It was mid morning by the time we reached Bhuj and since this was our last day we wanted to make the most of it. We still had three museums left to see and one village to visit before we could tick off the boxes so after dumping our luggage at the hotel, we began sight seeing with renewed vigour.

Palace of mirrors

We began with the 18th century Aina Mahal which was once the residence of the Maharajas and now converted into a museum . Thanks to the 2001 earthquake, the upper story has fallen down but the palace still retains traces of its former glory and is currently being restored. We saw the Hira Mahal which was the king’s bedchamber with its low bed with gold legs ! Also displayed were the king’s possessions like the porcelain serving platters covered with broody hens as lids ! The central hall with its lights and chandeliers has walls lined with hand embroidered panels. The Delft tiles on the corridors, wooden fretwork and Venetian glass and mishmash of oriental and occidental paintings and artefacts creates a unique style that is opulent with a touch of whimsy.

We re-visited the Kutch Museum which was closed on our first day and I’m glad that we saw it on our last day when all the exhibits made more sense .

The underground snake

According to one of the many legends that abound, Bhuj rests on the head of a snake. The first king who settled there was supposed to kill the snake with a smooth thrust of his sword but instead, he pulled it to check his aim. This unfortunately resulted in an injured snake still living underground. In yet another story, the snake is personified as King Bhujang and still lives below Bhujio Hill . A steep climb up this hill leads to a temple that people still go to.

The legend of the snake is depicted in the convoluted steel pipe sculpture on the ground floor of the spanking new SmritiVan , a museum commemorating the Bhuj 2001 Earthquake . The memory park with each tree marking an earthquake casualty and the backdrop of Bhujiyo hill is the perfect foil for the building that is a stunning piece of modern architecture. It is truly international in its construction and functioning.

After visitors buy their tokens , they have to wait a while for their guide who will take a group of 20 around through seven blocks. In the sixth gallery , visitors actually relive the horrendous 90 seconds that shook Bhuj. And in the last gallery visitors observe a minute’s silence while names of the dead flash up on the walls.

While waiting for our turn, we were entertained by a folk musician . In the near distance we could see the new city of Bhuj reconstructed after the earthquake

Reviving lost embroideries

The museum has a fine dining restaurant so we grabbed a quick bite before making our way to the last museum on our list :the ShrujanLLDC which is at Ajrakhpur on the outskirts of Bhuj. Started by Chanda Shroff way back in 1969, Shrujan is responsible for the revival and regeneration of the embroideries of Kutch that threatened to become extinct.

Photo from LLDC website used without permission

Photos of LLDC taken from Website without permission.

Woven skills of Bhujodi

The sun was setting and it was getting late but we made one last stop at Bhujodi a village that turned out to be a fabulous place to buy local embroidered and woven stuff as every home had its own hand weaving workshop ! It was too dark to take any photos but this little village is a shopaholic’s dream .

We visited the charming home of Vankar Vishram Valji who was about to shut shop for the day , but still showed us his fascinating weaves up for sale . The village house with its cow shed, open kitchen, looms and living space is truly the original work from home model.

Sweet memories

There was still one box left to be ticked – taking back a sweet memory of Bhuj. So Mr Mitul to took us to Khavda ( the famous sweet shop ) to buy some local delicacies. With Winter still in the air we bought the seasonal specialties.

And now we were ready to get back home.

Ciao