The Battle of Jurra and Its Subsequent Implications on the Kutch Water Scene

Abstract

Kutch situated in an arid zone in western India has forever struggled to obtain fresh water and manage this extremely scarce resource. In the history of this region, politics too played a crucial role in determining water availability. One of the significant political eventsof Kutch that influenced considerably its water history was the Battle of Jurra or Jarra in mid-18^th century.  This paper traces the battle by collating material from rare, out of print, old, documents and delineates the manner it played havoc with an already water starved zone by altering the course of the eastern branch of Indus.The paper thus not only attempts to bring clarity to an event in Indian history that has been relegated to the background but also facilitates further research.