The city of Jodpur is referred to as the Blue City due to the blue tinge of the whitewashed houses. Jodhpur lies near the geographic centre of Rajasthan state, which makes it a convenient base for travel in a region much frequented by tourists. The city is famous for a couple of it’s landmarks like the Mehrangarh Fort, Umaid Bhavan Palace, and the Jaswant Thada. Production of furniture, spices and teas is Jodhpur’s popular exports as well.
The Jaswant Thada is an architectural landmark made purely of white marble and built as a memorial in 1899 for the death of Maharja Jaswant Singh II. While inside, I overheard a tour guide speaking of the marble being so thin in some areas and pointed at locations in the wall were you could see the suns rays clearly visible. By design, this kept the room warm all throughout the nights during colder seasons. Small, compact and very beautiful, the memorial isn’t anything short of a well crafted masterpiece. With it’s white exterior, snapping a photo during the golden hour would yield great results.
Just a short rickshaw ride away lay the monstrous Mehrangarh Fort built high above the blue city on top of a mountain. Seen from a far, the Fort has stood the test of time and many battles as well. You can easily spend a half, even a full day just tinkering around the castle, analyze each room with detail. Initially tourist price might be of a shock at first, but you’ll be surprised it comes included with a helpful audio guide; one of the best audio guides I’ve listened to thus far too. Students take note to bring your passes, it’ll be your discount voucher!
The fort is situated on a lofty height, 400 feet (122 m) above the city, and is enclosed by imposing thick walls. Inside its boundaries there are several palaces, which are known for their intricate carvings and sprawling courtyards. A meandering road leads to and from the city below. Battle scars of cannon ball hits by attacking armies of Jaipur can still be seen on the second gate. To the left of the fort is chhatri of Kirat Singh Soda, a soldier who fell on the spot defending the Mehrangarh fort. There are seven gates, which include Jayapol meaning victory built by Maharaja Man Singh to commemorate his victories over Jaipur and Bikaner armies. Fattehpol also meaning victory gate was built by Maharaja Ajit Singh to mark the defeat of Mughals. The palm imprints still attract devotional attention and are covered by vermilion paste and paper-thin silver foil.
The museum in the Mehrangarh fort is one of the finest museums in Rajasthan and certainly the best laid out. In the palanquin section of the fort museum, you can see an interesting collection of old royal palanquins including the elaborate domed gilt Mahadol palanquin, which was won in a battle from the Governor of Gujarat in 1730. The museum exhibits the heritage of the Rathores in arms, costumes, paintings and decorated period rooms.
Within the fort, several brilliantly crafted and decorated palaces are found. Of these, Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace), Phool Mahal (Flower Palace), Sheesha Mahal (Mirror Palace), Sileh Khana, and Daulat Khana are notable. One also finds the fort museum comprising several palaces. This museum houses an exquisite collection of palanquins, howdahs, royal cradles, miniatures, musical instruments, costumes and furniture. The ramparts of the fort are home to not only several excellently preserved old cannon (including the famous Kilkila) but also offer a breath-taking view of the city.
For more I recommend reading up on the Wiki
Squeezing in any opportunity to photograph and listening through the entire audio guide, I was able to clock out at just over three hours. I’d say any less and you’re not getting the full experience. If you got the time, don’t rush, there’s lots to see. The audio did a great job in covering all areas of the fort and really placed you in a correct historical representation of the forts grand history. Don’t miss out, as I almost did, along the top surrounding walls lay stationary real cannons which were used during battle and the, best, view of Jodhpur hands down.
Seen from a distance in a photo from the Mehrangarh Fort, the last stop was at the Umaid Bhawan Palace; one of the world’s largest private residences. Managed by Taj Hotels, the name originated from Maharaja Umaid Singh; grandfather of the present owners. This monument/hotel has 347 rooms and serves as the principal residence of the erstwhile Jodhpur royal family. Tourist unfortunately only get access to the museum and a couple halls in and around the left quarter. Alright, if your willing to relinquish assets of close to a $1000 a night, you may then enjoy what the rest of the magnificent palace has to offer. The interiors were suppose to be designed by Maples of London, however, in 1942 the ship transporting them was sunk by the Germans. As a result, the Maharaja employed the services of a Polish interior designer Stefan Norblin. The lavish interiors with gilt furniture and elegant artwork follow the Art Deco style, complemented by the exotic murals of the self-exiled artist.
Click here to view a virtual tour of the Central Dome!
Back in the heart of Jodhpur, the central market was a great place for a tea drinker like myself to indulge in lots of different tasting flavours. Be-careful who you buy from, lots of products are poor quality and cheap prices reflect this. Ask around and make informant decisions first. Outside the gate of the market walls was a popular omlette shop visited many and documented by lots of travel books. For just 20-35Rs for an omlette of your choice. At this price, there was no excuse not to eat just one. As you wait, grab a drink and go through a couple of his tourist signature books.
After a quick fill, Mel and I caught the overnight train to Jaislmer where we were woken up for a 4am arrival time.
