Rann of Kutch

Coordinates: 24°05′11″N 70°38′16″E / 24.08639°N 70.63778°E / 24.08639; 70.63778
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Great Rann of Kutch or Little Rann of Kutch.

Rann of Kutch
Rann of Kutch seasonal salt marsh
Northwestern thorn scrub forests,
  • Thar Desert
    • Geography
    Area27,454 km2 (10,600 sq mi)
    Countries
    States (India), Provinces (Pakistan)
    Conservation
    Conservation statusRelatively stable/intact[1]
    Protected20,946 km2 (76%)[2]
    Rann of Kutch in the state of Gujarat

    The Rann of Kutch is a large area of salt marshes that span the border between India and Pakistan. It is located mostly in the Kutch district of the Indian state of Gujarat, with a minor portion extending into the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is divided into the Great Rann and Little Rann.

    Geography

    The Rann of Kutch is located mostly in the Indian state of Gujarat, specifically Kutch district, for which it is named. Some parts extend into the Pakistani province of Sindh. The word Rann means "desert" in Gujarati.

    The Rann of Kutch covers around 26,000 square kilometres (10,000 square miles). The

    Kutch to the south. The Indus River Delta lies to the west in southern Pakistan. The Little Rann of Kutch
    lies southeast of the Great Rann, and extends southwards to the Gulf of Kutch.

    Many rivers originating in

    Saraswati, Rupen, Bambhan, and Machchhu.[3] Kori Creek and Sir Creek
    , tidal creeks which are part of the Indus River Delta, are located at the western end of the Great Rann.

    The surface is generally flat and very close to sea level, and most of the Rann floods annually during the monsoon season. There are areas of sandy higher ground, known as bets or medaks, which lie two to three metres above flood level. Trees and shrubs grow on the bets, and they provide refuges for wildlife during the annual floods.[1]

    Climate

    The climate of the ecoregion is tropical savanna/semi-arid. Temperatures average 44 °C during the hot summer months, and can reach highs of 50 °C. During winter the temperature can drop to or below freezing point.[1]

    Rainfall is highly seasonal. The Rann of Kutch is dry for most of the year, and rainfall is concentrated in the June to September monsoon season. During the monsoon season, local rainfall and river runoff flood much of the Rann to a depth of 0.5 metres. The waters evaporate during the long dry season, leaving the Rann dry again by the start of the next monsoon season.[1]

    Ecology

    Nilgai group at the Little Rann of Kutch

    The Rann of Kutch is the only large

    endangered animal and plant species.[5]

    Flora

    Ships of the desert tow tourists to the salt flats[6]

    The predominant vegetation in the Rann of Kutch is grassland and thorn scrub. Common grass species include

    Apluda aristata, Cenchrus spp., Pennisetum spp., Cymbopogon spp., Eragrostis spp., and Elionurus spp.[1]

    Trees are rare except on the bets which rise above the flood zone. The non-native tree Prosopis juliflora has become established on the bets, and its seed pods provide year-round food for the wild asses.[1]

    Fauna

    The Rann of Kutch is home to about 50 species of mammals. They include several large herbivores, including

    desert wildcat (Felis lybica), and caracal (Felis caracal). The Indian wild ass once had a wider distribution but is now limited to the Rann of Kutch. The nilgai and blackbuck are threatened species.[1]

    There are over 200 bird species in the Rann of Kutch, including the threatened species lesser florican (Sypheotides indicus) and houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata). The seasonal wetlands provide habitat for many water birds, including the demoiselle crane (Grus virgo) and lesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor).[1]

    History and culture

    The history of the Rann of Kutch began with early

    Gupta empires of India
    .

    Indus Valley period

    Ruins at Dholavira

    The people of the Indus civilization appear to have settled in the Rann of Kutch around 3500 BCE.[7] The Indus city of Dholavira, the largest Indus site in India, is located in the Rann of Kutch. This city was built on the Tropic of Cancer, possibly indicating that Dholavira's inhabitants were skilled in astronomy.[8] The Rann of Kutch also contained the industrial site of Khirasara, where a warehouse was found.[9]

    Many Indologists such as A. S. Gaur and Mani Murali hold the view that the Rann of Kutch was, rather than the salt marsh that it is today, a navigable archipelago at the time of the Indus Civilization. The Indus Civilization was known to have an extensive maritime trade system, so it has been proposed by Gaur et al. that there were perhaps ports in the Rann of Kutch.[10]

    Imperial Indian Period

    The Rann of Kutch was a part of both the Maurya[11] and Gupta[12] empires of India.

    Colonial and Modern periods

    Folk Music at Rann Utsav
    Kadiya Dhro

    The Rann of Kutch came under the control of the British Raj, who imposed a ban on salt harvesting. This ban was protested and overturned by Indian activist

    Mahatma Gandhi.[13] More recently, the residents of the Rann of Kutch began holding the Rann Utsav festival, a three-month long carnival, which marks the peak tourist season.[14] Kadiya dhro in Nakhatrana is a popular place amongst tourists.[citation needed
    ]

    Conservation and protected areas

    See also: Arid Forest Research Institute

    A 2017 assessment found that 20,946 km2, or 76%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas.[2] They include the Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary (7506.22 km2), which was established in 1986 and covers much of the Great Rann, and the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary (4953.71 km2), which was established in 1973 and covers much of the Little Rann.[15] Pakistan's Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary protects the northern portion of the Great Rann and adjacent Thar Desert.

    Flock of flamingos at Rann of Kutch, India
    Drive through the salt desert at Rann of Kutch, India

    References

    1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Rann of Kutch seasonal salt marsh". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
    2. ^ a b Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b [1]
    3. ^ "Rivers of Gujarat in Kutch region". guj-nwrws.gujarat.gov.in, Government of Gujarat. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
    4. ISBN 9788173870439
      .
    5. ^ Sharma, R.P. (10 November 2011). The Indian forester, Volume 127, Issues 7-12. University of Minnesota.
    6. ^ "Quick run to the Rann".
    7. S2CID 214252156
      .
    8. ^ Gopinath, P (15 July 2017). "Ruins on the Tropic of Cancer". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
    9. ^ Subramanian, T (6 August 2013). "Excavations reveal Khirsara a major industrial hub of Harappan era". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
    10. ^ Gaur, A; K H Vora; et al. (September 2013). "Was the Rann of Kachchh (Kutch) navigable during the Harappan times (Mid-Holocene)? An archaeological perspective". Current Science. 105 (11): 1485–1491. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
    11. ^ "The Mauryan Empire of Ancient India". Time Maps.
    12. ^ "Gupta Empire". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
    13. ^ Dalton; Gandhi, Mahatma (1996). Selected Political Writings.
    14. ^ Eden, Noronha. "Immerse yourself in Gujarat's Rann Utsav". Femina In. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
    15. ^ UNEP-WCMC (2020). Protected Area Profile for India from the World Database of Protected Areas, August 2020. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net

    External links

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rann of Kutch.


    24°05′11″N 70°38′16″E / 24.08639°N 70.63778°E / 24.08639; 70.63778

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rann_of_Kutch&oldid=1220091499"