SwapnilJirageTravelPost: Jodhpur - the imperial city

http://travelindiathroughmyeyes.com/jodhpur-the-imperial-city/

rameshkabra

19–24 minutes

Introduction

A visit to Rajasthan is not complete without a visit to the historical, imperial city of Jodhpur which is considered to be located at the heart of Rajasthan. It known as the ‘Blue City’ or ‘Sun City’ and is the second largest city of Rajasthan after Jaipur. Located at the edge of Thar desert, it is gateway to the mystic lands of seemingly endless sand dunes. This romantic city enchants the visitor with a sense of splendour of an era gone by.

Preface

Writing a travelogue on Jodhpur is like going down the memory lane as I along with my younger son Prateek had visited it long back in September 2012. The beautiful memories of that trip are so fresh & vivid even today that I don’t feel that 8 long years have passed since then. We were staying in Mumbai then and my wife had her air ticket booked to go to New Delhi to her elder sister’s place to attend a religious function. Prateek was doing his MBA at IIM Lucknow and he called to say that his Institute was closing down for 5 days and he was planning to come to Mumbai. Since my wife was not going to be in Mumbai during those days, I decided to make a three days trip to Jodhpur with my son. I booked my train ticket from Mumbai to Jodhpur and my son from Lucknow to Jodhpur. Both the trains were scheduled to reach Jodhpur station in the evening with a gap of 15 mins and it so turned out that my train got 15 mins late and both the trains entered the station on the two sides of the same platform at the same time !!!

My travelogue today would cover the history of Jodhpur & Mehrangarh fort, take you to the tourist destinations in the city and also to historic cities of Mandore & Osian near Jodhpur. I also cover in brief the options to stay, culture, shopping & eating options at Jodhpur.

History of Jodhpur

The history of Jodhpur revolves around Rao Jodha, the chief of the Rathore clan who founded It in 1459. The city is named after him. The region is known as Marwar.

The original homeland of Rathores was Kanauj. But after the defeat of Jaichand in 1194 by Muhammad Ghori’s army, the Ghorids never allowed his descendants to live in peace and they were forced to leave Kannauj. His grandson Sheoji with his loyal troops left Kanauj in 1226 and came to Pali in Marwar. His descendants were called Rathores who established and strengthened themselves in this region. Rathores claimed to be Suryavanshis and Sun god was their main deity. By 1395 Rao Chunda Rathore managed to oust the Pratiharas of Mandore and got control over the city. Initially the fort at Mandore served as their capital but by 1459 Rathores felt the need for a more secure & fortified capital. This lead to the formation of Jodhpur, the Sun City, by Rao Jodha.

The Rathores enjoyed good relations with all the Mughals, except Aurangzeb. Maharaja Jaswant Singh even supported Shahjahan in his struggle for succession. After Aurangzeb’s death, Maharaja Ajit Singh drove out Mughals from Ajmer and added it to Marwar (now Jodhpur). Under the reign of Maharaja Umed Singh, Jodhpur grew into a fine modern city.
During the British Raj, the state of Jodhpur was the largest in Rajputana, by land area. Jodhpur prospered under the British Raj. Its merchants, the Marwaris, flourished. The trading community from Jodhpur can be found spread all over India. In 1947 India became independent and Jodhpur was reluctant to merge with Union of India but due to lot of persuasion from Sardar Patel they agreed.

Our first evening in Jodhpur:

We were booked at The Gateway Hotel by Taj – a beautiful property spread over 25 acres, a little away from the main city area. We took an auto rickshaw from the station and checked in the hotel by 6 pm. It was still daylight and we explored the hotel compound for about half an hour. A couple of peacocks were roaming in the landscaped green lawns. After tea, we decided to visit the clock tower area in the heart of the city which had many famous eating joints – we tried the famous Jodhpur Mirchi Bada which had a special filling. It was yummy. This was followed by a visit to a famous sweet shop & restaurant well known for the famous Mawa Kachori of Jodhpur. Stuffed with mawa (Khoya), dry fruits & saffron fillings and dipped in hot sugar syrup and served. The very idea of having a sweet kachori was not very appealing and as expected we were a bit disappointed!! It was the case of ‘naam bade aur darshan chote’ – probably we would have enjoyed it if we had gone with the expectation of having a sweet dish like jalebi or Malpuwa. We ended our round with yummy kulfis at a nearby well known kulfi stall. After returning to the hotel we had soup & Veg Biryani and retired early for sleep.

