Rajasthan Stories - Day 6: Udaipur

We reached Udiapur early in the morning and without wasting much time dumped our bags in a hotel and started our city walk. Our first destination was Jagdish temple which is situated on a small hill in the middle of the buzzing marketplace. The 'poah' stalls on the way were just starting the day's business, and we had to cajole one of them into making us some quick breakfast. Jagdish temple is built in the Indo-Aryan style and is a beautiful piece of work. Devotees were rushing around the sanctum sanctorum for their morning 'darshan' and we sat there in a corner of the courtyard watching the commotion! We did get a chance to spend some time appreciating the sculptures and architecture once the rush subsided. The city palace complex at Udaipur is a short walk up hill from the temple, and it was our next destination.

The city palace is a complex with palaces built in and around the shores of lake Pichola. Only some of them are open to general public while others are run as heritage hotels now. The main palace was built as the center of activity of the Sisodia empire after they moved the capital from Chittor to Udaipur. The complex was built in over 400 years by different rulers and it houses the government museum and the present royal family as well. In addition to the many treasures there is an enclosed garden also inside the main palace dedicated to the sun god, which gives an excellent view of the lake Pichola. You can easily spend a day inside the complex, lost in the beauty of the many structures and the exquisite collections. Tickets are also available inside, for a ride across the lake to the Lake Palace on Jag Niwas island.

We took the boat near the Fateh Prakash palace and had a short trip to the Lake Palace hotel. You get to spend only about half an hour in this island palace, from where you get some excellent views of the City Palace complex, the Jag Mandir, the Monsoon palace and the Aravalli ranges that encircle the city; not to mention the blue waters of the lake. The monsoon palace, otherwise known as Sajjan Garh is atop the Bansdara hill overlooking all the lakes and the countryside, and was too enchanting a sight to miss. So we decided to go visit the palace. We took a rickshaw till the entrance of the Sajjangarh wild life sanctuary. From here you have to either walk up the hill to the palace, or get into one of the taxis that ply up and down the hill. We took a taxi though with enough time in hand we would have loved to take a walk amidst the lush wilderness.

The Monsoon palace is an incomplete construction which rose to fame after getting featured in the James Bond movie 'Octopussy'. People in Udaipur are so thrilled about this, that even these days there are some cafes where the film is played all day! The Sajjan Garh palace offers beautiful views of the city and the lakes and the Aravalli ranges. Built as a resort for monsoon cloud watching and hunting, it is now maintained by the Forest department. We did not stay long enough to watch the sunset as we had other plans for the rest of the evening. We got back to the banks of Lake Pichola just in time for another spectacle. The waters of the lake and the city palace complex take up an enchanting saffron hue as the sun sets. We went to Hanuman ghat near Amet haveli and took our positions well in advance.

There were quite a few people gathered already around the ghat. Once the sun recedes after painting the waters red and darkness descends, the lights of the palace complex comes on. The brightly lit palaces along with the reflection on the lake is a view worth carrying home for keeps. We waited there till our stomach started complaining. It was time to check out some more Rajasthan delicacies. As suggested by many, we went to hotel Nataraj, on the station road, for dinner and had some awesomely delicious food. As was the case with Chokki Dhani, the only thing you can think of after having a full course Rajasthani dinner is sleep.. and sleep only. After arranging for an early morning pickup the next day, for a trip to Ranakpur and Kumbalgarh, we yielded to the temptation pretty early.

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Rajasthan Stories - Day 1: Jaipur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 2: Jaipur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 3: Ranthambhore
Rajasthan Stories - Day 4: Osian & Thar
Rajasthan Stories - Day 5: Mandore & Jodhpur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 6: Udaipur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 7: Ranakpur & Kumbalgarh
Rajasthan Stories - Day 8: The Taj Mahal

Rajasthan Stories - Day 5: Mandore & Jodhpur

How do you like to wake up every morning? I know the 'in the hands of my beloved' track; but even that might sound a lot less romantic if the background score sounds like a fusion of the neighbor's mixer, the milkman yelling and vehicles honking on the road. That is why our Thar morning was so special, waking up to peacock calls amidst an otherwise complete silence! People in Rajasthan respect their animals and it was a common sight to find Blue Bulls roaming around in the Thaara-Meera or Ragi plantations. Om Prakash's dad was no exception and his morning routine included feeding a flock of peacocks who diligently come by the house and sound the morning alarm. These birds had grown so fearless that one of them was almost staring right at me from a fence by my bed. I did lie there for quite some time, admiring the mesmerizing colors of this awesome bird. The sun was slowly rising above the distant sand dunes, bringing the thatched huts back to life. The birds were busy having their breakfast as Om Prakash's dad stood there throwing grains all around.

