Bhuj () is a city and the headquarters of

Kutch district Kutch district (), officially spelled Kachchh is a district of Gujarat state in western India, with its headquarters (capital) at Bhuj. Covering an area of 45,674 km2, it is the largest district of India. The area of Kutch is larger than ...

in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

Etymology

According to legend, Kutch (Kachchh) was ruled by the

Nāga In various Asian religious traditions, the Nāgas () are a divine, or semi-divine, race of half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld (Patala), and can occasionally take human or part-human form, or are so depicted in art. ...

chieftains in the past. Sagai, a queen of Sheshapattana, who was married to King Bheria Kumar, rose up against Bhujanga, the last chieftain of Naga. After the battle, Bheria was defeated and Queen Sagai committed sati. The hill where they lived later came to be known as

Bhujia Hill Bhujia Hill or Bhujiyo Dungar is a hill located in the outskirts of the town of Bhuj in the district of Kutch, Gujarat, India. The Bhujia Fort built on the hill overlooks the town. Etymology Legend of Bhujanga According to the legend, Kutch w ...

and the town at the foothill as Bhuj. Bhujang was later worshiped by the people as snake god, '' Bhujanga'', and a temple was constructed to revere him.

History

Bhuj City and Kutch Region were established by Maharaja of Parmar

Rajputs Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

, and deterred invasions for centuries. Bhuj City was occupied by Rao Hamir in 1510 and made the capital of Kutch (kachchh) by Rao

Khengarji I Khengarji I (1510–1585) was an Indian ruler belonging to Jadeja clan of Rajputs. He was the ruler of Morbi from 1538–1585 and later became ruler of kutch State, kutch, assuming title of Rao of kutch, ruling unified kutch from 1548 to 1585. E ...

in 1549. Its foundation stone as state capital was formally laid on

Vikram Samvat Vikram Samvat (ISO: ''Vikrama Saṁvata''; abbreviated VS), also known as the Vikrami calendar is a Hindu calendar historically used in the Indian subcontinent and still also used in several Indian states and Nepal. It is a lunisolar calendar ...

1604 Maagha 5th (approx. 25 January 1548). From 1590 onwards, when Rao was forced to acknowledge the Mughal supremacy, Bhuj came to be known as Suleiman Nagar amongst Muslims. The city's walls were built by Rao Godji I in 1723, and the

Bhujia Fort Bhujia Fort, also spelled as Bhujiya Fort, is a fort located in the outskirts of the town of Bhuj in the district of Kutch, Gujarat, India. The fort is built atop Bhujia Hill overlooking the town. History The fort was constructed for the defe ...

by Devkaran Seth in Rao

Deshalji I Rao Deshalji I was the Raja, Rao of Cutch State, Cutch belonging to Jadeja Rajput dynasty, who ruled Princely State of Cutch as a regent from 1718 1752. His son Lakhpatji confined him in 1741 and ruled as a regent until death of Deshalji in 175 ...

's time (1718 - 1741). Bhuj has been attacked six times. In two instances, the defense was successful and in four other instances, the defense failed. In 1728, an attack by Sarbuland Khan, Mughal Viceroy of Gujarat, was repulsed by Rao

, and, in 1765

Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro Mian Muhammad Ghulam Shah Kalhoro (1724 – 1772, ) was a member of the Kalhora dynasty who, in 1757, was enthroned as the 3rd Nawab of Sindh by tribal chiefs of Kalhora, replacing his brother Mian Muradyab Kalhoro. He was recognized and giv ...

was, by a timely display of the strength of the fortifications, induced to withdraw. During the civil troubles of the reign of the Rao Rayadhan III, Bhuj was thrice taken, by Meghji Seth in 1786, by Hansraj in 1801, and by Fateh Muhammad in 1808. On 26 March 1819, the hill fort of Bhujia was captured by a British detachment under Sir William Keir. In 1818, Bhuj had a population of 20,000 people. The earthquake on 16 June 1819 destroyed nearly 7000 houses with a loss of an estimated 1140 human lives. About one-third of the buildings that escaped ruin were heavily damaged, and the north face of the town wall was leveled with the ground. The British garrison at Bhuj peaked in 1826 with nearly 1400 British troops (685 infantry, 543 dragoons, 90 foot artillery and 74 horse artillery) supported by over 5000 Indian soldiers. Amongst the highest profile British figures during this time was

