Jodhpur: The Blue and the Beautiful

 Jodhpur was not really part of my itinerary in India.  I intended only to visit the golden triangle (i.e. New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra) the most popular tourist route in India.  But I had two extra days so I asked a friend who has traveled extensively what was the best place he visited in India and he declared Jodphur and so Jodhpur became part of my travel plan.

It took a seven hour train ride from Jaipur to reach Jodhpur and got there around 8pm.  It was a good time to arrive because the hotel where we were staying had a spectacular view of  Jodhpur's prime attraction, the Mehrangarh Fort which was beautifully lighted at night.

Unlike Jaipur which is billed as the Pink City but did not really have a lot of pink structures, Jodhpur lives up to its fame as the Blue City.  The panoramic view of the old city of Jodhpur from Mehrangarh Fort is an awesome sight with all of the city's houses and buildings painted in blue.  Jodhpur was truly blue and beautiful!

Jantar Mantar: If You Are Into Astronomy...

If your are into astronomy, you will most likely have a great time in Jantar Mantar, an astronomical observatory.  This Unescco World heritage site observatory has fourteen major geometric devices for measuring time, tracking stars, ascertaining declinations of planets, etc.

However, if you visit expecting to see impressive structures, then you will be in for a disappointment.  The observatory structures are not awesome, and paint on its walls are faded and peeling off.

City Palace: Fine Architecture in the Old City

Imposing in its presence in Jaipur's Old City is the City Palace.  Done in traditional Indian architecture the palace complex is divided into courtyards, gardens and buildings.

Do not miss out on this beautiful  Palace which is well maintained inside and out.

Hawa Mahal: Ladies by the Windows

A stunning sight in central Jaipur is the Hawa Mahal or the Palace of  Breeze.  The five storey high redstone building has over 900 windows. Its many windows allows  the breeze to circulate into the structure.  This is where the royal ladies viewed from the windows life outside of the palace without being seen.

At present you can not enter the Palace and will only be able to appreciate its beauty from the outside.

Jal Mahal: Beauty in the Lake

On the way to Amber Fort, sits in the middle of Lake Man Sagar, the pretty Jal Mahal or the Water Palace.  It is worth a brief stop for photo opportunities and to enjoy the lake breeze and fine architecture of Jal Mahal.

There are scenic views of this Water Palace from Nahargarh Fort and on the mountain road going to the three forts of Jaipur.

The Other Forts of Jaipur

Inside Nahargarh Fort

View of Amber Fort

Views of the Mountain and Lake

We almost walked away from Nahargarh Fort because there is really nothing much to see inside. But a good thing we continued our exploration and ended up at the end of the Fort where there are spectacular views of Amber Fort, the City of Jaipur, and the mountains and lake.

This made our visit of the Fort worthwhile!

Entrance of Jaigarh Fort with its famous cannon

Jaigarh Fort Ramp

Views from Jaigarh Fort

Jaigarh Fort is the strongest of the three forts in Jaipur since it has never been conquered in battle! The Fort was the site of the world's largest cannon. There are also awesome views of the city of Jaipur and Amber Fort from this fort.

Amber Fort: Beautiful Outside and From a Distance!

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Jaipur's main attraction is the Amber Fort.  This fort is impressive from the outside with its massive walls.  Inside the fort, it has sprawling grounds but there is nothing much to see as the rooms of the fort/palace are bare and stripped of any adornments and fixtures.

Amber Fort is also not well maintained with  paint of the walls  peeling off and I did not see any efforts at restoration.  Nevertheless, it continues to be a major tourist attraction in India and is a popular site for shooting bollywood films.  At that time that of my visit they were filming what looked like an epic bollywood movie in the fort grounds.