Jodhpur

Home of the famous riding trousers and more. This was by far the most organized city in the tour of Rajastan. The fort and palace were set up like a museum and it was a nice change. We didn’t have to battle the vendors and hawkers to get into the fort and could enjoy the structure and all the items inside without huge crowds swarming around us.

Jodhpur is known as the “Blue City” Many of the homes are painted blue because they feel it keeps the homes cooler in the hot summers. The city is surrounded by a very thick strong wall.

It was a very profitable city and made lots of money from trading silk, coffee, copper and opium. Now the handicrafts of Jodhpur is widely known especially in silk, cotton dhurrie rugs and furniture.

Jodhpur is also very close to the Pakistan Border. We could see fighter jets taking off quite frequently for border patrol as well as several helicopters who also did border patrols. It was quite noisy.

Here is a peek inside the palace fort:

The meditation room!

The audience hall for the Maharaja:

Here are some of the weapons used in battle:

Looking out from the queens and  ladies quarters:

The Maharaja's Coronation Chair. It would have been carried on a golden platform and decorated with jewels and silks:

The last and current Maharaja's Baby Cradle!

Jodhpur welcomed many traders in the palace.  The people had exposure to the wider world. Many new styles of art are seen in the place and  local tradesmen visited quite often.