Alexander Burnes Captain Sir Alexander Burnes (16 May 1805 – 2 November 1841) was a Scottish explorer, military officer and diplomat associated with the Great Game. He was nicknamed Bokhara Burnes for his role in establishing contact with and expl ...

who was based here between 1826 and 1829. In 1837, Bhuj is said to have had a population of 30,000, including 6,000 Muslims. After independence of India in 1947,

Kutch State Kutch State was a state within India from 1947 to 1956. Its capital was Bhuj. The state's territory now forms a Kachchh district within the Indian state of Gujarat. History Kutch State was formed out of the territory of the former princel ...

acceded unto the

dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India, * * was an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations existing between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950. Until its Indian independence movement, independence, India had be ...

and was constituted an independent commissionaire,

. In 1956, Kutch State was merged with

Bombay state Bombay State was a large Indian state created in 1950 from the erstwhile Bombay Province, with other regions being added to it in the succeeding years. Bombay Province (in British India roughly equating to the present-day Indian state of Mah ...

, which in 1960 was divided into the new linguistic states of

and

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

, with Kutch becoming part of Gujarat state as Kutch district. Bhuj is the district headquarters of

Kutch District Kutch district (), officially spelled Kachchh is a district of Gujarat state in western India, with its headquarters (capital) at Bhuj. Covering an area of 45,674 km2, it is the largest district of India. The area of Kutch is larger than ...

, the largest district in India. On 21 July 1956 as well as on 26 January 2001, the city suffered great losses of life and property due to earthquakes. Many parts of Bhuj were demolished due to the extensive damage, whilst others were repaired. There has been great progress in rebuilding the City since the 2001 earthquake, with considerable improvements to roads, transportation, and infrastructure. Bhuj is home to one of the first

Swaminarayan Sampraday The Swaminarayan Sampradaya, also known as Swaminarayan Hinduism and Swaminarayan movement, is a Hinduism, Hindu Vaishnava sampradaya rooted in Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita, characterized by the Bhakti, worship of its Charismatic authority, c ...

temples, built in 1822. Bhuj temple is one of the six original temples built during the earthly presence of the Lord Swaminarayan. The devotees living in Bhuj including Gangaram Mull, Sundarji Suthar and Hirji Suthar requested Lord to construct a temple at Bhuj. Lord instructed Vaishnavanand Swami to construct the temple, and Lord himself installed the murti of Lord NarNarayan Dev in Bhuj on VS 1879 on the 5th day of the bright half of the month of Vaishakh (Friday 15 May 1823 AD).

Geography

Bhuj has an average elevation of . On the eastern side of the city is a hill known as

, on which there is a Bhujia Fort, that separates Bhuj city and

Madhapar Madhapar is a village located in Kachchh district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is the richest village in India in terms of bank deposits. The village has around 20,000 households and Indian rupee of bank deposits. Madhapar Madhapar is ...

town ( considered one of the richest villages in Asia ). It has two lakes namely Hamirsar Lake and Deshadsar (દેેેશળસર).

Climate

Bhuj has a

hot arid climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''BWh''), a little too dry overall to qualify as a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

(''BSh''). Although annual rainfall "averages" around the variability is among the highest in the world with

coefficient of variation In probability theory and statistics, the coefficient of variation (CV), also known as normalized root-mean-square deviation (NRMSD), percent RMS, and relative standard deviation (RSD), is a standardized measure of dispersion of a probability ...

of around sixty per cent – among the few comparably variable climates in the world being the

Line Islands The Line Islands, Teraina Islands or Equatorial Islands () are a chain of 11 atolls (with partly or fully enclosed lagoons, except Vostok and Jarvis) and coral islands (with a surrounding reef) in the central Pacific Ocean, south of the Hawa ...

of Kiribati, the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, sparsely populated regions of Western Australia, region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people; wealth disparity; its ancient landscapes; the prevailing r ...

coast of Western Australia, the

sertão The ''sertão'' (, plural ''sertões'') is the " hinterland" or " backcountry" of Brazil. The word refers both to one of the four sub-regions of the Northeast Region of Brazil or the hinterlands of the country in general (similar to the specific ...

