The History of Kutch, a region in the extreme west of the western Indian state of Gujarat, can be traced back to prehistorical times. The Kutch district shares a boundary with Pakistan's Sindh.
There are several sites related to the Indus Valley Civilization in the region as mentioned in Hindu mythology. In historical times, Kutch was mentioned in Greek writings during the reign of Alexander the Great. It was ruled by Menander I of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, which was overthrown by Indo-Scythians, followed by the Maurya Empire and Sakas. In the first century, it was under Western Satraps followed by the Gupta Empire. By the fifth century, Maitraka of Valabhi took over,during the 6th and 7th centuries, Kutch fell under the political influence of neighboring Sindh, which was ruled by the Rai dynasty and later by the Chach dynasty .Chavdas ruled the eastern and central parts by the late seventh century, but then came under Chaulukyas by tenth century. After the fall of Chaulukya, Vaghelas ruled the state. Following the conquest of Sindh by Muslim rulers, Rajput Samma started moving southwards to Kutch and ruled western regions initially. By the tenth century, they controlled a significant area of Kutch, and by the thirteenth century they controlled the entirety of Kutch, and adopted a new dynastic identity, Jadeja.
For three centuries, Kutch was divided and ruled by three different branches of Jadeja brothers. In the sixteenth century, Kutch was unified under one rule by Rao Khengarji I of these branches and his direct decedents ruled for two centuries and had good relationship with Gujarat Sultanate and Mughals. One of his descendants, Rayadhan II left three sons of whom two died and third son, Pragmalji I took over the state and founded the current lineage of rulers at the start of the seventeenth century. The decedents of other brothers founded states in Kathiawar. After turbulent periods and battles with armies of Sindh, the state was stabilized in the middle of the eighteenth century by council known as Bar Bhayat ni Jamat who placed Rao as a titular head and ruled independently. The state accepted suzerainty of British East India Company in 1819 when Kutch was defeated in battle. The state was devastated by an earthquake in 1819. The state stabilized and flourished in business under subsequent rulers.
Upon the independence of India in 1947, Kutch acceded unto the dominion of India and was constituted an independent commissionaire. It was created a state within the union of India in 1950. The state witnessed an earthquake in 1956. On 1 November 1956, Kutch State was merged with Bombay state, which in 1960 was divided into the new linguistic states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, with Kutch becoming part of Gujarat state as Kutch district. The district was affected by tropical cyclone in 1998 and the earthquake in 2001. The state saw rapid industrialization and growth in tourism in subsequent years.
Early history (Before 519 BCE )
There are more than 150 geographical sites of dinosaur fossils of different periods in Kutch.
Several sites along the rivers of Kutch providing evidence for occupation of Kutch during the Late Pleistocene; Middle Paleolithic and possibly Late Acheulean period. But there is an absence of lithic artifacts from Late Paleolithic in these Late Pleistocene deposits.
Indus Valley Civilization The earliest human settlements can be traced back to the Early Harappan Period of Indus Valley Civilization, c. 3300–2600 BCE. Several sites belonging to this civilization are discovered in Kutch. Dholavira, locally known as Kotada Timba, is one of the largest and most prominent archaeological sites in India belonging to the civilization. It is located on the Khadir island in the northern part of the Kutch. The island is surrounded by water in the monsoon season. The Dholavira site is believed to have been inhabited between 2900 BCE and 1900 BCE, declining slowly after about 2100 BCE, briefly abandoned and then reoccupied, finally by villagers among its ruins, until about 1450. Other sites include Surkotada, Desalpar Gunthli, Pabumath, Kanmer and Shikarpur. More than 60 major Harappan sites are discovered around the Rann of Kutch.
Hindu Texts In early Hindu mythological narratives, the region is, under the name of Kachchha or tortoise or coast land, mentioned as a desert with few and wild people. So it remained till a holy man, losing himself in the forests on his way from the Narayan Sarovar in the extreme west, cleared the country by fire. From the ashes sprang crops of grass so rich that large numbers of pastoral tribes settled in Kutch.
Ancient history
Achaemenians (519-450/400 BCE) Kutch was annexed by Darius as part of the 20th satrapy, Sindhu. The Achaemenians probably held it until 450 BCE or, alternatively, 400 BCE with Kutch gaining independence and being divided into small principalities like Sindh and Punjab.
Alexander’s Invasion (325 BC) The earliest historic notices of Kutch in foreign chronicles are in the works of Greek writers. In examining the eastern branch of the Indus River or Sindhu River, Alexander (325 BCE) came to a great lake, formed either by the spreading of the river or the flowing together of the neighbouring waters. The entrance was easier than the entrance of the western mouth, and, to ensure a regular supply of fresh water, wells were dug along the coast.
Mauryans Empire (300-187 BCE)
Chandragupta Maurya annexed Kutch into the Mauryan Empire in 300 BCE.Although no inscriptions from Ashoka's rule have been found there, it is unlikely that Kutch was not under Mauryan control.
Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (184-70 BCE) Kutch was annexed into Greco-Bactrian Kingdom in 184 BCE. the geographer Strabo described Bactrian structures in Kutch. He used the name Tejarashtra for the region, identifying its main town as Tej or Tahij. the 1582 Abul Fazl used the same name for the capital of Kutch so town of Tej maybe shares the same location as modern-day Bhuj.
Indo-Scythian Kingdom (70 BC to 46 AD) The Greco-Bactrians were overthrown by the Indo-Scythians or Saka in 70 BCE, who held Kutch until 46 AD.Indo-Scythians or Saka, in the first century, overthrown by Indo-Parthians, mentioned as Parada in Sanskrit sources, whose power stretched from Sindh as far south as Bharuch
Indo-Parthian Kingdom (46-78 AD) Kutch was annexed by Gondophares in 46 AD and was held by the Indo-Parthians until 78 AD.
