Marwar, Mewar, and More: Sights from Rajasthan

Jodhpur - a Clock Tower Town
A crisp February breeze awaited my parents and I upon touch down in the modest metropolis of Jodhpur, Rajasthan (roughly 1.5 million people strong). Surprisingly, no photographs were allowed on landing because, you see, Jodphur airport is a defense airport! As it turns out, that meant a super efficient airport.  

Lower humidity mixed with sunshine and morning chill gave a remarkably refreshing contrast to Mumbai. Jodhpur sits at the edge of the Thar Desert, adding a little of that atmosphere. Our hired driver came to pick us up at the airport and take us onward.

This place topped my mom's wish list, and so we found ourselves here. After a 7 AM flight, we arrived around 8:30, feeling tired. Somehow, I managed to catch an entire hour of sleep. Which was immensely fortunate because change of plans -- we would go to the hotel after some sightseeing. In other words, this was about to be a lengthy day. Not to mention, the city quickly made itself known with stunning wall art, and even a few charming roundabouts.

First is the impeccable Mehrangarh Fort sitting high above Jodhpur. Though India hosts many impressive forts, Mehrangarh is both beautiful and immensely open to the public for viewing, unlike many other attractions that limit your presence. There is a mild tradeoff, though. Challenging stone steps, intimidating climbs, and more were required to move around. My dad paid a small sum for me to use the elevator. And we were off! 

 My first sight proved to be this:

 

After the elevator, my parents and I were split up momentarily before rejoining a little farther along. Such an impressive fort is filled with incredible colors and styles. Mehrangarh Fort has fared quite well with remaining as a true historical monument, without forcing your imagination. Some other monuments across India have not fared as well thanks to the British Empire. (Imagine that!)  Below are regal rooms for various purposes.

Perhaps this next detail is a little odd. Pigeons proved to be immensely fond of this fort, resting on the outside. They added a charm to the buildings around. Enough charm was added in that I later wrote a short story about the pigeons of Rajasthan (with these Mehrangarh ones especially in mind).

 

For the curious, this next shot is in fact right by the elevator!

My parents and I ascended multiple floors of a building. Inside were displays of historical fabric styles, like for bedrooms.  Feeling my energy waning, I kept sitting on each stool available. As we got deeper, and higher, I worried....there was an extra section we had missed. I had never even seen exhibit 8 thereabouts. So I insisted we correct this deficiency. Fortunately, the staff permitted us to backtrack without needing to climb up, which made me feel relieved.

Coming back to the vertical shift across the area....just feast your eyes on this:

On my way out, there were two little delights. A few parrots resting high above my head. In fact, my blurry photo showed enough for a bird-adoring friend to identify them! (Remember this parrot incident for later.) Then we actually went out the back area, where a street musician played an elegant violin-like traditional instrument. After this, around two hours had passed, and we elected to move on to our next stop.

The Jaswant Thada was only 1 minute away from the fort. I must confess....that I removed it from my list before realizing that we had a driver. Near the water was this delightful Rajasthani duck with a black body and white beak.

 

Jackets were beginning to feel a little unhelpful ass the heat began to set in. We were all a little tired but forged on to see the building proper.

Part of the Jaswant Thada proper, there were these green painted doors that reoccur in Marwari art, a dominating aesthetic in Jodhpur. (These famous structures largely come from the era of the Marwari Empire.)

 

Now past 12 pm, there was a lunch needed. We got pyaaz kachori which is essentially a fried dough ring with onions and potatoes inside and a kick of spice; a Rajasthani specialty! At this same place, called Janta Sweets, I discovered blueberry katli. Most commonly it's "kaju katli" or basically a South Asian sweet made from cashew. Blueberry seemed a little sweet, but it actually suited my fancy. Back at the hotel, we checked in (after waking up at 4 AM!!!) and took two hours to rest. The Kachori was also quite flavorful, which was a great feeling.

Having had our fill, we got to continue the sight-seeing.

At the Umaid Bhavan Palace, there was a wedding ceremony that closed off a good portion of the building. Prior to our arrival, I had tried to reserve a meal at the restaurant in the palace....but they were totally closed for this event. Our only day in the city. As it turns out, the Palace, though nice, was a tad disappointing for me. Just a little too much about polo for my tastes! Talk about British. Still quite nice as far as these things go.

With the palace going by FAST, there was time for another item: the Mandore Gardens, which I had actually crossed off my list earlier in the planning. Too far, I reasoned. Here, though, it made total sense to go that half hour drive! The Gardens themselves were a little boring in their curation, even with a few historical buildings. For me, the real highlight was taking the toy train and seeing MONKEYS for the first time. From a safe distance. There's a mix of a charm of novelty and the somewhat frightening realization that these creatures were not really your friends.

