We began our journey to the immortal state of Marwar with Jodhpur. It was was founded in 1459 by Rao Jodha, a Rajput chief of the Rathore clan. Later, Jodha succeeded in conquering the surrounding territory and founded a state which came to be known as Marwar.
Early in history, Jodhpur became a fief under Mogul empire, and later British empire, enjoying internal autonomy while owing fealty to these foreign invaders. It was ruled by Moguls for almost two centuries until Aurangzeb’s demise and the subsequent decline of Mogul kingdom. Jodhpur entered in a subsidiary alliance with British as early as 1818, thus prospering under peace and stability while the rest of the country was struggling for freedom.
Interestingly, Maharaja Umaid Singh laid the foundation stone of Umaid Bhawan Palace, biggest private residence in the world with 347 rooms, in 1929 - the same year in which Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt dropped a bomb at the Central Legislative Assembly, the All Parties Muslim Conference formulated the Fourteen points under Jinnah's leadership, and the Lahore session of INC adopted the goal of complete independence or 'Poorna Swaraj' for India.
The construction of this palace took place over a period of 15 years when the freedom movement was at its zenith. Oblivious of the freedom struggle between 1929 and 1944, the unaffected Maharaja Umaid Singh, also the president of the British Royal Institute of Architects, built not only one of India's most imposing palaces but also among its most recent! The palace was apparently built as a public relief and employment project during a long period of drought and employed around 3000 artisans. Over one million square feet of the finest marble was used in the construction of the palace. A special type of sandstone, called Chittar sandstone, has been used in its construction, which gives the palace a special effect. (It is also referred to as Chittar Palace by the locals). Its style of construction, with beautiful balconies, charming courtyards and stately rooms, makes it a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture.
In 1977, the royal family segmented the palace into the Royal residence, the Heritage hotel and a museum. The hotel is operated by Taj, which possesses 98 air-conditioned rooms elegantly decorated with antique furniture. We were flabbergasted by the pictures of lavish art deco of the Royal residence, and wondered if some of the millions spent on this palace could be routed to the Indian freedom movement!
Contrary to the modern Umaid Bhavan is the majestic Mehrangarh Fort, top a 125 m high hill, started by Rao Jodha in 1459 and sings the glory of ancient Marwar. Some of the extant fort dates back to the period of Jaswant Singh between 1638 and 1678, and houses an exquisite collection of palanquins, howdahs, royal cradles, miniatures, musical instruments, costumes and furniture and cannons (in the ramparts of the fort).
The massive main gate (or pol) exhibits well-preserved cannon shots and hand prints of the royal widows offered to their husband's pyre as 'sati'.We opted for an Audio tour of the fort as recommended by our loyal companion and guardian, Lonely Planet, and dived back into time. We listened patiently to our Audio guide that drew our attention to the only room with special Belgian tiles. These tiles had patterns of pretty English ladies amongst the other floral designs, thus signifying that the room was used for the 'entertainment' of the British. Entertainment of-course has been a very vague term since the means of entertainment vary diversely! The fort also makes for a breath-taking panoramic view of the city. Jodhpur is also referred to as the Blue City due to the blue-painted houses around this iconic Fort.
Jaswant Thada, at an approachable distance from Mehrangarh, is an architectural landmark found in Jodhpur. It is a white marble memorial built in 1899 in memory of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. (Within this cenotaph, there are also two more tombs). The marble used is extremely thin and polished so that they emit a warm glow when the sun's rays dance across their surface. However, i0f you visit this memorial after Delwara, the visual experience may not be as aesthetic.
This was all Jodhpur had to offer to our appetite for art, history and culture. So we decided to get a flavor of the local spice market! A walk and a snuff in the bazar tickled our senses, a feeling which lingered on through the rest of our trip.
(View all pictures on Facebook)
No comments:
Post a Comment