Things to see and do in Khadir Bet

In today’s times, the purpose of travel has largely been reduced to selfie-taking. So, it is difficult to prescribe what can be seen and done in Khadir Bet. When visiting this place, one must be ready to mentally interpret what the eyes see through the historical and geographical significance of this land. Unlike the ruins at a place like Hampi, or the beautiful temples of Belur/Halebid in South India, there aren’t structures to see at Dholavira. Nevertheless, it was one of the most important trade hubs of the Indus-Sarswati civilisation. The Indus Valley Civilisation, or IVC, covered vast parts of North-Western India, Sindh (in Pakistan), parts of Afghanistan and Iran about 7000 years ago.

I did some reading up about this before my trip to try and understand history better. We were taught some of it in school, but not in a way which made us feel intrigued. I was hoping to appreciate the ruins at Dholavira better, with my newfound knowledge. Unfortunately, when we reached Dholavira, we couldn’t get a local guide. The ASI signboards didn’t tell us the full story of the great civilisation which thrived there 5000 years ago, either. It was extremely hot and humid so it was difficult to stay outdoors for long.

But I did some more study after returning to Bangalore, and realised that even archeologists are merely speculating on how these civilisations rose and fell. There are conflicting theories about whether the people from the Harappan Civilization were Aryans, or Dravidians. Their language hasn’t yet been decoded. There are more questions than answers. So, an open mind is recommended when visiting this place.

The operative word when describing Dholavira is ‘planned.’ 5000 years ago, human beings like you and me, were able to plan out an entire city. Such things cannot be said about the times we live in, which is unfortunate. By planning their cities, they managed natural resources like water, built toilets with drainage systems, stored food in granaries, and keep time using a solar clock. They even indulged in public bathing in a location where water is scarce. So, the people of the Indus Valley Civilization did not live like barbarians which was fashionable in other parts of the world at that time. They were an advanced society, who moved away from a nomadic lifestyle, and had time for sophisticated activities such as seal, bead, toy making and pottery. They practiced trade with far away lands (Egypt and Sumer), for which they used weights and measurements. The museum at Dholavira has proof of all this. The ancient people were also like us in many ways – they wore jewellery, their kids played with toys, and they gave their dead a place to rest. You cannot directly witness any of this at Dholavira, because all you have are the flat ruins of a once grand metropolis. But you can definitely infer how intelligent and advanced the ancient people were, based on the what was discovered. All this makes me wonder in which direction we have evolved, looking at modern society today.

Apart from Dholavira, Khadir Bet has offerings for the nature lover. Flamingos can be found in plenty. Other birds, such as painted storks, larks, red-vented bulbuls, hoopes, lapwings etc are found in abundance. We saw a lot of flamingos on the strip of road connecting mainland with the island. There was also a place marked as Flamingo Lake close to Dholavira, on the map. We visited that location one evening, only to be disappointed with both the landscape, and the scarcity of flamingos there. A nearby location the map indicated that there was a Full Moon Viewpoint. But a local told us that the mud road to that place wasn’t great, so we skipped it.

The island also has places with spectacular views. The northern part of the island is a ridge, and Chippar Point is the most popular viewpoint. But an even more stunning location called Bokkado Ghat exists, and it can only be accessed by a four wheel drive/tractor. This location has a temple which is frequented by local pilgrims. Near Bokaddo Ghat are a set of musical rocks. We visited this place and tested them, and were astonished at how someone discovered that only a small set of rocks on the sharp edge of a gorge produced musical notes.

Apart from these viewpoints, there is also the Fossil Park and Sunset Point which is nearby. There aren’t any natural fossils at the park, but tableaus of pre-historic creatures which are believed to have lived on the island. The landscape in the Fossil Park is very interesting and beautiful. It is at an elevation and one has a nice view of Rann of Kutch lake surrounding the island. Fossil Park and Sunset Point are at the western most part of the island. Banjano Hills is on a small piece of land away from the island, and was inaccessible when we went because of the water surrounding it. A temple which was once on Banjano Hills has now been moved to the Sunset Point, because people visiting the hills would lose their way on the White Rann. The BSF personnel in a camp at that location also maintain a small temple there.

Note that there is no public transport in Khadir Bet. It is best to have a car or taxi at your disposal.

The best time to visit Khadir Bet

Winter is definitely the best time to visit any place in the Rann of Kutch. Not only is the heat bearable during winter, the Rann of Kutch also turns white then, because the water would have receded or evaporated. In the month of September, the Rann of Kutch lake was full of water and we could not see the salt bed. But, we got to see greenery all over the island – a rare sight for this area which lies in the Tropic of Cancer which means harsh summers and very little natural water. Unfortunately for us, the sky turned cloudy on the evening of the full moon, so we couldn’t capture what we wanted to. But Mother Nature did not disappoint us, and gave us a grand display of lightning in the sky. We were able to witness and capture this at the unfinished road connecting the island to Bhuj.

One can easily spend up to 2-3 days at Khadir Bet to experience the place. Our journey can be described as exploratory. We visited in the off-season, and had the entire island to ourselves. Traveling in September also gave us the unique opportunity to visit the annual fair (mela) at the local temple. Hundreds of pilgrims from far and wide had gathered for the mela. It was a colourful affair, with a lot of dancing, games, and shopping. My observation is that the Kutch culture and traditions are well preserved by the locals.

The soil in Khadir Bet is not suitable for growing vegetables, because the groundwater is salty. So, the locals grow organic jowar, bajra and other such crops. We witnessed large acres of such fields on our journey.

Conclusion

In the past year, I have visited some very beautiful places, with Khadir Bet being one of them. I visited Kashmir in Oct ’21, Ladakh in Dec ’21, Andaman in April ’22, and I moved to Udupi after that. Of all these places, Khadir Bet was the most unique because we felt connected to the local culture. In this remote place, which doesn’t even have a fuel station, the hospitality of real India is alive. The land is unpolluted, and untouched by tourism. Our host Max genuinely cared for us, but at the same time ensured that we have the freedom to do what we wanted. When our car (his car, actually) got stuck on the way back from Chippar Point, he ensured that we got help. His uncle came over and rescued the car by pulling it out of the slush with a tractor. The man did not expect any money from us for it. He even called us home for a cup of chai, and introduced us to his family after rescuing us.