Bhuj () is a

Municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

and District Headquarters of Kutch District in the state of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the 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 fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

Etymology

According to legend, Kutch was ruled by the

Nāga The Nagas (IAST: ''nāga''; Devanāgarī: नाग) 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 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 was founded by Rao Hamir in 1510 and was made the capital of Kutch by Rao Khengarji I in 1549. Its foundation stone as state capital was formally laid on

Vikram Samvat Vikram Samvat (IAST: ''Vikrama Samvat''; abbreviated VS) or Bikram Sambat B.S. and also known as the Vikrami calendar, is a Hindu calendar historically used in the Indian subcontinent. Vikram Samvat is generally 57 years ahead of Gregorian Calend ...

1604

Maagha Maagha (Hindi: माघ ''maagh'') is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, it's the eleventh month of the year, corresponding to January/February in the Gregorian calendar.Henderson, Helene. (Ed.) (2005) ''Holida ...

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 Rao Godji I was the Rao of Cutch belonging to the Jadeja Rajput dynasty, who ruled Princely State of Cutch from 1715 to 1718. Life Godji I was a son of Rao Pragmalji I. He led a force sent by his father to restore throne of Tamachi, the sixt ...

in 1723, and the Bhujia Fort by Devkaran Seth in Rao

Deshalji I Rao Deshalji I was the Rao of 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 1752. Life Rao God ...

'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 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 Rao Rayadhan III was the Rao of Cutch belonging to Jadeja Rajput dynasty, who ascended the throne of Princely State of Cutch in 1778 and ruled until 1786 when he was deposed. He again ruled as titular head under council of Bar Bhayat ni Jamat ...

, Bhuj was thrice taken, by Meghji Seth in 1786, by Hansraj in 1801, and by

Fateh Muhammad Fateh Muhammad was a regent who administered Cutch State as a leader of Bar Bhayat ni Jamat under titular kings, Prithvirajji and Rayadhan III. Career Background Fateh Muhammad, a Notiyar Muslim of Sindhi descent, born in 1752, who was a J ...

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 e ...

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 prince ...

acceded unto the

dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India,* Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and N ...

and was constituted an independent

commissionaire In mainland Europe, a commissionaire is an attendant, messenger or subordinate employed in hotels, whose chief duty is to attend at railway stations, secure customers, take charge of their luggage, carry out the necessary formalities with respect t ...

. In 1956, Kutch State was merged with

Bombay state Bombay State was a large Indian state created at the time of India's Independence, with other regions being added to it in the succeeding years. Bombay Presidency (roughly equating to the present-day Indian state of Maharashtra, excluding So ...

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

and

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

, with Kutch becoming part of Gujarat state as Kutch district. Bhuj is the district headquarters of Kutch District, 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 Hindu Vaishnava sampradaya rooted in Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita, characterized by the worship of its charismatic founder Sahajanand Swami, bet ...

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 110 metres (360 feet). On the eastern side of the city is a hill known as Bhujia Hill, on which there is a Bhujia Fort, that separates Bhuj city and Madhapar town ( considered one of the richest villages in Asia ). It has two lakes namely Hamirsar and Deshadsar (દેેેશળસર).

Climate

Bhuj has a borderline

hot desert 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 ''BWh'') just short of a hot semi-desert climate (''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 relative standard deviation (RSD), is a standardized measure of dispersion of a probability distribution or frequency distribution. It is often expressed a ...

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 (in Gilbertese, ''Aono Raina'') are a chain of 11 atolls (with partly or fully enclosed lagoons) and coral islands (with a surrounding reef) in the central Pacific Ocean, south of the Haw ...

of Kiribati, the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a g ...

coast of Western Australia, the

sertão The ''sertão'' (, plural ''sertões'') is the "hinterland" or "backcountry". In Brazil, it refers both to one of the four sub-regions of the Northeast Region of Brazil (similar to the specific association of " outback" with Australia in Englis ...

of Northeastern Brazil, and the

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

islands. Recorded annual rainfall has been as low as in 1899 – yet in 1926 a total of fell and in the incomplete year of 1959 rainfall exceeded , of which fell during Bhuj's wettest-ever month of July 1959. 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 Vaniyavad) 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 Hamirsar Lake is a man made lake situated in the centre of Bhuj, the headquarters of Kutch district, Gujarat, India. History Hamirsar lake is a 450-year-old lake named after Jadeja ruler Rao Hamir (1472-1524), the founder of Bhuj. The lake wa ...

