Set in the au naturel landscape of the Thar Desert, Jodhpur, “The Sun City” was founded by its namesake Rao Jodha, a chief of the Rathore clan, in 1459. Earlier known as Marwar, it is the second largest city in Rajasthan. A 10 km long wall encloses the old city, and eight gates leading out of it open into the new city, thereby dividing Jodhpur into two parts.
Owing to a beautiful and mesmerizing landscape, Jodhpur is a popular tourist destination. It is recognized as “The Sun City” because of its bright and sunny weather during the whole of the year. Besides, it is referred to as “The Blue City” as well, due to the blue-painted houses around the Mehrangarh Fort.
Sightseeing Places in Jodhpur, Rajasthan
Mehrangarh Fort
This impressive, invincible fort, created out of burnished red abyssal rock, is astonishingly haunting and alluring at the same time, which lends it an air of mystery and makes it one of the most impressive in all Rajasthan. Not surprisingly, this massive fort has caught the fancy of innumerable authors and historians. On account of its very large proportions, it is accepted as an excellent living instance of a Hindu acropolis today.
One of the largest forts in India, enclosed within imposing deep walls, located at a lofty altitude of 400 feet atop the city, Mehrangarh gives an onlooker a clear idea of why this fort has been regarded as one of the most impregnable forts in India.
Sturdiness is not the only attribute of the fort becomes evident as one enters and takes a walk through an assortment of palaces within which are legendary for their elaborate adornments and sprawling courtyards. There are numerous reminders of the battles that the fort has seen, including the scars of the canon ball hits by the attacking armies of Jaipur which can still be seen on the second gate, and the chhatri of Kirat Singh Soda who was a soldier who fell on the spot defending the fort.
Umaid Bhawan Palace
Alluringly carved balconies, open terraces, attractive courtyards and comfortable rooms with antique furnishings, set in the middle of 26 acres of lush gardens, perched high above Jodhpur --Umaid Bhawan Palace is the last of the great palaces of India and one of the largest residences in the world.
It took 15 years of creation to finally complete the 347 room exquisite sandstone grand magnum opus in 1943, which was conceived in the most impressive possible fashion, in traditional Rajput style. Christened after Raja Umaid Singh, grandsire of the present Maharaja of Jodhpur, the palace has been used as the principal dwelling of the royal dynasty of Jodhpur since.
Jaswant Thada
Situated to the left of the Mehrangarh Fort complex, an immaculate elaborately carved marble memorial, built by Maharaja Sardar Singh in 1899 in memory of his father Maharaja Jaswant Singh II, 33rd Rathore ruler of Jodhpur --the Jaswant Thada is an architectural landmark.
With the noble crematorium and three other cenotaphs near it, the memorial has two more tombs within it. The beauteous stone and jali work on the cenotaph is extremely thin and polished, showing the carving genius of the sculptors. Consequently, the outside surface of the monument emits a warm glow when the sun rays fall on it.
Museums
Suggestive of the history of Jodhpur, especially of the royalty of the past, museums are regarded as major tourist destinations, alluring them in ample numbers.
The principal museums in Jodhpur are:
- Government Museum
- Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum
- Mehrangarh Fort Museum
How to reach Jodhpur
By Air
You can take one of the regular and direct flights from the major cities in an around Rajasthan and the metros in India. The well connected airport is located 5 km from the city center, in the cantonment area. Major operators are Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher.
By Rail
You can easily take a direct train from the major cities in India like Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Chennai, Kolkata etc. Besides, “the Palace on Wheels” also visits the city. The Railway Station is located on the station road and comes under the Northern Railway Network of India.
By Road
You can conveniently take a bus or hire a cab. The main highway between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer is via Agoli and Pokaran and is well connected with Agra, Ahmadabad, Ajmer, Delhi, Jaipur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur. You can reach Jodhpur from Delhi via Gurgaon, Jaipur, Ajmer, Barmer and Pali.
Approximate road distances from some destinations:
- Agra - 580 km
- Ajmer – 200 km
- Barmer – 220 km
- Bikaner – 240 km
- Jaipur – 345 km
- Jaisalmer – 290 km
- Mount Abu – 265 km
- Mumbai – 1075 km
- New Delhi – 590 km
Local Transport
You can conveniently take a bus or hire a cab. The main highway between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer is via Agoli and Pokaran and is well connected with Agra, Ahmadabad, Ajmer, Delhi, Jaipur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur. You can reach Jodhpur from Delhi via Gurgaon, Jaipur, Ajmer, Barmer and Pali.
