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Sunday, December 9, 2018 - Up early to catch Mehrangarh Fort in early light

india2018 — Mehrangarh Fort high over the city.

india2018 — Sunday, December 9, 2018

From our hotel room, we awoke to the beautiful sound of early morning Muslim prayers coming from a Mosque near our hotel.

The fort was not open so we went to Jaswant Thada - just as it was opening. It was nice to be there before the big crowds.

The Jaswant Thada is a tomb built by Maharaja Sardar Singh in 1899 in memory of his father, Maharaja Jaswant Singh II, and serves as the cremation ground for the royal family of Marwar.

india2018 — The mausoleum is built out of intricately carved sheets of marble. These sheets are extremely thin and polished so that they emit a warm glow when illuminated by the sun.

india2018 — Walking the grounds of Jaswant Thada feels "other worldly" and you cannot help but sense the peace and serene solemnity the 100-year-old site commands.

Marble column next to a screen carved out of marble - these lattice like screens are called jalis

india2018 — An example of Rajputana style of architecture. Its design and architecture are remarkable for the fine craftsmanship in the late 1800s.

india2018 — The main memorial is built like a temple, with beautiful domes and finely carved sculptures.

india2018 — Beautiful swooping lines

india2018 — Beautiful columns and arches

india2018 — Small balcony with a green door - this is only window size.

india2018 — The Mausoleum is still used for cremation of members of the Royal Family. We can hear the chanting of mantras for the dead.

india2018 — Virginia Ann and Cal pose in front of the Jaswant Thada - it was nice to be so early as there were few other tourists.

india2018 — The first cremation was held here in 1895 and the last in 2018, when the mother of the present king died. In Eastern religions, cremation is thought to be the way to return the body to the five elements in nature - the air, fire, sky, water and mother earth.

india2018 — Old door which was a popular place to have a selfie

india2018 — The Jodhpur city was founded in 1459 by Rao Jodha, a Rajput chief of the Rathore clan. Jodha succeeded in conquering the surrounding territory and thus founded a kingdom which came to be known as Marwar.

This is a statue of Rao Jodha pointing to Mehrangarh Fort he built in 1460
Here you see the founder of the palace, "Jodhpur" on horseback pointing toward the residence. The Royal Family were avid horsemen and played polo.

The riding britches we know of today referred to as "jodhpurs" were designed and created by original groomsmen. These pants are still hand stitched and available for purchase in the shops of Jodhpur.

india2018 — You can see the wall of the city, a 10-Kilometer wall, 20' - 100' in height that is 400-years old.

india2018 — In 1808, the Jaiphur attacked the fort but could not hold it. The fort remained a residence until 1943.

The living quarters - the "palace" are the decorated towers on the right.

india2018 — Though the fortress was originally started in 1459 by Rao Jodha, founder of Jodhpur, most of the fort which stands today dates from the period of Jaswant Singh of Marwar (1638-78). The fort is located at the center of the city spreading over 3.1 miles on top of a high hill.

india2018 — There were several displays in the palace. We saw elephant saddles, called "Howdahs" made of silver. The Queen's Howdah had a beautiful red and gold canopy.

There were several Palanquins used to carry the royal family through the city.

We saw Ankush which are sticks to guide the elephant by touching its forehead.

Palace interior - beautiful stone work in the king's living quarters...

india2018 — Fresco weathered over time

india2018 — One of the guards watching from the living quarters

india2018 — The Sheesh Mahal - a room of mirrors and gold - also known as the Glass Palace of Jodhpur

Challenging to photograph as there is a tiny opening to see the room

india2018 — The hallways were lit by the sun coming through the beautifully carved stone screens.

india2018 — Phool Mahal Palace

The hall probably served the purpose of a pleasure dome of the Maharajas, and the female dancers used to stay here. Accordingly, the room was made to look as beautiful as a magnificent flower, which earned it the name Phool mahal. The ceiling has golden filigree work, for which it is said, gold was brought from Gujarat.

india2018 — Our guide likened the levels of the Caste System to the parts of the human body. The head represents the intellectuals and priests called the Brahmins. The arms represent the rulers (Warriors) to include kings, governors and bureaucrats. The stomach represents the business class (Vaishya) to include bankers, merchants, craftsmen and artisans. Then the legs are the labor class (Shudra) like construction workers, street cleaners and those that perform physical labor.
Paintings on the wall in the Throne Room

india2018 — An alcove in the Throne Room

india2018 — The fortifications high over the town

india2018 — We could see the area where the ladies could look down onto the courtyard to view the activities without being seen by those below.

Note that no two screens are alike - and all carved out of stone

india2018 — At the Fort we purchase bangle bracelets and a camel bone hair pin.
Palace door near the Palace shop

india2018 — There was a chamber built for dancing and singing that was built in the middle of the 18th Century and referred to as the "Flower Palace".

india2018 — A very old wooden door with paintings in the upper panels.

india2018 — A Kilkila cannon

india2018 — Umaid Bhawan Palace

One of the world's largest private residences. Taj Hotels manage a part of the palace. Named after Maharaja Umaid Singh, grandfather of the present owner Gaj Singh. The palace has 347 rooms and is the principal residence of the former Jodhpur royal family. A part of the palace is a museum.

Ground was broken on 18 November 1929 by Maharaja Umaid Singh and the construction work was completed in 1943. The Palace was built to provide employment to thousands of people during the time of famine.

india2018 — We returned to the hotel and after short break headed back to Sardar Market. The hotel was just a few blocks from the market so it was an easy walk.

A woman purchasing food from a street vendor.

india2018 — Sardar Market and the Ghanta Ghar at sundown

india2018 — We paid for a ticket to climb the Ghanta Ghar - but only up one or two floors. From the Ghanta Ghar we could view the frenzy of the marketplace.

india2018 — Women from the country selling in the market

india2018 — Buying cloth

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