forts and palaces of jodhpur, jodhpur rajasthan forts, forts/palaces in jodhpur rajasthan

The Mehrangarh Fort
Mehrangarh fort is one of the largest forts in India situated on a steep hill. The beauty and the grandeur of numerous palaces in the fort narrates a saga of hard sandstones yielding to the chisels of skilled Jodhpuri sculptures. Mehrangarh Fort, spreading over 5 km on a perpendicular hill and looking down 125 meters, presents a majestic view on city horizon. It was built on advice of a saint in 1459 to establish an impregnable head-quarter. This Fort is one of the best in India with its exquisitely latticed windows, carved panels, elaborately adorned windows and walls of Moti Mahal, Phool Mahal, Sheesh Mahal. A collection of musical instruments, palanquins, royal costumes, furniture and the cannons on the fort's ramparts are well preserved.
The Jaswant Thada	Top^
The Jaswant Thada is an architectural landmark located in Jodhpur. It is a white marble memorial built by Sardar Singh in 1899 in memory of Maharja Jaswant Singh II The monument, in its entirety, is built out of intricately carved sheets of marble. These stones are extremely thin and polished so that they emit a warm glow when the sun's rays dance across their surface. Within this cenotaph, there are also two more tombs. The Jaswant Thada is a traditional cremation ground of Jodhpur rulers. The grounds also include exquisitely carved gazebos, a beautiful multi-tiered garden, and a small lake.
The Umaid Bhawan Palace	Top^
Maharaja Umaid Singhji who built this palace was fascinated with western lifestyles so he marshalled the services of a well-known Edwardian architect, Henry Vaughan Lanchester, a creditable equal of Edward Lutyens (architect of New Delhi) to construct a three hundred and forty seven roomed Umaid Palace. This was to become India last of the great palaces and the biggest private residence in the world. Spectacular Central Rotunda, the cupola rises to a hundred and five feet high; the Throne Room with its exquisite Ramayana murals; an elegant wood-panelled library, and even a private museum; an indoor swimming pool, a Billiards Room, tennis courts and unique marble squash courts makes Umaid Bhawan Palace is unabashedly the most magnificent. The palace was also built with superficial intentions of providing employment to famine stricken farmers. The Palace now is a five star deluxe palace hotel. The museum of the palace is highly recommended for its display of weapons, an array of stuffed leopards, a huge banner presented by Queen Victoria and an incredible collection of clocks.
The Rai ka Baag Palace	Top^
This palace is situated near Raika Bag palace railway station. It was constructed in 1663 by Hadiji, queen of king jaswant Singh-I. King Jaswant Singh-II liked this palace very much. He mostly stayed in the octagonal bunglow of this palace. In 1883 when Swami Dayanand Saraswati came to Jodhpur, his sermons were arranged for the public in the public ground of this palace. Even Jaswant Singh used to listen to Swami Dayanand in this palace only. Now income tax office functions in this palace.
Mandore Garden	Top^
Mandore garden is a popular local attraction. In the Mandore garden, there are the dewals or cenotaphs of Jodhpur's former rulers. Mandore garden has high rock terrace. The garden is open for tourists from 8 am to 8 pm. The ruined fort and palace of yester years are still intact on the hilltop and below this there is Mandore garden for public amusement and has the cenotaphs of Jodhpur's maharajas probably using this garden. Besides a baoli, there is the Hall of Heroes, with 15 figures carved out of living rock, from where the path to the fort reaches Mandore Gardens.
Nehru Park	Top^
Nehru Park was developed as a park for children. The famous Nehru park of Jodhpur, Rajasthan was inaugurated on 7th September 1966 by the then Chief Minister, Shri Mohan Lal Sukhadia. The park is covering an area of 14 acres. The park reflects the beauty of nature through its fountain, pond, swings, flowerbeds, trees and plants, etc. Earlier there was a pond named Bakhat Sagar pond. But slowly and gradually the pond deteriorated with the city's dirty water getting collected there. In order to solve the problem, its upper portion was converted into Bakhat Sagar residential colony. The lower portion of the pond contains the Nehru park now.
Umed Garden	Top^
Umed garden of Jodhpur, Rajasthan was developed by Maharaja Umed Singh. It is named after him only. Umed gardenis spread on an area of 82 acres. The garden has five separate gates around it to facilitate entry to the garden from different directions. It has lush green lawns with beautiful roses and other seasoned flowers. Also inside the garden, is a museum, towering Ashoka trees, artistically designed fountains, a library and a zoo. Viceroy Willingdon inaugurated the zoo in the garden. At the time of its inauguration, the Umed garden had lion, tiger, zebra, ostrich and an emu. There was separate cage made for monkeys. A 'Walk-in Aviary' in the zoo was constructed in the garden in 1978. The aviary houses different types of birds, local, African and Australian parrots, ducks, rabbits etc. All the birds and animals are kept in their natural environment. Also in the Umed garden, is a large cage for bears opposite the aviary. Also there are pigeons, crocodiles, foxes, deer, lions, leopards, etc. Children as well as adults very often visit the garden with equal interest. The garden is known for mesmerize people with the nature's beauty in which it abounds. Also, it is a good place to educate children in relation to nature.
Government Museum	Top^
Government Museum of Jodhpur, Rajasthan is situated on the High Court Road. It stands in the middle of the Umaid public gardens. The museum building and the garden were developed during the time of Maharaja Umaid Singhji. It encompasses a wide collection of weapons, textiles, miniature portraits and local arts and crafts. Also displayed in the museum are, portraits of rulers and the manuscripts and images of Jain Tirthankars. Rajasthan's popular Government Museum also has a public library and a zoo, located in the pleasant Umaid Gardens. The museum holds a special attraction for kids. Children get very excited by the sight of stuffed animals, including a number of desert birds in two glass cases, each with a thorn bush. There is also a military section, exhibiting cumbersome wooden biplane models and an extraordinary brass battleship.
