As I discovered after visiting Bhuj Chhatdi, ruins can be beautiful. Don’t be fooled by the small size of the main entrance; just like inside, you’ll find a large ancient treasure. Chhatdi is a historical site in Bhuj, near Chhatardi Talab, known for its architectural quality. I went to this place with the Gujarat Tourism Board and I had the pleasure of seeing and admiring the 400 year old buildings scattered on the grounds. In recent years, ASI has listed the area as a historic site.
The first thing you notice when you enter is that almost every complete samadhi has an umbrella roof. In Gujarat, these are called Chhatri or Chhatdi. Chhatdi is a word that means “umbrella”. Due to the umbrella-shaped layout of the roofs of all these structures, this location is known as Chhatdi. However, my visit allowed me to see many of the cracks left by the 2001 earthquake. A large part of the site was destroyed by the earthquake.
Some will tell you that Bhuj Chhatdi is where the Kutch Maharaja was first cremated! Others will tell you that this is the samadhi of the royal dynasty of Bhuj. Regardless of the burial heritage, we now know that the land was enthusiastically used for the cremation of kings and their families, and a magnificent chatri was cast on their samadhi. This pattern can be found throughout Gujarat.
A flight of stairs next to the entrance leads to a flat area with a stone Shiva Linga and four arched stone slabs with Sanskrit inscriptions. Each slate is decorated with a figure. In the first, third and fourth pictures, a lady is holding a lotus flower in one hand and a rota in the other. In that century, brass or copper rotatas were typical utility items. The second figure depicts the monarch on horseback. While I cannot decipher the Sanskrit writings, I think they refer to the king and his numerous wives.
Our guide Girish was very kind and showed us the largest building in the complex, Rao Lakhpatji Chhatri. Rao Lakhpatji Chhatri is coming to an end with more samadhi and shrines along the way. Some of the domes that fell off are now anchored to the ground. The entrance to Rao Lakhpatji Chhatri has a grand façade with an arched gate that still stands. Memorial stones of Rao Lakhpat and his queen can be found here.
If you know Sanskrit, here are a few boards that tell the story of King Samadhi. Although many of the arches have been destroyed, only the columns remain. Each monument is meticulously carved in a traditional style with floral motifs and unique imagery. Although most of the buildings are in ruins, the architecture is intricate and stunning and worth admiring.
I walked from pillar to pillar, admiring the red sandstone buildings and trying to understand the past of the Jadeja dynasty that controlled Bhuj in the far west of Gujarat from the 10th to the 18th centuries. Jadeja has full power over Kutch and its surrounding areas.
In the 16th century, Kutch was ruled for two centuries by Rao Khengarji I and his immediate heirs. The state was secured in the mid-eighteenth century by Bar Bhayat ni Jamat, who established the Rao Autonomous State after stormy years with the Sindhi army. When Cooch was defeated in 1819, the state recognized the suzerainty of the British East India Company.
The ruling tribes became descendants of Jadejas or Jada, once their control was limited to Kutch. The Jadejas appear to be one of the Sindhi tribes that transformed into Karmatians in the 11th century. After the Sammas’s old age extended into the orthodox form of Islam, they maintained their traditional half-Indian half-Muslim beliefs. Therefore, Indo-Islamic and local Kachchhi architectural styles can also be seen on the walls of the surviving samadhi.
Rao Lakhpatji, also known as Lakhaji, was the regent of Kutch from 1741 to 1752. In 1752 he succeeded his father and reigned until 1760. For several years, Rao Desalji and his eldest son Rao Lakhpatji have been involved in a bitter fight. Over the years, Rahpaji fled Bhuj to join the king of Udaipur, forcing his father to accept some of his demands. Maybe why the architecture of Samadhi also shows Rajasthani influence. The Jadeja dynasty ruled until India’s independence in 1947.
18th century architect and craftsman Ram Singh Malam built Rao Lakha Chhatris. He was rescued by a Dutch ship that took him to the Netherlands. There, he acquired various European craftsmanship skills, which he later brought back to Kachi. In Bhuj, he met Maharao Lakhpatji, the Jadeja monarch of Kutch, who adopted him. His enamel work is now called “Kutch work”.
Ram Singh Malam continued to build the Aina Mahal corridor, Fuvara Mahal and the Deshalji and Lakhapatji monuments. He is remembered as a sea folk hero despite being patronized by monarch Kutch, who built palaces and monuments to the king. A stone tablet in the compound said 15 of the king’s wives were killed on Rao Lakha’s funeral pyre.
There are generally not many restrictions, but guards will prevent you from climbing the monument. Please don’t walk through any samadhi, some of them lie under the ruins. Locals hold these buildings with reverence, and so should tourists. Otherwise, you are free to tour and visit the attractions. There is no charge to visit.
