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458:, Ratanlal and his wife accepted the task. 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
462:
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
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The cranes fly in different directions in small family flocks, in a disciplined order led by the female, followed closely by two young ones with the male forming the rear guard. Again, during mid day, they assemble for a drink, followed by an occasional bath, and a second feed. Acrobatic exhibition
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home"), 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
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Currently, the daily feed of the birds is managed by Pakshi
Chuggha Ghar of A. B. Khichan Jain Shree Sangh. Donations by locals and tourists support the cause. Previously, monetary donations from local people and visitors were managed by Kuraj Samrakshan Vikas Sansthan, a society established in
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chugga ghar's, where they have a breakfast session which lasts for about 90 minutes. They are fed in groups, one after the other. Their flights, in the setting of the conventional mansions (some of them are heritage buildings being converted to tourist lodges) of the village, present brilliant
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In 2008, it was estimated that up to 3,000 kilograms (6,600 lb) of bird seed are consumed every day by the feeding birds. In 2010, the number of cranes visiting
Kheechan was estimated at 15,000. The village achieved international recognition when it was featured in
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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.
337:
pigeons. Other villagers joined their efforts, and as of 2014, Khichan now hosts over 30,000 demoiselle cranes from as early as August each year to as late as March of the following year.
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photo-ops for the large number of tourists who flock to the village for bird watching. After feeding, the cranes, in large congregations, are seen at some of the water bodies (
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898:
410:, which is 3.4 km away. Phalodi is a railway station on the broad gauge line and connects all important towns in Rajasthan. Phalodi Railway station lies on the
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of mutual affection between couples is also seen. They roost in far away agriculture fields and return to the same water bodies next day, early in the morning.
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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
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that visit it every winter. This annual bird migration began with around a hundred cranes in the 1970s, when a local couple started
683:
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860:
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454:, returned to the village. Since he did not have a lot of work, his uncle gave him the job of feeding pigeons. Being devout
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magazine in an article titled, "Khichan - the
Demoiselle Crane village". It has now become popular among bird watchers.
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The cranes fly into specially created rectangular enclosures of 50x60m, at the edge of the village, called locally as
361:, the population of the village is 7025, including 3729 males and 3296 females. The village is home to 1190 families.
92:
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834:
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Khichan for crane protection and care. The Marwar Crane
Foundation (MCF) also supports the villagers' efforts.
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438:(145 km in east) and Jaisalmer (165 km in west) are also connected to the village. The
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is the nearest airport and from there the village is well connected by road (139 km).
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383:) and Uttamchandji (leader of Samrath Gutch sampradaya) were born in this village.
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Border is about 100 km away. National
Highway No.15 skirts towards Phalodi.
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In the 1970s, Ratanlal Maloo, a native of
Khichan who had been working in
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757:"The Hindu : Other States News : Desert turns birds' paradise"
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and
Bikaner - Jaisalmer train route. There are three trains from
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and three from
Jaisalmer. A direct train also runs from Delhi.
680:"Maps, Weather, Videos, and Airports for Khichan, India"
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Khichan is a desert village located 150 km west of
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are the other dominant birds seen around the cranes.
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dynesty. The village is known for a large number of
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861:"Bird watching Indian Birds Birdwatching India"
379:Jain monks Prakashchand (leader of Gyan Gutch
660:. Directorate of Census Operations, Rajasthan
8:
831:"Demoiselle Cranes - the Royalty of Khichan"
633:(in Hindi). RAJASTHANI GRANTHAGAR, JODHPUR.
710:"The hand that fed the cranes in Rajasthan"
847:Demoiselle Cranes - The Royalty of Khichan
20:
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899:Tourist attractions in Jodhpur district
820:Birding Magazine Volume 14, no. 3, 2001
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814:: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
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708:Gangadharan Menon (4 September 2011).
47:Milestone at level crossing of Khichan
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217:
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7:
655:"District Census Handbook: Jodhpur"
732:"The Demoiselle Cranes of Khichan"
14:
837:from the original on 3 March 2016
765:. 19 October 2008. Archived from
686:from the original on 3 March 2016
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164:
98:
91:
65:
58:
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730:Pfister, Otto (December 1996).
609:(bird-feeding house) in Khichan
484:Daily routine of Khichan cranes
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66:
434:(156 km. towards north),
1:
894:Villages in Jodhpur district
779:Desert turns birds’ paradise
564:flying on the sky at Khichan
364:The village has a number of
79:Location in Rajasthan, India
18:Village in Rajasthan, India
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631:Rajpurohit Jaati ka Itihas
406:city. The nearest town is
499:to the north of Khichan.
314:. It was one of the main
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40:
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629:Singh, Prahalad (1978).
232:219 m (719 ft)
306:. It is located in the
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255: • Official
82:Show map of Rajasthan
535:The congregation of
373:Akherajot Rajpurohit
359:2011 census of India
140: /
769:on 3 November 2012
736:Oriental Bird Club
400:
355:
242: • Total
537:demoiselle cranes
512:Support community
446:Demoiselle cranes
357:According to the
331:demoiselle cranes
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219: • Body
144:27.135°N 72.415°E
115:Show map of India
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863:. Archived from
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792:. Archived from
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562:Demoiselle crane
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312:Phalodi district
298:is a village in
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796:on 3 March 2016
790:"Archived copy"
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112:Khichan (India)
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867:on 8 July 2008
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308:Phalodi tehsil
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149:27.135; 72.415
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640:9789390179060
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478:Birding World
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283:ISO 3166 code
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125:Coordinates:
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869:. Retrieved
865:the original
839:. Retrieved
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798:. Retrieved
794:the original
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771:. Retrieved
767:the original
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739:. Retrieved
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688:. Retrieved
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664:25 September
662:. Retrieved
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469:bird feeding
464:
459:
449:
414:line of the
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397:autorickshaw
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341:Demographics
319:
295:
294:
15:
741:11 February
607:chugga ghar
465:chugga ghar
412:broad gauge
377:Sthanakvasi
325:during the
323:Rajpurohits
147: /
888:Categories
871:21 October
841:21 October
800:21 October
773:21 October
690:21 October
616:References
497:sand dunes
381:sampradaya
375:families.
353:in Khichan
237:Population
214:Government
135:72°24′54″E
132:27°08′06″N
762:The Hindu
420:Jaisalmer
387:Transport
320:Akherajot
302:state of
300:Rajasthan
266:Time zone
250:Languages
229:Elevation
223:Panchayat
184:Rajasthan
835:Archived
810:cite web
684:Archived
440:Pakistan
351:jharokha
271:UTC+5:30
191:District
28:Kheechan
877:Khichan
521:Gallery
501:Peafowl
432:Bikaner
428:Jodhpur
424:Jodhpur
408:Phalodi
404:Jodhpur
366:Marwari
335:feeding
327:Rathore
296:Khichan
259:Marwari
208:Phalodi
196:Phalodi
160:Country
106:Khichan
73:Khichan
35:village
25:Khichan
637:
495:) and
452:Odisha
436:Nagaur
203:Tehsil
169:
658:(PDF)
493:ponds
460:kurja
416:Delhi
316:jagir
304:India
288:RJ-IN
245:7,025
179:State
172:India
873:2008
843:2008
816:link
802:2008
775:2008
743:2017
692:2008
666:2015
635:ISBN
456:Jain
371:and
369:Jain
714:DNA
395:An
318:of
310:of
275:IST
890::
852:^
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812:}}
808:{{
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722:^
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605:A
467:("
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349:A
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273:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
