Trip to Rajasthan- Jodhpur

Day 1-Jodhpur

This is in continuation to my previous blog about Delhi. My Rajasthan trip  started from 3rd Apr,2014 to 6th Apr,2014.In fact the best thing about my trip to Delhi and Rajasthan is that it has been my first independent travelling till date and I had a blast. Till now I had been travelling in groups both small and big . And now after this recent trip I have the confidence in travelling alone too.

I had been thinking of seeing Rajasthan since last 2 years and I has also planned it along with Suma and Mrudula and one of my Jodhpur friend had made the itinerary and sent it too but my other friends were not free we had to cancel it. But then from that time onwards it was always there in the back of my mind. And also Yash who had made the itinerary was also calling me to visit in between but I could not find time. Now that I was in Delhi  and Jaipur is just 5 hours journey from there I just could not resist from going there. So I contacted my other IITTM friend Kunal and asked him to make me an itinerary so that I could enjoy the maximum. I had given him a list of places that I wanted to see and the number of days were less so finally I agreed on the itinerary to see Jodhpur, Jaipur , Pushkar and Ranthambore  as the distance between the 4 places were less and they were all on the way.

So it was decided that we, i.e me and Kunal will leave on 2nd evening to Jodhpur. Jodhpur first because that’s where Kunal stayed with his family and he had booked the train tickets for both of us for  5:30 pm evening. It was an overnight journey and we were supposed to reach Jodhpur at 5 am in the morning. We took the train from Nizammudin station in Old Delhi. He was already in  Delhi 2-3 days in advance for his official work .I was very ,very excited. Kunal and me chatted for so long remembering old days and it was almost 10:30 pm. Kunal slept off easily but I was unable to sleep in the train as It has been some 8 long years since I travelled in train.I would wake up every half and hour . When the train entered the Jodhpur station .  I woke up Kunal who was still fast asleep and we got down quickly. From there we went to his house which is some 15-20 minutes in auto. His wife ,Nishi and son, Shashank were fully awake to greet us. Shashank who is in 7th class was very excited to meet me as Kunal had told me the previous day ,greeted me by touching my feet. I was totally taken aback as I am not used to such greetings .I had actually come at a time when Navratri celebrations were going on and 3rd Apr was the 4th day of Navratri. So Nishi was up early and made us tea. It was an excellent tea she had made. And usually I limit myself to only one cup in the morning but when she offered me another cup I did not refuse at all. Pee ke mazaa aa gaya.So while we were sipping tea Kunal told me the day’s itinerary. We were to see Umaid Bhawan Palace,then Mehrangarh Fort,visit Durga temple which is in the fort ,then move on to Jaswant Thada which is near Mehrangarh.Shashank also took leave that day from school and accompanied us. Nishi was suppose to join us in Mehrangarh.

So by 9am we were all ready and after having breakfast left to see Umaid Bhawan. Kunal had booked a cab for us. Before that Kunal took me to see his house which is being constructed. After showing us around we reached Umaid Bhawan Palace is one of the most beautiful palaces that I have seen . The present owner of the Palace is Maharaja of Jodhpur Gaj Singh. The Palace is divided into three functional parts - a luxury Taj Palace Hotel (in existence since 1972), the residence of the erstwhile royal family, and a Museum focusing on the 20th century history of the Jodhpur Royal Family. The opening hours of this museum are 9 am to 5 pm. There is also a gallery showcasing the most exotic automobiles owned by the royals.Before entering the museum inside Kunal took me to see the royal family’s  Vintage collection some,15 in numbers which has been still beautifully maintained as few of them are still used by hotels for their guests at a price which is very high. Umaid Bhawan Palace was called Chittar Palace during its construction due to use of stones commonly known as Chittar in the building. Ground for the foundations of the building was broken on 18 November 1929 by Maharaja Umaid Singh and the construction work was completed in 1943..The Palace was built to provide employment to thousands of people during the time of famine.It was a good thing that Kunal accompanied as he is a tourist guide so he was able to give me a thorough information about the history of the Palace, the royal family, museum artefacts which included his palquin,clock collection,crystalware,paintings,weaponry  etc . Kunal said had I come one day before I could have witnessed the Gangaur festival in which the Gangaur devi is paraded around the whole city and then bought back to the palace. Gangaur is a celebration for married ladies and similar to Karvachauth.It was 12 noon by the time we finished Umaid Palce and then we left to pick up Nishi from her office and then proceeded towards Mehrangarh.

