Rajasthan has always felt like a newly wedded bride to me. And jodhpur is
one jaw-droppingly beautiful city, greatly known for its magnificent palaces
& forts. So if you wish to witness the rich history of India & its magnificent architectural beauty, this place has to be on your bucket list.
It’s that wonderful. Truly treat to your eyes & soul too. Famously known
as, *Sun City* as it is said that the sun is visible here first, every morning.
Journey Begins
Started from New Delhi early in an express train in the month of January
2016. By evening we reached the spot. As soon as Jodhpur junction arrived, the
vibes of the state of Rajasthan were all over. Their way of wearing a turban on
head & the speech of theirs is so very different & sweet.
Went straight to the hotel already booked online. It was the month of January
& very cold.
We freshened up & as we were very hungry we went to the open terrace for
dinner. We intentionally had booked a hotel close to the famous Mehrangarh fort
of Jodhpur. The view was amazing from the roof. Windy chilly weather &
Rajasthani thali in front. What memorable night was that? We clicked some great
pictures & went back to sleep.
Mehrangarh Fort
The next morning we woke up early. And sipped the first coffee of the day,
inside the cafe at Mehrangarh Fort. It is indeed one of the largest forts of
India. This fort stands 400 feet above the city & has been so very well
maintained by the Archaeological Department of Government that it cannot be
explained in words. It looks like a very modern built-up. Properly managed by
the employees assigned inside who remain well suited for the entire visiting
hours of tourists. They seem to be very well-read too. Explaining anything to
people who put up queries about the architecture. You need to keep yourself
hydrated enough to roam inside the fort on foot. It should take a minimum of
2-3 hours to cover the entire fort on foot. It’s said that *The Dark Knight
Rises* was shot here.
Umaid Bhawan Palace
The next place we stopped by was, *The Umaid Bhawan Palace*. This place is the highest point of the city. It’s an enormous palace, certainly of the largest private residences in the world. Though it said that the Royal Family still stays in a part of it & the other has been converted into museum & hotel. The museum is open for all where we witnessed the Royal history & there are multiple vintage cars of different brands from yesteryears kept in the showcase. You can have all the feeling of royalness in this palace. And if you wish to stay overnight in the palace, your pockets need to shed some definite big amount & prior booking.
Next, as we started in the car from Umaid Bhawan, while coming down, we saw numerous beautiful bungalows, on enquiring, the driver said that these are celebrities from Bollywood & Cricket. He certainly showed the bungalow of Sachin Tendulkar. Wonderful feeling to catch up on all these.
Local delights
Next, we went to the local market of Jodhpur, in its old city, Sadar Bazar. Here, Clock Tower, the famous landmark is also right in the middle of the market. From here we could see Mehrangarh fort & what stupendous views it had. In Sadar Bazaar, we ate some local dishes & bought some of their spices, handicrafts & sarees for the family.
And our last stop from the city was, Jaswant Thada. It’s in close vicinity to Mehrangarh Fort. In Jodhpur, I was very much amazed at the efforts taken by the local government to preserve these spots, so very well. It looked as if the construction is just done yesterday. Jaswant Thada’s marble construction & the carvings were right on point. Inside there portraits of Rathore rulers & it looked so dramatically real. There were multi-levels of gardens & a pond too inside.
And, no wonder, why these places look so amazing.
To sum up, Jodhpur should be in your high priority to visit, if in Rajasthan. Trust me, you won’t regret it. Though, I completely agree that the entire state of Rajasthan is just too beautiful and to choose one city to roam around is a difficult decision.
And, surely find out the timings of these forts & palaces before planning to visit.
To check out more, click here!