Hathi Gaon Jaipur

Hathigaon (or elephant village) is situated at the foothill of the Amber Palace and Fort near Jaipur. Elephant Safari has been one of the most preferred activities among the tourists visiting Jaipur. For that reason, Hathi Gaon, the Elephant Village gained popularity in the recent past.

A housing project for Mahouts (care-takers) and their elephants, Hathigaon (or elephant village) is situated at the foothill of the Amber Palace and Fort near Jaipur. The design strategy first involved structuring the landscape that had been devastated by its use as a sand quarry by local sand suppliers, to create a series of water bodies to harvest the rain runoff, as this is the most crucial resource in the desert climate of Rajasthan. With the water resources in place, an extensive tree plantation program was carried out together with seeding the site to propagate local species.

The water body was a critical component of the design, as it also facilitated the bonding between the mahout and elephant, through the process of bathing – an important ritual both for the health of the elephant as well as their attachment to their keeper. The housing units are organized in clusters and situated on portions of the site that are not used for the landscape regeneration. Courtyards and pavilions supplement the otherwise small spaces that are allocated in the budget for this essentially low-income housing project. The site planning thus employed a system of clusters to created shared community space at different hierarchies to build a sense of community among the inhabitants.

The challenges of working through the bureaucracy in a project sponsored by the Government and executed by the Public Works Department were overcome by focusing on the landscape and using the precious resource of water as the central instrument around which decisions were facilitated. This was a humbling experience, as clearly the lives of the inhabitants, and what was crucial for their needs, were privileged in the budgets with the investment in architecture being minimal. The intent in the design was to leave room for the inhabitants (both in terms of basic spatial configurations thorough employing open sky private spaces and the minimal finishes) to transform their own homes incrementally and appropriate them through visual transformations over time.

Rajasthan the land of royals and the land of fairs and festivals attracts the visitors from across the world. The state is a perfect tourist destination for people who want to make their trip memorable and unforgettable. The state offers many adventurous and thrilling activities like Camel Safari amidst the sand dunes of the desert areas and Wildlife safari in the national parks of Ranthambore. The state is home to many alluring cities lie the city of Lake Udaipur, golden city Jaisalmer, pink city Jaipur, sun city Jodhpur, holy city Pushkar, only hill station Mount Abu and the desert city Bikaner.

Rajasthan is famous for its grand and majestic palaces that narrate the tales of the glorious past and that can be best covered with Fort and Palaces Tour Packages. Amer fort perched on hilltop, City Palace reflecting grandeur of Jaipur, Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, City Palace, Monsoon Palace in the city of Lakes Udaipur, Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur and Jaisalmer Fort in Jaisalmer are some of the fort and palace attractions of Rajasthan. The state is famous for its heritage hotels which were earlier residence of royal family members but now are converted into the heritage hotels. Some of the heritage hotels of Rajasthan are Umaid Bhawan Palace which is divided into three parts and the three parts serve as heritage hotel, museum, and royal residence respectively, Royal wedding, and Rajasthan Cookery classes which takes the visitors in the bygone era. Rajasthan is land of diverse culture which still has the touch of royalty, history, ethnicity, and vibrancy. The various Jaipur Wax Museum are organized like Palace which takes the visitors on the royal and splendid journey giving the glimpse of the lifestyle of Maharajas of bygone. The Special tour of Rajasthan gives an opportunity to get a glimpse of the exotic places along with the music, art, craft and delicious cuisines of Rajasthan.