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JODHPUR
Jodhpur stands at the edge of the Thar Desert and is the largest city in
Rajasthan after Jaipur. The city is totally dominated by a massive fort,
topping a sheer rocky hill which rises right in the middle of the town.
Jodhpur was founded in 1459 by Rao Jodha, a chief of the Rajput clan known
as the Rathores. His descendants ruled not only Jodhpur, but also other
Rajput princely states. The Rathore kingdom was once known as Marwar, the
Land of Death.
The old city of Jodhpur is surrounded by a
10-km- long wall, built about a century after the city was founded. From
the fort, you can clearly see where the old city ends and the new begins.
It’s fascinating to wander around the jumble of winding streets in the
old city, out of which eight gates lead. It’s one of India’s more
interesting cities and, yes, it was from here that those baggy-tight horse
–riding trousers, jodhpurs, took their name. Today, you’re more likely
to see them worn in Saurashtra in Gujarat than here.
Orientation
The tourist office, railway stations and bus terminal are all outside the
old city. High Court Rd runs from the Raika Bagh railway station, directly
across from the bus terminal, past the Umaid Gardens, the Tourist Bungalow
and tourist office, and round beside the city wall towards the main
station and the GPO.
Meherangarh Fort
Still run by the former maharaja of Jodhpur, the Majestic Fort is just
that. Sprawled across the 125-metres-high hill, that is the most
impressive and formidable fort in fort-studded Rajasthan. A winding road
leads up to the entrance form the city below. The first gate is still
scarred by cannon ball hits, indicating that this was a fort which earned
its keep. The gate include the Jayapol, built by Maharaja Man Singh
in 1806 following his victory over the armies of Jaipur and Bikaner, and
the Fatehpol, or Victory Gate, erected by Maharaja Ajit Singh to
commemorate his defeat of the Mughals.
The final gate is the Lahapol,
or Iron Gate, beside which there are 15 hand prints, the sati marks of
Maharaja Man Singh’s widows who threw themselves upon his funeral pyre
in 1843. They still attract devotional attention and are usually covered
in red powder.
Inside the fort, there is a whole
series of courtyards and palaces. The palace apartments have
evocative names like the Moti Mahal, or Pearl Palace, the Sukh Mahal, or
Pleasure Palace. They house a fantastic collections of the trappings of
Indian royalty, including an amazing collection of elephant howdahs
(used when the maharajas rode their elephants in glittering procession
through their capitals), miniature paintings of a variety of schools,
superb folk music instruments and the inevitable Rajput armoury,
palanquins, furniture and costumes. In one room, there’s even an exhibit
of rocking cradles. Finally, there’s an enormous, luxurious and
stunningly beautiful tent, originally made for the Mughal emperor but
carried off as booty by the Rajputs following one of their many battles.
The palace apartments are beautifully decorated and painted and have
delicately carved latticework windows of red sandstone. It’s one of the
best palace museums in Rajasthan.
At the southern end of the fort, old cannons look out form
the ramparts over the sheer drop to the old town beneath. There’s no
guard rail and you can
clearly hear voices and city sounds carried up by the air currents from
the houses far below. The views from these ramparts are nothing less than
magical. From here, you can also see the many houses painted blue to
distinguish them as those of Brahmins. The Chamunda Temple,
dedicated to Durga, stands at this end of the fort.
The fort is open from 9 am to 5 pm.
Jaswant Thanda
 This white marble memorial to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II is a short
distance form the fort, just off the fort road. The cenotaph, built in
1899, was followed by the royal crematorium and three later cenotaphs
which stand nearby. Inside are portraits of the various Jodhpur rulers.
Clock Tower & Markets
 The clock tower is a popular landmark in the old city. The colourful
Sardar Market is close to the tower, and narrow alleys lead from here to
bazaars selling textiles, silver and handicrafts.
Umaid Gardens & Museum
The Tourist Bungalow is on the edge of the Umaid Gardens, which contain
the government museum, the library and a zoo. The museum has a small and
fairly uninteresting collection. There are lots of badly moth-eaten
stuffed animals, including a number of almost featherless desert birds in
two glass cases. The military section includes cumber-some wooden biplane
models and an extraordinary brass battleship. Open daily except Friday,
from 10 am to 4:30pm.
Umaid Bhawan & Museum
 Constructed of marble and red sandstone, this immense palace is also known
as the Chhittar Palace because of the local Chhittar sandstone used. Begun
in 1928, it was designed by the Architects for Maharaja Umaid Singh, and
took 15 years to build.
Probably the most surprising thing
about this grandiose palace is that it was built so close to Independence.
It seems to have escaped the attention of the maharaja and his British
advisers that the upheavals of Independence were just around the corner,
and that maharaja, princely states and the grand extravagances common to
this class would soon be a thing of the past. Such considerations,
however, seem rarely to have impinged on the consciences of rulers
anywhere in the world. It has been suggested that the palace was built as
some sort of royal job-creation programme; but the fact that the project
did provide employment for several thousand local people during a time of
severe drought is probably coincidental.
