Welcome to KUTCH ! Arrival at Bhuj Airport / Railway Station, transfer to Hotel in Bhuj. Check in at Hotel in Bhuj and get refreshed. Further move on to Local Textile Tour to visit places of interest as per details given below :\

BHUJODI – WEAVING WORK

Bhujodi weaving is a traditional form of handloom weaving that originates from the Bhujodi village in the Kutch region of Gujarat, India. It is known for its intricate designs and use of high-quality materials, making it a popular choice among fashion designers and consumers alike. Bhujodi weaving is a type of handloom weaving that is characterized by the use of high-quality wool, cotton, and silk fibers. The weaving process involves interlacing these fibers to create intricate patterns and designs, which are then used to create a variety of textile products such as shawls, blankets, and sarees.

AJRAKHPUR – BLOCK PRINT

Ajrakhpur, as the name suggest, is the hub for beautiful Ajrakh block prints. Believed to have been brought from Sind (now in Pakistan), nearly 400 years ago, Ajrakh block printing is a 3,000 years old art. This block printing uses natural dyes sourced turmeric, pomegranate, rhubarb, and mud. The printing blocks are pieces of art themselves.

BHUJ TIE DIE

This is a popular tie and dye technique that involves twisting, tying and dyeing to produce some gorgeous patterns. Bandhani generally uses natural colours, predominantly yellow, blue, green and black. Each colour has its own significance. For example, red is a symbol of good fortune to a bride and yellow is a sign of spring time and joy. The designs on the fabric are formed by a combination of dots that are first block printed on the fabric. Some popular designs are the sikharibhat (jungle scene), ambaa dal (mango orchard) and chakalipopat (sparrow, parrot).

BHUJ PATODA SAREE

Patola is a double ikat woven sari, usually made from silk and the word patola is the plural form the singular is patolu. They are very expensive, once worn only by those belonging to royal and aristocratic families. These saris are popular among those who can afford the high prices. Patola-weaving is a closely guarded family tradition. A Singular family in Bhuj carries on the intricate tradition of Patoda Saree Weaving, a craft renowned for its elaborate double ikat technique. It can take six months to one year to make one sari due to the long process of dying each strand separately before weaving them together.

KUKMA KHARAD WEAVING

The natural resources required for Kharad Craft are wool and vegetable colors. Kachchh had a robust tradition of animal husbandry. The pastoral communities maintained large herds of camels and livestock like goats, sheep etc. Originally Kharad carpets were made from goat and camel hair wool. The Maldharis and Rabaris shear the hair from camels and goats. This was then given to the hand-spinners who specialized in making wool out of goat and camel hair. This wool was then used by the Kharad artisans. The Kharad artisans produced Kharad (used for spreading on the floor), Khurjani (used to keep on the back of a camel to carry heavy items), Rasa (thick cloth used to cover grains).

Back to Bhuj, overnight stay at Bhuj.

Next day energise with sun-up after having breakfast, continue Textile Tour to North Kutch and visit places of interest as per details given below :

NIRONA CRAFTS VILLAGE

ROGAN ART – Rogan is a form of textile painting which uses a rich, brightly coloured paint made from castor oil and natural colors. The term Rogan means ‘Oil Based’ in Persian and refers to the thick substance formed by heating and then casting castor oil in cold water. The making of the Rogan paste is done in the Jungle where the artisans mix oil and natural color. After it is mixed with natural colors, the paste is drawn out into a fine ‘thread’ with a metal stylus or ‘Kalam’. The artisans then place a small amount of this paint paste into their palm and at body temperature, the paint is carefully twisted across the cloth into motifs and pattern using the ‘Kalam’. Next the artisans folds the fabric thereby printing its mirror image. The finer details are then added thus completing the Rogan painting.

COPPER BELL – The artisans used waste iron such as from damaged cars, damaged iron plates etc and recycle them to make Copper Bells making it a recyclable and sustainable craft. To disintegrate Big waste iron plates, they put them into a kiln with the charcoal so that it breaks and they get the desired smooth surface to work on. For making Big Bells, they also sometimes get new raw iron pieces. Natural resources used for Copper Bell making are mud, wood of ‘Prosophis Julifera’(for the clapper) and water.