Second day in Jodhpur: The next morning we left on our sight seeing tour of the city after our breakfast. Our first destination was the majestic & imposing fort of Mehrangarh which looms large over the city.

Mehrangarh fort

Mehrangarh fort, the pride of Jodhpur is located on a hill is one of the largest forts of India. Each brick & stone of the fort still echoes with history. It has many a resounding and haunting love stories & war ballads to narrate.

Built around 1459 by Rao Jodha, the fort is situated 410 feet (125 m) above the city and is enclosed by imposing thick walls. It’s architecture evokes awe. There are seven gates, which include ‘Jayapol’ built by Maharaja Man Singh to commemorate his victories over Jaipur and Bikaner armies. ‘Fatehpol’ which commemorates Maharaja Ajit Singh’s victory over Mughals, ‘Dedh Kamgra Pol’ which still bears the scars of bombardment by cannonballs, the final gate is ‘Loha Pol’ through which one enters the main part of the fort complex. Immediately to its left are the handprints of the ranis who in 1843 became Sati by sacrificing themselves on the funeral pyre of their husband, Maharaja Man Singh.

The steep sandstone hill chosen by Rao Jodha for the fort was known as Bhakurcheeria, the mountain of birds. According to legend to build the fort he had to displace the hill’s sole human occupant, a hermit called Cheeria Nathji (lord of birds). Cheeria Nathji was a man with the local population as his followers and hence influential in the region. When requested to move he refused categorically. This happened many times. Rao Jodha then sought help from another more powerful saint, the female warrior sage Karni Mata of Deshnoke. On request of the king she came and asked Cheeria Nathji to quit immediately. Seeing a superior power, he left at once but cursed Rao Jodha with words “Jodha! May your citadel ever suffer a scarcity of water!”. Rao Jodha managed to appease the hermit by building a house and a temple in the fort. Seeing the influence of Karni Mata, Rao Jodha then invited her to lay down the foundation stone of the Mehrangarh Fort and the same was carried out by her. It is believed that with blessings of Karni Marta only the forts of Jodhpur & Bikaner remain in the hands of Rathores as both had their foundation stone laid by Karni Mata. All other Rajput forts of Rajasthan were abandoned for some or the other reasons by the respective clans.

The fort was initially called ‘Mihirgarh’ Mihir being another name of Sun god. Over time the name changed to ‘Mehrangarh’. The fort built by Rao Jodha, was not this large, most of the fort which stands today dates from the period of Jaswant Singh (1638–78). The fort is located at the centre of the city spreading over 5 kilometres on top of a high hill. Its walls, which are up to 36 metres (118 ft) high and 21 metres (69 ft) wide, houses some of the most beautiful & exquisitely designed palaces in Rajasthan known as Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace), Phool Mahal (Flower Palace), Sheesha Mahal (Mirror Palace), Sileh Khana and Daulat Khana.

The museum in the Mehrangarh fort is one of the most well-stocked museums in Rajasthan. It houses a collection of palanquins, howdahs, royal cradles, miniatures, musical instruments, costumes, and furniture. On the ramparts one can see old cannons (including the famous Kilkila). One gets a breath-taking panoramic view of the blue city from there.

Chamunda Mata was Rao Jodha’s favorite goddess, he brought her idol from the old capital of Mandore in 1460 and installed her in a temple in Mehrangarh . She remains the Maharaja’s and the Royal family’s Isht Devi and is worshipped by most of Jodhpur’s citizens as well. Crowds throng Mehrangarh during the Dussehra festival.

It took us almost 3 hours to go around the fort with our guide.

Jaswant Thada: located at a little distance of the fort, Jaswant Thada is an impeccably piece of Rajputana architecture. It is the cenotaph built by Maharaja Sardar Singh in memory of his brave, warrior father Jaswant Singh II. It was built in 1899. The view of the majestic fort from here is beautiful.

Umaid Bhawan Palace

Umaid Bhawan Palace is named after Maharaja Umaid Singh, grandfather of the present owner Maharaja Gaj Singh. It was one of the world’s largest private residences with 447 rooms. It is an architectural beauty built in a mix of Rajputana and Edwardian style. It was built with the noble purpose of providing employment to people during a famine !! The construction that started in 1928 was completed in 1943. The palace is today divided in three parts. One part of the palace is converted into a luxury hotel managed by Taj Group. One part is still the principal residence of the former Jodhpur royal family & one part of the palace is a museum. The Museum is open to public with an entrance ticket. We saw the museum and had a look at the vintage cars on display in the covered parking area.

