Padharo Mhare Des — Rajasthan Series
Tales of the Blue City — Jodhpur
“How do you like Rajasthan?”
“Ah, tricky question,” I say to myself
Travel is such a social experiment where you are either alone if you want to be or in a territory, and no matter what type of person you are, you will meet like-minded souls!
I have realised that we become more opinionated about a lot of things as we have seen and experienced so much without another person’s influence and views impacting our own views. It teaches us to explore our own thoughts.
People are usually more inclined to lend a helping hand and play a part in your adventure. I can recall times when people have stopped and gone out of their way to help me when I’ve been lost in spite of language barriers and cultural differences.
There are also many people who will want to know more about you and will want to make sure you feel welcomed in their city. I learned to trust people, and when I say people, I mean total strangers.
Especially the people of Rajasthan
The whole point of traveling has always been to understand the cultures, the beliefs, the problems and the lifestyle of the people living there. I believe it makes you understand things from a broader perspective and opens up your mind. It makes you realize that people can look different in different geographical areas and might have different beliefs but at the end of the day, we just expect love and respect from each other and to be treated equally.
Our understanding of things is limited to what society, parents, and teachers teach us. But traveling to explore and understanding the world better than what the previous generations did can teach us to be more sensible and reasonable toward a lot of things in life. There are some amazing people you meet and you create great memories but at the same time, they bring a whole new perspective to your understandings.
After getting bored of sitting on the beaches of Goa for a year, I was off on my first official trip of 2021 to Rajasthan not so solo with my childhood friend until she ditched me officially in Jaipur due to her family function.💔
I randomly without any planning and plotting booked tickets to Jodhpur only because a friend of mine told me that February is cold over there and because of my fantasy of seeing Cobra gypsies after watching the documentary by Raphaël TrezaI. I had been wanting to run away from the humidity of Goa for a very long time but never found a correct time to plan because of the pandemic. Little did I know that I was going to visit the desert and become tanned anyway.
Meanwhile, in Jaipur, I couriered some quilts home and the package officially reaches home to which the delivery boy who happens to be from Rajasthan starts talking to my mother regarding the trip.
My mother tells him
“Meri beti pehle jodhpur gayi phir Jaipur gayi aur abb Jaisalmer me bhatak Rahi hai, uske baad pata nahi kaha jane wali hai”
to which he says
“Appki beti pagal hai, Kaun west karte east jata hai aur phir west chale jata hai ”
and rest is …..
16/02/2021: Jodhpur
There are only a handful of blue cities around the world but I wanted to see this one!
I believe our adventures take us further afield. You fly to a big city, then to a smaller city, and eventually on to an airstrip that could be anywhere. I had a similar feeling flying to Jodhpur via Mumbai.
But just because it’s remote doesn’t mean you’re alone. I was sleep-deprived as usual. I looked out the window and dozed while the flight crew announces that we are landing.
and then I see this
Confused: Blue Kaha hai?
We land in Jodhpur and book a Prepaid Taxi to our Hostel. It came as a bit of a shock to me, that the Taxiwale Bhaiya was so Honest that he spilled out all the Jodhpur Hacks that we needed on our 3 days stay in the Blue City.
Our hostel Moustache in Jodhpur was a blend of Rajasthani cultures with amazing vibes, it being in the vicinity of the Majestic fort of Jodhpur, the Mehrangarh Fort, and every other amazing thing of Jodhpur which makes it an all-time favorite with the Staff being so chilled about everything.
While in my mind i find something blue, Im still figering out — Blue city Kaha hai ?
Jodhpur at first sight
Streets filled with sandstone homes that stand with peace and pride. The local residents have a humble tone and a culture-soaked with ancestral legacies. The “Mehrangarh Fort” holds the pride of place in Jodhpur because of its splendid architecture and the diverse history associated with it located in the chaos of the old town, the one that has blue houses all around it.
And I found the Blue City 😍
On my first day at Jodhpur, We got to be a part of so many Marwadi weddings happening that day because that day was auspicious. 🤟🏼
Mehrangarh fort was earlier known as Mihirgarh which is made of two words; “Mihir” which means sun deity and “Garh” means fort. Sun deity is said to be the chief deity of the Rathore dynasty. The fort is not only historically significant but also has architectural importance.
Considered one of the most formidable and magnificent forts of Rajasthan, Mehrangarh Fort was built by Rao Jodha in the year 1459. The fort is although in the outskirts of the city but can be seen from anywhere because it is situated some feats above ground level.
There are seven gates, which can be used to enter the Mehrangarh fort. These 7 gates are made by different rulers and are built in honor of the victory over the Bikaner and Jaipur armies. Just next to the fort resides the beautiful white-marble Jaswant Thada which is a must-visit.
While exploring the fort, a lot of things still amazed me “ Old is really gold” just like I'm proud of Portuguese houses in Goa.
Posing adjacent to the huge and giant windows and magnificent glass doors, We stood staring at a folk singer who positioned himself evidently on the fort’s most significant area who was entertaining everyone with his talent.
The most welcoming thing this folk singer did was, he sang a Marathi song for us…. Of course, because he dint know Konkani. 😂
Taxiwale bhaiya ka Hack: 1 🤟🏼
If you think you’re lost for directions, seek help from the wonderful people of Jodhpur and they’ll direct you to your destination.