Early history (78 – 499 AD) In the first century, Pliny's (77 CE) Odambari are generally taken to have been the people of Kutch, and Ptolemy's (150 CE) town of Orbadari to the east of the Indus to have been their headquarters. Ptolemy knew the Gulf of Kutch as Kanthi, a name still applied to the strip of land along its north shore, and to the Kanthkot Fort near the south shore of the Ran. About a hundred years later (246 CE) the author of the Periplus speaks of the outer part of the gulf of Kutch as Barake, possibly Dwarka. Further in, he says, is the gulf of Eirinon (the Sanskrit irina or Aranya, 'a salt marsh', the modern Rann), divided into two parts, a greater and a less, both unexplored, dangerous to ships, shallow, and with violent eddies which refers to Greater and Little Rann of Kutch. The country along the coast of the gulf, which both he and Ptolemy call Surastrene (Saurashtra), was rich, yielding in abundance corn, rice, sesamum, butter, and cotton for ordinary manufacture, the people were tall and black, and they had many herds. Except perhaps at a port near Karachi where Ptolemy has a station of the Kanthi ships, the Greeks would seem to have had no direct trade with Kutch. The gulf of Kutch is spoken of as a place to be shunned, and all trade centred in Bharuch. Soon after the time of the author of the Periplus, Kutch was conquered by the Sah (140–380 CE), kings of Saurashtra, possibly of Western Satraps whose kingdom stretched from Tapti River to Sindh. Then probably after forming part of the Gupta Empire dominions, Kutch came about the end of the fifth century under the Maitrakas of Vallabhi.
Rai Dynasty (499-640AD) Kutch was annexed by the Rai Dynasty immediately after their rule began in Sindh.In the seventh century (about 640) Kutch was part of the province of Sindh. It is described by the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang as lying 267 miles (1600 lis) south-west of the capital of Sindh, at that time Aror near Bhakar on the Indus. He calls it Otien-po-chi-lo which possibly refers Adhyavakila or Pliny's Odambira. The circuit of the province is given at 833 miles (5000 lis) and that of the capital at five miles (30 lis). The capital's name is Kie-tsi-shi-fa-lo, perhaps Koteshwar.
Chach Dynasty (640-685/696 AD) Kutch was inherited by the Chach of Aror as part of the kingdom of Sindh in 640 AD. It seems that in the late 7th century AD, the Brahmin dynasty's control weakened, and Kutch was lost, possibly somewhere between 685 and 696 AD.
Medieval era
Rajput clans (685/696 AD–1320) The mention of Kutch is that early in the eighth century (about 714), on the death of Pramar of Telegu, Kutch was given to the Charans. According to Muslim historians the Kutch was part of dominion of the king of Alor. Soon after this the Kathis (associated with Ahir) would seem to have passed into Kutch from Sindh, and with their headquarters at Pavargadh (now near Manjal) were probably the ruling tribe, especially in the centre and south of the province. At this time Chavda dynasty ruled in the east, whose power by the help of the kings of Panchasar and Anhilwad Patan, probably increased in the eighth and ninth centuries. About 942, One of queens of Samantsinh, the last king of Chavda dynasty, fled with her year-old child to his father's house in Jaisalmer. This son Ahipat became a formidable outlaw and he was used to ravage dominions of Anhilwad Patan. He conquered more than 900 villages in Kutch and established Morgadh as its capital. He reigned for many years and was succeeded by his son Vikramsi. The lineage of succession was Vibhuraja, Takulji, Seshkaranji, Vaghji, Akheraja, Tejasi, Karamsinha. Takhansinha, Mokasinha, Punjaji. Punjaji lived in the reign of Alauddin Khalji around the end of thirteenth century.
In the tenth century, when, by the accession of Mularaja Chaulukya of Chaulukya dynasty, the Chavdas were ousted from Anhilwad Patan they retired to Kutch. Shortly afterwards (about 950), when pressed by the Chalukyas of Kalyan, Mularaja Chaulukya occupied Kanthkot. During this time the Arabs, beginning with raids on the Kathiawar and Gujarat coasts, had completed the conquest of Sindh. In the ninth century they had made settlements on the Kutch coast, and in the beginning of the tenth the province was considered part of Sindh. Al Biruni speaks of Kutch by its present name and notices that one branch of the Indus flows into the Sindh Sagar on the borders of Kutch. The chief references to Kutch in the writings of the Arab travellers of the tenth and eleventh centuries are connected with its pirates, who, with their headquarters at Kutch and Somnath, were, from the word Baira, a boat, known as Bawarij.
Early in the eleventh century (1023) Bhima I fled before Mahmud Ghazni to Kanthkot Fort. Like Mularaja he held the whole of Vagad region and two of his grants dispose of Kutch villages. About the close of the century the province was overrun by Singhar, the fourth Soomra dynasty prince of Sind. But his power did not last long as Kutch came under power of Jayasimha Siddharaja of Chaulukya dynasty (1094–1143). Not many years later, (about 1180), according to one version of Chaulukya history, in the fight between Prithviraj and Bhima II, Balla of Kutch with 3000 horse fought on Bhima's side. And in the thirteenth century, on succeeding to the power of the Chaulukyas, the Vaghela dynasty (1240 -1304) held supremacy in Kutch.
First Samma Kingdom of Kutch (810 AD- 985 AD)