India

Rajasthan

This post covers days 7 and 8 of a 16-day journey around Rajasthan.

The size of Germany, Rajasthan is the largest of India’s 29 states. With the Thar Desert covering the north and west it is one of India’s less densely populated states, though with 200 people per km² (the same as Italy) it is hardly empty.

From Jaisalmer in the far west of Rajasthan we travel back to Jodhpur in the centre

In the 11th and 12th centuries the rise of the Rajputs created some 20 or so petty kingdoms ruled by Maharajas - the ‘Rajput Princes’. These kingdoms, at first independent, later vassal states of the Mughal or British Empires survived until 1947, when the Maharajahs led their ‘Princely States’ into the new Union of India, creating Rajasthan (the ‘Land of Princes’). The rulers became constitutional monarchs until 1971 when the Indian government ended their official privileges and abolished their titles. ‘Maharaja’ is now a courtesy title, but most remain leading members of their communities and some are still immensely rich. Several, like their British counterparts, have supplemented their income by turning forts and palaces into tourist attractions and hotels.

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Much More than a Pair of trousers

30-Jan-2018

Jaisalmer to Jodhpur

Jaisalmer is the end of the line, so to reach Jodhpur we first had to backtrack to Pokran, passing the military base and again battling through the roadworks – static obstacles last Sunday but busy on a weekday.

Roadworks between Jailsalmer and Pokran

At Pokran we turned southeast towards Jodhpur, breaking the journey at Ummed’s roadside pure veg restaurant, partly because Umed, our driver, (same name, different transliteration) had missed his breakfast and partly because he wanted to show that he understood our feelings about tourist traps. Although this is a matter of principal not money, two cups of tea and a small packet of biscuits here cost 40 rupees (45p) while each tea in a tourist stop is typically 80.

Ummed's 'pure veg' restaurant en route to Jodhpur

We continued across the Thar desert on small but adequate roads …

The Thar desert on the way to Jodhpur

… reaching Jodhpur around 1 o’clock and checking into our second genuine palace in three stops – with a fake fort in between.

Ranbanka Palace Hotel

The sandstone palace of one the Maharaja’s brother, built in the 1920s has been extended to create two hotels, one of them the Ranbanka Palace where our room – in a relatively modern wing – was comfortable enough but could not compare with our genuinely palatial accommodation in Bikaner. A shared balcony overlooked the lawn, restaurant (where we lunched on pakoras) and the pool. In the picture below the pale figure in the water is me; January days in Rajasthan are pleasantly warm, but the nights are cold and so was the pool, so I had it to myself.

Outdoor restaurant, parched lawn and pool, Ranbanka Palace Hotel, Jodhpur

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the locality, finding a possible local restaurant and turning down invitations from the large number of local jewellery shop owners.

The 30th of January is Shaheed Diwas (Martyr’s Day), one of Rajasthan five annual dry days. As this does not apply to hotel residents we ate in, sitting beside the garden, warmed by braziers and soothed by the tinkly music of a harp-like instrument. Junglee Murgh is chicken with industrial quantities of ghee and chilli; traditionally a peasant dish of wild jungle fowl it has gained a little sophistication, but still packs a punch. Bharwan dum aloo, potatoes stuffed with cashews in a yoghurt-based sauce was gentler and together they made a fine dinner.

The line into Jodhpur Railway Station runs a few hundred metres to the north. The noise of the day drowns out the trains, but at night the mournful calling of the hooters – and Indian train drivers do like a hoot – is guaranteed to interrupt your slumbers.

31/01/2018

Mehrangarh

We set off across the city to Mehrangarh (often tautologously ‘Mehrangarh Fort’ but garh is Sanskrit for fort) with Umed and Dr S, our local guide who had dropped in yesterday to make the arrangements.

After succeeding his father as King of Marwar, Rao Jodha built a new capital modestly naming it Jodhpur after himself. In 1460 he started construction of Mehrangarh on a rocky outcrop 125m above the city which grew around it. No doubt it was impressive in 1460, but its 17th century refurbishment by Jaswant Singh I (reigned 1638-78) makes it as forbidding a fortress as can be imagined.

Mehrangarh, Jodhpur

A road winds up to the base of the fort. If I had battled my way there, dodging arrows as I went, I would probably be dismayed by the 30m high walls. Fortunately, nobody lobbed rocks or poured boiling oil on us while we waited for Dr S to buy tickets. My picture catches the top of the Chhatri of Kiran Singh Soda. Dr S did not mention it, so I was unaware it was a ‘memorial to a brave soldier who fell on this spot’. This phrase is trotted out with minor variations in Wikipedia, a dozen Trip Advisor reviews, and all the photography websites of the world, but who was Kiran Singh Soda? Blogger Jatin Chhabra says he ‘died fighting against the forces of Jaipur in 1864 AD’, and that is all I have found.

