Day 228: Jodhpur
It was Day 4 after Modi’s ban of the 500 rupee note, and things were not looking good. Lines at the ATMs seemed to be getting *longer* not shorter, so we were still unable to get new cash. We were starting to worry that we wouldn’t have enough valid cash to last us the whole trip, so we started to get very stingy – we insisted on only eating at restaurants that took credit cards and flatly refused to buy any more souvenirs (actually, we were glad to have a good excuse to ask guides to stop taking us on shopping trips). Luckily for us, both the monuments we visited in Jodhpur took debit cards for the admission tickets.
Our first stop was the Jaswant Thada – a cenotaph (tomb-less memorial) dedicated to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II at the turn of the 20th century. The memorial grounds are absolutely beautiful – the main building and surrounding gazebos are made from white marble, decorated with stunning lattice screen windows and topped with whimsical domes. The park (which is still owned by the royal family of Jodhpur) is an oasis from the heat and hustle of the city – easily one of the most peaceful memorial locations one could imagine.
The glowing white marble façade of the Jaswant Thada
The grounds of the Jaswant Thada are peaceful and beautiful, full of gorgeous gazebos and a cooling fountain
The royal memorial is perched on a hill with a view of the city of Jodhpur below. Behind the Jaswant Thada is a small lake where the royal family cremates the remains of their dead (per Hindu tradition) – still in use to this day
Beyond the lake, we can see the Mehrangarh Fort next-door to the Jaswant Thada
Inside the main building is a roped-off marble dais with portraits of the deceased royalty. Some Indians believe that the spirits of the family can bestow good luck, so the rope is decorated with bangles, cash and ribbons that visitors have left behind with a hope that their “wish” will come true
The cenotaph is exquisite – windows and doorways are framed by whimsical floral patterns carved into the stone, and even the delicate jali screens have flowers incorporated into the design
Of course, the main attraction in Jodhpur was the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort. Similar to the Jaisalmer Fort we saw the day before, the Mehrangarh Fort is an impressive castle towering above the city on the top of a rocky hill. Unlike the “living fort” of Jaisalmer, the Mehrangarh Fort no longer has residents, leaving the interior of the fort protected from motor traffic and overdevelopment. We enjoyed the tour of the fort and the museum with our guide, wrapping up our sightseeing activities by early afternoon, which was great as we had a really luxurious hotel room that night and we were looking forward to some R&R in our own air-conditioned “fortress.”
The imposing outer walls of the Mehrangarh Fort – one of India’s largest and most magnificent forts
The fort is covered in battle scars – circles of paint point out several cannonball marks left over from a 19th century battle against the Jaipur army (Jodhpur succeeded in driving their enemy away), and more red hand prints memorialize royal widows who performed sati after their husbands died
The museum has a great exhibit of Marwar paintings (most depicting scenes from the Hindu epic the Ramayana) – best of all was a display showing the traditional stones used to make the different colored paints used in the 16th century
Super bling! The bedchambers and the royal reception hall of the fort palace are decked out floor to ceiling with shiny mirrors, semiprecious gems, gold leaf painting and stained glass windows
The armory within the fort museum contains a collection of the personal swords of many emperors, including Akbar the Great! The Arabic-style swords are by far the most beautiful – the blades are gracefully curved and the hilts are each unique pieces of art
Jodhpur is called, “The Blue City” due to the house paint color of choice used by the many Brahmin residents (originally the paint color was used by the upper caste to distinguish their homes from those of lower caste – nowadays many residents pick the color regardless of caste identity) – we get a great panoramic view of the city from the ramparts of the fort
Those turbans…those MUSTACHES! These museum guards are totally rockin’ the Rajput fashion and kindly pose for our camera