After a sumptuous breakfast of Onion rotis and ginger tea we soon started our journey to one of the Bishnoi vilages near Osian. Omprakash also decided to accompany us this time. He goes to a school some six kilometers from his house and he walks all the way with his neighbor friend Nila. School has a different meaning for him and that day he decided to bunk school and join us on our journey. I envied the kid because he could make such a decision, and there was no fuzz about missing classes, dropping grades or falling behind peers. So he just tagged along, talking us through the various scenes and structures as we passed through some of the desert settlements. We met a couple of his friends on their way to school, who were happily singing "Ladai vadai naa karo, kothaka donga saaf karo" (Do not fight, but do clean the toilets after use) and running along the crest of the sand dunes. Om Prakash waved proudly at them from atop 'Manak' as we strolled past them.

A little later Omprakash's big brother came with a few other travelers in his jeep and we swapped rides for the rest of the journey. The Bishnoi village of Kethasar was quite far from the place and the jeep safari helped us to cover the distance pretty quick. Bishnois consider themselves the caretakers of the land and the flora and fauna around them, and hence live in peaceful coexistence with them. Black bucks and Blue Bulls roam quite fearlessly amidst their thatched huts and farm lands. The otherwise endangered Black Buck owes a lot to this community for their existence in Rajasthan. We visited the house of a potter to see how he makes those beautiful earthen pots. The people were very friendly and happy to show us around their small but neatly kept houses. We left Osian to Jodhpur before lunch time and got down at Mandore, 9 kilometers before the city.

Mandore used to be the capital of the Marwar kingdom, and is now famous for the fort and the Cenotaphs there. Mandore cenotaphs, built in memory of warrior kings of the erstwhile Marwar empire, are exquisite pieces of architecture. Though they are 'empty tombs' made in memory of dead people, they look more like a display of the architectural prowess of the times. There are memorials as well as temples spread across the many gardens. You find a lot of Gray langurs here as well, sharing the space with musicians and tourists. You will find a lot of talented musicians playing the "Ravan Hattha" in and around the gardens. There is something so soothing about the instrument that we wanted to spend a few hours there, just sitting and listening to them playing. But as we had to visit the Mehrangarh fort before leaving for Udaipur that night, we quickly grabbed some lunch and took a rickshaw to Jodhpur city.

If you can visit only one place in Jodhpur, then I think that should be Mehrangarh fort, a magnificent structure erected on a hill and surrounded by formidable granite walls. This fort was built by one of the Rathore kings, When the capital of Marwar was shifted from Mandore to Jodhpur. I don't think even a full day is enough to walk around the fort and admire the many treasures there. This is one of the largest forts in India and is also a classic example of the enviable luxuries enjoyed by the kings those days. No, I am not just talking about the many beautiful wives, but the Palanquins, jewellery, sculptures and other artifacts you get to see in the fort museum. You also see the palm imprints of the queens on the walls, who committed 'Sati' by jumping into the king's funeral pyre. In spite of all the luxuries enjoyed during life, such an unfortunate death awaited those beautiful ladies!

The winding stairways, the many treasures stored, and the exquisitely designed rooms with stained glass windows and mirrors makes the museum in the fort a must watch for art & history lovers. There are huge cannons kept on the rooftop and the terrace offers some nice views of Jodhpur city as well. The famous Umaid Bhavan Palace, which is a hotel now, is also visible from there. We wanted to see the palace but there wasn't enough time. After spending a wonderful afternoon in and around at Mehrengarh, we got back to the city and took a bus to Udaipur at 10 in the night.

