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Places to visit in Jodhpur
Jodhpur is one of the most historically important cities in the state of Rajasthan. The second-largest city of the state, Jodhpur was once the capital of the Kingdom of Marwar for close to 600 years. It was then a princely state under the British rule and later became a city of Rajasthan post India’s independence. The rich history of the place can be seen through a multitude of things like forts, palaces, temples and lakes. With the backdrop of the Thar Desert, the city of Jodhpur once was just the fort city of Mehrangarh. The Blue-coloured houses of the city led to Jodhpur earning the nickname of ‘Blue City’. Over the years, the city of Jodhpur has extended for many more miles and various other structures have come around the city. The local cuisine, culture and traditions of Jodhpur are slightly different from the rest of the Rajasthan, which you can notice when travelling in the inter-twining streets of the fort city. In this article, we tell you some of the best places to visit in Jodhpur when you tour the city.
Mehrangarh Fort
Mehrangarh Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the biggest forts in India. The massive fort was built more than 400 feet above the city with heavy fortification walls all around it. It is one of the few forts in India that have never been penetrated by the enemy forces. You can still see a few of the marks of the cannonballs on one of the walls of the fort. Even though Rao Jodha laid the foundation in 1459, most of the fort that stands today was built between 1638 and 1678. The fort has one of the best-preserved museums in India, where you can see the weapons, attires, palanquins, utensils, paintings, murals and many more artefacts. You can get some of the most stunning views of the ‘Blue City’from top tiers of fort.
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Umaid Bhawan Palace
Umaid Bhawan Palace is one of the biggest private residences in the world with close to 350 rooms in the palace. The stunning beauty is the home of the former royal family of Jodhpur with a part of the palace open to public as well. The architecture is a mix of Indo-Saracenic, Classical Revival and Western Art Deco styles, with exquisite design and artworks used for every part of the palace. The museum at the Palace gives you a glimpse of the lifestyle of the royals back in the days and takes you to a world you can only imagine. Well, there is an option to live their lifestyle for a few days, as the Taj Group of Hotels runs part of the palace. You can stay in the hotel and experience the life of a royal in all its glory.
Jaswant Thada
Jaswant Thada is a cenotaph built of intricately carved sheets of marble, which emits a warm glow when sunlight falls on it. Maharaja Sardar Singh commissioned to build the cenotaph in the loving memory of his father Maharaja Jaswant Singh II in 1899. There are three more cenotaphs in the complex. The main cenotaph of Jaswant Singh II has some portraits of different royals of the family. The complex has several gazebos, gardens and mini lakes. The grounds of the complex also work as a cremation ground for other members of the royal family.
Mandore Garden
Mandore Garden has a lot of historical significance associated with it. The place served as the capital of the Mandore region during the reign of Parihars. They ruled for more than 600 years from 7th century to the end of 14th century. The area served as the capital of the region until Rao Jodha shifted his base to the newly found city of Jodhpur in 1459. Mandore Garden has several monuments in its complex with almost all of them ruined and not in their original condition. A huge temple in the middle of the fort, various cenotaphs and the remains of the fort are few of the major attractions in the area.
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Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park
Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park is one of the latest tourist attractions in the city of Jodhpur. Once a wasteland, it is now a breeding ground for some of the native plants of the area. The park is located just a few hundred meters away from the Mehrangarh Fort. An American shrub called Prosopis Juliflora overran the area but the local government took responsibility and turned the wasteland into a habitable area for the naturally occurring stone-loving plants. The parks consists of volcanic rocks and unique sandstones and has four trails, which the tourists can take to explore the area.
Clock Tower
Clock Tower or ‘Ghanta Ghar’ is one of the structures built by Maharaja Sardar Singh during his reign at the turn of the 20th century. The 100-year old structure sits amidst the Sardar Market in Jodhpur. You can explore the streets leading up to the tower and have a look at the daily life of the people in Jodhpur. The market area is the major shopping point for the locals for things like vegetables, spices, textiles, silver and handicrafts. The market offers you a great opportunity to shop some of the local artefacts of the area. The place looks great in the evening with a lit Clock Tower in the background.
Bishnoi Village
A visit to the Bishnoi Villages is something that you will love the most when in Jodhpur. It is a new initiative that the royals of the Jodhpur family started to give a unique experience to the domestic and international tourists alike. You get to experience the lifestyle of the locals by spending time in the village, eating the local food and staying in the small huts built from natural raw materials. Guda Bishnoi Lake is a hotspot, for humans and animals alike, in the village where you can spend some quality time with the fellow tourists and soak in the village life. This is one experience, which you will surely stay with you in your life.
Chamunda Mata Temple
Chamunda Mata Temple is one of the oldest temples in Jodhpur and is located inside the Mehrangarh Fort. Chamunda Devi was the most revered deity of the royal family of the Marwar and hence a temple was built for the Goddess in the old city of Mandore. When Rao Jodha started building the Mehrangarh Fort, he brought the idol to the fort and built a new temple inside the fort in 1460. Hundreds of people visit the temple during the celebrations held every year in the fort during the festival of Dussehra.
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Balsamand Lake
Balsamand Lake is an artificial lake built by the Gurjara-Pratihara rulers back in 1195. It served as a water reservoir for the fort of Mandore during that era. The lake is 1 km long, 50 m wide and 15 m deep. A beautiful summer palace was built on the shores of the lake a few years later. The lake now serves as a great picnic spot for tourists who want to enjoy a bit away from the heat of Jodhpur. You can get close to the nature by exploring a few natural trails in the surroundings through. You will also get to witness a few monkeys, peacocks and jackals while on this trail.
Kaylana Lake
Kaylana Lake is a massive artificial lake built just 8kms away from Jodhpur. The place once had some small palaces and gardens but Pratap Singh removed them in order to make this huge lake in 1872. It gets its water from Hati Nehar, a canal which itself gets its water from the longest canal of India, the Indira Gandhi Canal. Set amidst the igneous rocks, the lake spreads over an area of 84 square kilometres and is a great place for birdwatching and photography. During the winter season, Siberian cranes are a major attraction of the area. Kalyana Lake is a place where you can spend some time in peace close to the nature, away from the bustling streets of the city.
Jodhpur is widely known as the blue city and one of the major city and must visit to make your Rajasthan Holiday Packages a memorable and special one. We at Select India Holidays is one of the leading Rajasthan Tour Packages helping the travelers like you to plan Rajasthan Trip with several optional activities to make it a very special one
