Chokhi Dhani is an 18-acre ethnic village resort located near Jaipur, Rajasthan. It was designed to resemble a typical rural Rajasthani village, with mud and thatch huts, temples, shops, and entertainment spaces laid out in a radial pattern around a central restaurant and banquet hall. The resort includes over 30 huts, 8 luxury suites, and conference/dining facilities. Local materials like stone, mud, bamboo, and terracotta tiles were used, and the village atmosphere is enhanced with traditional performances, shops, rides, and landscaping. The goal was to preserve rural Rajasthani culture while providing modern amenities.

1. LITERATURE STUDY
CHOKHI DHANI – ETHNIC RESORT
SYMBOLISM
chokhi dhani is “A placid complex begetting a panoramic countryside view.”
Chokhi Dhani, an ethnic village resort with a blend of rustic environment and modern amenities
making it an important destination in Pink city.
Chokhi Dhani Resort literally meaning the "Fine Hamlet" is a 5 star Ethnic resort, the only one of its
kind in the country. With quaint mud & thatch dwellings set in sprawling acreage of land, it has 65
cottages, 8 Haveli Suits, 2 Conferences Halls, Chaupal, Chandi Mahal Bar and Bindola Multi-cuisine
restaurant.
LOCATION
The site is on the outskirts of Jaipur,
located on Jaipur- Tonk highway, 6 kms.
GENERAL INFORMATION
from the airport and 18 kms. from the city centre.
•Designer:
Prof. Chinmay Mehta, Jaipur
•Total area:
18 Acres
•Cost:
1.30 crores (approx.)
•Year of completion: Phase I 1992
Phase II 1995
The site layout depicts a typical village plan with hierarchy of spaces:
Focally placed village head i.e. thakur’s haveli with luxury amenities (kund and bar)
nearby. Then the rest of the village huts spreading all around.
Even the entrance gate is planned borrowing form of toran dwar with a typical warm
village reception of tilak, arti and nagara.
•The resort consists of about 30 hut shaped houses while eight rooms of the nearby
Shekhawati haveli have modern facilities.
•Kotari, the reception
hall has a mud-plastered
floor and bamboo-net
ceiling with paintings.
•Mandali or the conference hall has
elegantly carved 'munshiji' desks, mattresses
and masnads (round cylindrical pillows).
SITE
Site covers an area of 18 acres, of which a
five acre land is earmarked for future projects
. It has been divided into two parts: the first is
meant for a resort (for the tourists stay) while
the other caters to the needs of day-today visitors.
•Sajjan Goth The banquet hall can accommodate
hundred persons at a time.
The Concept Chokhi Dhani is a concept to join the
•Bakhari Slightly descending from
the ground level is a square shaped
cocktail bar with its machan on the
second floor. It has four decorated
underground spaces made of wood
and bamboo
rajasthani tribes from the world.
real Rajasthan is still there in villages, the paintings..., art Bani
Thani..., the wall decorations..., the cow dung plaster..., the pure
food..., the fresh air..., the evening performances, the enthusiasm,
the 'manuhar' (mouthful catering), the traditions, the costumes
and at last but not least the feelings.
At Chokhi the aim is to preserve and encourage the village art and
culture, to get today's generation closer to their past, to change
the philosophy of world about indian village culture
A place which is not too far to reach, situated on a national
highway but still with a peace. A place where you and your family
love to come again and again...
They have collected real villagers from nearby villages for servicing,
performers from tribal areas, best cooks from royal palaces and
nawabs and artisans from all over rajasthan. Our main architect
visit nearby villages, havelis and palaces before starting here.
R.SHYAMALA
•Kund a large rectangular shaped
pool with umbrellas at the corners
serves as a swimming pool.
A cluster of huts encircles the centrally
erected restaurant and banquet hall,
with streets on both sides leading
towards the haveli.The open space near
the kund becomes a dining space for parties.
•Kabootarkhana Adjacent to the 'Ganesha' temple is the pigeon-house, where pigeons
assemble in thousands.
ETHNIC
VILLAGE
@DWARKA

2. LITERATURE STUDY
COMPONENTS
Entrance Gate &
Guard Room
Panwari Hut
Car Parking
Ganesh Temple
Welcome Beat
(Nagara)
Bird Cage
Rabbit Cage
Soft Drink Counter
Sugar Candi
Hut
Jaisalmer Ki Dhani
Dry Veg. Shop
Bhopa Bhopi
Sangri Restaurant Bioscope
Chaupar Restaurant Kalbeliya Dance
Lawn
Stage
Marriage Stage
Bird Astrologer
Office Hut
Stage for Dance
Hut for Henna Wali Camel & Bullock
Puppet Shows
Cart Rides
Museum
Chaupal
Studio
Panghat
Resorts and cottages
Hanuman Temple
Open Air Theater
Astrologer
Mewar Ki Dhani
Slippery (5 Mall)
Shopping Arcade
(Haat Bazaar)
Merry-go-round
(Jhula)
Toilet Block
Maze (Bhul-
Bhulaya)
Snake & Ladder
Slippery (Big)
Veer Tejaji Temple
Dragon Cave
Machan (Watch
Tower)
Oil Expeller
Rope Balancing
Rath Khana
Nag Kanya
Boating Shed
Shiva Temple
Lake
Bridge
2nd Cave & Water
Falls
Jungle Theme
•Chakki
•hal
•bamboo
bridge
•lanterns
•chakkas
•potteries
•cots
•well
•chabutaras
(platform)
•aalias
(nooks) for
deepaks.
ENHANCING ELEMENTS
Kesar Kyari :: The Bar-be-que
With its ceilings studded with over 100,000
mirrors, silver and lacquer work bead curtains,
green marble floors and victorian furniture,
the Chandi Mahal Bar is a true representative
of the Udaipur region
Rides
Camel
Ride
Elephant
ride
Bullock
Cart Ride
Tonga
Ride
Boating Tal Talaiya
WEDDING SERVICES
HAVELIS
BUSINESS
SERVICES
R.SHYAMALA

