Jodhpur - Wednesday, January 23

The Blue Guide to Rajasthan gives a good intro to Jodhpur: On the eastern fringe of the Thar Desert, Jodhpur, dubbed "the Blue City" after the colour-wash of its old town houses, huddles below the mighty Meherangarh Fort, the most spectacular citadel in Rajasthan. Jodhpur was once the most important town of Marwar, the largest princely state in Rajputana, and now has a population of around a million [our guide said 2]....The encroaching desert behyond the blue city is dotted with small settlements where you can escape the urban congestion for a taste of rural Rajasthan.  

What a lovely place to stay!

View of the fort from our room

View of the hotel from the restaurant

Our morning began with breakfast in the hotel's lovely "guest house" building. We sat indoors, but since one wall is open, we were still chilly (temp was probably in the low 50s).  The array of choices was a fine variety of Western and Indian options. Our guide arrived at 9 and we took off for the Jaswant Thada, an elegant pillared marble memorial to the maharajah who died in 1895 after developing irrigation systems to bring water and prosperity to this parched land.

People buy this grass to feed the cows in the street!!

Memorial to Jaswant Singh II

Interior of memorial

The memorial is high on a hill, surrounded by a lovely garden, with cenotaphs for other family members on the hillside just  below.  The man is so beloved that many revere him almost as a god - so we had to take our shoes off. Phooey. Twice now I've forgotten to bring my "temple sox" and that marble was cold on my bare feet. The property is open to the public with an admission fee, and offers a lovely respite from the congestion below - but no place to sit except the steps!

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At the memorial, our guide explained current practice following a family member's death. Because the cremation of the royal bodies takes place at the site, and because practice requires bathing before taking the ashes away, this lake was created. We are learning about the HIndu faith but still finding it a bit confusing. BTW, Jodhpur is 80$ Hindu.  This is the view leaving the memorial. I know communication towers are necessary, but it seemed sad to find it here.

We drove next to the fort, circling the upper ramparts for city views. We were astonished to see how high the fort is (441' above our hotel) and how far away, when it seemed "just behind" from our room. Below, you can see the hotel in the center (double click) - with its blue walled top.

Some of the blue walls the city is famous for

The fort lived up to its reputation as the best of the many palace museums in Rajasthan. It was huge, and we were grateful for an expert guide. Begun c. 600 years ago, of course it was expanded over time.  The current maharajah got the title at 4 when his father was killed in a helicopter crash. He went to university in England, and by 24 he was establishing the fort as a museum with a trust operating it. It draws huge crowds of course, and has a clear path laid out through the many levels. Even a fine gift shop (led by an American woman).

This is one of many handsome courtyards with latticed marble window coverings. The guide explained the reason the tradition of veiling Hindu women developed was to protect them from enemy invaders. Here, they had lovely views from the interior. The marble slab is the site of coronations of the maharajahs. (The current one lives in part of a gigantic palace built in the 30s by his grandfather to provide work in the Depression! 75% of it is now leased to an ultra-high-end hotel). Below is one of many courtyards. The marble platform is the site for coronations.

Here's a fine howdah (for riding elephants) The fan waver sat behind the maharajah! The museum is full of really wonderful treasures. I'll include just a few here.

A handsome peacock palanquin

This fellow illustrates how lots of hair was supposed to make men look scary to opponents!

Camel bone weights to hold down rug corners - early 18th c.!

Another collection of wonderful "miniature paintings" - but these are on rice paper in contrast to Udaipur's silk ones. The curious title of this one: Maharajah Bakhat Singh watches Elephants wreaking havoc!

I would've briefly admired these blinds for the women's quarters...but then the guide said they are not painted; the design is created by wrapping the bamboo slats with colored thread!!!!!! omg

Women washing the walls, inch by inch! 

One of the grand rooms, restored

Unhappiness for K: A Coke frig with only Pepsis inside 

One gallery has a stunning collection of cradles

A room for important meetings

We had so many questions, we spent 2-1/2 hours at the fort. At the end of the Shop some local miniature-painting artists had a display of their wares and demonstrated how they do their work. It was truly beautiful, and hard to be strong and say No to the artist. But we managed to. Then just outside the building was a small group of "certified" handicraft vendors. I would love to have tried on some things, but there was no time. So on down the steep interior "road" (above) to our waiting car and back into traffic.