of Northeastern Brazil, and the

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

islands. Typically half of each year's rainfall will occur in three hours, while during the median year rain actually falls for a total of fewer than fifteen hours. Recorded annual rainfall has been as low as in 1987 and in 1899. Contrariwise, in 1926 a total of fell and in 1959 rainfall reached . fell during Bhuj's wettest month of July 1959, of which was recorded on 15 July alone, with over during less than six hours on the night of 14–15 July. Apart from the cool mornings of the "winter" season from December to February, temperatures are very warm to sweltering throughout the year, which further reduces the effectiveness of the erratic monsoonal rainfall. During the "hot" season from mid-March to mid-June, temperatures of are frequent, whilst during the monsoon season they exceed with high humidity except during rainy spells accompanied by cooler temperatures but oppressive humidity.

Places of interest

*The Fort: The old city was surrounded by a fort wall with five major gates (Mahadev, Patvadi, Sarpat, Bhid and Vaniya Vad) and one small gate known as ''Chhathi Bari'' (sixth window). The fort wall is 35 feet high and four feet thick, and during its use was armed with fifty-one guns. Much of the fort wall has either fallen down or been demolished, due to the damage sustained in the 2001 earthquake and the city's redevelopment. * Hamirsar Lake * Kutch Museum *

Prag Mahal The Prag Mahal is a 19th-century palace located next to the Aina Mahal in Bhuj, Kutch district, Kutch, Gujarat, India. History Prag Mahal is named after Rao Pragmalji II, who commissioned it and construction began in 1865.

* Aina Mahal * Sharadbaug Palace * Chhatardi * Ramkund * Mohammad Pannah Masjid * Bharatiya Sanskriti Darshan Museum * Swaminarayan temple *

and Smritivan on

* Regional Science Centre * Hill Garden * Trimandir * Tapkeshwari Temple * Vande Mataram Memorial at village Bhujodi near Bhuj * Living and Learning Design Centre at Bhuj - Bhachau Hwy Opp. Anchor Company, Ajarakhpur, Bhuj * Smritivan Earthquake Memorial and Museum File:Prag Mahal Palace Bhuj.jpg,

File:Aina Mahal.jpg, Aina Mahal File:Sharad Baugh Palace Bhuj Kutch Gujarat.jpg, Sharadbaugh Palace File:Kutch Museum Bhuj Kutch Gujarat India.jpg, Kutch Museum File:Ramkund Bhuj Kutch Gujarat.jpg, Ramkund File:Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Bhuj, Gujarat.jpg, Swaminarayan temple File:Chhatedi of Bhuj.jpg, Chhatedi of Bhuj File:Hamirsar.JPG, Hamirsar Lake File:Mahadev Gate.jpg, Mahadev Gate near Hamirsar Lake File:Darbargadh Fort.jpg, Darbargadh Fort File:Smritivan 2001 Gujarat earthquake memorial garden in Bhuj, Gujarat, India.jpg,

and Smritivan on Bhujia Hill File:Tapakeshwari Devi Temple near Bhuj Kutch Gujarat Indua.jpg, Tapakeshwari Devi Temple near Bhuj File:Fairground near Bhuj - panoramio.jpg, Hill Garden File:Vandemataram Memorial.jpg, The Vande Mataram Memorial is located at Village - Bhujodi near Bhuj

Demographics

In 2011 the population of Bhuj was 213,514, which consisted of 111,146 males and 102,368 females.

Language

According to the 2011 Census, Gujarati speakers are a majority in Bhuj, followed by Kachchhi, Hindi and others.

Culture

Bhuj is a famous destination within India for observing the historic craftsmanship of the Kutch region, including the textile crafts of bandhni (tie-dye), embroidery, Rogan art and leatherwork. Artists of nearby villages bring their artwork for sale in 'Bhuj Haat', which is situated near Jubilee Ground. Locals often visit Hamirsar Lake for relaxation in natural surroundings. Bhuj is also famous for its regional cuisine, especially Pakvans
chikki
Kutchhi Dabeli, (a vegetarian burger made with mashed potato, cooked with masala curry and chutneys), and regional Gujarati sweets.

Media and communications

State-owned

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

has a local station in Bhuj which transmits various programmes. Local TV channels and newspapers are the most popular media.

