Bhunga houses are round huts of Kutch and the real identity of Kutch desert areas. These beautiful houses are built by using mud and decorated with various things from inside and outside. In fact, they are the real museums of Kutch. They just showcase the real life of Kutchi people. They are mainly found in desert islands in the northern parts of Kutch like Banni and Paccham.

These traditional kutchi houses are built with superior architectural knowledge which is gained over centuries. They are considered as engineering wonders as they preserve internal environment of the house. They keep the home cool in summers and warm in winters. These traditional bhungas are so strong that they protect against natural calamities like desert storms, earthquakes and anything else.

Architecture

A traditional Kutchi house is in a circular shape and made of mud walls and a thatched roof. Diameter of a Bhunga is approximately 18 feet and has depth of foundation upto 24 inches. Thatched roof is made of wooden top dome using bamboo sticks. These sticks are tied together with dried grass rope. Moreover, a thick layer of grass is placed on the roof.

Walls of a Bhunga are also made of bamboo sticks which are tied by grass ropes. Then cow dung and mud are used as the wall plaster to make them beautiful and strong. You can imagine Bhunga houses equivalent to a normal room in a house.

Disaster Resistance and Climate Response

These traditional bhunga always reacts as an arch against the forces applied from any direction during the earthquake. Since they are in the circular shape, they are more stable in earthquake situation.

Most of the material is very lightweight hence they are helpful against the lateral forces and storms. Circular shape also helps by not obstructing the wind movement and hence they do not create big pressure and helps during cyclones.

They are extremely responsive to each climate. Cylindrical shaped mud walls helps protecting from direct sunrays and hence keep the home cool from inside in the summer. And the cow dung helps resisting the cold during winters.

An Opportunity

As the famous festival, Rann Utsav 2015-2016 is coming, this is the great opportunity for every tourist to stay in these beautiful Kutchi houses. Kutch Tour Guide offers various customized packages of Rann Utsav for everyone. You can book the package with us and we will make sure your stay in these Bhunga houses. Visit our website for further details on packages and offes.