Jodhpur

The morning of February 14^th we fly from Delhi to the city of Jodhpur located in central Rajasthan.  Jodhpur is located in the Thar desert and because of its bright, sunny weather it is known as the “Sun City”.  Upon arrival in Jodhpur we are transported to our hotel which is within the old walled city.  The hotel design incorporates red sandstone Rajput architectural structures from the late 18^th and 19^th Century. The hotel and grounds are an enclosed oasis that sits at the base hill looking up at the Mehrangarh Fort.   The fort is an imposing structure and the views of it from the hotel are spectacular.  

An interesting sculpture in the Delhi Airport depicting the poses of Sun Salutation

Our room at the RAAS Hotel

The balcony above our room

The view from the balcony above our room looking up at the Mehrangarh Fort

A view of our room (with the five small, blue shuttered windows)  from the outdoor dining area

In the afternoon we visit Nai Sadak, the main shopping area in the old walled city.  The Sardar Market is at the heart of this shopping area.  It is located in the main square between two arched stone gates, one of which has a clock tower. This market is crowded and hectic.  Although there are tourists here in the main square, it is primarily a market for the locals.  We venture out into the surrounding streets and shop for textiles, bangles, spices and tea.  

Street Food in the Sardar Market

Mother and child watching cattle in the Sardar Market Square

Father and daughter in the market

Colorful peppers and lemons for sale

Ladies buying produce

A government poster on one of the gates leading into market

A local 'hardware store' selling bamboo products and baskets

A lady in the background weaving baskets on site

A women sweeping garbage just from one place to another

On our second morning in Jodhpur (February 15th), Harry, Al and I exit out the back gate of the hotel and climb up through the streets to the Fort.  Jodhpur is also known as the ‘Blue City’ due to the blue-painted houses around the Mehrangarh Fort.  We wind our way up through streets lined with blue houses.  The paint color is a warm, cerulean blue.  The streets are pleasantly quiet.  Some people are attending the small shrines that are interspersed among the homes.  Cattle are wandering about looking for food.  We realize that the cattle are not as docile as they appear as Al gets butted when he passes by one of the beasts.  Once we reach the fort and the height of land, the view out over the city is spectacular.  It is early in the day and without the haze, so the colors of the city are vivid.

Cattle wandering around looking for food

A woman ringing a bell in a shrine.  The other woman in the street appeared to be attending to the cattle.

An interesting staircase

A dog in a comfortable, safe place

The outer walls of the Mehrangarh Fort

Harry and Anne at one of the gates into the fort

A view of the Jaswant Thada to the northeast of the fort. 

Beware of the hungry cattle

The origin of the blue washed houses is uncertain.  Some say that the Brahmin caste (persons who had attained the highest spiritual knowledge) were the first to paint their houses blue to differentiate themselves from the rest of the population.  Others speculate that the blue was originally applied to help protect the houses against termites and other insects.   Or perhaps, more simply, the color blue was a pleasant contrast to the bleakness of the desert.

A famous viewpoint from the west side of the fort looking out over the blue houses nestled inside the old city walls.

Walking back down from the fort.

A nice compliment of yellow flowers against the blue walls and doors.

We gave this big fellow a wide berth, sneaking around behind the auto-rickshaw

After breakfast, we take a ride in auto-rickshaws up the winding road toward the fort.  Our first stop is the Jaswant Thada which is a white marble mausoleum to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II.  The site is the also the cremation grounds and memorials of other members of the Jodhpur Royal Family.  

As we drive up the winding road to the fort, we stop at lookout over the city.  Directly below us amongst the houses is a pig sty.

The Jaswant Thada

Intricate marble arches and pillars at the mausoleum entrance.

We proceed up to the Mehrangarh Fort. In comparison to our visit to the fort early this morning, it is now crowded with tourists.  The fort was a site of continuous building, beginning in the 15^th Century and continuing through to the 18^th Century.  Inside the fort there is a series of courtyards and palaces.  The palaces are elaborately decorated and have delicately carved latticework windows of red sandstone.  The fort houses a fabulous collection of palanquins, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litter howdahs, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howdah  and miniature paintings.  http://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/museum_in_london/indian_summer/garden_and_cosmos.aspx 

View from west side of the fort showing the walls extending out from the castle around the old city.  The haze in the air mutes the blue houses in the distance.

The palaces perched on top of the walls of the fort.

In the afternoon we drive out of the city to visit a Bishnoi community.  The Bishnoi  are a rural tribal sect who believe in the strict conservation  of the environment. http://www.esamskriti.com/essay-chapters/Eco~Religion-of-the-Bishnois-of-Rajasthan-1.aspx It appears that in order to exist under their strict principles in the harsh environment of the Thar desert, the modern day people have allowed a certain level of tourism within their communities in order to support their way of life.  They have developed an industry marketing crafts such as pottery and woven Dhurrie carpets. 

A demonstration of the weaving of the Dhurrie carpets.  The carpets are made from wool, jute and/or cotton and are of high quality.  One sees Dhurrie carpets all over India.