Day 251of Indian places making you smile – The blue city of Jodhpur
In 2006, the papers were filled with news about the marriage of Elizebeth Hurley with Arun Nayyar. I was more interested in the beauty of the place in which they got married.
One week later my we would ourselves staying in one of the best hotels we have in the country- the Umaid Bhavan Palace in Jodhpur.
The grandeur and luxury of the palace has to be experienced to be believed. It served as the principal residence of the Royal family of Jodhpur with its imposing sandstone structure of 347 rooms standing high above 26 acres of beautiful gardens. The majestic central dome and the towers are reflective of the Rajput tradition.
Of the main structure, 64 of the rooms are part of the Taj Hotel property, some parts have become a museum which is open to the public, while the Jodhpur royal family still reside in the balance rooms. We were welcomed like royalty and served upon in style as we had out breakfast overlooking the gardens that were filled with prancing peacocks.
I thought that our suite was done up in lavish style, even the bathroom with the candles and rose petals was much bigger than the hall of our old Mumbai house! Even this was nothing as compared to the exquisite Maharani Suite and the Maharaja suite which I had got a chance to see after making a specific request to the hotel staff. Just one week ago Liz Hurley herself had stayed here in that room and I could imagine how the Palace must have transformed for that celebrity wedding!
My daughter and I explored almost every corner of the hotel, taking in the dripping luxury of the place. The lavish interiors had exotic murals, gilt furniture and elegant artwork on every side. We spent more than an hour pampering ourselves in the rose petal strewn spa experience. We walked through the marbled squash courts and the recreation room. It was a better way to spend the morning inside the palace getting a taste of the royal lifestyle, instead of trying to do some sightseeing in the scorching heat of the day.
On the next morning we set out to visit the must see attraction of Jodhpur- The Mehrangarh Fort, which is situated high above the city and enclosed by imposing thick walls. After driving up through winding roads we entered the fort through one of the seven impressive gates built to commemorate the victory of the ruling kings over their enemies.
The view of the city from the Meharganj Fort was breathtaking. I now understood why Jodhpur was called the Blue city, I could see hundreds of small houses below all painted with a striking shade of blue. The desert sun was quite severe and we purchased some camel skin hats to protect ourselves in this place which is also called Sun city.
As we walked through the ancient courtyards of the Fort, I wondered how it must have felt to actually be living in such a traditional ambience. Within the fort itself are many splendid palaces. Living in the desert the use of bright colours and mirror work in clothing was something to be expected. What I did not expect was the happy use of mirrors and colour in the palace appropriately called Sheesh Mahal! The look of awe on my daughters face as she entered the happily decorated hall with mirror fragments across the room was priceless!
Even the Moti Mahal or the pearl palace was built specially for the queens with hidden balconies for the queens to listen to the courts proceedings.
As I looked up to the ceiling of the Phool mahal or palace of flowers I imagined how this place must have been in it’s hey days decorated with flowers and dancing girls all set to give pleasure to the royalty!
As we walked through the museum we admired in awe the ancient jewelry, armory and pieces of art on display that were in use during the ancient times. It felt good to actually experience what life must have been when people were ruled by Kings and queens.
Next we found ourselves next to the ancient Kikila cannon. From here too we could get a bird’s eye view of the city. This cannon when fired had a long range and was an effective means to protect the Fort during the earlier wars.
Our last stop in the Meharganj fort was the famous Chamunda Matadevi temple. This is the adopted Goddess of the royal family of Jodhpur who still visit this temple at periodic intervals to seek the blessings of the powerful Goddess.
Standing on the top of the Meharganj Fort, having received the blessings of the Goddess herself, I felt happy and proud to be part of the great Indian Civilization. With so much evidence of ancient Indian Royalty all around us, we feel no less than Royals ourselves…truly Raja-sthan is the place for Royalty!!!
So which Indian place made you smile today?
Please share your experience of Indian places that made you smile
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