THE EARTHQUAKE OF CUTCH, INDIA, IN 1819
Cutch is one of the Provinces of India lying on the western coast of
Hindostan, east of the delta of the Indus River.
A great earthquake occurred in this region on June 16th, 1819. As
indicated by the map presented in Fig. 44, by Lyell, the district
of Cutch lies on the coast of the Arabian Sea. Cutch is at times a
peninsula, being washed on the south and east by the Arabian Sea and
the Gulf of Cutch, and on the north by a depression known as the Runn
of Cutch which, during unusual tides, is overflowed by the waters of
the sea, but for the rest of the year is dry.
The earthquake of Cutch was apparently central at the town of Bhooj,
where the destruction was extreme, hardly a house being left standing.
The shock extended over a radius of about 1,000 miles from Bhooj,
reaching to Khatmandoo, Calcutta, and Pondicherry.
At Anjar the fort, together with its tower and guns, were completely
ruined. The shocks continued at intervals after the principal shock
until June 20th, when the volcano of Denodur is said by some to have
emitted flames, although this is denied by others.
Great changes were produced in the eastern channel of the Indus,
which forms the western boundary of the Province of Cutch. The water
in this inlet had become so low that it was readily fordable at low
tide at Luckput, and was only covered with six feet of water at high
tide. After the earthquake it deepened at the port of Luckput to over
eighteen feet at low tide, while in other parts of the channel the
water had deepened from four to ten feet at high tide, where before
the earthquake shock it had never been deeper than from one to two
feet. Indeed, after these changes the inland navigation of the country
again became possible after having been closed for many centuries.
[Illustration: FIG. 44. MAP SHOWING DISTRICT VISITED BY THE
EARTHQUAKE OF CUTCH OF 1819]
The Cutch earthquake resulted in a marked depression of the country,
especially north of Luckput, where the fort and village of Sindree
were so quietly sunk that the fort, with its tower and walls, was left
projecting slightly above a body of water that not only completely
covered the old site but also formed a large lake marked on the
preceding map, at Sindree, by the dark shading. It was this change of
level that deepened the eastern channel of the Indus, just mentioned.
[Illustration: FIG 45.. SINDREE BEFORE THE EARTHQUAKE OF
1819]
Fig. 45, from Lyell, gives an idea of the appearance of the fort at
Sindree before the earthquake. The appearance of the fort after its
submergence is represented in Fig. 46, where, as will be noticed, only
the top of the tower and the walls remain above the surface of the
water. That the masonry was not affected either by the earthquake, or
by the inrush of waters, is evident from the fact that the ruins were
still standing in March, 1838, as represented in the figure.
In heavy shading on the map in Fig. 44 is a large area lying in the
northern part of the province known as the Runn of Cutch. This is a
flat region of about 7,000 square miles. It owes its level surface to
its being the deserted or dried-up bed of a sea. For the greater part
of the year its bottom is dry and hard, and is covered with a crust of
salt half an inch or so in thickness.
[Illustration: FIG. 46. SINDREE AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE OF 1819]
According to Lyell, from whom most of the facts concerning this
earthquake have been obtained, the Runn of Cutch is connected with
a vast inland sea, not only by the water driven into it through the
Gulf of Cutch, but also through the eastern channel of the Indus at
Luckput. These changes occur especially during the monsoon, when the
seas are high, and especially after the heavy rains that come with
these winds, when the wet condition of the soil permits the sea water
to spread rapidly.
Traditions of the natives tend to confirm belief that Cutch a long
time ago was a true peninsula, and that the Runn of Cutch was then an
arm of the sea.
That a change of this character did occur in the Runn of Cutch seems
to be proved by the ruins of old towns now far inland that are said to
have been ancient seaports, and as apparent evidences of this many
pieces of wrought iron and ships' nails have been found in parts of
the Runn.
At the same time that the sinking of the land around the fort and
village of Sindree took place a considerable elevation occurred in the
neighborhood. Immediately after the earthquake, the people in Sindree
saw that a low hill or mound had been thrown up in a place that before
had been a low and perfectly level plain. They named this elevation
the Ullah Bund, or _the Mound of God_, in order to distinguish it
from several embankments that had been built directly across the
eastern mouth of the Indus; for the Ullah Bund had been raised by the
earthquake across the same branch of the Indus.
For several years after the earthquake of 1819 marked changes kept
developing in the channels of the Indus. During 1826 a large body of
water entered into the eastern branch of the Indus above the Ullah
Bund and finally forced its way through the mound, thus establishing
a direct course to the sea. The Ullah Bund, being thus cut in two,
an opportunity was afforded of seeing the materials of which it was
composed. These were found to consist principally of clay filled with
shells.
The opening of the river resulted in throwing such large quantities of
fresh water into Lake Sindree that its waters were rendered fresh for
several months, but at last regained their saltiness.
Dana states that in 1845 another earthquake occurred in this district
which converted Sindree Lake into a salt marsh.