Jodhpur A Royal Destination

Jodhpur, a land of legendary kings, royalty and warrior is very colorful all the year round. The city is an oasis spread in the vast desert with the best fusion of art & craft, religion, culture, rich history, desert, dance, forts, palaces, wildlife and lakes. The place where sun rays create an illusion of shimmering lakes on the arid desert, Jodhpur is the land of Romance of the Dessert. Located almost on the edge of the Thar Desert, the city of Jodhpur was founded in 1459 by Rao Jodha, the chief of the Rathore clan of Rajputs and was the capital of the State of Marwar. Jodhpur is also known as the Sun City because the sun shines brightly here every day of the year, and as Blue City since most houses in the old part of the city are painted blue. The forts and palaces, temples and havelis, culture and tradition, spices and fabrics, colour and texture, a booming handicrafts industry, all add up to make this historic city worth a visit.

Fast Facts

Temperature:

Summer: 45 - 35 C Winter: 27 - 15 C

Best Season:

August to March

Getting to Jodhpur

AIR

Jodhpur is connected by air with Jaipur, Delhi, Udaipur and Mumbai. The airport is 5 km away from the city centre.

RAIL

Jodhpur is connected by rail with major cities in India.

ROAD

Motorable roads connect Jodhpur with: Agra 577 km Ahmedabad 516 km Ajmer 198 km Alwar 483 km Barmer 220 km Bikaner 260 km Delhi 592 km Jaipur 343 km Jaisalmer 290 km Mount Abu 280 km Mumbai 1073 km Ranakpur 175 km Ranthambore 481 km Udaipur 260 km

Tourist attractions

Mehrangarh Fort

Founded by Rao Jodha in 1459 AD, the fort is like a crown on the cliff. With rugged and rocky terrain, the fort houses a palace adorned with latticed windows and carved panels designed from red sandstone. Spreading over 5 km on the perpendicular cliff, the fort showcases some of the best Jodhpuri sculptures. Other than this, there is Moti Mahal, Sheesh Mahal and Phool Mahal to visit in the fort.

Umaid Bhawan Palace

This palace is the most romantic spot to visit in Jodhpur. Named after Maharaj Umaid Singh who built this, the palace is also popular as Chittar Palace because of the chittar sandstone used in the structure. Showing off he Indo-colonial art & decor work, this palace is constructed with a special system, hand-chiselled sandstone blocks are interlocked in a manner that there is no mortar binding in the structure. In the palace, there is a well- maintained museum for the tourists, displaying a vintage collection of royal items like family weapons, antiques, clocks, crockeries and trophies.

Jaswant Thada

Coming down from the Mehrangarh Fort, on the left is Jaswant Thada, with a secluded and a mystic aura. This is a marble cenotaph of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. The prime structure is built like a temple adorned with intricate carving on the marble stones. There are portraits of successive rulers and the four cenotaphs for honoring the bravery and generosity of the four successive rulers.

Guda

This is a Bishnoi village not so far from Jodhpur. Tourists visit this village to experience exotic wildlife and nature. A number of bird species can be seen here during the season, out of which, the Demoiselle Crane is the attraction. Then, there is a pond in the village with antelopes and black bucks.

Mahamandir Temple

A sanctified spot in Jodhpur, the temple witness is a place where tranquility reigns supreme. The temple has a very unique architecture to wonder about, supported by 84 pillars, the place is adorned with ornaments and detailed design of various figures depicting different postures of Yoga.