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RAJASTHAN
:: JODHPUR
CITY GUIDE |
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Jodhpur
General Information |
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Area |
75.50
sq. km. |
| Altitude |
230 meters |
| Temperature |
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Summer |
42.20C-27.30C |
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Winter |
27.50C-9.50C |
| Clothing |
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Summer |
Light
Tropicals |
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Winter |
Light
Woolens |
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Languages |
Hindi,
Rajasthani, English |
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Jodhpur
History |
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The land area which is called jodhpur
today was only a small portion of the grand marwar
state before independence. Its borders touched Bikaner
in the North, Jaipur in the North-East, Ajmer Mewara
in the East , Sirohi and Palampur in the South cutting
across the Thar of Sindh province and Rann of Kutch
and Jaisalmer State in North-West. Before independence,
its total area was as widespread as 35,016 sq. miles.
Hundreds of centuries ago, before this expansive
desert came into existance, this area was a sea
called Drumkulya. Epics have it that an arrow bound
fire shot by Lord Rama burnt a large part of the
sea and converted it into a desert. This desert
was called Maru Mandal, Marudhar, Maruwar, Maru
Desh and Marwar.
Hundreds of years later and after
having undergone the ravages of several Kings and
their battles , under the rule of king Rao Jodha
of the Vikram Era (1510) , a city was slowly established
around the fort constructed by King Rao Jodha. This
fort was situated 6 miles south of Mandore on a
mountain called Chidiyanath ki Tonk. This city came
to be known as Jodhpur or Jodhana or Jodhaji Ki
Dhani and was the capital of the Marwar state for
five centuries. When Rao Jodha established the walled
city , it had four gates.As time passed , the city
became congested with increasing population and
the boundaries continued to expand. Today that area
is called Old City and has a 3 to 8 ft. wide and
15 to 30 ft. high wall around it in the shape of
a horse shoe . This wall has six big gates called
Chand Pol , Nagauri Gate, Merti Gate , Sojati Gate,
Siwanchi Gate and Jalori Gate. These gates earlier
had iron sheets fixed with nails.
The foundation of a beautiful palace
on the Chittar Hills , now called Umed Palace, was
laid by the then Raja Umed Singh on 18th November
,1929. During his reign the biggest hospital in
Marwar was made in Jodhpur, with expenditure of
15 lacs , 80 thousand rupees, which is now known
as Mahatma Gandhi hospital. On 10th May 1933 , Marwar
was officially renamed as Jodhpur state. On 15th
August 1947, India attained independence. Maharaja
Hanuwant Singh , who had succeeded Umed Singh, attended
the function wearing a black turban.He said, "
Today five hundred years old reign of my family
has come to an end , so I am, mourning." Thus
seven hundred years old Marwar state first merged
with Indian Union , and then into Rajasthan. |
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How
to reach Jodhpur ? |
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Air |
Jodhpur
has its own airport that links it with major tourist
destinations of India like Delhi, Mumbai, Udaipur
and Jaipur.
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Rail |
The
railway network connects Jodhpur with Delhi, Jaipur,
Ahmedabad and Lucknow.
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Bus |
Jodhpur
can be easily reached by road as well. There are
well-maintained roads linking it to tourism destinations
like Delhi (597 km), Udaipur (260 km) and Jaipur
(336 km).
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| JODHPUR
SIGHT SEEING |
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| Mehrangarh
Fort |
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 The
5 km long majestic fort on a 125 metre high hill
is one of the most impressive and formidable structures.
Although invincible from the outside, the fort
has four gates approached by a winding road. Within
the fort are some magnificent palaces with marvelously
carved panels, latticed windows and evocative
names. Not worthy of these are the Moti Mahal,
the Phool Mahal, the Sheesh Mahal, the Sileh Khana
and the Daulat Khana. These palaces house a fabulous
collection of trappings of Indian royalty including
a superb collection of palanquins, elephant hawdahs,
miniature paintings of various schools, musical
instruments, costumes and furniture.
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| Jaswant
Thada |
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 Cluster
of royal cenotaphs in white marble built in 1899
A.D. in memory of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. Within
the main cenotaph are the portraits of various
Jodhpur rulers.
