Kutch &
Bhuj
Salt desert, hills, sea and a city rebuilt after the 2001 earthquake. This is the land under our feet on every run, and the reason a marathon here will feel like no other.
Why the tortoise?
The word Kachchh (Kutch) is linked to the Sanskrit kacchapa, which means tortoise. The same word is also used for land that is alternately wet and dry, which is exactly what the Rann does: for part of the year it is flooded, and for the rest it dries into a crust of white salt.
People in Kutch often say the district is named for its shape on the map, which is said to look like a tortoise. It is a story worth telling on a long run, even if the dictionaries prefer the wet-and-dry meaning.
At a glance
- Kutch is the largest district in India.
- The Great Rann of Kutch is one of the largest salt deserts in the world.
- Bhuj is the district headquarters.
Bhuj and Bhujiyo hill
Bhuj takes its name from Bhujiyo Dungar, the hill on the edge of the city. Legend links the hill to Bhujang Nag, a snake deity, and a shrine to Bhujang stands in the old fort on its top. Bhujiyo is also where our hill repeats happen.
The building in our logo is Prag Mahal, built between 1865 and 1879 for Rao Pragmalji II. It was designed by Colonel Henry St Clair Wilkins and built by Kutchi craftsmen with Italian artisans, in a Gothic-revival style with a tall clock tower. It was badly damaged in 2001 and remains one of the city's landmarks.
The day the ground moved
At 8:46 in the morning on Republic Day 2001, an earthquake of magnitude 7.6–7.7 struck Kutch. Its epicentre was near Chobari in Bhachau taluka. About 20,000 people died, more than 18,000 of them in Kutch, and much of Bhuj had to be rebuilt.
Every 26 January we run the Vande Mataram Memorial 10K: on Republic Day, and in memory of everyone Kutch lost that morning.
The land under our feet
Kutch sits on an ancient rift basin. Its east–west faults formed when the old supercontinent of Gondwana broke apart, and today the slow push of India into Asia squeezes them again. That is why Kutch has a long history of large earthquakes.
In 1819 an earthquake raised a ridge about six metres high and some 80 kilometres long across the Rann. People called it the Allah Bund, the "dam of God". The same quake sank the fort at Sindri under water.
Smritivan Earthquake Memorial & Museum
On Bhujiyo hill, Smritivan remembers the people lost in 2001 and explains the science of earthquakes. It opened on 28 August 2022 and covers about 470 acres, with a memorial, a large Miyawaki forest and a museum in seven blocks: Rebirth, Rediscover, Restore, Rebuild, Rethink, Relive and Renew.
In 2024 the museum won a Prix Versailles special prize for its interior, presented at UNESCO in Paris. If you want to understand the Kutch plate and the 2001 earthquake in detail, this is the place to go.
In October 2022 Bhuj Runners organised a walkathon at Smritivan with more than 600 citizens of Bhuj, to introduce people to the memorial and to keep it clean and plastic-free.
Vande Mataram Memorial
A museum of India's freedom struggle from 1857 to 1947, set up by the Ashapura Group near Bhujodi on the edge of Bhuj. Its main building is modelled on the Parliament House, and inside, life-size scenes tell the story of independence. It is the finish of our 26 January 10K.
The Rann, Dholavira and more
The White Rann comes alive in winter with the Rann Utsav at Dhordo (1 November 2026 to 7 March 2027 this season; a permit is needed for the Rann). Dholavira, a Harappan city on Khadir Bet, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.
When to run here
November to February
The best season. Average highs are around 27 °C in January, and mornings are cool. This is when long runs and races happen.
March to June
Hot desert climate: May averages about 39 °C. We start before sunrise, shorten the distance and carry water.
Monsoon
Most of the year's rain (around 370 mm) falls between June and September. Humid, but the hills turn green.
Sources: Kachchh district administration, Gujarat Tourism, Smritivan Earthquake Memorial, UNESCO, Wikipedia (Kutch district, Bhuj, 2001 Gujarat earthquake, Allah Bund, Prag Mahal). Check ticket prices and Rann Utsav dates with the official sites before you travel.