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Rajasthan Stories - Day 1: Jaipur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 2: Jaipur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 3: Ranthambhore
Rajasthan Stories - Day 4: Osian & Thar
Rajasthan Stories - Day 5: Mandore & Jodhpur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 6: Udaipur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 7: Ranakpur & Kumbalgarh
Rajasthan Stories - Day 8: The Taj Mahal

Rajasthan Stories - Day 4: Osian & Thar

We woke up to a beautiful morning at Jodhpur. Our plan was to cover a few places outside town the first day and explore Jodhpur the next day. Though Rajasthan is at times called the region of death, 'Marushtali', owing to the Thar desert, most of us go there to see this very arid landscape. No different was our situation and we headed out to Osian early in the morning. Osian is an oasis in the Thar, 65 kilometers from Jodhpur towards Bikaneer. Lacking time to include Bikaneer in the itinerary, Osian was our best bet to get a feel of the desert. Camel safaris are available from Osian which takes you into the Thar and let you spend a night in one of the camps or huts there.

There are frequent buses available from Jodhpur to Osian from the main bus station. Osian is also famous for the two ancient temples, one Jain temple and the other dedicated to Sachayi Matha. Both are exquisite pieces of architecture worth spending some time at. The most famous personality in Osian is Babloo guide, whom we met as soon as we got down at Osian. He arranges camel safaris and has been mentioned in articles written in Lonely Planet and Outlook Traveler. Soon we struck a deal with him for a safari and a night halt inside the desert. Having half the day to spend at the temples, we soon headed out to the Sachayi Matha temple. The temple is situated on a hill on the either side of the road to the Jain temple.

The temple, supposedly dedicated to Sachi, one of the wives of lord Indra, is a place of worship for both Hindus and the Jains. The temple complex is pretty big with awesome views of the distant sand dunes and Rodea trees adorning the courtyard. The carvings on the ceiling are truly fabulous and the outer walls are full of well detailed sculptures of Hindu and Jain deities. The guide who accompanied us had already fled the scene suggesting that we spend way too much time at every point; he is probably used only to the slam-baam-thank you mam kinda tourists. Anyway, we were better off without him as we could linger around the amorous figures as long as we wanted! We even found a villain figure with resemblance to Shrek, which made us hypothesize that the story of Ogres originated in India.

After spending quite some time there we walked towards the Jain temple. This one is in no way behind the Sacahayi Matha temple in terms of architectural splendor. There are a few serpentine figurines portrayed all along the outer walls and there is even a small shrine dedicated to the entwined serpents or dragons or whatever they are. Time flies when you are roaming amidst these ancient monuments and we soon realized that we had to catch some lunch before reporting for the safari. Fortunately we found a brightly colored house just outside the temple where they serve lunch on request and we barged in without further delay. After a simple but tasty Rajasthani lunch we headed out with Babloo to a place just outside the village center, to meet our ride for the rest of the day.

Mahipal and his elder brother Rajesh were ready with the camels when we reached there. One of the camels 'Heera -The Diamond' was quite a celebrity since some article on him got published in some travel magazines. But he had none of the egos we normally associate with celebrities. The other two camels Manak and Pappu-Don were equally fabulous animals. Soon we started our journey and it was quite an experience. You have to hold on firmly to the animal when it sits down and gets up as you are lurched forward when it stands up on its hind legs first. You also need to get used to the rocking motion as they move and let your body sway with it than trying to be stiff. The guys we were riding on were quite well behaved animals, except for an occasional charge towards a low hanging branch of the Khejri tree. Mahipal was quite a talkative kid who kept on talking throughout the journey about life in the desert.

As we marched on the vegetation grew thinner and sand dunes took their place. There were occasional shrubs and Khejri trees with Black Bucks and the Blue Bulls running amidst them. We also spotted few quails and peacocks running across the camel trail. Apart from these the only other inhabitants were the desrt rats who peeped from their tiny holes and went down the instant they spotted the caravan. We stopped by Mahipal's elder sister's house on the way for some hot tea and red carrots. We reached a big sand dune by evening and decided to watch the sunset from there. Mahipal's house, our night halt, was visible at a distance from there. Leaving us there to spend some time playing with the sand Mahipal and Rajesh went home taking the camels with them. We ran up and down the dunes and posed for pictures with the dunes and the setting sun in the background.

By the time we reached the house Mahipal's elder brother and Dad were also back from work. His family consists of his mom, an elder brother and an elder sister as well. We were offered cold beer, an offer quite tempting to reject in-spite of the chill that had befallen the desert as the night walked in. Lying down in desert sand, sipping beer and watching the multitude of stars in the open sky.. this is truly the stuff dreams are made of. After a simple but tasty dinner with the family we decided to sleep out there in the open. As I snuggled into the comfort of the mattresses I envied the life of the people in the deserts, in-spite of the all the perils they might have in their daily life. I was soon overcome with the satisfaction of a day well spent and in no time sleep was over me!

