Tera is a historic village in the

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 ...

of 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 ...

. It is in Abdasa Taluka, located from the

taluka A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ...

headquarters,

Naliya Naliya is a town, which is also the taluka headquarters of Abdasa Taluka of Kutch District (kachchh), Gujarat, India. It is located on the western end of Kutch 19 km by road from ancient port of Jakhau. History Naliya was a prosperous tr ...

, and from the district headquarters,

Bhuj Bhuj () is a city and the headquarters of Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Etymology According to legend, Kutch (Kachchh) was ruled by the Nāga chieftains in the past. Sagai, a queen of Sheshapattana, who was married to King B ...

History

The town with thirty-six dependent villages assigned to Hamirji, the brother of the late Rao Pragmalji of Kutch. Historically, Tera was an estate (''

jagir A jagir (), ( Hindustani: जागीर/جاگیر, ''Jāgīr''), ( Marathi: जहागीर, ''Jahāgīrá'') also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar ( Zamindar ...

'') given by the rulers of Kutch to their brethren. Tera Jagir consisted of 41 villages, and was one of the largest ''jagirs'' of Kutch. Tera was given to one of the sons of Rao Raydhan I during the reign of Deshalji I (1718–1741). During the reign of Lakhaji I (1741–1760), the Chief of Tera revolted against the ruler of Kutch. Rao Lakhaji I sent his troops to subdue the Chief, damaging the village and the nearby Tera Fort. The Chief of Tera subsequently surrendered and swore allegiance to Lakhaji once again. However, most of the present structures and

Haveli A ''haveli'' is a traditional townhouse, mansion, or manor house, in the Indian subcontinent, usually one with historical and architectural significance, and located in a town or city. The word ''haveli'' is derived from Arabic ''hawali'', me ...

s were built during reign of

Rao Deshalji II Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Shri Deshalji II Sahib Bahadur (1814–1860; reign: 1819–1860) was the Rao of Cutch belonging to Jadeja dynasty, who ascended the throne of Princely State of Cutch upon deposition of his father Bharmalji II by B ...

(1819–60). The walls of fort was damaged in

1819 Rann of Kutch earthquake The 1819 Rann of Kutch earthquake occurred at about 18:45 to 18:50 local time on 16 June 1819. It had an estimated magnitude ranging from 7.7 to 8.2 on the moment magnitude scale and a maximum perceived intensity of XI (''Extreme'') on the Mercal ...

which were repaired later.

Notable buildings

The village and its environs are home to a number of historic structures, including: *The Jain

derasar A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings gen ...

of Tera, originally built in the 17th century by Sheth Raimal Shivji and Sheth Buddha Dossa. The temple and its sculptures were rebuilt in 1895, chiefly by the

Mistris of Kutch Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya (also known as Mistri or Mestri) are a minority Hindu community of Gujarat in India, who claim to be Kshatriya. They are an artisan community related with masonry, artistic carvings, sculpting and building and construction ...

, a notable artisan community in the region. The nine-peaked temple's frontage features sculptures depicting romantic postures. The Tera Derasar is one of the five Jain temples of Abdasa ni Panchtirthi, and was further refurbished in 1971.Tera Tirth
Jinalaya.com. Retrieved 2011-11-18. It is now a major pilgrimage site for the Jain community. This temple, together with temples of Kothara,

Jakhau Jakhau (''Ja-kha-oo'', pronounced as Ja-kho by locals) is a village in Gujarat, western India. Administratively, it is under Abdasa Taluka, Kutch District, of Gujarat. Jakhau is 17 km by road west-southwest of Naliya, the taluka headquarte ...

and Suthri, are known as ''Moti Panchtirthi'' (or Greater Pilgrimage) by Jains. The temple is also known as ''Kanch Mandir'' (or Glass Temple), as there are elaborate carved paintings on glass inside the temple. The main

garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' () is the innermost sanctuary of Hindu and Jain temples, often referred to as the "holy of holies" or " sanctum sanctorum". The term ''garbhagriha'' (literally, "womb chamber") comes from the Sanskrit words ''garbha'' for ...

of the temple houses an idol of Parshwanath carved on black marble; hence, the temple is also called ''Shamlaji Parshwanathji Derasar''. *The Mahadev temple of Pinglaswar, which is located from Tera.Tera Fort
NriGujarati.co.in. Retrieved 2011-11-18. *The

