The Land: Other Attractions

Kutch Utsav / Shivaratri Festival: The Kutch Utsav is quite famous because of its folk dances, live music and markets. Enthralling opportunities are offered to visit the surrounding areas-even to the interiors of Kutch to give visitors a glimpse of the simple lifestyle of the tribals there. The last day of the fair coincides with the Shivaratri festival, for which a grand fair is organized at Dhang.
Here local people, dressed in colorful, traditional costumes, congregate to pay homage at the shrine to Mekan Dada, which incidentally, or rather curiously, has a Shivalinga on its premises.
Aaina Mahal: Presenting a fascinating amalgam of Indian and Dutch styles of architecture, the Aaina Mahal is definitely worth a visit. The walls of the main hall are covered with mirrors all around, and except for a narrow strip used for walking, the entire space has been beautifully utilized to form a pleasure pool. Fountains are placed in such a manner that they cast their spray in an intricate variety of patterns. The Aaina Mahal also contains exquisite specimens of intricately cared embroidered panels, lithographs, cutlass, 18th-century paintings and clocks, one even dating back to 1849.         Kutch Museum: The oldest in Gujarat and regarded as one of the best, this museum has an excellent collection. Founded in 1877 by Sir James Ferguson, who was Governor of Bombay under the British Raj, the museum was earlier referred to as the Ferguson Museum. The museum broadly contains, a picture gallery, an anthropological section, an archeological section, textiles, weapons, musical instruments, a shipping section, and even stuffed animals.