Choki Dhani ~ Jaipur

On my recent blog post in my India travels series, I wrote about my trip to Jaipur, one of the highlights of the trip was to Choki Dhani, a rural village setting decorated with traditional artefacts and furnishings and serving Rajasthani cuisine in a very authentic and homely way.

 We enjoyed the village atmosphere and the Rajasthani ambience which was created by performances of traditional Rajasthani dance.

The dancers balanced stacks of pots on their heads whilst standing on steel tumblers. the sheer balancing and dancing to rhythm was mesmerising.

The Melody and tunes orchestrated by Rajastani musical instruments was very authentic and folklore musicians were really good as they performed folk songs .

There were many stalls selling ethnic wear, hand crafted bags, shoes and regional mirror work clothing. We particularly liked the fact that many old trades of carving, weaving,  printing etc were showcased at Choki Dhani, not only did it give tourists like our selves an insight to these fascinated trades but it also kept the livelihood of these tradesmen alive.

 At Choki Dhani we were able to see the art of carving printing blocks by local artisans and later saw the blocks being used to print fabric with fabric dyes. The designs were intricate and beautiful.

We were able to participate in making our own pot using a hand turned pottery wheel. It was wonderful to see that the age old art of pottery was being promoted and kept alive.

Lakh (glass) bangle making  and handmade glass jewellery was also on show at this place. The glass beads were hand made as were the Lac (glass )bangles bangles.

Jaipur is well known for its thread work embroidery, mirror work on bags and clothing and also for hand weaved rugs. The beautiful and colorful rugs were each hand weaved as the weaver laboriously weaved thread after thread to make intricate designs on the hand loom.

There were many stalls where you could sample Rajastani snacks and cuisine, and participate in magic shows, and join in some Rajasthani games also.

Finally to complete our experience we enjoyed a wonderful Rasthani Thali (platter of food) at the Choki Dhani restaurant which again was an experience in itself. After being grandly escorted like VIP guests to the courtyard restaurant we were invited to sit on the floor cross legged on plush cushions.

The waiters served a large selection of traditional Rajasthani cuisine on banana leaf plates and bowls set on low tables. We adorned Rajasthani turbans as we enjoyed our food.

The food was delicious and plentiful and it just kept coming, It was indeed a rich gastronomical experience and one I WILL NEVER FORGET!!!

Guests can also check in and stay at the Choki Dhani resort, which I believe is magnificent , however we already had our rooms booked at the Hilton and so did not have the opportunity to stay there. If you want to see and experience an authentic Rajasthani cultural experience, I would highly recommend a visit to Choki Dhani.

To read about my other posts in the India Travels series see the links below.

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