Khimsar, a Rathore fort and a village in the dunes

A son of Rao Jodha and his fort

• The fort: built in 1523 at Khimsar, which local people also spell Khinvsar.
• The Karamsots: his descendants are named after him, and they have held Khimsar ever since.
• Seat of a thikana: the estate of a Rajput noble who owed loyalty and soldiers to the ruler in Jodhpur.
• The thakur's role: he settled disputes, collected the share of the harvest, kept the wells and stood at the head of village life.
• Old seats, new hotels: our journal explains a rawla and a thikana, and how families like this one made their seats into some of Rajasthan's most personal hotels.
• Between two great forts: Khimsar lay on the road between Mehrangarh in Jodhpur and Ahhichatragarh in Nagaur, and armies and governors passed through.
• An emperor's stay: the fort's own history records that Aurangzeb stayed here when he was in the Nagaur region.
• Fort into house: over the centuries the family added wings and courtyards, and the old defensive fort slowly became a home.
• After Independence: like most of the old nobility, the family lost its estates and powers, and opened the fort to guests to keep it standing.
• Today: one of the best-loved heritage hotels in western Rajasthan, and the family's connection to the town is still close.

Inside the fort

• Reading the building: our guide to reading Rajasthani architecture explains these elements.
• Old fort rooms: thick walls against the heat, old furniture, family photographs and small windows over the town.
• The newer wings: built around gardens and a pool, lighter and more spacious, and better for families.
• Sleep high: ask for a room near the ramparts. Ask us which suits you.
• Sunset on the ramparts: cows coming home, the call to prayer and the temple bells at the same moment, children flying kites from the roofs.
• Beyond the walls: farmland running out into scrub and the first low dunes of the Thar.

The dune village

• Around them: nothing but sand, khejri trees and sky.
• Split the stay: a night in the fort for the history and the ramparts, and a night in the dunes for the silence.
• Dune evenings: a fire with folk musicians.
• Dune mornings: tea on the sand while the light comes up over the desert.
• Only one night: we arrange sunset on the dunes and dinner back at the fort.
• Not Sam: these are not the great sand seas of Sam near Jaisalmer, with their crowds of day-trippers.
• Gentle dunes: rolling sand at the desert's eastern edge, with villages close by and very few visitors, which is exactly what makes them special.
• What to expect: read our piece on a night in a desert camp.

How the desert village lives

• The fields: bajra, pearl millet, and moth beans in the monsoon, then bare and golden for much of the year.
• The khejri, almost family: its pods (sangri) are dried and cooked with ker berries, its leaves feed goats and camels, its wood is never cut green, and its roots hold the sand.
• Wealth on four legs: goats, sheep, cows and camels, and the white Nagauri bullocks of this district, famous as fast trotters, are prized across Rajasthan.
• Many communities: Rajput families, Jat and Bishnoi farmers, Raika herders, potters, leatherworkers, and the Manganiyar and Langha musicians who sang for patrons at every birth and wedding.
• Reading dress: bright odhnis, white dhotis, huge coloured turbans, silver anklets and bangles all signal family and community to those who know how to read them.
• How we visit: small groups only, to families happy to welcome visitors.
• Hospitality: you may be offered tea brewed with milk and sugar over a dung fire, or a fresh bajra roti with butter. Accept it if you can.
• No handouts: don't give sweets, pens or money to children. If you want to support a village, we will tell you how.
• Go further: our Village Rajasthan journey and rural homestays.

Blackbuck, chinkara and desert birds

• Their story: our piece on Bishnoi conservation.
• Chinkara: the small, graceful Indian gazelle prefers rougher scrub and dunes, and is harder to see.
• Nilgai: the big blue-grey antelope wander the farmland.
• At dusk: desert foxes and jackals come out, and peacocks call from the trees around the fort.
• Winter migrants: larks and wheatears on bare ground, harriers quartering the fields.
• Sandgrouse: in good years, flocks come in to drink at first light.
• A morning jeep drive: with a naturalist and binoculars, one of the best things to do here.
• How we drive: at a distance, slowly on village tracks, never chasing anything for a photograph. Our jeep safari in the Thar explains more.

Slow things to do at Khimsar

A Marwari table

• The great vegetable dish: our ker sangri piece explains it.
• Laal maas: mutton fiery with red chillies.
• Safed maas: cooked gently in a white sauce of cream and ground nuts.
• Game, once: the old speciality of these kitchens. Today the same spices go into mutton and chicken.
• Family recipes: ask for a dinner of them and the cooks will be delighted.
• Nagauri methi: Nagaur district, of which Khimsar is part, is famous across India for this fragrant fenugreek, dried and sold as kasuri methi. You'll taste it in the curries and parathas.
• To finish: churma, crumbled wheat fried in ghee with sugar, or lapsi, a broken-wheat pudding made for celebrations.

Where to stay at Khimsar

Places to combine with Khimsar

When to come to Khimsar

• April to June: severe heat with dusty afternoon winds. The thick walls and the pool help, but we plan only very early and very late outings.
• July to September: dramatic storms, a quick green flush to the fields, and farmers sowing their bajra.
• The Nagaur Cattle Fair: the great event of the district, about 42 kilometres away. See our Nagaur Cattle Fair page.
• Its other name: the fair is also called the Ramdev Pashu Mela, after the folk deity Baba Ramdev.
• At the fair: thousands of camels, bullocks and horses traded, and a fairground of herders, music and stalls.
• A calm base: Khimsar is lovely for a day at the fair.
• In town: Diwali, Holi and the spring festival of Gangaur are celebrated with warmth.

Getting to Khimsar

• To Bikaner: via Nagaur and the Karni Mata temple at Deshnoke.
• To Jaipur: by way of Merta and Ajmer.
• Our journey: Khimsar slots into our desert triangle journey, between Jodhpur and Bikaner.
• Each leg: our guide to road distances and drive times.

Two days at Khimsar

• The third morning: continue to Nagaur and Bikaner, or return to Jodhpur.
• With an extra night: add the Nagaur fort or a day at the cattle fair.

Is Khimsar right for you

• Families: love the space, the pool, the camels and the animals.
• Older travellers: appreciate the short drives and gentle pace.
• The curious: in a single day meet a farming family, see how rain is stored, watch blackbuck beside a village that has protected them for centuries, and hear hereditary musicians.
• What cities can't show: that side of the state, for all their glories.
• Less good for: travellers who need constant activity, fine dining every night or shopping. Outside the hotel there is little in the way of restaurants or boutiques.
• The alternative: keep Jodhpur as your base and give Khimsar a single night on the way to Bikaner.
• High summer: unless you love heat, choose somewhere else entirely.

What we tell friends before Khimsar

• Binoculars and a scarf: for blackbuck and birds, and to keep sand out of your face on the dunes.
• In villages: ask before taking photographs, especially of women, and accept tea if it is offered.
• No handouts: don't give sweets, pens or money to children. Ask us if you'd like to support a school or a family.
• In temples: cover shoulders and knees, and remove shoes at every shrine.
• For quiet lovers: if you want nightlife or big monuments every day, stay in Jodhpur and give Khimsar one night only.