Unravelling the bustling blue city of Rajasthan: Jodhpur

This blue city was the major reason for shortlisting Rajasthan among other places for my solo trip. Every time I got a glimpse of this place either through movies or wallpapers, it tempted me enough to visit the place for real.

My bus from Udaipur had arrived at Jodhpur earlier than the expected time. When I got down from the bus, it was wee hours of the morning, the cold was biting, and the wind blew mercilessly on my face. All I could see was a dark lane ahead and a faint light from the street lamp at the end of the road. There was no sign of human race anywhere in the close proximity. With no clue as on how to proceed further, I called up the hotel guys to see if they could arrange a taxi or a rick, but to my dismay no one picked the call. The panic alarm started ringing in my heart. Slowly building up the courage, I started walking down the lane. After walking a few meters I found a rick that could take me to the hotel.

The auto rickshaw was speeding towards the old city of Jodhpur. The rick entered a narrow, dark and dirty lane and by now I was in a petrified jinx as I prayed to all God’s possible to get me out this situation safe. Finally I reached the hotel, only to see that the door was shut. I don’t remember cursing myself so much before. Of all the places, I chose to stay in this boutique haveli and now I had no other place to go and no means to reach! I started knocking the door, no response, then the knocking became banging, still no response, I could feel the shivers down the spine as I kept banging the door, after 20 minutes of sitting cringed out in dense fog, finally I saw the lights turn on and an old man came out the house to greet me in. The haveli is 100 years old and goes by the name of “Blue house”. It is run by Manish and his family. The interior is beautiful as it brings out the true essence of Rajasthani architecture. The family was very caring and helpful. My only suggestion for people planning to stay in havelis would be: reach the city after sunrise, that way both parties can be at peace, the owners can get sufficient sleep and we, visitors don’t have to get stranded in the road.

The first thing that caught my eye was the majestic Mehrangarh fort towering over the sea of blue roof tops. The entire city looked like painting on a blue canvas. Most of the architecture in the city, from palaces to temples, havelis to houses everything was in different shades of blue. History has it that Jodhpur was coined after its founder Rao Jodha, the chief the Rathore clan in the 14th century. It was on his orders that the houses were painted blue. It is also said the houses of Brahmins were painted blue to differentiate Brahmins, India’s priestly caste from other caste systems in the Kingdom. Which started as a traditional practise is now followed by people across all systems.

I spent 2 days in Jodhpur, going around the city, learning about the famous Mehrangarh fort, visiting Umaid Bhavan palace, ziplining along the fortified walls, roaming at the clock tower, shopping at sardar bazaar and chilling on the terrace of blue house. I had list down the things that can be done in 2 days in Jodhpur.

Zip lining

Ziplining across rivers/valleys is one thing, but ziplining along the fortified walls of the fort is all together a different experience. This adrenaline rush filled adventure consists of 6 separate ziplines which fly around the battlement area, providing unique views of the majestic fortress and the surrounding blue city. One also gets to see bird’s eye view of chokelao garden and ranisar lake. The zip lining activity is organised by Flying Fox and comes at a cost of 1800 per person.

Mehrangarh Fort

The mammoth, imposing fortress of Mehrangarh towers the bustling blue city of Jodhpur. Chiselled and sturdy, the fort is known for its exquisite latticed windows, carved panels, intricately decorated walls of Moti Mahal, Phool Mahal and Sheesh Mahal or the hall of mirrors. The fort is packed with a legendary history of its rulers. The coolest view of the city is seen from a vantage point in the fort. This fort was also the very place where The Dark Knight rises was filmed. The entry ticket costs around 220 rupees and the audio guide costs around 450 rupees.

Umaid Bhawan Palace

It is the only palace built in the 20th century. This palace was built by Maharaja Umaid Singh and the legend has it that it took 16 years for the British architect Lanchester to complete the construction of this palace. A portion of the palace is operated by Taj group of hotels and another portion is dedicated to house the history of the place. There is also a collection of vintage cars that are kept for display.

Ghanta Ghar

My hotel was a street away from the Ghanta Ghar. Known as the clock tower of Rajasthan, this is located in one of the busiest streets of Jodhpur. The clock tower is still functional and stands tall amidst all the chaos of the market. The place is always crowded with people indulged in shopping, eating and lazing around.

Sardar Bazaar

The most happening place in Jodhpur, this street is full of life and energy. The traditional bazaar is located in the old part of the city and is a must visit for anyone who sets their foot in Jodhpur. From the colourful jhootis to the lehenga sarees, one can happily immerse themselves in the shopping spree. There are a lot of road side eateries as well which adds to colourful vibe of the surrounding.