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Kishangarh – Experiencing “Snow” in Rajasthan

Imagine a Bollywood film shoot. A song and dance sequence that has transported the hero and heroine to a faraway location. The heroine is in a sultry chiffon saree singing and dancing on what looks like a snow-covered mountain somewhere in Switzerland.

The director finally shouts, “Cut!”

The heroine’s assistant runs to her. But instead of a thick coat to keep her from freezing, he hands her a bottle of cold water and a towel to wipe off the sweat on her forehead.

While the above situation is something I didn’t witness personally, it’s entirely possible that it happened in the small town of Kishangarh, situated in the state of Rajasthan, an hour and a half away from Jaipur and roughly six hours from Delhi.

Photo-shoot in progress - Kishangarh Marble Dumping Yard

Kishangarh Marble Dumping Yard

The city gets its name from Kishan Singh, the prince of Jodhpur who founded the state in 1602. Madanganj-Kishangarh is also culturally known in the art world for having its characteristic style of miniature art as seen in the famous Bani Thani painting by Nihal Chand.

Over centuries though, the city remained a hub for different kinds of businesses, until recently when its popularity amongst the building community across India rose for having the largest marble market in the country. Now, a drive though Kishangarh consists of passing by rows and rows of shops, more than 25,000 in total, displaying stacks of marble sourced from across the world.

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Kishangarh Marble Dumping Yard

However, the town’s claim to fame is something completely different. With all the cutting of marble that goes on in Kishangarh, the locals were starting to face a rising problem of the accumulated waste. As a result, the local association along with various governing bodies came together in 2005 and developed an area for disposing of the marble slurry properly.

Once the designated land for dumping was ready, 50-60 feet deep wells were dug to pour in the slush. But since there was so much of waste, eventually this led to a formation of a plateau that over time became a unique tourist destination.

The slurry from all the marble cutting resulted in a landfill that is now a vast sea of white. Presently, it acts as the perfect backdrop for fashion shoots and in some cases substitutes snow when the budget of a film is on the lower side. The ground has a snow or chalk-like feel to it, and although there are no hard-marble pieces around, one should still take care while walking around.

A human-made marvel of marble, the Kishangarh Marble Dumping Yard is a little excursion that sees people from all walks of life visit this location, be it for a few minutes or hours depending on their level of interest.

Photo shoot heaven - Kishangarh Marble Dumping Yard

A Unique Tourist Spot - Kishangarh Marble Dumping Yard

Cars and motorbikes can go all the way to the top of the hill, and there’s a festive mood in the atmosphere no matter the time you visit. The morning hours are typically the best or else around sunset during the winter months. The monsoon season leaves behind small puddles of blue which are equally pretty to photograph, although the area does get a little mushy.

Entry into the marble dumping yard is free. There are usually food vendors selling samosas and drinks, should you feel peckish upon arrival. The area is quite expansive, and you are bound to find large groups of families, friends, and young kids running around or taking photos.

Kishangarh Marble Dumping Yard - Rajasthan

Hardened Marble Slurry at Kishangarh

Even though there are rules around dumping the slurry that everyone needs to follow, to keep the pollution levels low at the yard, the air is a little thick around here, and you can feel the particles in your mouth and nose after spending a little time. It might be a good idea to carry face masks if you plan to stay for longer.

The Kishangarh Dumping Yard is not a day-trip worth taking from Jaipur, and certainly not from Delhi, but if you happen to drive through the region, it is recommended that you take a detour and check out this unusually dramatic tourist spot.

Kishangarh Marble Dumping Yard

Timings: 10:00 AM – 18:00 PM

Location: Link on Google Maps

16 Comments

  • Carrie Ann Karstunen
    Posted 8 March, 19 at 9:11 PM

    This is such an interesting post! The marble dumping yard does look a bit like a snowy landscape. Fascinating that a marble waste dump has found another use as a tourist attraction.

