We travelled by bus from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur, where, from the bus stand autos are available and they take you to desired hotels. We did not pre-book, the auto we hired first took us to hotels by the main road which is close to the station but away from the markets. Hence we went to stay by the marketplace. Jodhpur hotels are costly n mostly not well maintained. But the rush here is very much so not many choices of hotels are there. The market areas have hand looms, and traditional Rajasthani and Jaipuri sarees, salwars, lehengas, kurtas and shirts are available. Nagras, a speciality of Rajasthan too are available. For people who will skip Jaisalmer, the sand dune trips can be made from Jodhpur as well by cars and buses. Food at Jodhpur is mainly vegetarian with a few dhabas, and McDonald's serves non-veg items which are costly.
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| Umaid Bhavan |
The main attraction of Jodhpur is the Jodhpur Fort. What surprised us here are a group of folk singers singing Bengali folk songs in the doorways. There is the Umaid Bhavan Palace where the Maharaja currently lives and it is a private property opened only to the public for the museums inside. There is a car gallery of old Ferraris and Lamborghinis for car lovers. It is a very well-maintained museum where you can click pictures also. The Museum reflects everything you need to know about the Maharaja's ways of living. The Bhavan is seen from the forts as it is on a cliff and surrounding it are heritage hotels managed by the Maharaja himself for foreign tourists and his guests.
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| Jodhpur Fort |
The Jodhpur Fort is larger and taller than the ones at Junagarh or Jaisalmer. The whole fort is explorable and takes about an hour. Guides are available although not needed. This fort too has everything from clothes to weapons to gold roofed rooms. The Cannons here are one of the oldest in the Rajputana. The weapon gallery gives a detailed account of the weapons and the roof gives a spectacular view of the Blue City. The Jaswant Thada near the Fort is actually a line of temples dedicated to a Maharaja and his Raajmata. Inside there is also a Shiva temple and a lake where the Maharaja used to bathe before worship. The Mandore Gardens about 30 Minutes by car from here are actually in Mandore, the Birth Place of Ravana's Wife Mandodari. These gardens are ignored and ill-maintained but have many Rajput temples dedicated to different gods and are rich in architecture. However, the temples close after 12 noon so no point in coming here after that hour. About 40 minutes from here is a lake from where Jodhpur gets its water. It is on the list of Places to Visit but however, is not a tourist spot.
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| Hawa Mahal |
You can go to Jaipur by bus, train or car from Jodhpur. We boarded the 6.30 am Jaipur Jodhpur intercity express to save both time and energy. At Jaipur station, there are both autos and cars available. Autos in Jaipur are the costliest. If you have already booked the hotels make sure you have the directions in your GPS system as most drivers and locals can not show the way. We stayed at Hotel Savoy near the main market. People tend to stay in the Pink City itself but I personally felt it's overcrowded. Jaipur is a city of branded stores and Kundan jewellery, so nothing to buy from here. The City Palace, Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar are within walking distance in the pink city and ten minutes by auto from the new city. The Pink City was planned and set up and is the first planned city of Rajputana.
We first went to the Albert Hall Museum. Established in the heart of Jaipur, this museum has amazing artefacts from all over the world, including mummies and idols from Egypt. The old scripts of India too are preserved here. It takes about 45 minutes to be seen and do not miss out on the details.
The Royals stay in the City Palace so most of it falls in restricted areas, there is no need for guides. The Hawa Mahal is a pleasure to the eyes and soul. The winds and the science applied to make the rooms are really amazing, take some time to sit in the Hawa Mahal. The Complex of the Hawa Mahal has a few old temples as well as houses. It gives the flavours of Rajputana.
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The Soma Yantra in Jantar Mantar Jantar Mantar is a real treat, do not miss the light and sound show here that is held every evening, it gives a beautiful idea about the city of Jaipur. We went back to the Jantar Mantar twice. My advice will be to see the Light and sound first and then go see the place the next morning. Tickets are reasonable.
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The forts near Jaipur are the Amber Forts, the Nahargarh Fort and the Jaigarh Fort. First to visit will be the Amber, the Birth Place of Queen Mariam, better known as Jodha Bai. The Man Singh Palace and the whole of the Amber Fort are a treat and take you back to the Mughal eras. The Elephant rides are a treat but costly. There is a Tunnel that connects the three forts and was often used as an escape route for the Women and Children during wars, After a few Km, the underground tunnel runs atop the mountains and can be seen from a distance.
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| Amber Fort and Tunnels |
The Nahargarh is a 1-hour ride uphill from Amber. It is the oldest fort of Jaipur, built before the Amber and has no view of the current city. Ill-maintained, most of its wall paintings and artefacts have been lost in antiquity. The adjoining forests have a huge habitat of Peacocks, deer and even Leopards. You can catch a glimpse of any if you are lucky. Near this fort is the Jaigarh where the world's biggest cannon is kept. It had last been used in the Kargil wars and placed there part by part. The Jaigarh fort reflects a lot of styles in architecture that have been recreated in many Mughal architectures. This fort overlooks the whole city of Jaipur. The Museums have a ticket, and a weapon house is a place where the camera is prohibited but people click away. The guards tend to make you pay 20 Rupees for a guided tour you do not need. The inside of the palace has chariots, utensils and beds and sofas made of silver. From here there is Jalmahal on the way that is closed to tourists and can be seen at a distance. The Birla Gardens is a garden meant for local picnics made by the Birlas and is advisable to avoid as the ticket prices are not worth it.
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| Brahma Lake Jaipurur had the best available food on the whole tour. Every cuisine is available and it is very much tasty and reasonable in price. From Jaipur, we took a car for Ajmer and Pushkar. The Cars first take you to Ajmer, where you can keep your bags at the hotel and visit Pushkar in the same car. We stayed at RTDC Khadims Which is near the railway station from where we had our train. The road to Pushkar is very bumpy and takes a lot of time. There is no worship available in the Brahma temple even if the flower vendors say so. The temple is a very well-kept place where there are four Shiva temples on each side as well. The Brahma head gives an eerie feeling, and the lake where you can bathe to remove your sins is lovely. However, the bathing portion is very dirty and separated from the main lake. Flower vendors advise pujas here also but it's fake. On the way back there is Ajmer Lake where you can go boating in the evening. The Akbari Quila at Ajmer is one of the most ignored places but a must-visit. The English East India Company first visited Jehangir there and all of Akbar's grandchildren were born here. There is a museum of Indus Valley Artifacts that is closed every Sunday, Monday and Thursday so visit accordingly. The Light and sound shown in this Quila draw the picture of the cultural secularism of Ajmer. |
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| Akbari Fort |
The most important place here is Ajmer Sharif. You have to take an auto to the place and walk 30 minutes. Dalas for prayer are available at various prices in the shops and no cameras or phones are allowed inside the premises. The place is usually crowded but indeed a spiritual home. The back side is the less crowdy place to sit and pray. This Dargah was visited by Akbar himself walking all the way from Chittor to here before he built the fort.
Two days is usually enough for Ajmer and Pushkar's visit. We missed the Taragarh fort area of Prithviraj Chauhan and the Dhai Din ka Masjid built by Khilji because they were closed for renovation.
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Ajmer Sharif
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