 

As the day slowly lost light, we stopped at the Sardar Market, or "the old market." A marked step-up in excitement over Umaid Bhavan and the Mandore Gardens. Ghanta Ghar, a stunning centuries-old clock tower, rose admirably in the middle, catching my eye. 

First stop: a stepwell with 80 meter deep waters as you can see below. Steep stone steps confronted us. Despite my quadriceps protesting, I led the charge, carefully moving downwards. My parents came, beckoned by me, and we took some neat pictures. Not depicted: the surge of motorbikes and cars right beside stepwell, stray dogs sleeping at different heights, and the enchantment of live music.

 

Once again, the plan had an unexpected absence. It was closer to 6 pm than 7 pm -- the time of my reservation. Mom kept asking about a random vegetarian restaurant, thinking that was where we were headed. But that place was in the other part of town! I was feeling worried. Even more when someone led us the wrong way and I had to put my foot down and insist it was *towards* the clock tower. 

After checking the maps app, asking people, all that, we found our way. These impressive, massive Marwari style metal doors greeted us. Moving past and upwards, we were greeted with a lovely view of the town's river, the fort, and the clock tower. That is, after all, why I picked the rooftop restaurant Indique. (As a back up after the Palace was busy thanks to that wedding.)

At 6 pm -- NOT 7 PM -- the table was available for us. The sun began to set, creating a spectacular gradient of shade. On the menu, I noticed the menu item Jodhpuri chicken, and leapt at the chance. This was not my ONLY Rajasthani specialty tried out -- as I got missi roti, which is known for a more nutty flavor than tandoori roti (standard flavor for me). My dish was incredibly spicy, enough that my parents had some of my curry. 

 

Being awake since 4 AM was certainly starting to take a toll. Plane travel, car travel, foot travel, all was starting to weigh on me. Despite the challenges of the day, however, I felt rejuvenated from the meal. It was now time for the object we could see most clearly from the restaurant.

I captured the below image excited by the nightlights bringing out the Clock Tower's beauty. On my insistence, we climbed up the tower and reached the viewing platform, pushing me back towards exhaustion. (This is an exaggeration.)  Paused to took some photos before trying to climb higher. At this point, there were small spiral spooky steps. And yet, and yet, the top of the clock was blocked by people working, forcing a descent against upwards traffic.

At this point, the hotel rest and the promise of more sustained me. I sat in the car for a few minutes as my parents looked around Sardar Market. Eventually, we headed in the direction of the hotel. A surprise stop appeared when my mom looked at a shop selling saris (essentially a scarf common in South Asia). Clinging onto my battery life, and my phone's, I struggled with slow mobile data. Shared a few YouTube playlists for my friend as part of my regular music recommendations. This proved to ease up enough time for the day's end to come.

Back at the hotel, my legs wished for a proper night's reprieve. After showering, I found my exhausted feeling pervading my body. This marathon of a day, the most intense one of the year so far, just had me going NONSTOP. Nighttime then provided its own STOP in honor of the next day being lighter.

If you're like me, you might first believe that a trip would take you through the desert. However, the Thar desert is, in fact, closer to the border with a certain other South Asian nation. The region Marwar -- including Jodhpur -- is named "land of death" and includes part of this desert. Just that, well, we were leaving Marwar for Mewar (including Udaipur).

Ride Across Rajasthan
Day 2 of the trip required a lengthy car ride as we traveled from Jodhpur to our next stop of Udaipur.  I advocated for the Kumbhalgarh Fort, featuring the longest wall after the Great Wall of China. However, that would add on at least one hour (and perhaps even more).

Setting off, there was patches of brown, dry mixed in among verdant patches of trees. See tall rock formations climb up into the sky. Towns becoming sparse enough that one became special. This is truly the rural Rajasthan -- and India at large -- that is harder to see and appreciate.

A little before 12:00 pm, a few hours into the drive, we arrived at our intermediate destination -- the Ranakpur Jain Temple. In front, a security guard was not thrilled by exposed knees. After a little confusion, I grabbed my pants from the car and wore them over my shorts.

We ate at the temple restaurant. Only 90 rupees (~1 dollar USD for the Americans out there) and there was a plain steel table with steel plates and cups. For those unfamiliar, Jains do not eat meat. That certainly did not stop the meal from being really enjoyable. There was pakoras (vegetables fried in batter not unlike tempura), daal (lentil), curried bean, rice, curried cabbage, roti (flatbread), and some rice. However, you were served each element separately! I was a little too shy to refuse enough times and ended up having a massive lunch. Delicious, but a little surprising.

Having chowed down, it was time to enter the temple proper. Below is one glimpse of this magnificent structure; its aesthetic put it on our list pretty firmly. (Also helps that the temple is not a big detour.)  There was an extra fee for phones, so just dad took his. Perhaps unsurprisingly the photography rules were pretty strict. Simultaneously, this was a nice excuse to keep my phone away.