We had traditional Rajasthani Dal Baati Churma and Gatte ki subji for lunch at a restaurant. It was a bit disappointing as we have eaten better fare at other places.

We left for Mandore after lunch.

Mandore

The historic city of Mandore, 8 kms from Jodhpur was the former capital of Marwar. It has beautiful cenotaphs of Rathores, the rulers of Marwar. They are large in size and are in the shape of temples. When we visited it 8 years ago it was not well maintained with garbage thrown around it. I hope the Administration has taken appropriate measures.

There is a museum nearby that houses wonderful ancient sculptures found in Mandore. The ruined walls of Mandore fort on the hill behind is still visible. A modern temple has been built close by that has all the gods of Indian pantheon!

Mandore also has mythological connection as it is said that Mandodari the wife of Ravan was born here. As Ravan was the son-in-law of Mandore, a particular community still worships him and has built a temple for him.

We spent an hour at Mandore and returned to hotel by 5 pm. After freshening up and tea we went to the tennis court and played a set of tennis after ages. We sipped a glass of chilled beer with chilly paneer and spent the rest of the evening relaxing at the hotel.

Third & last day at Jodhpur

Osian

A majority of the visitors to Jodhpur give a miss to Osian, a small sleepy town about 65 kms from Jodhpur. But since I had read a bit about Osian in the history books we decided to pay a visit to it. But we were not prepared for the delightful experience that was waiting to unfold before us. On the third day of our visit we left Jodhpur by car after breakfast and were on the Bikaner Highway and after about 15 kms took a diversion. The road was good and traffic was thin and we made it to Osian in an hour’s time. As the skyline of Osian appeared before us, we passed through a cluster of temples on both sides of the road almost in ruins and reached the dusty town centre.

Osian was a flourishing city of Marwar and a great trading centre on the silk route between 7th to 12th Century AD. The ancient name of Osain is ‘Upkeshpur’. It is today a famous religious centre for both Hindus & Jains. The Hindu shrines of Surya, Vishnu, Shiva, Harihara were built in the 7th & 8th century AD. These temples are not very large in size and almost in ruins but some of the carvings & ornate pillars in these temples that have withstood the ravages of time stand testimony to the beauty & grandeur of these temples in their hey days ! According to the local folklore the indeginous population of Osian was of Naga faith, worshipper of serpents and were converted to Jainism in the 7th century or even earlier. It is believed that Oswals (Jains), the rich & wealthy Marwadi trading community originated from Osian.

Sachayee Mata temple at Osian

Rising above the town atop a hill is the famous Sachayee Mata (Osiya Mata) temple believed to be built during the 9th century by Parmar King Upendra. The Goddess considered to be an incarnation of Goddess Durga is still worshipped both by the Hindus & Jains. According to Hindu mythology Sachi is the consort of Indra, the Rain-God. Sachi was the daughter of Asura King Pauloma and Indra got to marry her after defeating Vrut with the help of ‘Vajra’. Whereas according to Jain historical records the temple was originally of Goddess Chamunda to whom flesh of male buffaloes was offered daily. A Jain Monk through his penance changed the heart of the goddess and convinced her to stop the slaughter of the animals and convert to vegetarianism. From that day the Goddess was renamed as Sachi Mata (Real Mother) and to this day the Goddess accepts the offering of ‘Lapsi’ (a Rajasthani sweet dish). Even today Oswal Jains perform the ‘Mundan Ceremony’ of their children in this temple and many clans of Maheshwari , Agrawal & Jat communities of Rajasthan consider Osiya Mata or Sachayee Mata as their ‘Kuldevi’.

Sachayee Mata temple built on a large platform surrounded by 4 smaller shrines is a paradise for lover of ancient architecture and artistic style. A flight of steps with beautifully carved arches leads the visitor to the sanctum. Sculptures of Hindu deities adorn the outside walls while majestic sculptures of royal female dancers can be seen on the 16 brackets in the hall. Sculptures of intertwined serpents and stories of Krishna’s childhood can be seen on the ceilings.

