Culture and Crafts

La Kamp Resort offers tours of the Banni region, a fascinating land of craft villages and pastoral grasslands. The Banni mainly comprises of grasslands along the boundary of the Great Rann of Kutch. These grasslands are dotted with villages of groups who graze their livestock here, as also artisan communities like the Meghwal. The women of each of the different communities, whether they are Hindu pastoralists like the Rabaris, Muslim pastoralists like the Jats and the Mutwas, or artisans like the Meghwals, specialise in a distinctive style of embroidery.

During village tours, tourists can see the Soof, Paako, Kharek, Kambira and Kudi embroidery of communities like the Sodha Rajputs and the Meghwals. The Garasia Jath women stitch an array of geometric patterns in counted work based on cross stitch studded with minute mirrors. They are known for their superbly embroidered yokes. Dhaneta and Fakiriani Jaths embroider tiny bars of tight satin stitch with radiating circles of a couched stitch. The villages are also known for appliqué or patchwork. The minutely detailed embroidery of the Mutwas can be seen in some villages. Some artisans also produce embroidered leather products.

Apart from embroidery, other handicrafts like bandhani tie-dye, block printing, pottery, woodcarving, lacquered woodcrafts, stone carving, silverware and metal crafts thrive in Kutch. This district is the final frontier of rare crafts like rogan art and namada felt making. Weaving is also practiced in some of the villages.