The walls of Mehrangarh and the top of the Chhatri of Kiran Singh Soda, Jodhpur

From here you can walk up through the fort's various gates, but we took the lift, opening up fine views over the ‘blue city’ of Jodhpur.

Jodhpur is known as the Blue City as the houses were traditionally painted that colour - and some still are

Like Jaisalmer, Jodhpur is a desert city, but with over a million inhabitants it is twelve times the size. The desert topography gives it an unusual shape, the fort being on the northwest corner of a narrow rectangular centre beyond which the city becomes a loosely articulated patchwork of habitation and desert. From the foot of the rocky outcrop a desert park stretches northwest to the Jaswant Thada, the mausoleum and cremation ground of the Marwar royal family.

Jaswant Thada, Jodhpur

Unlike Jaisalmer’s fort, Mehrangarh is uninhabited, functioning solely as a museum. For decades it was deserted and crumbling but in 1972 the current Maharaja, Gaj Singh II, set up a trust to restore the fort and create the museum within. He had become maharaja in 1952 aged 4 after his father died in a plane crash but only took up his duties after attending Eton and Oxford - a proper maharaja’s education.

Courtyard, Mehrangarh

The courtyards, rooms, apartments and objet d’art are regarded as the best of their type but after four maharaja’s forts/palaces in the previous week I was becoming jaded. We saw exhibitions of howdahs, palanquins and turbans - who knew there were so many ways to tie a turban? – and inspected the armoury which, among other grisly ways of dealing death, has the swords of various luminaries including Mughal Emperor Akhbar the Great (another tautology, ‘Akbar’ means ‘great’) and Timur the Lame (Tamerlane).

Hilt of sword possibly belonging the Emperor Akhbar
(I am not sure which sword was whose - and the internet seems equally uncertain)

An exhibition of miniature paintings included several camel-bone models, one of a train…

Small train, Mehranghar

…and the genealogy and portraits of the maharajas. Marwar had 41 rulers between 1226 and 1947 when Rajasthan joined the Union of India - the present (42nd) has only a courtesy title. 21 are assembled in the photo below, though how many of the earlier likenesses were painted from life is anybody’s guess.

Maharajas of Marwar (Jodhpur), Mehrangarh

The Phool Mahal (Flower Palace) was the Hall of Private Audience of Maharaja Abhey Singh (ruled 1724-49).

Phool Mahal (Flower Palace), Hall of Private Audience of Maharaja Abhey Singh

Phool Mahal, Mehrangarh

The ceiling is gold filigree with mirrors and the 19th century paintings are of gods, maharajas and the moods of classical ragas.

Ceiling, Phool Mahal, Mehrangarh

Outside, we did not need the Birmingham-made spiral staircase to reach…

Wrought iron spiral staircase, looking slightly out of place, Mehrangarh

…the bedchamber of Takht Singh (r1843-73) who must have appreciated Christmas baubles.

Chamber of Takht Singh, Mehrangarh

Beyond was another magnificent courtyard…

Another magnificent courtyard, Mehrangarh

….and the Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace), the Hall of Private Audience of Sur Singh (r1595-1619). Polished chunam (plaster with crushed seashells), coloured Belgian glass and lights twinkling in the alcoves would have made this room brilliant, if slightly strange.

Moti Mahal, Mehrnagarh

Jaswant Thada

From the fort we drove across the rocky desert park to the Jaswant Thada, pausing at the artificial lake beside the monument. Despite the lack of birds in my photo, the area teemed with wildfowl; several species of duck I could not name, coots with slightly different frontal shields from their British cousins, though they are the same species (Eurasian coot), red-wattled lapwings - common throughout Rajasthan but looking more at home here than the one I photographed in sandy Mandawa - and many more. A white-throated kingfisher flew across the lake, showing off its iridescent blue back.

Lake by the Jaswant Thada, Jodhpur

The Jaswant Thada was built in 1899 as a cenotaph for Maharaja Jaswant Singh II (r1873-95). His reign brought prosperity as he purged the area of bandits, introduced a proper judiciary, re-organised the administration, built roads and brought the telegraph and railway to Jodhpur. Dr S suggested the cenotaph was built by public subscription; I would rather have a present before I was dead, but as a Maharaja’s life was marked by (relatively) unlimited wealth and power, what else could he be given?

The Jaswant Thada, Jodhpur

Pratap Singh, a younger brother of Jaswant Singh, served as Chief Minister before going on to a career in the British Indian Army. He travelled widely, in 1897 taking his polo team to Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Traditional ‘churidar’ trousers are narrow fitting on the lower leg but loose around the thighs and hips and Pratap Singh realised that a little redesigning and reinforcing made them perfect for riding. He equipped his polo team with them, they took London by storm, the trousers were widely copied and ‘jodhpurs’ were born. Pratap Singh cannot be held responsible for subsequently redesigns by Savile Row tailors, the East German police, or anybody else.