Mehrangarh Fort was beautiful in its own way. In fact the beauty about Rajasthan it that it has many palaces and all palaces are different and unique in their own way. But before we saw the fort we went first to see Chamundi Devi temple which is inside the fort.The temple would be open throughout the day for nine days during the festival. Once we had finished Mataji ke darshan , Nishi had to go back to the office . So Kunal dropped her back to the office and came back. Meantime me and Shashank roamed around seeing the Fort .So when Kunal came back he took us around the Fort and explained me the history of the place.

Mehrangarh Fort, located in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, is one of the largest forts in India.The fort is situated 400 feet (122 m) above the city and is enclosed by imposing thick walls. Inside its boundaries there are several palaces known for their intricate carvings and expansive courtyards. A winding road leads to and from the city below. The imprints of cannonball hits by attacking armies of Jaipur can still be seen on the second gate. To the left of the fort is the chhatri of Kirat Singh Soda, a soldier who fell on the spot defending the Mehrangarh fort.There are seven gates, which include Jayapol (meaning 'victory'), built by Maharaja Man Singh to commemorate his victories over Jaipur and Bikaner armies. Fattehpol (also meaning 'victory') gate was built by Maharaja Ajit Singh to mark the defeat of the Mughals. The palm imprints upon these still attract much attention even today.
The museum in the Mehrangarh fort is one of the most well-stocked museums in Rajasthan. In one section of the fort museum there is a selection of old royal palanquins, including the elaborate domed gilt Mahadol palanquin which was won in a battle from the Governor of Gujarat in 1730. The museum exhibits the heritage of the Rathores in arms, costumes, paintings and decorated period rooms.We saw the various rooms inside which included the Sheesh Mahal-a meditation room,Phool Mahal-for holding private durbars and Taqht Mahal-which was the sleeping rooms and the Museum. We had lunch inside the fort which was typical rajasthani cuisine and I loved it.There’s a special dish prepared by using 5 different ingredients.By the time we came out of the fort it was 4 pm.
After that Kunal took me to Jaswant Thada- which  is an architectural landmark located in Jodhpur. It is a white marble memorial built by Maharaja Sardar Singh of Jodhpur State in 1899 in memory of his father, Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. The monument, in its entirety, is built out of intricately carved sheets of marble. The Jaswant Thada is a traditional cremation ground of Jodhpur rulers.The excursion to this place took us some 40 minutes .I wanted to shop for some clothes so Kunal took me to a shop where I purchased some sarees and dress materials and we departed for home. I was really tired but I wanted to cover as many places as I had only one day and the next day I was leaving for Jaipur. Nishi was waiting for us and made us her special chai and my thakaan vanished. Kunal went out and bought Mirchi wale pakode which was a speciality there. But I could eat only half as stomach was already full as we had a late lunch and also the pakoda was too very spicy. Then after relaxing for some time Nishi took me out to buy bangles-laq bangles which is a special bangles in Rajasthan. She selected the bangles for me and then we came back home. I skipped dinner  that night .Meanwhile Kunal explained me the itinerary for the next 3 days and the accommodation  and the transport details .I slept off by  pm and I was supposed to leave Jodhpur by 8 am the next day. Nishi had got up early and prepared very nice breakfast and tea and then packed some lunch for me on the way.By 8 am the cab came to pick me up. I bid goodbye to Kunal,Nishi and Shashank.They had been a very good hosts. And I was beginning to miss Shashank as  he had given me a very good company throughout and kept me entertained  all the time and I became  his friend .He told me to send a friend request in FB. So he has become  my youngest friend.