* Prag Mahal *

Aina Mahal The Aina Mahal () is an 18th-century palace that is located next to the Prag Mahal in Darbargadh, Bhuj, Gujarat, India. The palace was built by Rao Lakhpatji of Kutch State around 1750. Lakhpatji's master craftsman Ram Singh Malam designed the ...

* Sharadbaug Palace * Chhatardi *

Kutch Museum Kutch Museum is located in Bhuj, Kutch district of Gujarat, India. It is the oldest museum of Gujarat which was founded in 1877. It is located opposite Hamirsar Lake. The museum was earlier known as Fergusson Museum. History Kutch museum was ...

* Ramkund * Mohammad Pannah Masjid * Bharatiya Sanskriti Darshan Museum *

Swaminarayan temple Swaminarayan, the founder of the Swaminarayan Sampraday, established temples, known as ''mandirs'' (Devnagari: मन्दिर), as part of his philosophy of theism and deity worship. These mandirs are known as Swaminarayan Hindu temples. He ...

* Bhujia Fort and Smritivan on Bhujia Hill * Hill Garden * Tapkeshwari Temple * Trimandir: Glance at the Trimandir in Bhuj which signifies the enlightened vision of Gnani Purush Dada Bhagwan. * The Bhuj House: A historic, 19th century courtyard estate that is the ancestral home to the

Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

Bhujwala family, which has been redeveloped into a private boutique hotel reflecting a very specific era in Kutch's history when the

community was prominent as close aides to the Rao court and friends to the British garrisons of Kutch in colonial India. File:Prag Mahal Palace Bhuj.jpg, Prag Mahal File:Aina Mahal.jpg,

File:Sharad Baugh Palace Bhuj Kutch Gujarat.jpg, Sharadbaugh Palace File:Kutch Museum Bhuj Kutch Gujarat India.jpg,

File:Ramkund Bhuj Kutch Gujarat.jpg, Ramkund File:Bhuj- swaminarayan temple.jpg,

File:Chhatedi of Bhuj.jpg, Chhatedi of Bhuj File:Hamirsar.JPG,

File:Mahadev Gate.jpg, Mahadev Gate near

File:Darbargadh Fort.jpg, Darbargadh Fort File:Smritivan 2001 Gujarat earthquake memorial garden in Bhuj, Gujarat, India.jpg, Bhujia Fort 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. A 2003 source reported that 24% of Bhuj's population was Muslim. The slums of Bhuj are inhabited primarily by Muslims, Dalits and other minorities. For example, in the

slum A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily ...

s of Western Bhuj, an estimated 80% of the population is Muslim.

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, and leatherwork. Artists of nearby villages bring their artwork for sale in 'Bhuj Haat', which is situated near Jubilee Ground. Locals often visit

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 or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...

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 St. Xavier's High School, Bhuj is state board school in the city of Bhuj, Gujarat, India. This school is managed by the Catholic Minority Community. The ownership of this Institute is with the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Rajkot and run by ...

* 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.

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 ( ; Gujarati: 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 (per ...

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capita ...

Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is ...

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

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, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

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Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known a ...

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

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 ...

Kharagpur Kharagpur () is a planned urban agglomeration and a major industrial city in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Kharagpur subdivision. It is the largest, most populated, multicultural and cosmop ...

Ujjain Ujjain (, Hindustani pronunciation: �d͡ːʒɛːn 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 centre of Ujjain district and Uj ...

and other cities within India by railway. The city has a domestic airport, from which daily flights connect to Mumbai with flights operated by

Air India Air India is the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered at New Delhi. It is owned by Talace Private Limited, a Special-Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Tata Sons, after Air India Limited's former owner, the Government of India, completed the ...

. 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 located north of Kandla and Varsamedi Village Anjar in the Kutch District of the state of Gujarat, India. History The airport was built in the late 1950s. Indian Airlines commenced passenger operations by deploying DC-3 ...

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 terms in various countries including auto, auto rickshaw, baby taxi, mototaxi, pigeon, jonnybee, bajaj ...

Trains

References

* This article incorporates

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

text from

External links

Kachchh University

Bhuj Bole Chhe - Website maintained by the citizens of Bhuj about their city

Official Facebook page for Bhuj

Facebook page of Bhuj Bole Chhe - Voice of Bhuj Citizens

Anando restaurant - Bhuj
{{Authority control Former capital cities in India 1510 establishments in India Populated places established in 1510