Ashoka Holidays

We had got carried away during our visit to the Mehrangarh Fort-Palace-Museum and skipped going to the Mandore gardens and cenotophs.

Instead, in the evening, we went on a Jeep safari to one of the picturesque villages of the Bishnoi community. The rustic Bishnois are, traditionally, very environment conscious and animal-lovers. We spotted a herd of deers grazing fearlessly in the village farms. A large number of migratory birds also come here in the season. We saw a live demonstration of women making carpets and men making clay pots. We had dinner in the village itself and quite relished the local fare, as also our insight into the ways of rural India.

Day 1

Day 2

Excursions

Day 2

We drove some 40 miles (64 kms) to the pleasant ancient town of Osiyan. Once a great religious centre, its ruins today present one of the finest depictions anywhere of how Indian temple architecture evolved between the 8th and 12th centuries.

Osiyan
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On our return to Jodhpur, we strolled the bazaars past the mandatory clock tower and sampled some local sweets - given their fondness for sweets, the people here, without exception, must be severley diabetic!

This photograph of the Blue City of Jodhpur was taken from Mehrangarh Fort.
Click to enlarge

If Jaipur is the "Pink City", Jodhpur can be called the "Blue City". The traditional homes are all painted a pale indigo - this colour is supposed to ward off mosquitoes. Frankly, I didn't buy it!