A Road Trip to Blue City Via Pink City – III

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Day Three.
Today, we had to leave for Jodhpur, City of Blue Houses.
We had breakfast at 8 am and then went out on the journey because we had to cover 340 kilometers. The road was very good. Not any breakage. Not congested. We have to take three National Highways (48, 25 and 65) to reach our destination. We pass through four toll booths. The surroundings around the highway were so beautiful, powerful and picturesque that we did not realize when we reached our stay, The Fern Residency. It was 2:15 pm which means we were driving since 6 hours but there was no tiredness. In the entire trip, we did not feel that it is the winter time. The atmosphere is hot and we did not feel the need to use winter clothes during day time.

We checked into the room. Got dressed and headed out to visit Umaid Bhawan Museum. Umaid Bhawan Museum is located inside Umaid Bhawan Palace. The Palace is divided into three functional parts – the residence of the royal family, a luxury Taj Palace Hotel, and a Museum focusing on the 20th-century history of the Jodhpur Royal Family.

The museum is quite small and doesn’t have much to offer. It contains paintings of the royal family members with their biography. Utensils and pottery used by them and their jewelry collection. Only worth watching thing was their vintage car collection. Umaid Bhawan offers a panoramic view from the outside.

After Umaid Bhawan, we headed towards Mehrangarh fort. Mehrangarh Fort is one of the largest forts in India. Built around 1460 by Rao Jodha, the fort is situated 410 feet (125 m) above the city and is enclosed by imposing thick walls. Inside its boundaries, there are several palaces known for their intricate carvings and expensive 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, built by Maharaja Man Singh to commemorate his victories over Jaipur and Bikaner armies. Fattehpol gate was built by Maharaja Ajit Singh to mark the defeat of the Mughals. The palm imprints upon these still attract much attention. There are two temples inside the fort which are worth visiting. One of them is Chamunda Mataji temple. The Chamunda Mataji was Rao Jodha’s favorite goddess, he brought her idol from the old capital of Mandore in 1460 and installed her in Mehrangarh. Maa Chamunda was the kul devi of the Pratihara rulers of Mandore. She remains the Maharaja’s and the Royal Family’s Isht Devi or adopted goddess and is worshiped by most of Jodhpur’s citizens as well. Crowds throng Mehrangarh during the Dussehra celebrations.

The ramparts of the fort house preserved old cannon (including the famous Kilkila), and provided a breath-taking view of the city. This Gallery displays colors of Marwar-Jodhpur, the finest example of Marwar paintings. Marwar carpets, doors, and windows have been displayed inside the fort.
Jodhpur is also known as “City of Blue Houses” because the houses were painted in blue colors which the city gave a panoramic breathtaking view from the fort. The whole city appears bluish. The view was so picturesque that one can be lost in it.

It was 6 o’clock in the evening and we were tired and hungry, so we decided that we will eat dinner before going to the hotel and for that, we went to Gypsy, which was in Sardarpura area. Well, we did not have much expectation from it by many times things happened which were unexpected. In Gypsy, they served 31 items in their thali. It was so delicious and yummy that your stomach will be satiated but not your soul. There cannot be a better way to end a tiring day than this and if the trip end on such a good note then it gives a sense of complete satisfaction.