Day 3 - 1st Feb, 2016: Somnath, Dhordo
The plan for the day was to visit Somnath and then stay at Dhordo, white rann. Somnath has an interesting history. It has been rebuilt by Hindu kings and destroyed by Mughal rulers many times. It is also the first among the 12 jyotirlings. It is also believed to be the place where Shri Krishna ended his lila and left for heavenly abode. There is a pillar on the wall at the sea shore which has an arrow indicating that between the Somnath temple and the South Pole there is no land area only the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. Somnath aarti is very famous and there are 3 aarti timings - 7 am, 12 in the noon and 7 pm. Since we were to reach Dhordo by evening, we thought of catching up with the first aarti. Somnath is approximately 70 kms from Gir and takes around 1 hour. We started by 5:30 am and were there at Somnath by 6:35 am. Parking is available near the temple.
The aarti at Somnath is simply amazing. You feel blessed and realize that God is almighty. The devotion of the devotees, the aarti, the sound of the musical instruments and just everything about the place makes you feel want more. The temple looks very beautiful just as the sun sets in and the rays fall on the temple. There is the vastness of ocean wherever you see around. We left for Dhordo by 8 am. Dhordo is approximately 525 kms from Somnath. The resort had got theplas packed for us and that was our breakfast. There are only dhabas on route to Dhordo. The route passes through Morbi which produces around 70% of India's gross ceramic production.
The roads are in excellent condition. The next stopover was at Bhujodi which is must visit for shopping enthusiasts! It comes just before Bhuj and there is a sign board to your left if travelling towards Bhuj from Morbi. Bhujodi is a major textile center in Kutch with most of its inhabitants involved in handicrafts and textile industry. There are shops offering Kurtis, salwars, shawls, jackets with beautiful hand embroidery and batik work. The rates were also reasonable. In short, Bhujodi is a wonderful handicrafts village.
All of the Kutch is famous for its villages with some offering handicrafts, textile embroidery, some others famous for metal work and some more famous for wood carvings and mirror work. In fact after visiting Kutch, I would suggest to keep an entire week just for Greater Rann of Kutch.
The next stop after Bhujodi was Bhirandiyara. On the way to Bhirandiyara, we passed through a signboard that read Tropic of Cancer passes here! Bhirandiyara has a check-post where permit to visit White Rann and Kalo Dungar is taken since Dhordo is very close to the Pakistan border. The check-post closes at 6 pm so make sure you reach there before 6 pm. From the check-post, take the road that goes left to reach Dhordo. Dhordo is the place where the Rann Utsav is held and its the village closest to the White Rann. There are sign boards everywhere which makes navigation quite easy.
We had booked Gateway to Rann resort which was right next to the Tent City. There is Toran resort which is near the White Rann check-post. The specialty of the Kutch region are the Bhungas. They are single cylindrical structures put close to each other to form a house. The interiors of a Bhunga are adorned with beautiful mirror work and furniture carvings. The resorts in the area offer stays in these Bhungas which is one of a kind experience.
We reached Dhordo around 5:45 pm just before sunset and drove right to the White Rann since sunsets and sunrises are spectacular in the White Rann. We reached just as the sun was about to set and what an amazing view it was! I am out of words to describe the beauty of White Rann. One can only see white stretch of salt for as far as the eye can see. The place makes you feel one with nature and you feel at peace.
By the time we reached the resort and checked in it was around 7 pm. The resorts in the area also arrange for folk music by local artists. The folk songs were good and the instruments used were local to Kutch like a tabla made of an earthen pot covered with goat skin, another instrument called the morchink and many others. It was time for dinner after the folk performances. Dinner was the Gujarati thali with the Kahthiawadi touch to it.
Things to remember while visiting Somnath:
Bags, belts, Cameras are not allowed inside the temple. Also, if travelling by your own vehicle, vehicle keys having remote as well are not allowed inside. The entrance to the temple is from the left side of the road. There is also a cloak room available to keep belongings just before the entrance. Since we had just belts to keep, not sure of the safety of the cloak room.
Route:
The route was NH8 passing through Junagadh, Gondal, Rajkot, Morbi, Bhachau, Bhujodi, Bhuj, Bhirandiyara and Dhordo.
Permit fees:
The permit for White Rann charges INR 100/person and INR 50 for the vehicle.
The plan for the day was to visit Somnath and then stay at Dhordo, white rann. Somnath has an interesting history. It has been rebuilt by Hindu kings and destroyed by Mughal rulers many times. It is also the first among the 12 jyotirlings. It is also believed to be the place where Shri Krishna ended his lila and left for heavenly abode. There is a pillar on the wall at the sea shore which has an arrow indicating that between the Somnath temple and the South Pole there is no land area only the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. Somnath aarti is very famous and there are 3 aarti timings - 7 am, 12 in the noon and 7 pm. Since we were to reach Dhordo by evening, we thought of catching up with the first aarti. Somnath is approximately 70 kms from Gir and takes around 1 hour. We started by 5:30 am and were there at Somnath by 6:35 am. Parking is available near the temple.
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| Somnath temple |
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| The colorful Chakdo |
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| Salt pans on route to Dhordo |
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| One of the famous shops at Bhujodi |
The next stop after Bhujodi was Bhirandiyara. On the way to Bhirandiyara, we passed through a signboard that read Tropic of Cancer passes here! Bhirandiyara has a check-post where permit to visit White Rann and Kalo Dungar is taken since Dhordo is very close to the Pakistan border. The check-post closes at 6 pm so make sure you reach there before 6 pm. From the check-post, take the road that goes left to reach Dhordo. Dhordo is the place where the Rann Utsav is held and its the village closest to the White Rann. There are sign boards everywhere which makes navigation quite easy.
We had booked Gateway to Rann resort which was right next to the Tent City. There is Toran resort which is near the White Rann check-post. The specialty of the Kutch region are the Bhungas. They are single cylindrical structures put close to each other to form a house. The interiors of a Bhunga are adorned with beautiful mirror work and furniture carvings. The resorts in the area offer stays in these Bhungas which is one of a kind experience.
We reached Dhordo around 5:45 pm just before sunset and drove right to the White Rann since sunsets and sunrises are spectacular in the White Rann. We reached just as the sun was about to set and what an amazing view it was! I am out of words to describe the beauty of White Rann. One can only see white stretch of salt for as far as the eye can see. The place makes you feel one with nature and you feel at peace.
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| Sunset at White Rann |
Things to remember while visiting Somnath:
Bags, belts, Cameras are not allowed inside the temple. Also, if travelling by your own vehicle, vehicle keys having remote as well are not allowed inside. The entrance to the temple is from the left side of the road. There is also a cloak room available to keep belongings just before the entrance. Since we had just belts to keep, not sure of the safety of the cloak room.
Route:
The route was NH8 passing through Junagadh, Gondal, Rajkot, Morbi, Bhachau, Bhujodi, Bhuj, Bhirandiyara and Dhordo.
Permit fees:
The permit for White Rann charges INR 100/person and INR 50 for the vehicle.
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