Know the City
Khimsar is a small township situated on the highway from Jodhpur to
Bikaner. The distance of Khimsar being about 92 km from Jodhpur. Khimsar was
once a small kingdom and the battle scarred walls of the fort bear testimony
to the historical significance of the place. Khimsar is renowned for the 16
th century Khimsar Fort that is situated on the edge of the great Thar
Desert. The village itself is located at the distance of about 6 km from the
Khimsar Fort and is situated amidst seven dunes the circumference of which
is about 8 km. There is a water body in the centre which makes it a complete
oasis in the desert. You can access this village either on a jeep, camel or
horse. The bunch of huts look exactly like a local village locally known as
'dhanis'. The sand dunes are the perfect backdrop whereas the water body
lies right in front of the huts providing that perfect view. The climate of
Khimsar is an extreme one having hot summers and extremely cold winters.
Go There For
Of course Khimsar is known for its fort-
Khimsar Fort -
which has also been turned into a heritage hotel. The architecture of the
fort is a heterogeneous one. The structures in the initial stages were built
mainly keeping the war in the mind but later construction began with
residential purposes also. A new section was constructed for the ladies of
the royal household. You can still see the finely carved windows in stone
that were constructed to provide the veil to the ladies. But don't let the
fort take your eyes off from the other attractions such as
Umaid
Bhawan Palace,
Mahendragarh Fort,
Jaswant
Thada and
Mandore Gardens. You can use Khimsar as a
starting point to explore the surrounding areas of
Nagaur
as the road network of Khimsar with other important tourism attractions such
as Jodhpur, Bikaner and Nagaur is excellent. Jodhpur is the largest city in
the Marwar region and a famous tourist destination.
People and Culture
The languages that are spoken here are Rajasthani, Hindi and English.
Rajasthani is the most popular language and has four dialects - Marwari,
Jaipuri, Malwi and Mewati. The culture is in sync with the rest of
Rajasthan. The dance forms of the place are famous not only across India but
also throughout the world. The energy that you see in the dances here can
hardly be seen anywhere else. The folk musicians are in their element with
their songs singing paeans to the valour of the Rajputs along with the
tragedies that they faced. The place is expectedly a Rajput bastion.
Feasting and Celebration
From Khimsar you can join the festivities at the Nagaur festival which is
held every year between January and February. It is basically a cattle fair
and the volumes of the cattle traded are astounding. The festive spirit here
gets a boost with the additional activities such as tug of war, camel and
bullock races, folk music and dances etc. The red chilly market which is set
up within the fair complex is one of the largest in Asia. The Nagaur
Festival is organized by the Department of Animal Husbandry along with the
Department of Tourism, Rajasthan.