Given the fact that we were workcationing and dint have a proper itenary, the hostel guys were kind enough to make an itenary for us according to our schedule. Two things they did were
1.Made us the itenary which we were very lazy but managed to follow at different timings, only because getting up at 5.45 am in the cold was impossible.
2. They stopped local richshaws for us and negotiated the deal .
Blue City
After surveying the whole of Mehrangarh fort, we pretty much got a clear idea of where and how the blue city is. Since we wanted to see the local life of the blue city, rickshaw wale bhaiya decided that the suburb of Chandpole would be a good area to explore in search of some local street life with 50 shades of blue. We had the most epic rickshaw ride as he took us to the intrinsic corners of the blue city like narrow roads with cows and street dogs all around. It was strange to see that none of them use cars in the blue city to commute.
Rickshawale bhaiya ka Hack: 2 🤟🏼
Stay calm when you see a street dog because there have been cases where people have been bitten by them especially tourists. Blue city is filled with Dogs.
We had a relaxing evening wandering around Chandpole. We concluded that finding an entire street covered in blue would be a local secret. however, our Rickshawale bhaiya was kind enough to show and become our local guide for some time until he found us another local who took us around the blue city. The Local claimed to have one of the nicest mustache in Jodhpur.😅
It is obvious to wonder and ask the locals that why a large portion of Jodhpur has been painted in blue color. According to the locals, the Brahmin community painted their houses blue in order to differentiate themselves from the lower-caste communities. It is believed that the blue color helps in keeping the interiors of the house cool during hot summers. Second, several historic buildings of Jodhpur were damaged by the termites. Therefore, it is believed that the blue hue keeps termites at bay.
It was pretty cool to know that everyone in the blue city knows each other and would greet each saying “Khama Ghani” while passing by. You will get a glimpse of people who pass their time as they play cards under an old Banyan tree or ladies singing bhajans near an old temple below the fort. There was some kind of awkward silence or laughter when talking to these locals.
Everybody would be like “ Pura desh aapka Goa dekne aata hai, aur aap hame dekne aaye huve ho”.
We: Bachpan se Goa me hi bete hai aunty ji, Abb bore hogaye hai. Isliye gumne nikal gaye.
Local Bhaiya ka Hack: 3 🤟🏼
If you ever want to explore the local life of jodhpur, Blue City is one of the best places to do so. The locals over here are the most welcoming people you will ever meet.
There are numerous times that we have behaved like trespassers under the guidance of our local guide and everyone has welcomed us with a smile.
“You’ll develop an understanding and affinity for the cultures and people you encounter as they enrich your experience and help you along the way.
The whole of the blue city tour was a 6–8 km trek until we reached the Pachetia hills and the view was worth the walk that we took to reach there.
Above us was a clear sky with the sun setting and below was a pool of blue houses that we had crossed to reach the top.
Ghanta Ghar
Very evidently if someone has to explore the local colors of Jodhpur, Ghanta Ghar is a must. The vicinities of Ghanta Ghar are filled with colorful shops.
The entire region is known for selling a wide and fine range of handicrafts, such as Rajasthani sarees and kurtas, bangles, souvenirs, local crafts, and much more.
Local shop keeper ka Hack: 4 🤟🏼
Make sure you keep all your personal things in your bag, especially your phone and your wallet. You might get mugged. 😕
Mandore
Rickshawale bhaiya gave us two choices, one to visit Kailana and Balsamand lakes and do boating and other visit Mandore gardens because both of them are in two different directions.
We : Lakes tho we have seen in Jodhpur, Boating tho is our everyday thing in Goa, Lets see Ravan ka Sasural.
Mandore is also called Raavan ka Sasural because it is believed that it is the hometown of Ravan wife Mandodari and their marriage took place here. There is also Raavan Chavri which is also near the mandore railway station.
As we entered the giant gates of Mandore garden, we were welcomed by langoors like not one or two but almost 100 of them. It looked like they were owning the whole place and some were having a panchayat near the tree like the older generation.
Mandore served as the capital of many Jodhpur kings and even witnessed several invasions from different dynasties, including the Muslim rulers of Gujarat and Malwa. So, in order to protect Mandore further from invasions, the capital was shifted to the hilltop Mehrangarh Fort, as it offers better safety and protection to the royal kingdom.
We had no contact in the city but with the firm determination and passion for local food exploration, we asked a few locals and Rishawale bhaiya about the places to eat and we must say, all the recommended places were amazing. We tried all the local snacks and sweets possible.
Meandering on the local lanes of Jodhpur, our next stop was to eat the staple food of Rajasthan “Daal Baati”. This was the first time I tried it at a local restaurant known for daal baati and churma laddu. The staff was kind enough to crush the baati and mix all the things for us. We only did the work of eating.
And that was it for Jodhpur! Our visit was short and sweet, but I’m glad we made time to stop here first while we were touring Rajasthan. Jodhpur had its own gems hiding amidst the chaos. Everywhere you go, you will find twinkling faces in Jodhpur. The locals are open to long, rambly conversations. You can meet some amazing people in Jodhpur if you go searching with curiosity and a little patience.
Signing off Jodhpur! See you Jaipur..🤟🏼
In case you liked what you just read, please clap (and make my day). Better yet, reach out to me and say hi! in case you need to know anything else about Jodhpur :) Stay Safe!!
