Kutch Mandvi
The state's biggest district and its most sparsely populated one is a sandy, barren area over half of which is desert and marshland. Like so many other regions of Gujarat, Kutch has its own distinctive character. It has a remarkably heterogeneous population belonging to 18 different tribes, each with its own language and culture.
The Kutch experience is not based on any single element. You can derive pleasure from even the smallest things such as the clothing and jewellery people wear. The things they make with their own hands for daily use ranging from their clothing to household utensils, their homes and their colourful customs etc.
The Bandhani (tie and dye) hand printed sarees, embroidery and exquisite gold and silver ornaments are some of the traditional crafts of this region. The language dialects of Kutch and their manner of people are highly pleasing and musical to the ear.
A cradle of craftsmanship, Kutch is known for its exquisite variety of weaving, patchwork, block-printing, bandhani, tie-and-dye, rogan-art and other ethnic styles of embroidery, pottery, wood-carving, metal-crafts and shell-work. The variety emerges from the enchanting terrain that provides a perfect backdrop to an extra ordinary fair. Perhaps because the landscape is so white and ochre, even a hint of colour adds a fascinating element to the rustic life of Rann.
With its notable mud architecture, a medley of craft traditions and exquisite apparel, this eminently colorful and culturally rich land has a wonderful handcrafted feel. Each community has its own oral traditions, dance, craft and dress. Stretching along the Tropic of Cancer, from Rajasthan to the edge of Pakistan and the Arabian Sea, Kutch covers a little over 45000 sq km and is geographically one of India's largest and most distinctive districts.