 

 

The temple’s deep symmetry made getting lost rather easy, especially with two sides having an overlook outside with an elephant statue. Just that there was two elephant statues at the other one. With no photos, I tried to put this all to memory. Such a quiet place that pigeons cooing was greatly amplified. I appreciated the intricate marble inlays. Just a neat place, even if I felt bad for being a tourist in a holy place.

After the temple, despite our supposed proximity to the next place, the roads get immensely bumpy. I tried to write down ideas for my next story (that story about the pigeons in Jodhpur) but my graphite kept breaking. Instead of motion sickness, it was regular motion stopping me from writing! A mountainous character took hold, with few people, and around 50 monkeys by the road. If you are carsick, please be warned that rural Rajasthan featured the toughest roads I've seen. (Hehe...foreshadowing here...)

That Kumbhalgarh Fort from earlier seemed like a great idea....until we witnessed these roads. The driver informed us actually that the Fort required THREE HOURS for 10 km. For the astute, that is around 3 km/h... Even I had to admit this was not worth it despite the fort's impressive novelty. Of course, the maps app claimed this was a 40 minute drive, giving some false hope. After realizing this, we hit a literal junction point of the Fort or Udaipur. I insisted on driving to the city a little earlier than planned. Our choice had been made, honestly setting up for an easier day.  

Udaipur: The Lake City
Around 4 pm, I found myself in the heavy traffic and roads of a proper city. We made managed our several hour drive without a major incident. We were in Udaipur (a city of around 0.6 million people).

Only a couple hours remained before sunset, which would hamper every chance to explore. A tranquil boat ride as the sun dwindled over Lake Fateh Sagar, a beloved sight of Udaipur. (We had one more such sight -- going across Lake Pichola, another tourist attraction.)

 

With our sight-meter filled, we ate at the Dastarkhwan restaurant serving more Indian Muslim-style food. One notices that in Rajasthan, especially in Udaipur, that the diet leans vegetarian. Hardly a problem per se. But my biases are strong! I ate laal mas -- which my mom heard as DAAL mas, an amusing misunderstanding -- which proved richly flavorful. Laal mas is a Rajasthani mutton (sheep) dish with an unusual texture but a delightful level of mice.

 

 

 
Meal in the belly and wanting to keep my exercise going....back at the hotel, I was exhausted but angled to go to the fitness center. Only for the hotel staff to send me across the street to the other new hotel. However, the fitness center there was downright frightening. It was dimly lit and featured machines that seemed to barely work. The treadmill would wail like a banshee or spirit and the bike would keep locking in place.

A little mayhem, however, put me in exactly the right kind of mood for resting up. Back at the apartment, I went to bed, excited for yet another day of excitement.

Now in Day 3 of our trek, I once again started sketching out our plan. By now, I was becoming something akin to a Rajasthan expert (somehow). Firstly, the Monsoon Palace sitting high above the city, requiring a park fee and uneven roads quickly climbing. Once out, we climbed steep stone steps, intense inclines, and experienced lovely Mewari green doors.  

Excellent marvelous views across the city from the Palace as you can only imagine. Lake Fateh Sagar and Lake Pichola hovered in the background. Tremendous gates all around as well. An hour very well spent for us (and yes, it was just around an hour.)

The actual Monsoon Palace proper is a touch disappointing; little is inside the building (see below). Even if you go to the top floor, you are greeted with a bird museum. There were some great finds though. I learned about the Indian Bustard (u not a!!!) and the migratory Steppe Eagle (which would in fact come up a little bit later in my India trip.)

 

Working our way to the other side revealed stunning views. I even noticed a smol, tiny kitten hanging out behind a stubby wall near the little cafe. This side proved especially strong for selfies, as you could cast yourself against the hills and blue sky.

We took more photos while descending the inclines, moving back to the car. On the way out, I noticed a monkey swiping a silvery food wrapper from a human not paying attention....Another reminder that they are tough to handle, despite appearances!

For lunch, got another pyaaz kachori and ate some leftover chicken tikka wrapped in naan (flatbread but thicker than roti). Not a very elaborate meal, but a good one for another long day. This one's in honor of the power of preparation. Next, a toy train took us from the Udaipur City Palace "parking" to the Palace proper. A truly proper City Palace. Our friend, a wonderful elephant structure was right outside.

If you guessed stairs, then you are right. The overall trip took 1.5 hour (about 12:30 pm to 2 pm) across maybe 10 courtyards, including one rather nice "tree-bathing" spot. I was feeling a little sick still, which made this spot especially worthwhile. Walking was especially demanding in this large space, requiring me to renew the strategy of just sitting on stools. This was a hard part of the trip. It is very hard to capture the Palace as a whole but here's a few photos to give you an idea. 

  

Nods to traditional music and even maps were made across the City Palace. There are actually many historical exhibits, making for a rather extraordinary museum. In this regard, Udaipur was especially standout.

