Things to Do in Dholavira in The Great Rann of Kutch Gujarat

Travel back in time 7,000 years, and you’ll find yourself on a small island in Kutch mingling with the cheerful people of the Harappan civilization. Intrigued? Today, a drive along the long road from Kutch, flanked by white salt pans, will lead you to the fascinating ruins of that same era. Besides rediscovering its walls, reservoirs, secret tunnels there are many more interesting things to do in Dholavira.

With my experience of recent visit to Dholavira I have prepared this Dholavira tourism guide that highlights all the things to see at this UNESCO World Heritage Site, the archaeological museum with a good collection of artifacts collected during excavation, a fossil park, a temple, the salt pans and a thrilling viewpoint. If you are planning to do all these and more you will for sure require a place to stay and where to eat in Dholavira. This guide includes tips on where to stay, where to eat and how to visit the different sites.

Travel blogger: Indrani Ghose
Updated on November 2024

Dholavira Harappan Site was added to the prestigious list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2021, it is time you visit this Indus Valley Civilization site and walk through the history lessons you took in your school days. Here is a list of things to do in Dholavira in Khadir Bet Kutch, do save it make the most of your visit to this westernmost tourist destination of India.

Dholavira Google Map

The Great Rann of Kutch

It is easy to confuse Rann of Kutch with Great Rann of Kutch, when the latter is just a part of the former. Rann of Kutch is a massive expanse of cracked earth, a piece of land cut off from sea. Rann here means salt marsh. The name is eloquent enough to indicate the terrain of the area. The Rann of Kutch covers around 26,000 sq. km. The Great Rann of Kutch is a larger portion of the Rann. Rann of Kutch Lake lies in this region and Khadir Bet is a large island in this lake.

Khadir Bet, translates to grassy area on an island. This is the only piece of land that has some amount of greenery in the vast stretch of white salt flats and worth inhabiting. Its location and terrain makes Great Rann of Kutch an excellent spot for sunrise and sunset photography. The Annual Rann Utsav is a great crowd puller. Then there is Dholavira, with a treasure of ancient Harappan remains.

Besides these experiences, Bhuj is another interesting tourist destination in this westernmost part of Gujarat. I haven’t been there yet, but hopefully someday soon I will. Minimum of 4 days would be required just to experience the Great Rann of Kutch.

Things to Do in Dholavira

Dholavira Harappan Site

Without water there is no life! People of Harappan times in Dholavira were well aware of this and they used every possible technique to conserve water. Imagine 4500 years ago they built step wells, reservoirs, water tunnels and baths to conserve water. You get to see their unique water management system still in good condition. It stands out uniquely among all other excavated sites of Harappan times. It goes to prove that Indus people were competent engineers. They could plan well and were able to manage their water needs

Three hours won’t suffice to see the entire site. If you are interested enough and have capacity to withstand the sun’s heat I suggest you can revisit the site again after lunch. And yes, please do hire a guide. Though informative boards are there near important sights, there is nothing like hearing from the same workers who excavated the site and are now guides.

Read more: Dholavira Harappan Site

Dholavira Harappan site Kutch

Archaeological Museum Dholavira

Dholavira Archaeological Museum is a small one packed with findings and remnants found during excavation of the Harappan site by the members of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). It is a perfect destination to understand and discover the lifestyle of people who lived during Harappan times. Large stone pestles, clay dolls, terracotta wheels of toy carts, small gems and beads, seals and more are on display.

The museum is just one floor with two rooms. It offers a window to the history of Indus Valley Civilization. Huge pictures of the times when excavation was in progress gives a good idea of the humongous site dotted with reservoirs, houses of Middle Town and Burial sites.

Do read this to know more: A Quick Guide to Dholavira Archaeological Museum

Harappan Seal in Archaeological Museum

Dattatreya Temple in Dholavira

We discovered the Dattatreya Temple by chance. It is a popular sunset point, but we landed there at sunrise time. The idol inside is that of the three-headed incarnation of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva in the same body. For those spiritually inclined this temple is worth a visit. This temple was started by a Sadhu, name not known, 400 years ago. Today it is looked after by the jawans at the outpost.

