 About Jodhpur
Jodhpur is at the edge of the Thar Desert and is the largest city in
Rajasthan after jaipur. The city is dominated by a massive fort,
topping a sheer rocky ridge right in the middle of the town. Jodhpur
was founded in 1459 by Rao Jodha, a chief of the Rajput clan known
as the Rathores. His descendants ruled not only Jodhpur, but also
other rajput princely state. The rathore kingdom was once known as
Marwar, the land of death As one of the closest major Indian cities
to the border with Pakistan, Jodhpur has a large defence contingent.
Don't dive for cover when you hear booming jet fighter planes above
- jodhpur is not under siege; the air force is simple undergoing its
routine training exercise.
Once the capital of the state of Marwar ("Land of Death"), founded
by the warrior clans of Rathore, Jodhpur borders the Thar Desert and
is the second-largest city in Rajasthan. Despite its size and
activity, Jodhpur has yet to emerge as a tourist destination in its
own right; though it's a pleasant enough place to spend a few days
before continuing on to more exotic destinations like Jaisalmer and
Udaipur. The city's highlights include its formidable and lavishly
decorated fort, a bustling bazaar, and a sea of color-washed homes
that have earned Jodhpur the nickname, "The Blue City." These sights
can be seen in a day, after which many travelers tack on a daytrip
to the nearby desert villages of the Bishnoi.
Mehragarh Fort:
Still run by the maharaja of Jodhpur, meheragarh, the majestic fort,
is just that. Sprawled across a 125m-high hill, this is the most
formidable fort in fort-studded Rajasthan. A winding road leads up
to the entrance from the city, 5km below. The second gate is still
scarred by cannon ball hits, indicating that this was a fort which
earned his include the JAYAPOL, built by Maharaja Man Singh in 1806
following his victory over the armies of jaipur and bikaner, and the
FATEHPOL, or victory gate, erected by Maharaja Ajit Singh to
commemorate his defeat of the Mughals
Jaswant Thada:
This white marble memorial to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II is a short
distance from the fort, just off the fort road. The cenotaph, built
in 1899, was followed by the royal crematorium and three other
cenotaphs which stand nearby. There is some beautiful marble jail
(lattice) work and fine views from the terrace in front of the
cenotaph. |
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