About Jodhpur

Jodhpur
 About Jodhpur
Jodhpur is at the edge of the Thar Desert and is the largest city in Rajasthan after jaipur. The city is dominated by a massive fort, topping a sheer rocky ridge right in the middle of the town. Jodhpur was founded in 1459 by Rao Jodha, a chief of the Rajput clan known as the Rathores. His descendants ruled not only Jodhpur, but also other rajput princely state. The rathore kingdom was once known as Marwar, the land of death As one of the closest major Indian cities to the border with Pakistan, Jodhpur has a large defence contingent. Don’t dive for cover when you hear booming jet fighter planes above – jodhpur is not under siege; the air force is simple undergoing its routine training exercise.

Once the capital of the state of Marwar (“Land of Death”), founded by the warrior clans of Rathore, Jodhpur borders the Thar Desert and is the second-largest city in Rajasthan. Despite its size and activity, Jodhpur has yet to emerge as a tourist destination in its own right; though it’s a pleasant enough place to spend a few days before continuing on to more exotic destinations like Jaisalmer and Udaipur. The city’s highlights include its formidable and lavishly decorated fort, a bustling bazaar, and a sea of color-washed homes that have earned Jodhpur the nickname, “The Blue City.” These sights can be seen in a day, after which many travelers tack on a daytrip to the nearby desert villages of the Bishnoi.

 Mehragarh Fort:
Still run by the maharaja of Jodhpur, meheragarh, the majestic fort, is just that. Sprawled across a 125m-high hill, this is the most formidable fort in fort-studded Rajasthan. A winding road leads up to the entrance from the city, 5km below. The second gate is still scarred by cannon ball hits, indicating that this was a fort which earned his include the JAYAPOL, built by Maharaja Man Singh in 1806 following his victory over the armies of jaipur and bikaner, and the FATEHPOL, or victory gate, erected by Maharaja Ajit Singh to commemorate his defeat of the Mughals

 Jaswant Thada:
This white marble memorial to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II is a short distance from the fort, just off the fort road. The cenotaph, built in 1899, was followed by the royal crematorium and three other cenotaphs which stand nearby. There is some beautiful marble jail (lattice) work and fine views from the terrace in front of the cenotaph.