Français (France) 
Nederlands (nl-NL) 00:00 • intro | 00:21 • Demoiselle cranes in flight | 01:16 • cranes at the water's edge
Personal creation from visual material collected during my trip India • Rajasthan and Varanasi (2015)
Map of places or practices featured in the video
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The Jain religion is characterized by its great respect for life. This respect is sometimes taken to the extreme, so the most fanatical Jains wear masks over their mouths so as not to accidentally swallow a fly and move with small brooms in order to chase insects that might end up on their way. get crushed as they pass. Some Jain families are established in the small village of Khichan.
Khichan
Khichan is a small village located a few kilometers from the town of Phalodi in the district of Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India. An inhabitant of the village, a follower of Jainism, returned there after having worked for several years in a state in eastern India, Odisha. This happened in the 1970s. He began to feed the pigeons in the village by regularly bringing sacks of cereals to a feeding area a little away from the village. And the pigeons liked it. They were soon joined by sparrows, squirrels and peacocks, symbols of India.
Demoiselle cranes
In September, a dozen Demoiselle cranes joined them. These migratory birds are found in Europe and Asia. Asian Demoiselle cranes cross the Himalayas every year to find milder winters in India while Europeans travel to Africa.
Demoiselle cranes in Khichan
Respect for the life of the Khichan Jains prompted them to protect these birds from stray dogs by creating protected places to feed the cranes. And the whole village began to feed them. Having become a major tourist attraction, these cranes are popular in Khichan from August to March. Donations from locals as well as tourists provide the 3 tonnes of seeds needed daily to feed these thousands of cranes, the number of which continues to grow. In 2010 their number was estimated at more than 15,000. Their number has continued to increase to this day.
about the place, Khichan:
Khichan is a small town in Rajasthan which would have remained in the shadows if damselfish cranes had not decided to stop there during their migration.
Spoken comments in the film:
The inhabitants of Khichan had the good idea decades ago to feed the few demoiselle cranes that came to hibernate at the edge of their body of water. They are currently more than 20,000 coming to spend the bad season there after a long and perilous crossing of the Himalayas.
Links to related pages
• Natural sites •
Khichan • Migratory birds in Rajasthan - Migratory Stopover Spectacle
Videos
• Rajasthan •
Music:
- - YouTube video library - A Fallen Cowboy
Disclaimer: Despite its appropriateness, copyright issues prevent the use of indian traditional music in "The demoiselle cranes of Khichan • Rajasthan, India", hence the use of royalty-free music. Despite our careful selection, some might regret this decision, which is necessary to avoid potential lawsuits. Although difficult, this decision is the only viable solution.
