Jodhpur was the last stop in our journey through Rajasthan as per our itinerary – Jaipur – Pushkar (via Ajmer Sharif Dargah) – Udaipur (via Chittorgarh) – Mount Abu (via Haldighati) – Jaisalmer – Jodhpur.
We had only one and a half day to explore the place that has so much to offer to its visitors. Therefore, we targeted two must-see attractions of Jodhpur – Mehrangarh Fort and Umaid Bhavan Palace. Jodhpur is, perhaps, the best place to witness the royal heritage of Rajputana. While the palaces in Mehrangarh Fort and its in-house museum tell you about the grandeur and glory of the royal Rajputana in the middle ages, Umaid Bhavan Palace presents the kingly aura and a tradition of luxury living that Jodhpur still carries on in modern times.
Mehrangarh Fort
Our first stop was Mehrangarh Fort. Nestled on a hilltop outside the town the fort overlooks the “blue city” Jodhpur and the rugged landscape of rural Rajasthan. The fort bears the mark of architectural elegance of medieval India. Its palaces, windows, pillars, corridors, and halls, everything has a story to tell.
I listened to the little facts and anecdotes about the royal Rajput lifestyle and culture that our guide shared with us while exploring the fort and its heritage museum.
The museum exhibits the weapons, armours and accessories used in battle at that time. Fine robes, jewellery, decorative items, and golden palanquins used in carrying kings and queens, are also on display in the museum. I came to know that straight swords belonged to the Hindu Rajput warriors while Muslim fighters used curved swords in battle.
While we were passing by Maharaja Takat Singh’s mahal, a colourful chamber decorated with stained glass and golden embellishments on pillars and walls, our guide told us an interesting story about the king and his private life, which I would like to share here.
The king, Takat Singh had thirty wives living with him in the palace. He used to meet four of his queens at a time at the chamber. The queens played ‘pasha’ and the one who beat others in the game would get the chance to spend time with the king the next day. I was really amazed by the story – how clever this man was to manage thirty wives in one life! 😉 😀
On the contrary, the life of queens and princesses in the palace where sunshine barely entered, were not so colourful. I heard that the daily activities and entertainment of women in royal families were mostly restricted within the palace and areas meant for them.
Umaid Bhawan Palace
Our next destination was Umaid Bhawan Palace. The palace, built in 1943 and currently the “world’s largest private residence,” is a wonderful instance of neoclassical architecture with excellent blending of eastern and western styles.
The iconic architecture, named after Maharaja Umaid Singh, is partially open for visitors. Compared to Mehrangarh Fort palace and other old palaces in Rajasthan, Umaid Bhawan Palace is more spacious, airy and glamorous with contemporary luxury decor.
A small portion of the palace houses a museum where the entire family line of Maharaja Umaid Singh is depicted with portraits of the royal family members. It also displays an exclusive collection of precious artefacts, crockery, porcelain vases, and expensive clocks owned by the royal family. The vivid frescos depict the events of royal coronations.
Check out my post – The Colours of Rajasthan for more on Rajasthan travel.
Footloose Forever 
Rajasthan is always historically and culturally rich. Nice post…
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Absolutely. It’s a fascinating place. Thanks!
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great photos, wonderful architecture Moon. 🙂
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Thanks! The state of Rajasthan is full of such wonderful architectures! 🙂
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The blue city has so much on its platter that is difficult to decide where to go and where not to. I have visited Jodhpur twice, but I am still not over yet. Spectacular palaces and rich culture are a sheer treat to my eyes. The photos are very nice.
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Thank you, Ayushi. The entire Rajasthan is a fascinating place. I have seen only a small part of it in our 14-day trip. I wish to visit again.
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one of a couple of places in Rajastan i really want to visit (that I havent)
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Good idea! 🙂 Rajasthan is beautiful. You’ll love the place. Happy New year!
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This looks like a great place to visit with the two destinations! The palace’s mixed architecture should be the key to coming up with some of the best photos – the dome looks the best 🙂
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Yeah…It’s a great place! In fact, entire Rajasthan is full of architectural marvels like this. I am so fond of the place. Thank you and a happy new year!
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I do wish something special comes up to get me to visit these places 🙂
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what a nice place to visit !! Thnx for sharing great pictures
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I have very pleasant memories of my visit to Mehrangarh! Beautiful fort!
Nice pictures!
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Beautiful pics.
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Quite informative post. Nice images. Most interesting is the story of playing Pasha with 4 out of his 30 wives! 🙂
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Beautiful pictures, Moon. The mahal with stained glass is so beautiful…such majestic architectural wonders these are… 🙂
The name of the king was Takat Singh… 😉 symbolic indeed…:-P
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Very informative post, Moon 🙂
The images are really inviting and feel like exploring this place 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing and wish you a very happy new year, in advance 🙂
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Thank you Sreejith for an encouraging comment. A very happy new year to you too. 🙂
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Winning a game of dice to spend time with husband:-) So intricate, such wonderful architecture..I love these pictures of the Mehrangarh Fort.
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Hahaaa… I have no idea of how much of this story is true and how much is exaggerated. But these royal palaces in Rajasthan are full of intriguing stories. 😀
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Yes lot of intriguing stories….30 wives ..uff. 🙂
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😀
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I was spellbound reading about 30 wives…and here it is diffult to manage only one 😊
Anyway, a very well balanced post. I am always amazed with the architecture they created. Astounding!
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Hahahaaa… that’s why the law has also changed with the increasing level of difficulty over the centuries … 😛 😀 Rajasthan never ceases to amaze me. Thank you so much for dropping by, Alok.
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