It was amazing to see Dattatreya Temple near the international border between India & Pakistan.

Dattatreya Temple Khadir Bet Kutch

Kutch Fossil Park

It is also called the Dinosaur Fossil Park. The boulders here have weird shapes, with constant exposure to salt laden moist winds they have eroded in the strangest manner possible. The deep holes on the surface seemed like some empty eye sockets to me.

Nearby in a barricaded area there is an impressive display of fossilized wood belonging to Jurassic era. Credit for existence of this park goes to the Army veteran Mohan Singh Sodha. He has done a commendable work in collecting so many different kinds of fossils and put them up for display. No tickets are required to enter the park; however there is a room with fossilized Dino egg/eggshell which is kept in a room under lock and key. If you are truly interested, make enquiries before you arrive at the place.

The approach road to the park is a narrow one and chances are you might see some harmless jungle animals. We could spot a mongoose and a monitor lizard scurry across the road.

Kutch Fossil Park

Chipper Point

Chipper point, a hilltop, at Dholavira is a place that I don’t actually wish to recommend but the view of white desert from this point is beyond mesmerizing. The reason for not recommending this place is that there are some ledges protruding out precariously from the hilltop. People stand on that to take pictures. One wrong move and you will have a free fall of 100ft deep down and lose your limbs.

The place isn’t easily accessible hence not very popular yet. A completely God forsaken place with no human settlements around I wonder how people find out about such places! It is an offbeat place in Dholavira and a free sight.

Chipper Point Dholavira Gujarat

Flamingos in Rann Lake

Several migratory birds, especially flamingos start moving at the Khadir Bet Island and other islands of Kutch. They begin arriving in the months of June-July and stay till March. These birds feed on aquatic life such as shrimp, molluscs, plankton, and algae. The island has become one of the largest nesting sites of flamingos in the country. Statistics taken some years ago state around 1 million flamingos visit the island during peak of the season. If you are lucky maybe you can spot the courtship behaviour of these pretty pink birds.  They get their rosy colour from the beta-carotene pigment in the shrimp and algae they consume.

Bird watching, more specifically Flamingo watching, is one of the best things to do in Dholavira. Do time yourself for it. Early mornings are the best to sight them.

Flamingo Lake is still a hidden destination, it is 2.5 km further west from the Archaeological Museum.

Vista Sunset Point near Dholavira

Have you seen a blue sunset? When I arrived at the Vista Sunset Point in Eastern Rann past sunset, in the twilight moments, it seemed like I was walking through a dream. Vast white stretch of land, it was neither snow nor cotton but pure salt with a thin layer of water and was reflecting the colors of the clouds in the horizon. The human silhouettes added character and life to the scene.

Vista Point in Eastern Rann – My Google Pixel 3 captured a blue shade of this scene.

A barren piece of land, untouched by any kind of rules and regulations, it is a must visit place on the way to Dholavira. We visited this place twice during our 4 days trip to Gujarat, such a magical effect it had on us. There are several entry points to the Rann, plan to witness a sunrise or sunset here.

Shopping for Local Handicrafts

Till the Harappan site was discovered here, there were only a handful of Kutchi families, numbering approximately 50 families, living in Dholavira. As tourism picked up it provided an extra source of income for these families by selling their handicraft. Two years of COVID have been hard on them that resulted in almost nil tourists’ traffic to this place. Earlier they used to sell their products at the Rann of Kutch festival which is a yearly event. They source their raw material from cities like Bhuj, Ahmedabad and other cities and work on them to produce exquisite traditional textiles.

Do pick up a souvenir or two when you are there.

Traditional handicraft from Kutch Gujarat

Where to Stay in Dholavira

Hotel Rann of Kutch

This is managed by Gujarat Tourism. We stayed here for two nights. Quite a decent place! You have to make prior bookings. Just dropping in for a stay may not work out. And for food too you have to inform in advance. It is a budget friendly place.

Rann Resort

This too is located near the site.  Google reviews are good. One doesn’t have much choice other than these. If you are checking for places to eat in Dholavira, this can be a great choice.

There are some Home Stays, the owners double up as guide too.

Hotel Rann of Kutch

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