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| Umaid
Bhawan Palace |
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 The
only 20th century palace built under the famine
relief project that gave employment to famine
struck population. The palace was completed in
16 years. This opulent edifice in sandstone is
still the residence of the former rulers with
a part of it running as hotel and remaining part
as a museum.
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| Clock
Tower and Sardar Market |
A prime attraction of the
city, is the Clock Tower and the colourful Sardar
Market near it. Narrow alleys lead to quaint bazaars
selling textiles, antiques, silverware and handicrafts. |
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| Rai-ka-Bag
Palace |
| This palace is situated
near Raika Bag palace railway station. It was
constructed in 1663 by Hadiji, queen of king jaswant
Singh-I. King Jaswant Singh-II liked this palace
very much. He mostly stayed in the octagonal bunglow
of this palace. In 1883 when Swami Dayanand Saraswati
came to Jodhpur, his sermons were arranged for
the public in the public ground of this palace.
Even Jaswant Singh used to listen to Swami Dayanand
in this palace only. Now income tax office functions
in this palace |
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| Umed
Garden |
| Umed garden covers an area
of 82 acres. developed by Maharaja Umed Singh,
it has green lawns, towering Ashoka trees, roses
and seasonal flowers, museum, fountains, library
and a zoo.In 1978 'Walk-in Aviary' was constructed
there one could see different types of birds,
local, African and Australian parrots, ducks,
rabbits etc; in their natural environment. There
are large cages for bears, foxes, deers, lions
leopard etc. It is place frequented by children
and adults with equal interest. |
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| Raj
Ranchhodji Temple |
| It was made by queen Jadechi
Rajkanwar after the death of her husband, king
Jaswant Singh. Major Part of the temple is made
of red sandstone, carved with beautiful filigree
work. The heart of the temple has the statue of
Ranchhodji made of black marble.It has green,
yellow and blue glassess fixed on its main door.
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| Achal
Nath Shivalaya |
| Achal Nath Shivalaya was
constructed by Nanak Devi, queen of Rao Ganga.
The construction was completed on 21st May 1531.
A large water reservoir called Bawari was made
near the Shivlinga which is known as Ganga Bawari.
The Garbh Griha, Mandap and Kirtan Bhawan of the
temple are made of carved Chhitar stone |
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| Siddhnath |
| Siddhnath Shiv temple is
located between Takhat Sagar hills. On the road
going from the right of filter house on Jodhpur-Chopasani
Road, on crossing the stairs made by cutting rocks,
one can reach Siddhnath temple. Many years ago
it was an absolutely deserted place. And because
of that, a hermit Veetragi Narain Swami started
staying here. He was a highly worshipped and respected
saint, known in the nearby areas. Once a handicapped
saint named Gaurishanker, later known as Nepali
Baba, came to this place. He had only four fingers
in each of his hand and foot. He made a big temple
by cutting stones, which is now known as Siddhnath
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| Ganesh
Temple |
| The area which is called
Ratanada was named after a dog called Rata. About
150 years ago a teacher Radidas in a place called
Gorunda saw a statue of Vinayakji in the hills
of Ratanada. The statue is eight feet high and
five feet wide |
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JODHPUR
FAIRS & FESTIVALS |
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| Marwar
Festival |
About the Fair
Held in October in Jodhpur, this annual event
attempts to showcase the art and culture of the
Jodhpur region. It is devoted almost exclusively
to songs and dance, and the Maand Festival has
become a part of this huge regional celebration.
Activities
The massive Mehangarh fort and the impresive Umaid
Bhawan Palace which are symbols of might and valour
of the Rajputs, make Jodhpur an ideal location
for the festival. It was originally known as the
'Maand Festival', a classical style of folk music
centred on the romantic lifestyle of Rajasthan's
rulers. The festival is held for two days during
the full moon of Sharad Purnima.
The Marwar festival displays the music
and dance of the Marwar region. The spirited folk
dancers gathered here, perform with zest and entertain
the audience with Rajasthani folklore. These folk
artistes bring to life the myth and legends of
the area and sing songs in memory of the brave
heroes.
Other attractions of the festival include horse
riding and horse polo. Various other competitions
are also held during the festival. |
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OTHER
USEFUL LINKS |
Hotels in Jodhpur |
Tour Packages for Jodhpur |
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