Khimsar Fort

Rajasthan, India

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Khimsar Fort is a 16th‑century Rajput fort near the village of Khinvsar in Nagaur district of Rajasthan, built in 1523 by Rao Karamsiji, the eighth son of Rao Jodha of Jodhpur, and located about halfway between Jodhpur and Nagaur on the eastern edge of the Thar Desert.

The fortress was originally a strategic defensive stronghold and power centre for the Karamsot (Karamsinhji) Rathore clan, and it later became famous as a place where the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb used to stay during his time in Nagaur. The fort’s architecture shows a blend of Rajput and Mughal styles, with thick battle‑scared walls, high turrets, a ladies’ wing (zenana) built in the 18th century, and later additions such as a regal wing by Thakur Onkar Singh in the 1940s.

Today, much of Khimsar Fort operates as the Welcomhotel Khimsar heritage hotel, run by the descendants of the original royal family, while the family still resides in part of the structure, and the fort is recognised with the Grand Heritage Award for Excellence by India’s Department of Tourism. Visitors can explore courtyards, gardens, and a pool, enjoy traditional Rajasthani music and dance, take camel rides on the nearby sand dunes, and watch local artisans at pottery, block‑printing and jewellery workshops, making it a place where royal history, culture and desert landscapes come together.