3. LITERATURE STUDY
ZONNING
•clustered planning
•hierarchy in functional
arrangement
•similar functional spaces form
group and are segregated
haphazardly.
P
H
A
S
E
ACCOMMODATION
III
SWIMMIMNG
POO;
BAR
ACCOMMODATION
ACCOMMODATION
RESTAURANT
P
H
A
S
E
II
ACCOMMODATION
ACCOMMODATION
P
H
A
S
E
I
RECEPTION
ADMIN
ENTRANCE
PROXIMITY ANALYSIS
•ENTRANCE , ADMIN AND RECEPTION TAKES THE PHASE I
•CENTRAL SPACE IS OCCUPIED BY THE COMMONLY
SHARED RESTAURENT AND FOOD FACILITIES ACCESSIBLE
TO ALL COMPONENS OF THIS COMPLEX.
•EITHER SIDES OF THE CENTRAL PAT , BHUNGAS
ACCOMODATIONS ARE PROVIDED.- PHASE II
•PHASE III IS AWAY FROM THE ENTRANCE , PLACED AT
ONE END TO BE SOLITUDE WITH PEACE . THE ROYAL
HAVELIS ACCOMPANIED BY THE SWIMMIMG POOL AND
THE BAR AT NEAREST.
REPETITIVE DESIGN
ELEMENT
– HUTS AND BHUNGAS
BUILT SPACE – 60%
OPEN SPACE – 40%
R.SHYAMALA
CIRCULATION
OPEN SPACE ANALYSIS
RADIAL SPATIAL ARRANGEMENTS
ETHNIC
VILLAGE
@DWARKA

4. LITERATURE STUDY
MY STUDY
CONTROL OF HEATING BY TEXTURE OF SURFACES:
The heat inside of the building is controlled by the use
of textures in Jaisalmer. This is organized at three levels.
•At the town scale the buildings are of unequal height
with parapets and high walls, creating uneven sky lines
and desired shading of each other.
•Secondly, the building facades have large number of
projections like jharokhas and chajjas which provide
shade to the facades.
•Thirdly, the front part of the facade which remains
exposed are controlled by creating deeply carved
patterns.
Use of such devices minimizes the heat gain by
providing shading due to texture. Such devices also
result in increased convective transfer of heat because of
increased surface area. In summer in day time when the
major heat source is Sun the exposed textured surfaces
will be cooler than plain surfaces.
.
CRAFT BAZAR
ACCOMODATIOON TYPOLOGIES
ACCOMODATION
COTTAGES
HAVELIS
ROYAL
HUTS
BHUNGAS COTTAGES
CONSTRUCTIOON DETAILS
HAVELIS
ROYAL
SUITES
PLAN - BHUNGAS
PLAN - COTTAGE
ELEVATION - BHUNGAS
ELEVATION- PANORAMA
R.SHYAMALA
PLANNING
STRATEGIES
• basic shapes –
squares, rectangles
and circular .
•Extruded
elevation.
ELEVATION - COTTAGE
PLAN - HAVELI
•The foundations have been generally filled with stones and
walls built with stone or brick.
•The straight lines of the walls have been broken and
rounded before a thin plaster of cement is put and then
treated with a combination of mud, cow dung and husk by
the village women from the neighboring areas.
•The roofs, wherever air-conditioning was not planned, have
been erected with iron pipes and purlins, which are covered
with bamboo net and terracotta tiles (keloos), brought
from different parts of the region.
•The hut structures are provided with windows and doors at
times with „aaliyas‟ covered with built-in spaces for deepaks
(terracotta lamps) in different shapes.
•The walls are decorated with relief murals, created with brick
motifs and relief work designed with thick cement plaster in
tempera, mainly with clay colors geru (Indian red), pilli
rnitti (ochre) and saphed rnitti (white clay).
•Bamboos have been used extensively to integrate one
structure with another. Thus creating harmony.
•The architect has utilized local materials and manpower for
the construction.
STONE FOUNDATION
INFERENCE - POSITIVE POINTS
•Slope roof
•Elevated
•Niches and alcoves structures- plinth
on façade.
1m height
•Painting and
•Maximim height
murals on walls and of structures –
ceilings for royal 10m.
look
•40% open spaces.
ETHNIC
•Loss of sense of direction, also
handled efficiently through attentive management.
•Exploitation of local material and labor has been done
in its full causing very low cost of construction.
•Maintenance and repairs are effort taking but cost low.
•With all its typical ambiance and aura Chokhi Dhani has
gained popularity more like another tourist destination
in Jaipur than a dwelling to stay in.
MATERIALS:•mud plastered
floor
•bamboo net
ceiling
VILLAGE
•painting and
murals on walls
and ceiling
•wood- rafters
and seatings
•mud walls
•thatched roofs
•stone colums
@DWARKA