Bhuj

History

Bhuj city and the Kutch region were established by the Maharaja of the Parmar Rajputs, and deterred invasions for centuries. Bhuj city was occupied by Rao Hamir in 1510 and made the capital of Kutch (Kachchh) by Rao Khengarji I in 1549. Its foundation stone as state capital was formally laid on Vikram Samvat 1604 Maagha 5th (approx. 25 January 1548). From 1590 onwards, when Rao was forced to acknowledge the Mughal supremacy, Bhuj came to be known as Suleiman Nagar amongst Muslims. The city's walls were built by Rao Godji I in 1723, and the Bhujia Fort by Devkaran Seth in Rao Deshalji I's time (1718–1741). Bhuj has been attacked six times. In two instances, the defence was successful, while in four others it failed. In 1728, an attack by Sarbuland Khan, Mughal Viceroy of Gujarat, was repulsed by Rao Deshalji I, and, in 1765 Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro was, by a timely display of the strength of the fortifications, induced to withdraw. During the civil troubles of the reign of the Rao Rayadhan III, Bhuj was thrice taken, by Meghji Seth in 1786, by Hansraj in 1801, and by Fateh Muhammad in 1808. On 26 March 1819, the hill fort of Bhujia was captured by a British detachment under Sir William Keir. supported by over 5000 Indian soldiers. Amongst the highest profile British figures during this time was Alexander Burnes who was based here between 1826 and 1829. In 1837, Bhuj is said to have had a population of 30,000, including 6,000 Muslims. as well as on 26 January 2001, the city suffered great losses of life and property due to earthquakes. Many parts of Bhuj were demolished due to the extensive damage, whilst others were repaired. There has been great progress in rebuilding the City since the 2001 earthquake, with considerable improvements to roads, transportation, and…

Geography

Bhuj has an average elevation of . On the eastern side of the city is a hill known as Bhujia Hill, on which there is a Bhujia Fort, that separates Bhuj city and Madhapar town (considered one of the richest villages in Asia). It has two lakes namely Hamirsar Lake and Deshalsar. Bhuj has a hot arid climate (Köppen BWh), a little too dry overall to qualify as a hot semi-arid climate (BSh). Although annual rainfall "averages" around the variability is among the highest in the world with coefficient of variation of around sixty per cent – among the few comparably fluctuating climates in the world being the Line Islands of Kiribati, the Pilbara coast of Western Australia, the sertão of Northeastern Brazil, and the Cape Verde islands. Typically half of each year's rainfall will occur in three hours, while during the median year rain actually falls for a total of fewer than fifteen hours. Recorded annual rainfall has been as low as in 1987 and in 1899. Contrariwise, in 1926 a total of fell and in 1959 rainfall reached . fell during Bhuj's wettest month of July 1959, of which was recorded on 15 July alone, with over during less than six hours on the night of 14–15 July. Apart from the cool mornings of the "winter" season from December to February, temperatures are very warm to sweltering throughout the year, which further reduces the effectiveness of the erratic monsoonal rainfall. During the "hot" season from mid-March to mid-June, temperatures of are frequent, whilst during the monsoon season they exceed with high humidity except during rainy spells accompanied by cooler temperatures but oppressive humidity.

Most-observed species

• Laughing Dove

  Spilopelia senegalensis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,189
• Red-vented Bulbul

  Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,152
• Red-wattled Lapwing

  Vanellus indicus (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  1,077
• Purple Sunbird

  Cinnyris asiaticus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,076
• White-eared Bulbul

  Pycnonotus leucotis (Gould, 1836) · Aves
  1,056
• Green Bee-eater

  Merops orientalis Latham, 1801 · Aves
  996
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  991
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  916

Most recent

• M 4.6 — 2025-12-25
  27 km WNW of Rāpar, India
• M 3.9 — 2025-04-22
  72 km SE of Diplo, Pakistan
• M 3.8 — 2020-06-15
  5 km SSE of K?ndla, India
• M 5.1 — 2020-06-14
  9 km N of Bhach?u, India
• M 4.6 — 2019-11-18
  19 km W of R?par, India
• M 4.2 — 2018-03-28
  17 km SE of Bhach?u, India