Clock Tower and Sadar Market	Top^
Jodhpur is at the edge of the Thar Desert and is the largest city in Rajasthan after Jaipur. Among Rajasthan's many princely settlements, Jodhpur is one of the most distinctive. This five hundred year old settlement was the headquarters of the Rathore Rajput's celebrations for their tales of daring. The Clock Tower is a popular landmark in the old city. The vibrant Sadar Market is close to the tower and narrow alleys lead from here to bazaars selling vegetables, spice, Indian sweets, textiles, silver and handicrafts. It's a great place to ramble around at leisure.
JHANKI MAHAL	Top^
The Jhanki Mahal, from where the royal ladies watched the official proceedings, in the courtyard, today houses a rich collection of the royal cradles. The cradles are decorated with gilt mirrors and figures of fairies, elephant and birds.
Ossian	Top^
The ancient town of Thar Desert was a great trading center between 8th to 12th centuries. Today it is desert oasis with 16 Brahamanical and Jain temples, beautifully sculpted and designed, most of which have stood ravages of time. The place is highlighted by its camel ride at the time of the sunset. The tourist's have the liberty to watch the architectural forms during that camel ride and return back to the camps or the resorts followed by drinks and thematic evening of performing arts and a choice of oriental cuisines arranged in the ethnic style of that region. The stay at the camps enriches the feel of the holiday. The camp Thar being the best among the staying facilities.
PHOOL MAHAL	Top^
Phool Mahal (means ‘the palace of flowers’) is now the most popular period room in Mehrangarh Fort Museum. It was built by Maharaja Abhaya Singh in the eighteenth century as a private room for the king’s pleasure. The gold used for the construction of Phool Mahal is believed to have come from Gujarat as the booty of the war in which the king defeated a Mogul governor. The other attractions in Phool Mahal, such as the paintings, portraits and raga mela, were the contribution of a later king, Jaswant Singh. The entry fee is Rs 200/-, which includes the charge for using still camera. For using video camera, an additional charge of Rs 200/- has to be paid.
Balsamand Lake and Palace	Top^
An enchanting picnic spot with cool breeze weaving through the lush grove of mango, guava, papaya and other fruits. A placid artificial lake with a summer palace on the embankment. It was built by Balak Rao Parihar in 1159 AD. The serene surroundings will leave you at peace with yourself. The palace was created by Maharajah Sur Singhji, as a summer pavilion. It is very finely carved with latticed windows that allow the soft, cool breeze to blow into the interiors of the palace. The embankments of the lake, in front of the palace, have domed structure that offers fabulous views of the lake encircled by hills. An artificial cascading waterfall, brings water down from the reservoir to the gardens. Mandore, is a part of Jodhpur but it enjoys the calmness by being far from the city crowd. The rooms and suites, the entire ambience here makes one feel as if you are staying in a royal palace. One can even enjoy a walk through the trees, the rose beds, pools covered with lilies and the groves of mango, plum, banana, pomegranate and so on. One will also get to see the peacocks, blue bulls, jackals and hundreds of flying foxes (fruit bats) in the trees.
Guda Bishnoi	Top^
Discover a world of tribal color and rustic cultural grandeur on your tours to the Guda Bishnoi Village located at a distance of 25-kilometers from the main Jodhpur city. Picnic near the tiny manmade lake located in the Guda Bishnoi Village and see migratory birds stop here and drink water. Photograph herds of deer that stop and gaze at you with vulnerable eyes and marvel at the floral variety that flourishes in a supposedly barren land Inhabited by the Bishnoi tribe, the Guda Bishnoi village in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India is the perfect place to experience a desert oasis. The tribals of Guda Bishnoi village worship nature in all its forms. They pray to the green trees and animals that inhabit their land and thus make every effort to conserve the environment. The Guda Bishnoi village is a scenic land populated with dense khejri tree groves and frolicking deer. Come and experience the arts and charms of the Guda Bishnoi Village with Indian Horizons and find out more about the traditions and customs of a land caught in a delightful time warp, where life goes on as it would in the days of the yore.
Jaswant Sagar Dam	Top^
The Jodhpur Jaswant Sagar Dam lies in Pichiyak village between Bilara and Bhavi of Jodhpur district. It was constructed, in 1892, by Maharaja Jaswant Singh. The water from Jaswant Sagar Dam of Jodhpur, Rajasthan is utilized for irrigation purposes in Jodhpur. The greenest part of Jodhpur receives water from this dam. Also available here, are boating facilities have for tourists. It is nice place for those who love boating or wading around in water. Also, a visit to the Jaswant Sagar Dam will serve as an educational trip for the children.
Machiya Safari Park	Top^
It lies on the way to Jaisalmer, about 1km from Kailana Lake. The key fauna of the safari park includes, deer, desert fox, monitor lizard, blue bulls rabbits, wild cats, mongoose, monkeys etc. There is also large number of birds, which can seen from an exclusive bird watching point and also nice sunset can seen from the fort of park. Explore the fauna and fauna of the mesmerising park while riding on the elephant. So in a nutshell, we can say that Machiya Safari Park is an interesting place, and you should not miss on it if you are on a trip to Jodhpur.
Pali City	Top^
Pali is named after the Paliwal Brahmins who once inhabited the area. Ancient Pali housed a highly evolved civilization. The land, was leased by the then chief of Mandore (the former capital of Jodhpur district), was cultivated diligently by the Paliwals who abandoned their former priestly profession. The temples of Somnath and Naulakha are very old. Naulakha Jain temple has elaborate carvings while Somnath Shiv temple is known for its handsome bulling having exquisite mouldings.