Education

Krantiguru Shyamji Krishna Varma Kutch University Main Gate Bhuj

Gujarat adani institute of medical sciences bhuj

Alfred High School, the first high school of Kutch, established in 1870, is also an architectural heritage of the town. Krantiguru Shyamji Krishna Verma Kachchh University is located in Bhuj. The university has 41 colleges affiliated, nineteen of which are in Bhuj. The university grants degrees in arts, science, commerce, law education, management, pharmacy, social welfare, medicine and engineering. Little Steps Montessori School is the first Montessori School in Kutch established in the year 2000 by the royal family of Tera-Kutch.

Primary and secondary

Matruchhaya Kanya Vidyalay Little Steps Montessori School Bhuj * St. Xavier's High School, Bhuj * Alfred High School * Army Public School *Sheth V.D. High School *Indira Bai Girls High School *Hope Foundation School near Ashapura Nagar
Shree Swaminarayan VidhyalayaShishukunj International School
*White House Public School *Matrushree R.D. Varsani high school *Kendriya Vidyalaya No.1, Airforce Station Bhuj *Kendriya Vidyalaya No.2, Army Cantt. Bhuj *Bhuj English School *Kiddy's Campus Nursery and Playhouse. *Shree Kutchi Leva Patel Kanya Vidhyamandir. *Chanakya Academy

Higher education

Gujarat Adani Institute of Medical Science

Government Engineering College, Bhuj The Government Engineering College, Bhuj (GECB) is an AICTE-accredited engineering College in Bhuj, Gujarat, India. It is affiliated with Gujarat Technological University. Degrees The college was established on 26 September 1994, initially w ...

Government PolytechnicShri R. R. Lalan CollegeSheth D. L. Law College
* Industrial Training Institute
J B Thacker Commerce College
* MEWS College of Management & IT
Sanskar Institute of Management
& IT

Radio Station & Television

Bhuj has its own Radio Station with Studio. Prasar Bharati under Information and Broadcasting Ministry is operating Radio Studio. MW is available on 1314 kHz and FM is available on 103.7 MHz. There is also terrestrial DD channel available. DD National and DD Girnar available.

Transportation

Bhuj is connected to

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...

Surat Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

, Gaziabad,

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

Ajmer Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...

Hapur Hapur is a city in, as well as the headquarters of, Hapur district, in Uttar Pradesh, India. Located about east of New Delhi, the city is part of the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR). National Highway 9 passes through the city, connecting ...

Moradabad Moradabad () is an industrial city, commissionerate, and municipal corporation in Moradabad district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated on the banks of the Ramganga river, at a distance of from the national capital, New Del ...

Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...

Kharagpur Kharagpur () is a semi- planned urban agglomeration and a major industrial city in the Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Kharagpur subdivision and the largest city of the district. It is located 1 ...

Ujjain Ujjain (, , old name Avantika, ) or Ujjayinī is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative as well as religious centre of Ujjain ...

and other cities within India by railway. The city has a

domestic airport A domestic airport is an airport that handles only flights within the same country. Domestic airports do not have customs and immigration facilities and so cannot handle flights to or from a foreign airport. These airports often have short r ...

, from which daily flights connect to Mumbai with flights operated by

Air India Air India is the flag carrier of India with its main hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, and secondary hubs at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, alo ...

. State Transport buses are available from the ST stand in the middle of the town to various places in Gujarat. Additionally, many private tour operators also run frequent buses to major cities within and outside of the state of Gujarat.

Kandla Airport Kandla Airport is a domestic airport serving the cities of Kandla and Gandhidham in Gujarat, India. It is located in Anjar, northwest of Kandla and northwest of Gandhidham. History The airport was built in the late 1950s. Indian Airlines ...

is 53 km from Bhuj. The city may be navigated by the city bus and

auto rickshaw An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many other terms in various countries, including three-wheeler, Adaidaita Sahu, Keke-napep, Maruwa, auto, ...

Trains

References

* This article incorporates

Public Domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

text from

External links

Kachchh University
*
Official Facebook page for Bhuj

Facebook page of Bhuj Bole Chhe - Voice of Bhuj Citizens

Anando restaurant - Bhuj

Rogan Art Bhuj
{{Authority control Former capital cities in India 1510 establishments in India Populated places established in 1510 Populated places destroyed by earthquakes