Pretty typical shop on our route

 Our restaurant was across the street from this field. You can see the tip of the gigantic palace/hotel just beyond. To the left, out of sight, are a number of tents which families have set up for living.

On the Rocks restaurant

Smart marketing by Pepsi

 We were not very successful in getting non-spicy Indian dishes. Oh well. On the road again, heading to some of the villages near Jodhpur.

Quarrying is a big industry in town, and many of the modest houses are made of stone. Property is fenced with stone "slats" and there are chunks of marble, etc. just sitting around.

Our first stop was in a little village with a Muslim section. There we went to a potters' workshop/home and he demonstrated how he makes his pots. It was as impressive to see as a glassblowing demonstration. In about 3 minutes he produced 3 pots that looked perfect to me.  Also impressive was his squat as he worked. And the wheel - which he sets in motion with several turns of a big stick. He had lots of little things around that we could have bought, but his main business apparently is big cooking pots that nomadic traders still use for cooking!

Back on the road again, and then off - onto sandy tracks and rutted trails to visit a family in the Bishnoi community. (Google it!)

In the family compound  we found a woman milking a water buffalo, a garden to meet their vegetarian needs, and piles of "cow pies."

The guide told us about the community and their traditions, and explained that one way of sealing a deal was to drink an opium toast together. So we sat down with the elder in the family to observe the process. (We were not required to drink the result.) I was fascinated by the construction of the buildings in the compound.

Looking up to the ceiling/roof of the "patio"

Our last village stop was at a very handsome, well-maintained small compound of a dhurrie-weaving family. Of course one never can be certain of what to believe...but It did seem credible that this family is a leading member of a 12-family co-op that produces remarkable dhurries that they sell in the international market.  We noted two solar cells on platforms, and learned they were provided by the government before electricity came there (they provide enough power to light four lamps, he said). One personable very-fluent-in-English man demonstrated how the rugs are made and then - surprise - offered to show us some results. We had explained to our guide that we were not willing to be in pressure situations, and we did not intend to make purchases in Jodhpur (even though it has been developed by the government as the most important center of embroidered and appliquéd  textiles, rugs, etc. in India)...and appreciated that he did not push up unduly!  As it turns out, we did very much like one design featuring peacocks and pea hens. Since we planned not to purchase rugs and had done no measuring, we couldn't make a decision today...but we'll be curious to check Kenneth's study when we get home.

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When we entered the compound we noticed an old woman bent over a pile of yard scraps, sorting the colors. He explained it was his 101-year-old grandmother, and before we left she wanted to welcome us!

By now it was 5 pm and time to head out. We found some of the rare Black Bucks in the landscape on the way. Side note: It's 6:01 and the amplified choral chanting/singing at the mosque next door has just begun.

This is typical of our route to the villages

Back in town, a curious billboard

6:08 The Imam has begun his strident call to prayer. Maybe that chanting is coming form somewhere else; it's still going!

Our itinerary concluded with a walk through the old bazaar near the hotel. Narrow lanes, with crowds of locals doing their ordinary shopping in every imaginable kind of little shop. Our guide led us to a textiles co-op warehouse on 4 floors with very steep cement steps. K made it to 2 and enjoyed the presentation to another US couple. I went on to 3 and appreciated the presentation of the really exceptional work done in this area - embroidery, cutwork, mirrored silk duvets etc. Then he brought bundles of scarves. I could have looked forever, but knew it was highly unlikely I'd find something I really couldn't live without so I spared him further attention.

A short walk to the hotel, and farewell (with tip, of course) to the guide. He did a very good job sharing his pride in the city and its people and products, answering our questions about Hindu practices, telling us about his family. The guides here are government employees, and win their positions thru competitive exams and interviews. I know to expect the product promotion. Oh well.

A little recovery time, then a late supper, most from the "international"menu in the hotel's fine restaurant this time. I enjoyed "Wild Mushroom Cappucino" and this deeeelicious pizza with its paper-thin pastry crust while Kenneth ordered an Indian soup & spaghetti.

 Namaste!