- The Best Desert Safari in Rajasthan
- राजस्थानी संस्कृति में कुरजां पक्षी
- खीचन की गलियां
- Khichan: Offbeat Rajasthan in a small Village
Khichan is an offbeat place in Rajasthan, offering a large package of 1. Thousand of Demoiselle cranes, 2.Best desert safari, 3. Charming old Havelis and 4. Salt Panes.
If you want to visit less explored Rajasthan, stay with me as I post one by one, all the offbeat places in Rajasthan.
The first post in this series, I will take you to Khichan – a small village , near Falodi Tehsil in Rajasthan.
Khichan – small offbeat village in Rajasthan
It is a small village, but the things it has to offer make it a complete package for travellers. Besides, it can easily be done while visiting Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. It can also be reached conveniently from Delhi.
So join me to take a trailer-tour of Khichan, listing all of its four attractions.
Top things to do in Khichan
Khichan offers “best offbeat desert safari” in Rajasthan
Desert is a big attraction for tourists in Rajasthan. Many operators arrange for desert safaris in and around Jaisalmer and Bikaner.
Jaisalmer is more touristy as compared to Bikaner.
The desert safari in Khichan is one of a kind. It takes us around in 4X4 jeep through various villages and Dhanis, most of which are nothing more than five houses.
Each of these village has different things to offer like ironsmith work, Dhurry making, an orchard in oasis and then Lunch in a farmer’s hut.
The loveliest parts of all this criss crossing are- driving up and down the dunes, meeting wild animals like jackal, fox, Chinkara and a lots of birds, visiting Johad- the traditional water body of Rajasthan, and a camel ride on these dunes.
Our hostesses for Lunch 
Camel ride 
Chinkara among Bui Shrubs 
Idyllic vistas
Demoiselle Cranes of Khichan
Khichan is widely popular for yearly arrival of Demoiselle cranes from Mongolia and north China, as their wintering ground. These begin arriving sometimes as early as August and stay till March.
Story of Migration of Demoiselle Cranes to Khichan
Sourced from Wikipedia-
“In the 1970s, Ratanlal Maloo, a native of Khichan who had been working in Odisha, returned to the village. Since he did not have a lot of work, his uncle gave him the job of feeding pigeons. Ratanlal would carry grain sacks to the feeding place, and his wife would help him spread the grains on the ground.
A number of pigeons, sparrows and squirrels started coming to the place; peacocks also occasionally visited the place. In September, a dozen demoiselle cranes (called kurja in Rajasthani) also joined the other birds. These birds had been seen visiting the farmlands of Kheechan earlier.
During September-February, around 100 cranes came to the feeding place. During the next winter, around 150 cranes visited the place. As the cranes grew in numbers, the local dogs started hunting them.
So, Ratan Lal asked the village panchayat to allot him some land on the outskirts of the village. Some of the villagers joined him in building a chugga ghar, with a granary and a fence. Several Jain traders supported the initiative by supplying grains.
What started initially as a few dozen visiting birds has now become a major migration with thousands of cranes visiting the village year after year, during the period of August to March, and the number is reported to be increasing.
This is attributed to the organised and natural feeding done by the village community, twice a day during the birds entire sojourn to the town in the months of August to March, with November to February being the peak season. “
What is it like in Khichan nowadays?
Here they are provided with safe residence and plenty of food in Chuggaghar, where residents feed these birds. Their numbers can touch 20,000+ in an year.
Watching these flocking and feeding together is a sight to behold. Whole of the Khichan echoes with their continuous chit-chat of being at home. When these take a flight together, blue sky of Rajasthan sky welcomes these damsels.
Read my story on Demoiselle Cranes in Khichan.
Old Havelis in Khichan
Khichan is a small village but it houses a surprisingly large number of beautiful havelis, which now remain locked for most part of the year.
Rajasthanis are well known for their Rajputana bravery and Baniya business acumen.
Many of its people left home in search of better earning and life to larger cities of India. They built huge Havelis for their family ,which in the earlier times, never accompanied them.
In the last two decades, they began to take their families along and these havelis were abandoned. Many villages in Rajasthan have such havelis. Shaekhawati is particularly visited for its old Havelis.
Khichan is a small village but it houses surprisingly large number of old havelis, making it a perfect offbeat place Rajasthan.
You can read more about Havelis in Khichan here.
Salt Panes
Just outside Khichan, Rin is famous for its salt industry. Cranes also spend nights here and watching these in evening along the banks of waterbodies is surreal.
Where is Khichan?
- Khichan is a small village in Phalodi Tehsil in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan.
- It can be conveniently included in Jodhpur, Jaisalmer trip.
How to reach Khichan?
Khichan is located at a distance of 624 kms from Delhi. Traveling from one place to the other is easy because of the efficient rail and road connectivity.
By rail:
The nearest train station is Phalodi. Khichan is just 6 kms from Phalodi Jn and can be easily reached by an auto.
Phalodi is a Junction on the Delhi- Jaisalmer, Jodhpur- Jaisalmer, Bikaner – Jaisalmer rail line.
Delhi-Jaisalmer express departs from Sarai Zrohilla delhi in evening at 17:30 and reaches Falodi jn at 07:33 in morning.
Howra Junction Jaisalmer express departs from New Delhi at 10:50 in morning and reaches Falodi at 8:50 pm, in all a journey of 10 hrs 10 mnts.
There are three trains from Jodhpur and three from Jaisalmer. If you are visiting any of these cities, do take a trip to Khichan.
By Road
Roads in Rajasthan are super good to drive and travelling by road enhances the experience of seeing local life and villages in Rajasthan.
Jodhpur (150 kms) , Bikaner(156 km. towards north), Nagaur (145 km in east) and Jaisalmer (165 km in west) are well connected to Khichan.
By Air
Jodhpur is the nearest airport and from there the village is well connected by road (139 km).
What is the Best time to Visit Khichan?
Winter is the best time to visit Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Khichan as these lie in desert zone of Rajasthan.
Demoiselle Cranes start arriving as early as August and stay till March. However, November to February is the time when they appear in large numbers.
Where to stay in Khichan?
Kurja Resort in Khichan is the best place to stay. They also organize excellent Desert Safaris and Horse rides.
Other option is to stay in Falodi town. You can directly book all these properties here.