Back on a bench right by the large elephant in front of the City Palace. Plans were redrawn once more around 2:30 pm. We were, theoretically, walking distance from the Jagdish Temple but also confused about where to find the boat ride for Lake Pichola. (The online sites, sadly, were not especially helpful.) Ten minutes through a busy bazaar (market) lined up with densely packed stalls. We found ourselves at the temple. Admired the mesmerizing steeple, and went on my way.

 

Returning took us less time with modestly lighter traffic to the City Palace. Another hour before the bus because of the deliberations; we wanted to take a boat around Lake Pichola without needing to walk extensively. We took the toy train, got to a location the driver could access us, and we went to the boating platform. Mom wondered if we should wait for sunset boating. However, we would go there and have to come back...I made the executive decision to just do the boat ride now.

Lakeside views were overall lovely, though the ride was only 20 minutes. Some sights, like the below City Palace from afar, were lovely. On the other hand, the Lake Palace -- a place requiring at least 10,000 rupees a person for a meal -- was merely fine.

 

 

One sight called Shaharkot eluded me. The maps app claimed its existence but this section of the Udaipur city wall clearly was refusing to show before us. At this point, we stumbled upon Hotel Rehmaniya -- the place I had found for today's dinner and off recommendations from Dastarkhwan from yesterday. This place was not especially well kept (by American standards), so we got the food to go. One item off the menu caught my eye: Kashmiri chicken masala. At the hotel, I discovered my third excellent spicy red dish in Rajasthan... clearly another grand culinary victory in my book.

The itch of exploration remained for me, even with evening fading to night once more. To scratch it, my mom and I headed towards the mall. Actually, we had different ones in mind. Our driver also was not very familiar with malls. Somehow, mom got us to a mall. A dying one with maybe 20% of shops still open.

An impressive sale in one store drew my attention. A humble clothes store, with kurtas (tunics) and button-up shirts. Rarely do I ask for items. With mom's insight, I honed in on a navy blue kurta and a green shirt, both made from cotton. Rajasthan is known for its cotton production, making this a fitting choice. Finally some Indian clothing for me to wear here!

Took my war spoils back to the hotel. Tomorrow would be just an extra half-day to sort out everything. For me as a traveler, this felt like an eternity, but maybe it was good.

 

Last day of our Rajasthan adventure was here. We had little time to do anything fancy. I proposed myself going to the lovely garden Saheliyon ki Bari, which was near our hotel. This place was built in the 1700s by the Mewari ruler for his queen. Amusingly its name translates to something like "Girlfriend's Place" (per my dad). My parents decided to tag along after I showed them pictures from online. 

The paid attraction is actually the fountain below, which is quite pretty. A little tough as a "selfie" spot though because of the wide space. 

 

Spent around half an hour here, higher than my estimate of 5 minutes. A lush, well-laid out garden with some nice hiding spots. The below fountain was in fact hiding from view and required a little bit of faith and turning away from the entrance or into that secluded area shown above. Perched on one of the gates was this magnificent red-crested bird that posed for just long enough for a photo. (Rajasthan seems to have a penchant for marvelous birds.)

 

 

Despite what one may think of that mall, there was some draw to it. Mom got a haircut there, followed by my dad. Somehow, and me too! While mom got an additional procedure, dad and I wen back. I quickly devoured chicken tikka, naan, sweets, and bananas. We finalized our checkout, with me getting final check duties, and headed to the airport.

Udaipur airport, perhaps unsurprisingly, was quite small. An official noticed right away that our carry-on luggage was a little too heavy. After this was sorted, we were efficiently escorted to our gate. 

Our plane ride was rather ordinary. 

 

Glinting lakes off in the distance seem to have nets inside. I ask my dad what those are. He says they're probably for fishing or farming water animals. To me, this is a little fascinating -- a sight you can only see clearly from this height. After this exchange, I continued writing a little story about the medieval city of Thatta and even studied a touch of Urdu (a common South Asian language).

 

As we landed, I was ready to be back. Unfortunately, that sickness hiding inside me came out during the descent -- a splitting headache emerged. Its only resolution was the plane touching the ground. My traveler toughness had been tested enough for a few days.
 

Back in Mumbai, we discovered an underground terminal just for seeking Uber. There was a minor issue requiring my dad's solution. After this, we made our way back to my sister's place. Having some chicken tikka and naan felt like the right way to end this intense stretch of a few days. 

Somehow, this side excursion planned by us showed how much India has to offer. Admittedly,  there was some AI aid, but I am proud of my fact-checking on that computed itinerary! As it turns out, we can be great tour guides for ourselves. Keeping in mind all we want to see. Routing ourselves through the cities. Even for just scratching the surface of Rajasthan -- the land of Marwar, Mewar, and more.