The region Kutch lies in the northern most part of Gujarat State, on the border with Pakistan. The land is very arid. Temperatures can soar well past 40° Celsius for long periods of time and rainfall is meager and intermittent. At worst, droughts occur year after year.

To the north and east, Kutch is surrounded by great salt marsh desert areas: The Great Rann and The Little Rann. Crossing these deserts to Sindh in Pakistan, Rajasthan, or the rest of Gujarat is extremely hazardous. To the south and west lie the ocean, which was for many centuries the main route to the rest of the world.