Jodhpur
People in India are very hospitable by nature.Perhaps a tad more than that desired at times but always happy to share information and guide you.
Rajasthanis are no exception.
It is like a tradition in Jodhpur to first have something sweet and then proceed on to the main course. The sweet hospitality of Jodhpur is known as Mithi Manuhar or is it a Marwari manoever? Maybe this is the reason for the sweet tone of the people of Jodhpur and/or the money making ways of the marwaris.
Sajjan Singh of Surya Kunj,son of a retired Air Vice Marshall
was very happy to have us as his guests at his home at Surya Kunj and he talked about Jodhpur and the ways of the Royalty.He went out of the way to make us comfortable and to guide us about the places to visit and food to eat.
We commissioned an over sized auto...autos come in quite a variety of shapes in this city...and Anil was happy to take us around
It
is one amongst the great palaces of India and one of the largest
private residences in the world- all 26 acres of it most of it lush
gardens.It was completed in 1943 and serves as a
principal residence of the royal family who have let out a portion of it
to be run as a heritage hotel by the Taj group.Umaid B is a fascinating blend of eastern and western architecture
We got into the museum which is open to tourists and feasted on a display of lavish interiors,gilt furniture and elegant works of art complimented by the exotic murals of the Polish artist Stefan Norbin
Then we went to the Naye Sadak at the end of which stands the local Big Ben Ghanta ghar.
Around this was the typical ramshackle bazaar selling handicrafts,colourful fabrics,food stalls,and such.Anil dropped us at this market.....left to fend for ourselves we quickly located a juice shop and settled for saffron lassi...a speciality which we enjoyed all the more since we hadn't lunched and it was past 5PM. Munching peanuts we aimlessly wandered until .....
The next morning saw us tucking in a good breakfast at the homestay and under the guidance of our host we set out to explore.A good 30 min ride took us to Mandore gardens
Mandore was the former capital of the Maharajas of Marwar.Legend has it that this was Ravana's 'Sasural"....Mandodari having been brought up here.So,there is a clan of Ravana worshipers in this region even today.Cenotaphs of Jodhpur's
former rulers built along the lines of a Hindu temple adorn the gardens. They are four
stories high, with fine columns and an elegant spire, all in red
sandstone. Very impressive these cenotaphs are... set in these landscaped gardens which today look decrepit owing to poor maintenance.Next stop Jaswant Thada. This white marble memorial to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II, sitting above a small clean lake, is a welcome, peaceful spot after the hubbub of the city, and the views across to the fort and the city are superb. Built in 1899, the cenotaph has some beautiful carved marble
lattice
screens (jalis) and is hung with portraits of Rathore rulers going back to the
13th century.The marble carving shows the genius of the
sculptors. The stones are extremely thin and polished. As result,
the outside surface of the monument emits a warm glow when the sun rays
fall on its surface. This tomb is maintained by the Meherangarh museum trust and so is the magnificent Fort.No wonder they are spotlessly clean and very inviting to the discerning tourist
As I said in the beginning,no one can miss the all imposing Meherangarh Fort which is where Anil took us next along with our guide.The guide was a soft spoken man who would formally welcome you by saying a few words about what we are going to see, and give a bit of its history....very nice to know they are trained....and at the end of the tour he will accept his fee with a slight bow and say "Thank you,I hope you enjoyed the visit and wish you a pleasant day and stay in our city"...Wow!
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| Entrance gate |
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| A section of windows |
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| A Palanquin |
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| A Period room with all its glitter |
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| Peeping room of the Maharani |
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| Diwan-E-Khas |
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| A guarded baby cot |
You're looking at the Blue City of Jodhpur. Why are there so many blue houses?:
It is thought that Brahmins – first took to coloring their houses blue to signify their domicile and to set them apart from the rest of the populace. Soon, however, the rest followed suit.At the end of our fort visit,after refreshment, we climbed down the 100Ft by the side of the fort,amidst the blue houses to reach the clock tower from where Anil picked us up for the return.
Ask a local why all the houses are painted thus and the usual reply is that the color keeps the interiors cool and fends of mosquitoes. Yet if this truly worked then it would be quite likely that the whole subcontinent would be awash in various hues of blue. It is likely that the ubiquitous blueness of Jodhpur is an exuberant display of human resilience against the stark Thar desert which surrounds the town. Against the bleak backdrop of parched brown earth the blue city exerts itself magnificently.
