Day 6 (Dec 28, 2010): Jodhpur

We had woken up a little late to catch up with a well deserved rest. It had been raining all night, making the weather quite nippy. At 10 am it had stopped and we thought it was the right time to set off for a city tour. We had traveled hardly a km and halted at the ATM to withdraw cash. By the time we had come out it had started pouring again. We then just crossed over to a local eatery and savored on the local goodies, while hoping the showers would stop soon. Half an hour later it did and we headed to the Umaid Bhawan Palace.

Breakfast at the local eatery

The mighty brick-colored building of the Umaid Bhawan was striking enough to catch our attention from quite a distance. We were riding in its direction and it seemed to be even more mesmerizing as we got near. Said to be one of the world’s largest private residences, it was constructed by Maharaja Umaid Singh with a whooping 347 rooms. It houses a small museum where we paid a visit. The paintings and the artifacts on display were worth a watch and so was the grandeur. The place is said to have been divided into 3 parts – museum, a heritage hotel run by the Taj group and the residence of the heirs of the royal family. We intended to have lunch at the Umaid Bhawan Palace Hotel, but unfortunately they said they were booked and could accommodate us only after 3 pm. So we unwillingly happened to drop the plan.

We were pretty hungry and intended to have lunch at a decent place and the hunt got us to Ajit Bhawan – a heritage hotel. The place was nice and quiet. The swimming pool was lovely. Being here was a great experience and we wished if we could have planned to be put up here. However since we hadn’t we relished on traditional Rajasthani cuisine to fulfill a part of our desire. Post this we paid a quick visit to the Kaylana lake and then got back to the hotel for a quick nap.

Kaylana Lake

Fiveish we were on our way to Mandore – a wee hamlet nestled outskirts of Jodhpur for a visit to the fort and the temples. As we entered we were greeted by many a langur who seemed to have been the guardians to the place.  A little ahead we saw a cenotaph and then a temple – neatly carved out of rock and decked with intricate work.  It was a masterpiece. As we were lost in admiring its beauty, we came across another and eventually many more of such temples. The very sight of so many of them had left us flabbergasted. They were neatly hewn out of rocks, ornamented with varied designs and neatly placed one after the other. None of them had a deity to be worshipped and hence lay neglected. We spend quite a while admiring the beauty here. (For more information and photos click here)   

Our next destination was Mehrangad. We had booked ourselves a table at the Mehran terrace which opened post 7 pm. So we had planned to reach there around 6 so that we could see the fort, have dinner and then come back. But as we reached there, we were informed that entry to the fort has been stopped and we can’t visit it in the evening. L We took permission to hang around and see whatever we could in the dark until we wait for Mehran terrace to open up.

Mehran Terrace is small restaurant that gets set up on the verandah of the lower fortification in the evenings. It offers great views of the city below while you dine. As we entered the fort, unfortunately it started to pour again. It was just the two of just apart from the hotel staff, who had the restaurant set up done in the lower covered portion due to the rains. Anu was restless. She was worried about getting back, while I kept my calm and enjoyed the rains. I felt rather fortunate it rained. All my beloved ones were with me – nature, my bike, the showers and needless to mention Anu – my wife. It was a perfect evening drenched in the love of all those I adored. To top it all, there was good food served the traditional way. Must say – the place was the most romantic place to dine in Jodhpur. It made me fall in love with Rajasthan yet again!

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