Lakhpat Fort Town is a small fortified town and sub-district in Kutch district of Gujarat. Lakhpat fort town is within the fort walls of the 18th-century made Lakhpat fort.
The literal meaning of Lakhpat is the City of Millionaire. However today, Lakhpat fort town is sparsely populated. This town is also depicted as the Ghost Town. The city is now full of ruins. There are many age-old buildings in this ghost town. The magnificent Lakhpat Fort is surrounding the other buildings, as if the fort is guarding all the buildings and the people residing there.
Historically it has been very important trading post connecting Gujarat to Sindh. The gradual decline of Lakh fort Town started when an earthquake diverted the flow of the Sindhu River away from it. It has a scenic landscape with a fort in ruins along with tomb and a mosque noted for their fine carvings. A nearby gurudwara is historically significant, as Guru Nanak who was the founder of the religion of Sikhism and the first of the eleven Sikh Gurus is believed to have visited this site while he was on his way to Mecca. Few of his relics are retained here. During the period of invasion of Muslims, the Khudabadi Sonara Community and other Hindus who had not converted to Islam under the Ghaznavids moved to Vegh Kot and Lakhpat in around 1028 AD. The populace moved to this place to avoid genocide at the hands of the invading Muslims and to live peacefully under Hindu Samma rulers.
Inside the Lakhpat Fort Town, the rice is used to be cultivated and Lakhpat used to give annual revenue of 800,000 Koris from rice. It is also said that Lakhpat used to generate an income of 100,000 Koris everyday from maritime activities. All this changed with the earthquake of 1819. A natural dam known as the Allahbund was created and Sindhu changed its course of flow. The Sindhu River now drains into the Arabian Sea. Lakhpat and the area around is very sparsely populated of not more than 400 persons. The Gosh Mohmad Kuba, Syed Pir Shah Dargah, Nani Mai Dargah, Hatkeshwar Temple amongst others in the old town are reminisces of the glorious past.
Now, the Border Security Force outposts keep a diligent vigil over the area as there a few kilometers away is the international border of India with Pakistan from where smugglers and insurgents try to sneak into India every now and then. It is a delight to see the Chinkara and the Nilgai. One has to be very lucky to spot the caracal or the civet. The sight of peacocks and the call of the partridges follow one right up to the fort of Lakhpat
In Lakhpat Fort Town, there is a gurudwara that attracts the tourists. The name of Gurudwara is the Lakhpat Gurudwara Sahib, religious place for the Sikhs. Even today, Guru Nanak`s footwear and the palkhi are worshiped by the Udasi Sect. The Gurudwara is declared a protected monument by the Archeological Department and has won the UNESCO award for restoration after the Bhuj earthquake. The Hindi film, J.P Dutta`s Refugee is shot on location in the Great Rann of Kutch and other locations in the Kutch district of Gujarat.
