A fort for five villages
The clan: the Kumpawats are a branch of the Rathores named after Rao Kumpa, remembered in Marwar as one of its greatest generals. Their estates were scattered across the Jodhpur kingdom.
The builder: in 1744 Rao Puranmal of the Kumpawat Rathores built the fort as the seat of the Chandelao thikana, a noble estate that owed soldiers and loyalty to Jodhpur in return for its land.
- Built
- 1744
- Builder
- Rao Puranmal, a Kumpawat Rathore
- Estate
- The Chandelao thikana, five villages
- Owed loyalty to
- The rulers of Jodhpur
- Clan founder
- Rao Kumpa, a famed Marwar general
- The estate: Chandelao governed five villages. The thakur settled disputes, collected the harvest share and kept the wells, and the fort was court, granary and family home in one.
- The age: the fort went up in the middle of the eighteenth century, a turbulent time in Marwar, when the Mughal empire was weakening and the Rajput states were fighting among themselves.
- After 1947: like every thikana, Chandelao lost its lands and revenue after Independence. The fort slowly declined while the family looked for a way to keep it.
How the family brought it back
Thakur Praduman Singh, a descendant of Rao Kumpa, watched the family fort decline for years. In the mid-1990s he decided to restore it, a job that took about two years, and opened it to guests. He added no new buildings. Everything you stay in is the old fort, repaired and lived in again.
Still the family's house: the next generation now runs much of the hotel. The son of the house often cooks for guests, and his wife is closely involved with the craft centre next door.
- Old rooms, new purpose: guest rooms are in the original men's quarters, the mardana, and in the former stables, with thick stone walls that keep out the summer heat.
- No additions: the family chose to work within the historic buildings, so the scale is small and the proportions are those of an eighteenth-century village fort.
- A deliberate simplicity: there are no televisions and no piped music. Evenings are for conversation, the courtyard and the sky.
- One of a family of stays: Chandelao belongs to the same tradition as Rohet Garh and Khimsar Fort, noble houses of Marwar that survived by welcoming guests.
Inside the fort
The courtyards: life moves between open courtyards and shady verandas, as it always did. The courtyard rooms keep old family portraits and small sitting areas.
The dalechi: look up for the upper-floor latticed gallery, where the women of the household once watched events in the courtyard below without being seen. It is the architectural highlight of the house.
- The stable rooms: the old stables, with their massive stone walls, now hold guest rooms. They are cool, quiet and full of character.
- Rooms vary: every room is different in size and feel. Tell us whether you want a courtyard room or something quieter, and we will ask the family.
- Old-house quirks: expect steps, uneven floors and patchy wifi. If anyone in your party has limited mobility, tell us before we book.
- Learn the words: our journal pieces on what a jharokha is and rawlas and thikanas explain the screened windows and the estates you will see.
The village is the point
Unscripted walks: someone from the fort walks you through the lanes, the fields and the small village temples. Nothing is staged, and what you see depends on the day.
Who you meet: farmers, potters, herders and shopkeepers. Many families have known the fort's family for generations, and you will be greeted everywhere.
- The fields: in the monsoon, fields of bajra, pearl millet, and pulses. In a good winter, wheat and mustard where there is water, turning the land green and yellow.
- The water: look for the round tankas, covered underground tanks that store monsoon rain for the dry months. Water shapes every part of desert life.
- Tea and courtesy: accept tea if it is offered, ask before photographing anyone, especially women, and never hand out money, sweets or pens to children.
- Bishnoi country nearby: the villages of the Bishnoi, whose faith protects trees and animals, are within reach. Our Bishnoi villages page explains how we visit.
Craft at the gate
Sundarraang: the family's women's craft centre began with a handful of village women and has grown into a collective, with a training programme that brings in new women each year.
The cloth: the fabric is block-printed and hand-dyed, sourced from the printing town of Pipar nearby. Buying here keeps the money in the village.
- Craft centre
- Sundarraang, beside the fort
- Who makes
- A collective of women from the village
- What
- Bags, cushions, garments and home linen
- Cloth from
- Pipar, about 20 km away
- Look for
- The maker's name tag on each piece
- Dabu in Pipar: the printers of Pipar use dabu, a resist technique in which a paste of clay and gum is printed onto cloth before dyeing. We can arrange a workshop visit.
- Why it matters: in a village where paid work for women is scarce, a steady income changes families. This is the kind of craft we are proud to send guests to.
- More on printing: our pages on block printing in Bagru and the block-print buying guide explain how to judge hand-printed cloth.
A fort that runs lightly
Sun power: the fort runs on solar power, which makes sense in a place with sunshine on almost every day of the year.
Rain saved: large underground tankas collect monsoon rain, and grey water is recycled onto the land.
- No single-use plastic: bring a refillable bottle, and the fort will fill it with filtered water.
- Trees planted: through a village trust, the family has planted thousands of native trees around Chandelao.
- People first: the family describes its approach as people, planet and profit, in that order. Most staff come from the village.
- Our part: short showers, reused towels and no rubbish left anywhere. Our page on travelling responsibly sets out how we work.
Dinner with the family
Family-hosted: dinners are hosted by the family, often in the courtyard, and conversation is part of the meal. This is a house, not a dining room.
Jungli maas: ask for jungli maas, the old hunters' dish of mutton cooked simply in ghee with red chillies. The son of the house is known for it.
- The vegetarian table: ker sangri, the desert's dish of dried berries and beans, gatte, gram-flour dumplings in yoghurt curry, kadhi and bajra rotis with white butter.
- Breakfast in Jodhpur: the family can arrange a morning food trail in the city, with mirchi bada, sweet-and-sour samosas and kachori with panchkuta, a mix of five desert ingredients.
