A week before I landed in Jodhpur, I was on a hunt for recommendations: of the best street food spots, sights to see, and bazaars to visit. I was not disappointed. Passionate members of a city-based ‘thindi’ WhatsApp group sent meticulously drafted Excel sheets and lists that almost tailor-made my itinerary.
Sheru, the furry host at Chandelao Garh
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Armed with these recos, I arrived in Jodhpur on a warm Saturday afternoon all set to head to Chandelao, a village located an hour away, for the weekend. The car made its way through the village before I reached Chandelao Garh, an ancestral home transformed into a boutique heritage hotel by owner Praduman Singh. Here, I was first welcomed by the team’s furry hosts Sheru and Pluto, and then Praduman’s son Veer Singh and daughter-in-law Yashodhara Chauhan.
A room in the ‘mardana’ quarters of Chandelao Garh
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
After serving as the ancestral home of the Kumpawat Rathores for centuries, Praduman opened the doors of Chandelao Garh to the world in 1997 (after a careful restoration in 1995) to offer guests an immersive experience of the region. The first guests, he says, was an adventurous Australian biker gang on a pan-India tour. The property has 21 rooms that were former ‘mardana’ (men’s quarters), and stables.
A room at Chandelao Garh
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
A cobblestoned path lined with bougainvilleas and jaal trees leads me to a ‘courtyard’ room that once housed the family’s horses. Retaining the earthy charm of the original structure, the room features stone walls that hold old family portraits, a spacious bed, and a sitting area.
Beyond hospitality
The property aside, the team helms several social initiatives in the region. The flagship being Sunder Rang, a craft-first programme that offers local women skill development, employment, and profit-sharing. What started with five women has now grown into a 35-women collective, and these artisans craft bags, apparel, coasters, and home decor using hand-dyed material sourced locally from Pipar, a town close to Jodhpur.
The family also oversees a reforestation project, and in partnership with their parent NGO, Chandelao Vikas Sansthan, they have undertaken large-scale reforestation efforts in village common lands. They say over 3,000 trees were planted in 2025, and the focus has been on native species that require minimal watering. These initiatives aside, education and community development measures by way of constructing school toilets, conducting privately organised teacher training programmes, to name a few, are also ongoing.
For guests, there is a range of experiences on offer. Choose a jeep safari to explore the countryside, a bird watching expedition to the Olvi Lake, a sunset safari and desert barbeque, a trip to Pipar Bazaar, and Mehrangarh Fort. My top picks? A dinner with the family on the rooftop — where Veer made jangli maas (savoured by all non-vegetarians), and the meal ended with a delicious gajar ka halwa made by Yashodhara’s grandmother — and a tour of Jodhpur led by Veer.
(L-R) Panchkutta kachori; gulab jamun sabzi, rasmalai sabzi, and dal fry at Shandar Sweet Home; and rabri ladoos
| Photo Credit:
Nidhi Adlakha
The latter includes a breakfast walk, and so, with my questionable photography skills and raging appetite, we arrived in Old City’s sleeping streets at 7am to kickstart the day with piping hot, crisp, noodle-thin jalebis at Motu Jalebi, a family-run shop that has been around for over 50 years. We walk this off by visiting the stepwell, ghantaghar (clock tower), and circle back for some delicious kachori panchkutta (a traditional Rajasthani vegetable made with ker, sangri, kumatia, gunda, and amchur) at Solanki Mishtaan Bhandar. We quickly washed this down with tea, and breakfast continued to include khatta-meetha samosas at Shahi Samosa, and mirchi bada at Surya Namkeen. Unlike chaat streets in other cities, there are no chutneys offered anywhere. “You eat the snacks as-is to get their flavour,” a shopkeeper tells me.
An aerial shot of Meherangarh Fort, Jodhpur, Rajasthan at twilight.
| Photo Credit:
halbergman
We then headed to Mehrangarh Fort (pro tip: opt for the audio guide), a stunning hilltop fortress that is now maintained by the Mehrangarh Museum Trust. For lunch, we paused at Shandar Sweet Home to savour a traditional Jodhpuri lunch: gulab jamun sabzi, rasmalai sabzi, a Kabuli pulao with fruits and cashews, flake (papad), and dahi bada with vadas dunked in thick, creamy sweet curd and cut fruits. And no, we were still not done. Braving the now bustling streets of Old City, we ended the tour with melt-in-your-mouth rabri ladoos, rabri ghewar, and mava kachoris at Mohanji Mithaiwala
Chandelao Garh
| Photo Credit:
Nidhi Adlakha
.The day ended with a traditional Rajasthani dinner of ker sangri and parathas, and a barbeque, overlooking the arid Thar Desert. With full hearts and abigger belly, I was glad to fly home with everything on that borrowed Excel sheet ticked off.
The writer was in Jodhpur at the invitation of Chandelao Garh
Published – March 09, 2026 11:44 am IST
