The Land of Death

Trip Start Oct 30, 2005

Trip End Jun 19, 2006

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Flag of India Jodhpur, India
Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Jodhpur, the Blue City. Capital of Marwar, the Land of Death, death to all who tried to invade her borders and storm her mighty fort.
The fort of Jodphur, the Mehrangarh (Majestic Fort), towers over the city atop a huge escarpment, with its walls and ramparts forming an impregnable defense for the resident maharajah. In it's long history, it was never captured by an enemy, and today is one of the best-preserved and most imposing of the Forts of Rajasthan.

It is probably one of the highlights of my stay in India so far. As a "tourist", it was very well set-up, with a wonderful and informative audio tour included in your ticket price. Voiced by an Indian with one of the accents that manages to sounds more British than the British, the audio was chock-full of information about the history, art, battles, and people that the Mehrangarh has played host to

[01] The mighty Mehrangarh

. The grandeur and beauty of the Mehrangarh captivated me, and the view from its walls, across Jodhpur and the plains was unbeatable. Jodhpur is called the Blue City because many of its buildings and houses are painted sky blue, traditionally the colour of the Brahmin caste. These days, the tradition has spread to other people in the city, so that you look out from the fort, a craze of blue cubist houses to delight Picasso stretches below you. It's a wonderful sight, although the city itself is a largely industrial and busy place.

After coming here from Jaisalmer, with it's fairytale sandcastle of a fort, golden stone, and it's quiet intimate alleyways, the bustle and "city-ness" of Jodhpur was a bit of a shock. I've just had two days in Jaisalmer, exploring the fort, drinking beer with Australians, and enjoying the view out across the desert. A magical place, and blessedly peaceful. I'm going to miss the desert, but god knows, I'll be getting my fill of it again soon!

Now though, Anwar and I are heading south towards Udaipur, with a couple of days in a tiny temple town called Ranakhpur, somewhere in the Rajasthani jungle. Apparently there's wolves and leopards around....should be fun!