Day 5 (Dec 27, 2010): Udaipur to Jodhpur

It was going to be a little easy today. We wanted to explore a little of Udaipur else it would have been an injustice to the place. Awake before sunup, we walked up to the Gangaur Ghat to feel the morning bliss. It was chilly. There were clouds in the skies that seemed to have descended so low that one would have been able to feel their touch by stretching out a little. There were misty vapors on the water which left a titillating feeling as we touched them. It felt like being in heaven.

Nearby was the Jagdishwar Temple wonderfully carved out of stone. A flight of steps led us to the entrance guarded by elephants on either side. It is actually a group of five temples with main deity being Lord Vishnu, who is worshipped in the main temple. The other four shrines are smaller. Dedicated to Lord Shiva. Sun God, Goddess Shakti and Ganesha these are placed in the four corners of the main temple. We were awestruck with the architectural excellence and the quietude the place had to offer. (For more information and photos click here)

Blessed by the lord of the universe – Lord Vishnu, we then grabbed our breakfast and had a quick ride in the city. Unfortunately, the city palace, museums and other places of interest were to open only at 10 am. So we only saw them from outside and with a promise to come back again we bid adieu to the romantic lake city of Udaipur.

Back on NH8 as we crossed the city limits, there were mountains standing tall to bequeath us a warm welcome. They formed a beautiful landscape with a long winding road traversing the mountain. Fortifications were seen at a distance and we happened to eventually pass through one of the doorways as it got near. There was a temple near this door too.

The doorway in Bhairo Ghata

The crisscrossing ended a little after the temple. The landscape was beautiful. A little later the road snaked around clear waters of a beautiful lake called Bagela. The surrounding trees showed up in the water making it a sight to behold. A tiny island like thing stood in the center housing a tent making us jealous of whoever staying there. 

A road branched off the main highway and to further snake around the lake and take us to a sleepy hamlet of Nagda. We followed the road to visit the Saas Bahu (corruption of Sahastrabahu) temple here. Though in ruins and completely neglected, the temple is a piece of art one must visit. (More information and photos click here)

The visit to the temple was pretty quick and equally quick was the ride to Eklingji - another temple which is an architectural marvel. Built in marble and festooned with intricate carvings the temple complex houses 108 shrines dedicated to various gods. The main temple is that of Eklingji or Lord Shiva. A quick homage we made to the Lord here before we moved ahead.

A roadside lake enroute Devigarh

Our next destination – Devigarh was in the wee town of Delwara around 10 km away from Eklingji. The old fort has been now converted into a heritage property. As we reached the gate we were told that there is a INR 1000 entry fee per head to see the fort. We thought it wasn’t really worth it and hence saw the fort of whatever we could see from outside.

The next destination was Nathdwara – temple of Lord Krishna worshipped as Shrinathji. It is a popular temple amongst the Hindus who flock here everyday. To no surprise there was a huge crowd when we reached here. The darshan would have taken around 3 hours. Anu was in no mood for that long queue. So we negotiated for a backdoor entry and got done in half an hour or so. We came out to see loads of thandai shops and I couldn’t resist grabbing one… and then another! The thandai here is a must have and in case you plan to stay back, try the one with bhang!

Our souls and stomachs satiated, it was time to hit the road again. We found ourselves on NH8 once again. The region around Nathdwara is known for its marble and hence loads of industries have flourished around. And we could see this on the highways too. Truckload of life-sized chunks of marble was seen being transported. They were huge enough so scare us. What if one of it just falls off! The thought was petrifying enough for to make us ride with extreme care.

We finally reached Jodhpur around 7:30 pm after over 6 hrs ride to cover 140 km - dead tired and perturbed. Finding a hotel here was another task. Finally an hour later and a minor fall we had settled down in a cozy hotel room having our dinner. I was looking for what was to be done tomorrow. Initially the plan was to hit Jaisalmer and from there proceed towards Jaipur via Bikaner. Jaisalmer happened to be 280 km from Jodhpur and Jaipur another 670 km from Jaisalmer. It was quite a lot and would be an injustice to Jodhpur and so also to the others that we would have visited. So we thought it was wise to drop Jaisalmer and continue to Jaipur from Jodhpur itself.  

Around 40 km later we branched off to head towards Jodhpur. It was a single lane road. Initial few km was a good stretch, however it worsened eventually. There were huge pot holes making the road almost non-existent, and lowering our speed to 20 kmph. It was really irksome, but then we were left with no choice. The ride continued at this low speed until we reached Pali around 80 km from the diversion. At Pali we hit NH14 which made us feel at ease, but not for long. We couldn’t speed more that 60 kmph here because of the traffic and bad road at places. We then branched off yet again to ride on NH65. It was good, but only until we reached the toll booth. Post that it turned out to be equally bad if not worse.

The road (pathway) to Jodhpur that made us ride at 20 kmph

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