Jain Mahavira temple at Osian

After seeking blessings of Sachayee Mata, we visited the Jain Mahavira Temple Complex. We were not prepared for this magnificently sculpted temple and were awe struck by its exquisite beauty. If you have visited the Dilwara temples at Mount Abu and Ranakpur temple near Udaipur, you would find this to be a smaller version of them. The craftsmanship of this temple is no less in beauty than that of the more famous temples mentioned above. The main temple dedicated to Lord Mahavira was built around 775 AD by Raja Utpaldev while other smaller shrines continued to be added till 12th century. The statue of Lord Mahavira is said to be built in sandstone with a coating of gold over it. The temple panels depict the life story of Bhagwan Neminath. The panels & ornate pillars with carvings of beautiful maidens mesmerize you with their beautiful expressions. One beautiful panel in marble with elephants & nymphs give you the feeling that it has been carved in ivory. This fascinating temple complex is well preserved & maintained. Visitors in shorts or bermudas are not allowed inside the temple complex. They provide you a dhoti to tie around the waist to cover the legs. There is no entry fee but for using the camera one has to pay Rs 100/-.

Other attractions in Osian

Not far from the Sachiya Mata temple is a very large ‘Baori’ (step-well) with two 8th Century shrines dedicated to Surya & Shiva which even though under the control of Archaeological Survey of India was in state of decay due to neglect & wild growth of plants & shrubs and construction around them. I don’t know what is their state now.

The shops near Sachiya Mata temple have many interesting things to offer right from colourful turbans, rajais, wooden toys and delicious snack items like Onion Kachoris & Mirchi Badas. The local people in their colourful attire are very courteous.

A little away from the town are the sand dunes that herald the start of the famous Thar desert. One can stay overnight in a tent at the Osian Sand Dunes Resort & Camp to enjoy the Camel Safari and relish the Rajasthani cuisine.

We returned to Jodhpur after spending a couple of hours at Osian fully satisfied and carrying the fond memories of an ancient historical town that still preserves its culture

Balsamand lake is a beautiful artificial lake with a bird sanctuary. Royal Summer palace is located on the banks of the lake – it is converted into Welcomheritage hotel with 10 luxury suites and 36 rooms. We missed visiting the lake.

Culture of Jodhpur and shopping attractions:

The people of Jodhpur are extremely hospitable people and the language spoken by them is known as Marwadi. The men folk in the old city still wear colourful turbans. The women like to wear lot of jewellery on different parts of the body including waist, forehead, nose & feet. The popular tight, horse riding trousers, ‘Jodhpurs’, took their name from this city. Jodhpur is also known for its handicrafts, folk songs & folk dances. The famous Marwar folk festival and the International Desert Kite festival bring out the festive spirits of the people of this city. At the Nagaur Cattle fair about 70,000 decorated cows, bullocks, camels and horses are traded every year.

The bazaars of Jodhpur have a range of items from tie & dye textiles (including Bandhani sarees), leather jootis (Jodhpuri mojris are artistic with embroidery on top), lacquerware, antiques, colourful durries, puppets, exquisite Rajasthani textiles like rajai & quilts, clay figurines, miniature camels & elephants, marble inlay work and classic silver jewellery.

Mehran Terrace restaurant at Mehrangarh Fort offers the most romantic dining experience ever. One can enjoy a candle-lit dinner under the stars with live music and folk dances. Since it is one of the more popular restaurants with the foreigners, prior reservations are required. There is also Mehran Cafe that serves items like Chole bhature, pav bhaji & dabeli.

As already mentioned earlier, Jodhpur is famous for mirchi & pyaaz badas and mawa kachoris (which last for a couple of days). We got a box of besan ki chakki (barfi) packed bcoz it lasts long.

Jodhpur today is an important educational centre with many premier institutes established here. Being close to Pakistan border, it is an important Air Force base station. It has many important establishments such as those of ISRO & DRDO.

Jodhpur is an important tourist destination so it has a host of stay options from luxury palace stays to tents in desert. Taj has 3 properties in Jodhpur. A stay at Taj Umaid Bhawan costs Rs 30k for a night !! It was awarded as the World’s best hotel at the Traveller’s Choice Award in 2016 organised by TripAdvisor. Budget travellers also have many options available. The best time to visit it is during the cooler months from mid October to mid March. The winter is severe.

Jodhpur is well connected by road, trains & air with other cities of India. Trains from Jaipur to Jodhpur take about 5 hours. It is 370 kms by road from Jaipur, 200 kms by road from Bikaner and 280 kms by road from Jaisalmer. The roads are excellent.

This is my last post on a Rajasthan destination for the time being. We move to another State next Saturday.

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