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

temples of Goddess

Modheshwari Modheshwari Mata () is an aspect of the ''devi'' Parvati or Mahakali. She is the Kuladevata, clan deity of the Modh community of Gujarat. Mythological story It is believed that the demon Karnat was creating havoc in the region by disturbing the Br ...

and the Goddess Ashapura. *The Tera Fort, located outside the village, which was damaged during the revolt of the 1740s. The fort was further damaged during the earthquake of 1819. However, some parts of fort were rebuilt during reign of

Deshalji II Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Shri Deshalji II Sahib Bahadur (1814–1860; reign: 1819–1860) was the Rao of Cutch belonging to Jadeja dynasty, who ascended the throne of Princely State of Cutch upon deposition of his father Bharmalji II by B ...

. The fort is now a tourist attraction. *The Darbar Gadh, the house of the Chief of Tera. The house features original

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

wall paintings, produced by ''kamanger'' painters; the paintings total in length and 87 cm in width, and cover all four walls of the Chief's bedroom. *The

Chhatri ''Chhatri'' are semi-open, elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. They are most commonly square, octagonal, and round. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they largely ser ...

of Rao Hamirji (1525-1537).

Present status

At present, though farming is the main occupation of Tera's inhabitants, crafts such as

Bandhani Bandhani is a type of tie-dye textile decorated by plucking the cloth with the fingernails into many tiny bindings that form a figurative design. Today, most Bandhani making centers are situated in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Sindh, Punjab region an ...

block printing Woodblock printing or block printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later on paper. Each page or image is creat ...

, mirror work and ''Jats''

embroidery Embroidery is the art of decorating Textile, fabric or other materials using a Sewing needle, needle to stitch Yarn, thread or yarn. It is one of the oldest forms of Textile arts, textile art, with origins dating back thousands of years across ...

also provide main revenue for the villagers. The town also derives income from visiting tourists and Jain pilgrims. As many as 50,000 Jain pilgrims visit Tera every year to see the Shamlaji Parshwanathji Jain Derasar. Tera was the first Heritage Village declared by the government of India.Wonders of Gujarat
Tera and its environs are furthermore noted for a variety of wildlife, including

chinkara The chinkara (''Gazella bennettii''), also known as the Indian gazelle, is a gazelle species native to India, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Taxonomy The following six subspecies are considered valid: * Deccan chinkara (''G. b. bennettii'') ...

blue bull The nilgai (''Boselaphus tragocamelus'') (, literally meaning "blue cow") is the largest antelope of Asia, and is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent. It is the sole member of the genus ''Boselaphus'', which was first scientifica ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

hyena Hyenas or hyaenas ( ; from Ancient Greek , ) are feliform carnivoran mammals belonging to the family Hyaenidae (). With just four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the order Carnivora and one of the sma ...

great Indian bustard The great Indian bustard (''Ardeotis nigriceps'') or Indian bustard is a bustard occurring on the Indian subcontinent. It is a large bird with a horizontal body and long bare legs, and is among the heaviest of the flying birds. Once common on th ...

peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

black partridge The black partridge (''Melanoperdix niger''), also known as the black wood partridge, is a small (up to 27 cm long) partridge with a thick Beak, bill, grey legs and dark brown Iris (anatomy), iris. It is the only member of the monotypic gen ...

s, desert foxes,

Indian wolves The Indian wolf (''Canis lupus pallipes'') is a subspecies of gray wolf that ranges from Southwest Asia to the Indian subcontinent. It is intermediate in size between the Himalayan wolf and the Arabian wolf, and lacks the former's luxuriant win ...

and

caracal The caracal (''Caracal caracal'') () is a medium-sized Felidae, wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long ...

s.The region is home to a number of endangered species like the Great Indian Bustard, Desert Fox, Indian Wolf, Chinkara, Caracal, etc. Kutch is the only district in India where four distinct ecosystems - Desert, Coastal, Grassland and Upland - exists within a span of 100 km.
Tera lies on State Highway 49, which connects it to Bhuj, Naliya and Jakhau. Accommodation and hospital facilities are also available in village. Education in Tera is provided by two primary schools and the Sri Tera Gomtiben Naranji Bhadra High School. There are three ancient man-made lakes adjacent to each other in vicinity of village, which provide for the water needs of the village. These lakes are interlinked through underground channels.

References

{{Abdasa Taluka Villages in Kutch district Jain temples in Gujarat Indian feudalism