India: Women pray at the Jakh Temple of Kutch (Jakh Botera), dedicated to the 72 Jakhs or Yaksha warriors, Kutch, Gujarat State

Jakh Botera, Jakhdada, Jakkha Bautera, 72 Yaksha or Bohter Yaksha, literally seventy-two Yaksha warriors, are a group of folk deities worshipped widely in the Kutch district of Gujarat.

The Jakhs are said to have been shipwrecked on the Kutch coast and came ashore at a place now known as Jakhau. Described as tall and with fair complexions and an advanced culture, their traditional number is seventy-two with at least one woman.

Kutch (often spelled Kachch) is the northwestern part of the Indian state of Gujarat, divided from the main part of the state by the Arabian Sea and a stretch of salt marshes. To its north lies the Pakistani province of Sind. The name Kutch is said to be derived from the Kachelas, a sub-caste of the lohar (blacksmiths’) or soni (goldsmiths’) castes.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

Chaweewan Chuchuay

Credit:

Pictures From Asia