The Rajasthani dinner that Sajjan Singh hosted with Bakhri Roti in the main with Dal and Subzi cooked in Rajasthani style was fabulous.We were happy to meet this American lady from Berkley who was also his long-term guest and doing research on Medieval Marwar rulers.
After a short tryst with a Local bangle dealer,we were on our way to the airport to meet other members of our team who would join us on our tour of Jaisalmer.
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Jodhpur to Jaisalmer (~300 Kms) was a great ride on the NH.We stopped at a way side resort for lunch and sped along passing Pokhran the site of the Nuclear test and reached J'mer at 7:30.Soon we were at Jasmin home,a Boutique hotel in the proximity of the J'mer fort
Weather was cool tending to cold as we snuggled into our warm wears and the hotel owner gave us a very welcome "welcome drink" of tea at the rooftop overlooking the lighted fort.
Next morning first stop was Jaisalmer Fort
businesses,hotels and restaurants.We had to watch our step as we wandered keeping out of the way of Autos,Bikes and Scooters,cows and goats all moving in the narrow alleyways.
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| A Haveli inside the Fort |
The Jain temples in the Jaisalmer Fort are dedicated to the famous Jain hermits known as 'Tirthankaras'. Like all other structures in Jaisalmer, these temples are carved of yellow sandstone. The beautifully carved decorations on the wall are a treat.
We walked up to the city viewing point and saw the Cannons there.We could even see the vast expanse of the dessert on one side.We spent sometime at a restaurant enjoying the view and made our way back to the hotel for lunch.
After lunch we went to Gadisar lake
Originally a rain water conservation lake, the Gadisar Lake is today a popular tourist attraction of Jaisalmer. Considering its importance for sustenance, small temples and shrines were constructed around the lake, transforming it into a pilgrimage centre.But many of these shrines are in a state of disrepair....crumbling sandstone!
We left the lake and walked towards the fort as advised by the Hotel...After a poor experience on the road,barely a lane to cater to human and vehicular traffic, we reached the fort.
Now the fort was silent as dusk had settled and many shops had shut for the day.We explored the alleys and were looking to have a spot of coffee somewhere.We found our way to KUKU's for a roof top experience while sipping coffee and talking to the owner about J'mer and its ways.
Still later, for dinner we selected another roof-top on top of a hotel nearby.It was windy and chilly...and were provided
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Next morning we set out to see the Patwa Haveli
Traditionally, Patwas were weavers and engaged in jewellery-making working with silver and golden threads.
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| View from a window of the Haveli |
Haveli is full of artistic work , be it gracefully carved pillars, façade or the balconies (Jharokhas). Expensive decorated items were imported from various countries. The murals and interiors have derived inspiration from the Rajputi, Mughal as well as Victorian architecture.
We finished a hurried lunch at a restaurant near the J'mer king's palace and returned to the hotel to pick up our stuff and leave for the Camel safari.
For the camel safari experience we had to travel 45 kms to the dessert to find sand dunes.On the way we were given a short tour of certain Cenotaphs. These cenotaphs also known as chattris were constructed by the various Bhatti rulers. One cenotaph has been erected for each ruler. The oldest among them is the cenotaphs of Maharawal Jait Singh who reigned from 1470-1506. This tradition was discontinued when in 1947, one of the prince died of a mysterious disease. This was taken as a bad omen and the tradition came to an end.
Then we visited the Abandoned village
The evil Dewan of the ruling kingdom saw the beautiful daughter of the village chief and was smitten. He wanted to marry her and pushed the village chief to accede. He gave them a deadline after which he would forcefully enter the village and take their daughter. The elders met one night and for pride and honor decided to leave the village.......just like that..WoW!!
When we were there a TV crew was using the locale as a backdrop for a village scene.......a ready made set!
We were now at the Sand dunes and was greeted by a great solitude,the afternoon Sun dipping in the sky beyond the cascading Dunes yonder.A few camels and their keepers had gathered to take care of guests.We were shown to our clean tent accommodation with Bed and bathroom facilities for the overnight stay.We got on the camels,our first, and traveled over the brush and on the dunes for a good hour stopping to take pictures and it was fun....the pulsating and gentle movement of the animal over the sand was such a pleasurable experience.We got down to watch the sunset and take more pics and returned.
In the evening we were treated to a cultural show with songs and dances around a Bonfire..Very enjoyable to listen to this group as we dined.... in the open!
Thus ended a great sojourn to Jodhpur and Jaisalmer.....
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