A visit to Lakhpat

Also called as the “Last Frontier”, the city of Lakhpat at the junction of Kori creek and the Great Rann of Kutch, India once used to be one of the prosperous citites in the Kutch district with an extensive trade in rice, silk and perfumes. But now it remains with the ruins of the old brick houses and with a very  less population.

 As it is the last city in the western state of Gujarat, it shares its border with Pakistan. On my way to this city,  I was excited because this was the first time ever I was going to a place from where I could see the border.  On reaching the city, the first thing I saw was the Lakhpat fort and the majestic entrance to the “Bibidullah port”.This port was further 4km ahead of Lakhpat towards the Pakistan border. It is no longer accessible to the visitors. I climbed up the fort from where I could have the view of the beautiful Kori creek near to the border and the barren land with thorny bushes. 

After the visit to the fort, the next place was the famous “Gurudwara Sahib” – now a protected heritage by ASI because of its cultural and historical significance. We had a sumptuous langar in the Gurudwara and reached the next place – the Syed Pir Shah Dargah. The tomb had an artistic and ornate floral stone carvings.

On talking to the local inhabitants, I came to know

that the majority of the people had moved out of the town to the near by cities because of the meager facilities and difficult living conditions.

 Houses  in a dilapidated condition and unfitted living might make Lakhpat an abandoned town but still on learning about its history, I could imagine Lakhpat’s glorious days where the city witnessed its prosperity with its social, cultural and historic strength.