Lieutenant-General Sir Pratap Singh (centre) with his son and the Raja of Ratnam
at Sir Douglas Haigh's chateau, Montreuil-sur-Mer - Jodhpurs much in evidence
(I don't know who owns the copyright, so thanks and apologies, whoever you are)

Having set the trend Jaswant Singh is now surrounded by the mausoleums of lesser royals, some much lesser,…

Royal mausoleums by the Jaswant Thada

…some only slightly lesser.

More royal mausoleums with the Jaswant Thada in the background

There is also a garden, and you have to respect anyone who can keep plants green in this rocky terrain and dry climate, though the desert rose is better suited to it than most.

Desert rose, Jaswant Thada, Jodhpur

Sardar Market and MV Spices

Umed drove us into the city centre, Dr S first directing him to the Post Office so we could dispatch some postcards, then to Sardar Market in the Girdikot district.

Sardar Market, Jodhpur

The market has a clocktower built by Maharaja Sardar Singh (the son of Jaswant Singh) around 1900.

Clocktower, Sardar Market, Jodhpur

And stalls selling everything from saris to vegetables.

Lynne and some vegetables, Sardar Market, Jodhpur

In a corner of the market is MV Spices.

MV Spices, Sardar Market, Jodhpur

Mohanlal Verhomal once sold spices from a barrow but had acquired two shops, complimentary mentions in international guide books and a visit from Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen for a TV travel programme before he died suddenly twelve years ago. He left a wife and seven daughters and in India having no son to carry on your business creates a problem. Much as I love India, I realise that the attitudes of too many Indian men towards women are not just bad, but shockingly appalling. The seven sisters took over the business and despite facing problems ranging from acid attacks to unfair business practices by their rivals, they have prospered, now own five shops and were in 2013 the subject of an Australian TV documentary ‘The Spice Girls of India’. We sat, drank marsala tea and discussed spices with one of the sisters and left with a large number of packets, some to keep, other to distribute round the family.

One of the Vermohal sisters in the shop

A Rajasthani Lunch

Dr S understood our desire for an Indian rather than a tourist lunch, and recommended a restaurant called ‘The Spice Road’ – no marks for originality, then. It was a small, pleasant place in a garden and, one Japanese couple apart, all the other lunchers were Indian. The menu offered several local specialities from which we chose deep fried gram flour balls in a spicy gravy and a dish of minced chicken and lamb. Both were good without being outstanding.

Lunch at the Spice Route, Jodhpur
The waiter on the edge of the picture, left, is wearing churidar, the trousers from which jodhpurs developed.

Indian meals normally finish with a breath freshner, a teaspoonful from box of sugar crystals flavoured with mint, violet or aniseed. Sometimes the ‘box’ can be quite elaborate – or even be a train pulled by a fire engine.

A train full of breath freshners, Spice Route, Jodhpur

Dr S reappeared to check we approved of his recommendation, took his leave and Umed drove us back to our hotel.

Umaid Bhawan and a Blue, Super and Eclipsed Moon

We idled away much of the afternoon, but we did take a walk to photograph the Umaid Bhawan.

In the late 1920s a series of failed monsoons brought famine to Rajasthan so Maharaja Umaid Singh employed several thousand drought-stricken farmers on a ‘workfare’ project to build him a palace. They started the Umaid Bhawan in 1929 and progressed slowly, spinning out the work (with the maharaja’s blessing), until 1943 when Umaid Singh moved into what was claimed to be the world’s largest private dwelling.

Designed by Henry Vaughan Lanchester and influenced by Lutyens’ designs for New Delhi, it is now a hotel, indeed the third best in the world (Trip Advisor’s Travellers' Choice 2018). In a land where a night in a four-star hotel costs less than a decent B&B at home, it is also one of India’s truly expensive hotels. Sadly, it was on the far side of one of those outbreaks of desert which are a feature of Jodhpur, so my photo is less than satisfactory.

Umaid Bhawan, Jodhpur

The evening was warm so we chose seats in the outside restaurant without bothering to check out the braziers. Our attention, though, was taken not by the menu but by the moon, hanging at the end of the garden, huge, red and at that point about two thirds eclipsed. A ‘supermoon’ – a full moon at the moon’s closest approach to the earth - is only slightly bigger than the average full moon, the size and colour we saw were caused by its proximity to the horizon. It was by far the most impressive lunar eclipse we have ever seen, though not as exciting as the full solar eclipse we saw in the Gobi desert in 2008. And where is the photo? There is none, just this picture of the restaurant at night from our balcony. Pathetic.