- Dietary needs: tell us in advance about Jain, vegan or other needs, and the kitchen will cook for you rather than for a menu.
- Learn more: our food of Jodhpur guide and ker sangri piece explain the dishes and their stories.
Rest, not a spa
What to expect: simple massages can sometimes be arranged, but offerings change, so we check before you travel rather than promising treatments.
- The quiet hours: spend the afternoon heat in a cool room or a shady corner of the courtyard with a book. That is what everyone in the village does.
- Morning yoga: the roof and courtyards are lovely for an early session as the village wakes.
- If a spa matters: pair Chandelao with a stay at Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur. Our spas and Ayurveda page explains the options across Rajasthan.
What to do from Chandelao
A sunset jeep drive
- What happens: an open jeep across the countryside to a rocky viewpoint over the edge of the Thar, with a barbecue as the sun goes down.
- Best months: October to March, when evenings are cool and the light is clear.
Dabu printing in Pipar
- Where: the printing town of Pipar, about 20 kilometres away.
- What you see: printers stamping clay-and-gum resist onto cloth, then dyeing it, often indigo, so that the pattern appears where the paste kept the dye out.
A morning in Jodhpur
- The plan: leave early, walk Mehrangarh at opening time, eat breakfast in the old city and be back for lunch.
- The drive: about an hour each way, so it is an easy day.
Osian and its temples
- Why go: Hindu and Jain temples built between the eighth and twelfth centuries, a hilltop goddess and dunes beyond.
- How: a half-day drive, best in the morning.
The Bishnoi villages
- What you see: blackbuck and chinkara grazing near swept courtyards, protected by the community's faith for over five centuries.
- How we go: in small groups, only to families who welcome visitors. Read about Bishnoi conservation.
When to stay
Winter: warm, bright days and cold nights. Pack a shawl and a warm layer for evenings in the courtyard and on the roof.
Spring: February and March are lovely, with warm days and soft evenings, and the festival of Gangaur brings women's songs to the villages of Marwar.
- Best months
- October to March
- Coldest nights
- December and January
- Hottest months
- April to June
- Monsoon
- July to September
- Festivals
- Diwali, Holi and Gangaur in the village
- Summer: very hot, often above 40°C. Thick walls help, but outings shrink to the first and last hours of the day.
- Monsoon: occasional storms, a brief green flush and farmers sowing bajra. Quiet, humid and rewarding for the curious.
- Planning: our Rajasthan in November guide describes one of the best months for village Marwar.
What most visitors miss
The latticed gallery: most guests walk under the dalechi without looking up. Sit beneath it for a moment and imagine the courtyard from the women's side of the screen.
The stable walls: run a hand along the stone in the old stable rooms. Walls this thick were built for horses worth more than houses.
- How long to allow
- Two nights
- Best hour in the village
- Just after dawn
- Best hour on the roof
- Sunset
- Bring
- Walking shoes, a torch, a shawl
- Early morning in the lanes: the village is busiest just after dawn, when water is fetched, animals are milked and tea is brewed over small fires.
- The name tags: at the craft centre, read the tag on the piece you buy. You may meet its maker on the village walk the next morning.
- The rainwater tanks: ask to see how the tankas fill. In a desert village, how rain is saved explains almost everything else.
- The night sky: with no city glow, winter nights over Chandelao are full of stars. Our stargazing page tells you what to look for.
Who will love it, and who won't
You will love it if: you enjoy people, conversation, craft and seeing how a village really lives, and you don't need a grand bathroom or a long menu.
Repeat visitors: if you have already seen Rajasthan's great palaces, Chandelao shows you the country behind them.
- Families: older children who enjoy walking and animals do well here. Families with toddlers may prefer the space of Bal Samand Lake Palace.
- Not for you if: you want a full-service spa, a bar, room service at midnight or a lavish palace interior. Choose Umaid Bhawan or RAAS Jodhpur instead.
- Not for a single rushed night: arriving at dusk and leaving at dawn wastes it. The village walk is the reason to come.
- Compare: our guide to luxury hotels in Jodhpur sets Chandelao beside the city's palaces and the other village forts.
How Chandelao fits our journeys
After Jodhpur: two nights in the city, then two at Chandelao, gives you Mehrangarh first and the countryside after.
On the road east: Chandelao lies north-east of Jodhpur, so it fits journeys heading towards Pushkar, Ajmer or Jaipur.
- Village journeys: it suits our Village Rajasthan journey and our offbeat Rajasthan ideas as an alternative to Rohet or Khimsar.
- Craft lovers: our textile and craft trail can add Chandelao and the printers of Pipar.
- Combine with: a family haveli such as Ajit Bhawan in Jodhpur, for a noble family's town house and then its country cousin.
Getting there
From the airport: we meet you at Jodhpur arrivals and drive you out, usually in about an hour.
- From Jodhpur
- About 40 km, roughly an hour
- Nearest airport
- Jodhpur (JDH), about an hour
- Direction
- North-east of Jodhpur, via Banar
- Pipar
- About 20 km away
- Last stretch
- Village roads
- From Jaipur: about five to six hours by road, often broken at Pushkar or Ajmer.
- Planning: our guide to road distances and drive times helps plan each leg.
What we tell friends before they stay
Stay two nights: one for arriving and one for the village.
Dress simply: cover shoulders and knees in the village and temples, and remove shoes where asked.
- Buy at the craft centre: it is the best souvenir you will find in Marwar, and you will know who made it.
- Bring a torch: village lanes are dark at night, and the stars are better without lights.
- Linger at dinner: the family's stories are part of the stay.
- Tip once: at the end, through the common staff box, so everyone is included. Our money and tipping guide explains what is usual.