Khichan

Khichan is a village in Rajasthan state of India. It is located in the Phalodi tehsil of Jodhpur district. The village is known for a large number of demoiselle cranes that visit it every winter. This annual bird migration began with around a hundred cranes in the 1970s, when a local couple started feeding pigeons. Other villagers joined their efforts, and as of 2014, Khichan now hosts over 20,000 demoiselle cranes from as early as August each year to as late as March of the following year.DemographicsAccording to the 2011 census of India, the population of the village is 7025, including 3729 males and 3296 females. The village is home to 1190 families.The village has a number of Marwari Jain families. Sthanakvasi Jain monks Prakashchand (leader of Gyan Gutch sampradaya) and Uttamchand (leader of Samrath Gutch sampradaya) were born in this village.TransportKhichan is a desert village located 150 km west of Jodhpur city. The nearest town is Phalodi, 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 broad gauge line of the Delhi- Jaisalmer and Bikaner - Jaisalmer train route. There are three trains from Jodhpur and three from Jaisalmer. A direct train also runs from Delhi. Jodhpur is the nearest airport and from there the village is well connected by road (139 km). Bikaner(156 km. towards north), Nagaur (145 km in east) and Jaisalmer (165 km in west) are also connected to the village. The Pakistan Border is about 100 km away. National Highway No.15 skirts towards Phalodi.