Maharaja Umaid Singh died in 1947,
four years after the palace was completed; his successors still lives in
part of the building. The rest has been turned into a hotel –and what a
hotel! While it lacks the charm of Udaipur’s palace hotels, it certainly
makes up for it in spacious grandeur. Few who could afford it would miss
the chance of staying here and the hotel corridors echo with languages
from around the world.
There’s an excellent
museum here. On display is an amazing array of items belonging to the
maharaja- model aeroplanes, weapons, antique clocks and fob watches,
priceless crockery, and hunting trophies- and there’s even a private
cinema!
Village Safaris
Maharaja Swaroop Singh, who owns the Ajit Bhawan Palace Hotel, runs
‘village safaris’ which are an ideal way to get out into the villages
and see a bit of the local way to life-something that is not always easy
to do in India. You visit villages of the Bishnoi, a people whose belief
in the sanctity of the environment and the need to protect trees and
animals dates from the 15th century but seems very modern
today.
Things to Buy
The usual Rajasthani handicrafts are available here, but Jodhpur
specializes in antiques. The greatest concentration of antique shops is
along the road connecting the Ajit Bhawan with the Umaid Bhawan and the
well-know Abani Handicrafts is next to the Tourist Bungalow. However, the
existence of these shops is well known to Western antique dealers who come
here with wallets stuffed with plastic cards. As a result, you’ll be
hard –pressed to find any bargains, though this is no reflection on the
generally excellent quality of the goods available.
Getting There & Away
Air: Indian Airlines has flights five times a week to Delhi, Jaipur,
Udaipur and Bombay. Their office is south of the centre on Airport Rd;
open daily from 10 am to 1 pm and 2 to 4:30 pm.
Bus: RSTC buses and private luxury buses
connect Jodhpur with other cities and places of interest in Rajasthan. The
private companies sell tickets opposite the main railway station.
Buses to Udaipur takes eight to 10 hours- much faster
than the train. The six-hour trip across the desert to Bikaner.
Train: The booking office is on Station Rd,
between the railway station and Sojati Gate. Demand for tickets is heavy,
so come here soon after you arrive , especially if you want to catch the
night train to Jaisalmer on the same evening.
AROUND JODHPUR
Maha Mandir & Balsamand Lake
Two km north-east of the city is the Maha Mandir (Great Temple). It’s
built around a 100-pillared Siva temple but is not of great interest. Five
km further north is Balsamand Lake, a popular excursion spot. A palace,
built in 1936, stands by the lake
West of Jodhpur, the largest Pratap
Sagar and Kailana Sagar (where there is also a garden) provide the
city’s water supply.
Mandore
Situated nine km to the north of Jodhpur, Mandore was the capital of
Marwar prior to the foundation of Jodhpur. Today, its extensive gardens
with high rock terraces make it a popular local attraction. The gardens
also contain the cenotaphs of Jodhpur rulers, including Maharaja Jaswant
Singh and, largest and finest of all, the soaring temple-shaped memorial
to Maharaja Ajit Singh.
The Hall of Heroes contains 15
figures carved out of a rock wall. The brightly painted figures represent
Hindu deities of local heroes on horseback. The shrine of 33 Crore (330
million) Gods is painted with figures of deities and spirits. Regular
buses run to Mandore from Jodhpur.
Rohet
In this village, 40 km south of Jodhpur, the (former local ruler) has
converted his 350- year-old house into an excellent heritage hotel.
Osian
 The ancient Thar Desert town of Osian, 65 km north of Jodhpur, was a great
trading centre between the 8th and 12th centuries
when it was dominated by the Jains. Today, it’s desert oasis with
numerous peacocks. The wealth of Osian’s medieval inhabitants allowed
them to build lavish and beautifully sculptured temples, most of which
have withstood the ravages of time. The largest of the 16 Jain
and Brahmanical temples is dedicated to Mahavira, the last of the Jain
tirthankars. The sculptural detail on the Osian temples rivals that of the
Hoysala temples of Karnataka
and the Sun Temple of Konark in Orissa; so, if you have the time, make the
effort to visit this place.
About six buses a day make the two-hour trip
from Jodhpur.
Nagaur
 Nagaur, north-east of Jodhpur, has a historic fort and palace and also
sports a smaller version of Pushkar’s cattle and camel fair. The
week-long fair takes place in late January or early February and
attracts thousands of rural people from far and wide. As at Pushkar, the
fair includes camel races and various cultural entertainment programmers.
There is very little in the way of accommodation here, however.
Sardar Samand Lake
The route to this wildlife centre, south-east of Jodhpur, passes through a
number of colourful villages. There’s upmarket accommodation at the
maharaja’s stylish art-deco summer palace, the Sardasamand Lake Resort.
Dhawa, or Doli, is another
wildlife sanctuary with many antelope, 45 km from Jodhpur on the road to
Barmer
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