Nobody needs an introduction to the princely state of Rajasthan. Renowned for its vast spread of sand dunes, the majestic forts, breathtaking frescoes and down to earth denizens, Rajasthan is one of the leading tourist attractions in India. The one thing that stands unique about this state is how “colors†are associates with many of its cities. Jaipur leads the way as being known as the “pink†city with many of its buildings within the many gates still retaining their old “pink†colors.
In sharp contrast to Jaipur is the azure landscapes of Jodhpur and my travelogue is about this place. I have had a deep connection with Rajasthan. My in-laws, although being south Indians, have spent a better part of their life in places like Sawai Madhopur and Chittorgarh so when an opportunity came for our entire family to go on a road trip to Jodhpur, we just grabbed it both hands.
Our journey started from Chittorgarh. My father-in-law hired a cab and the seven of set on an amazing journey to the “blues†of Jodhpur. I don’t want to delve deep into the history of this place as there are many sources where you would find them. I would just stick to my own experience of this place. Jodhpur is also famous for its close proximity to many sand dunes, a unique natural phenomenon of Rajasthan. It took us an entire day to reach Jodhpur from Chittorgarh. We quickly sought an accommodation and crashed for the night. The next day, our itinerary was set. My father-in-law being well-versed with these places was acting as a stand-in guide.
The first place that we visited was a temple. I don’t remember which deity presided over the temple but I do remember the brilliant architecture that the temple exhibited. From the temple, the nearby sand dunes were also visible. The brown color of the sand dunes acted as a beautiful backdrop to the majestic façade of the temple.
After having spent time looking around the temple and sighting the sand dunes our next obvious destination was the sand dunes themselves.
We quickly boarded our cab and off we went to the point from where we had to walk. Now, I don’t know how many of you have ever walked on sand dunes but those who have would definitely agree with me that it is not an easy task to walk on these sand dunes. They look quite innocuous but as you start taking your steps it just literally drains you. Anyways, we got to the top of the sand dunes and the view from there was amazing. Just then, I spotted a train coming on a nearby track. It reminded me of many hindi dacoit movies where such trains become a target for robbery and dacoits.
Post our sojourn at the sand dunes, we moved on to the marvel of Jodhpur, the Jodhpur fort. As we got near the fort, I noticed the imposing façade of the fort. The grandeur with which it presided over the city of Jodhpur was awe-inspiring. As you enter the fort, there is a ticket counter. Here, you have an option of hiring a govt. approved guide to take you around the fort and share anecdotes about its history.
To our surprise, we got a female guide. In my many years of traveling, I have never come across a lady guide ever. Now, these are instances in life when you realize that a job is a job, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a man or a woman who does it so long the job is done well. Anyways, the lady was well versed with the history of the fort and was quite eloquent. I just splurged over on the many facades of the fort taking ample photograph. As we kept walking in the huge passage of the fort, we were reminded of an unfortunate stampede that occurred a few ago resulting in many deaths. But the grief was not for very long as we got to the top of the fort. For me, this was the best part of the entire fort as the terrace is practically a stage for the azure carpet that is laid out in the form of small houses painted in royal blue. The sight makes you feel that the very sky has descended on earth.
After this mystical experience, we set foot towards the interiors of the fort where the guide recalled many interesting facts about the fort. We saw many old weapons that were used in wars and battles, a magnificent palanquin used to carry the queen around and also the special conference room of the King. In a little bit more time, we were finished with the entire sight seeing of the fort. The guide was amazing in rendering the facts about the fort and kept us engaged all throughout.
Having visited Jodhpur, I could now strike-out one more place from the list of many places that I wanted to visit in Rajasthan. Next is Ranthambore.