LACQUER WORK - The art of making objects out of wood decorated with lacquer has been practiced in India for centuries. In Kutch, this craft is executed by the Vadha community, a traditionally semi-nomadic group of lathe-turners and carpenters. They set up wherever their services were required for making farm implements, kitchen utensils, toys, and containers while taking orders for pillars, door frames, chests, cradles, and more.

BANNI – EMBROIDERY WORK

The embroidery is extremely intricate and their designs are mainly geometric, characterised by fine stitches in bright, and sometimes metallic thread on silk or satin. The embroidery of the Ahir clan is distinguished by the chain stitch that outlines the design and herringbone stitch which is used to fill them in. Designs are influenced by the embroiderers’ surroundings and motifs include flowers, scorpions, peacocks, parrots, elephants and milkmaids. Mirrors, abhla are regularly incorporated into the designs.

KHAVDA – POTTARY WORK

The art of Khavda Pottery started during the Indus Valley Civilisation, in the region of present-day Kutch. The gold and beaded jewellery, terracotta toys and bronze figurines, and seals with symbols found at the sites reflect the objects we use till this day. One such object, unchanged through millennia, is the earthen pot, an ubiquitous object seen all over the country. In the small village of Khavda, Bhuj, Gujarat, for generations, craftsmen have been making earthen pots with the same process and designs as those seen in the Indus Valley excavations. They craft a wide variety of vessels, such as Matka for water storage, plates, diyas, boxes, ketli, and kulhada to keep buttermilk.

LUDIYA – WOODEN WORK

The Meghwals of Northern Kutch, exceptionally in the areas of Ludiya and Navavas, are adept as carpenters and craftsmen. They forge daily use objects, furniture, and architectural elements with a combination of hand tools. Then they carve geometric and floral shallow relief designs onto the surfaces, utilizing a variety of tools and chisels. They make traditional furniture, bajoths, boxes, and coasters among others specialties. Nearly every household in the neighboring Gandhi Nu Gam, a cluster of Ludiya, is engaged in the craft form.

Back to Bhuj, overnight stay at Bhuj.

Next day energise with sun-up after having breakfast, check-out from Hotel at Bhuj and move on for Bhuj Local Sightseeing and visit places of interest as per details given below :

KUTCH MUSEUM

The oldest museum in Gujarat, founded in 1877 by Maharao Khengarji, it has the largest existing collection of Kshatrapa inscriptions, dating to the 1st century AD, as well as examples of the extinct Kachchhi script (now the language is mostly written in the Gujarati alphabets) and an interesting collection of coins (including the kori, Kachchh’s local currency.) A section of the museum is devoted to tribal cultures, with many examples of ancient artifacts, folk arts and crafts and information about tribal peoples. The museum also has exhibits of embroidery, paintings, arms, musical instruments, sculpture and precious metalwork.

SHRUJAN LLDC

The living and learning design Center (LLDC) was meant to be a ‘place’ that would becomes a tactile and visual repository of the various crafts of Kutch. Its primary role as a resource center for artisans doubles up as a public museum and place for demonstrative, hands on learning. The predominantly hot, dry and arid landscape of Kutch, its people and cultural nuances formed a rich backdrop to our intervention. There has been a tendency to preserve, emulate and replicate the notion of what may be deemed vernacular, in this case Kuttchi. Our interactions with the artisans, their craft and their aspirations led us to believe that inspite of being geographically remote, their vision and outreach had gone beyond the boundaries of the region.

Smruti Van

The Smritivan Earthquake Museum, Bhuj is situated on the Bhujiyo Dungar. It was constructed in remembrance of the victims of the devastating 2001 Gujarat earthquake. The Sun-point at the memorial is situated on top of Bhujiyo Dungar, providing a panoramic view of the city as well as breathtaking views of the sunrise and sunset.

REGIONAL SCIENCE CENTRE

Regional Science Centre - Bhuj located on the bottom of Bhujio hill in Bhuj City is one of the innovative hub for exploring Science. Regional Science centre Bhuj is spread over 10 acres of land and consist of six different science theme based gallery i.e. Marine navigation, Energy Science,Field Medal, Bonsai, Nanotechnology and Space Science. Along with this a unique observatory for viewing stars and planets at night time, 3 d theatre, marine simulator and submarine ride.

Further transfer you to Bhuj airport or railway station, there on get back to home with most memorable and most enjoyable travel experience with MEGONIC HOLIDAYS.