoshoots.

                                     

Khari Nadi. PC-Mac

                                                 

Khari Nadi. PC- Harsha

• It is very similar to Bluejohn canyon in appearance, however, it is significantly smaller in size.
• Now it was time to try some local food, Kutch ki Dabeli, very popular snack food. It was well garnished with pomegranate and roasted peanuts.
• And finally, its time to say Goodbye......!!!

Dabeli. PC- Harsha

                      

Dhokla. PC- Harsha

• As you have seen the photos, but no photos can do justice by how amazing the entire journey was.
• Looking back, 2019 was really an awesome year all around and I am sad it's already over.
• I wanted to extend an EXRTA THANK YOU for reading my blog and may 2020 be the year more joyful than the previous one.