    Reply
  • Anda
    Posted 9 March, 19 at 4:14 AM

    Hahaha, I love how you put your readers in the mood by making a parallel with a movie shooting. It made me feel like I was already there. I have to say that from the distance, this infinite field of white marble really looks like snow. What an interesting landscape! I’d surely love to visit this area in Rajasthan someday.

    Reply
  • Pooja Samtani
    Posted 9 March, 19 at 10:48 AM

    Loved the way you started the post!! I stay in Delhi and thanks to this post I now know the location for my next weekend getaway. Kishangarh it is!! The landscape is absolutely stunning and interesting.

    Reply
    • Post Author
      Ticker Eats The World
      Posted 9 March, 19 at 8:46 PM

      Excellent. If you are in Delhi and are looking for day trips, check out some of my other posts. You’ll like the stepwell of Neemrana and the Street-Art in Managar village which is like 30 minutes from South Delhi.

      Reply
  • kavitafavelle
    Posted 9 March, 19 at 3:02 PM

    This is absolutely fascinating! I had not heard at all about the Kishangarh Dumping Yard before, and am captivated by the way the marble slurry has created this alien landscape, it could be used for science fiction films I think!!

    Reply
  • Jane Dempster-Smith
    Posted 10 March, 19 at 2:55 AM

    It really looks like snow. How unique. Glad to hear that it is been used for film locations.

    Reply
  • wanderfulweekendz
    Posted 10 March, 19 at 9:16 AM

    I don’t know if I should should be amazed or saddened. The landscape does look surreal and awesome but really makes me wonder what impact this sort of landfill is having on the environment and health of people in Kishangarh… nevertheless thanks for sharing the story and pics.

    Reply
    • Post Author
      Ticker Eats The World
      Posted 10 March, 19 at 9:34 AM

      Actually, it has been done in this way to save the environment. Earlier people would dump all around. Now, there is a designated place and the material has to be treated before being dumped.

      Reply
      • wanderfulweekendz
        Posted 10 March, 19 at 9:40 AM

        Oh! That’s good to hear! 🙂

        Reply
      • Kate
        Posted 10 March, 19 at 6:28 PM

        Good tip on the face masks! I can’t believe how huge the Kishangarh Dumping Yard is and I can see why it’s an attraction for fashion photo shoots. I can just imagine the colorful designs against that all white backdrop.

        Reply
  • Daniel
    Posted 11 March, 19 at 2:44 PM

    What an interesting landscape! I heard about it when I was traveling around Rajasthan in 2017 but I never imagined it like this! I’ll be coming back in India next month and I’ll definitely check Kishangarh out! Thanks for the lovely recommendation

    Reply
  • Yukti
    Posted 11 March, 19 at 3:41 PM

    I never knew about Kisangarh famous for marble though I have heard its name. Even we too sourced marble for our house from Rajasthan and hopefully, it must be from Kishangarh. I think some environmentalists or NGO could do something to reduce the pollution level in Kishangarh dumping yard. Thanks for sharing tips about carrying mask to cover mouth and nose.

    Reply
  • Bhushavali
    Posted 12 March, 19 at 2:42 AM

    Oh my! I thought it was something like Kutch! This is kind-of a bit sad to know about that this is all waste & by product of marble industry!

    Reply
  • coloradotravelingducks
    Posted 20 March, 19 at 1:00 AM

    I never heard of this. Absolutely fascinating. Thanks

    Reply
  • usfman
    Posted 8 April, 19 at 8:49 AM

    Amazing that the human eye can register marble as snow here. Interesting post. Thanks as always for checking into my blog.

    Reply
  • S G
    Posted 10 November, 21 at 2:11 AM

    Yes it’s a boom for shoots etc ……But It’s not a Man-made marvel, infact it’s a illusion of marvel.
    In reality the slurry has killed the vegetation, the soil and earth is dead due to the chemicals used and the air is extremely bad due to fine particles of the marble.

    Reply

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