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 Jodhpur
Southwest of Jaipur is the Thar desert with Jodhpur
at the eastern edge serving as its gateway. The city,
was founded by the Rathore Rao Jodha. After conquering
Marwar, Rao Jodha established himself here. Within the
high stone wall with its eight gates is the seemingly
invincible Mehrangarh Fort, rising to a height of 125
meters. Enclosed within are the fabulous palaces, which
have now been converted into a museum. Inside the exquisite
Moti Mahal is the Srinagar Chowk. The other sections,
the Phool Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Sileh Khana, Umaid Vilas
and Daulat Khana, dispaly a rich and varied collection
of exhibits. Umaid Vilas has a fine collection of Rajput
miniatures and Ragmala paintings. The armoury of Maan
Vilas displays the high level of craftsmanship of the
sikligars (sword smiths) and the dhabadars (armourers).
The chatris (cenotaphs) at Mandore, that of Jaswant
Singh II, is at Jaswant Thada below the fort. The tombs
of four successive rulers adjoin this structure. The
splendors and luxury of the marble and sandstone Umaid
Bhawan Palace is today a fine hotel. An effective combination
of indigenous and foreign architecture, and also Known
as the Chitar Palace was the maharaja's second residence,
the first being at Raikabagh. Mandore, 9 Kms from the
town was the original capital of the Parihar Rajputs.
Along one edge of the garden is the 18th-century Hall
of Heroes with 16 giant figures carved out of single
rock. Jodhpur is a good base to visit Osian, 65 Kms
to the northwest, once a great trading centre but today
famed for its eighth-to-tenth century Brahmin and Jain
temples. |
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