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Rajasthan Stories - Day 1: Jaipur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 2: Jaipur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 3: Ranthambhore
Rajasthan Stories - Day 4: Osian & Thar
Rajasthan Stories - Day 5: Mandore & Jodhpur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 6: Udaipur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 7: Ranakpur & Kumbalgarh
Rajasthan Stories - Day 8: The Taj Mahal

Rajasthan Stories - Day 3: Ranthambhore

Spotting the ultimate beast in its natural surroundings was one of the items on my bucket list for long. Ranthambhore figured in the Rajasthan itinerary precisely to fulfill this desire only. One of the well known tiger sanctuaries nestled in the valley where the Aravallis meet the Vindhyas, I had read many a stories about travelers encountering these fearless beasts there. So if I say that I woke up with stripes in my brain and mind, it is definitely not an understatement. Though the sanctuary is a few kilometers from Sawai Madhopur, the forest office from where the safari tickets are issued is just outside the town. Charged with anticipation, we woke up quite early and reached the forest office at 5:30 in the morning and met Rajesh, the contact arranged by Rakesh Jain.

Ranthambhore sanctuary is divided into different zones for the purpose of tiger safari and only a limited number of vehicles - gypsies & canters - are available in each zone. Private vehicles are not allowed inside the reserve, thank goodness for that! Some of the zones, for example 1 and 2, are considered the best ones for spotting the striped beast and hence there is a rush to get tickets for these. Though the tickets are supposed to get allotted in random, if you know the right people you can get tickets to the right zones. We did not get tickets for the gypsies, but we did get them for zone 1 with the help of Rajesh. The morning tea tasted much better after securing the tickets and by 6:15 we started with 12 others in the canter. Rajendar had reached the forest office early enough to ensure that we get the tickets.

The safari was like a card game, in spite of having the best hand we did not win the game.. his highness the striped beauty did not turn up! Perhaps he decided to have an extended nap; can't blame him considering the chill in the morning air. The 3 hour journey was through exciting terrains, and we spotted herds of Spotted Deer, Sambhars and Nilghai. There were quite a few early riser birds too - the Jungle Babblers, Lapwings, Cormorands, and a white owl. Like many other places in Rajasthan we found that the Tree Pies were quite fearless here also. Unlike their shy cousins down south, they flew around the low hanging branches which were literally inches away from our heads. We waited around the waterholes for quite a while, expecting a tiger to come out of the bushes to have a drink, but all we got to see were the crocodiles and an occasional herd of Sambhars.

Adding to the hurt some co passengers started telling their own tiger stories, how a tiger smiled at them the last time, how close it came the day before that they could smell its sweat, and so on. Though initially I felt like stuffing deer shit in their mouths, I realized I would have blabbered quite the same way if I had ever spotted a tiger! I would have dedicated one full paragraph in this post to describe how I had goosebumps when the tiger stared at me and all that. So I patiently listened to the stories. The driver told us that there are only 30 odd tigers in the sanctuary and spotting one is not an easy thing. Barring the tiger disappointment, the safari was enjoyable and by the time we got back we were damn hungry. We had to catch the 2:30 train to Jodhpur and we hardly had enough time to catch some brunch, vacate the room and rush to the station.

It is an eight hour journey by train from Sawai Madhopur to Jodhpur via Jaipur, Sambhar and Makrana. Sambhar salt lake looked beautiful as the setting sun cast its spell over its waters. We would have loved to get down at Sambhar to see the Flamingos but time constraints forced us to keep it for the next trip. In the train we met Mukesh, who was traveling back to his hometown near Makrana from Jaipur. Overhearing our exclamatory comments on Rajsathan and the people there, he decided to join in the conversation. He was an interesting chap who told us stories about the haunted town of Bhangarh, the marble industry of Makrana, shape shifting ghosts in his native village and so on. Had we agreed he would have taken us to his village to prove us that ghosts indeed exist and they are not just figments of imagination! It is always good to have local company during long journeys like these, as you get to know interesting aspects of places you pass through.

Finally we reached Jodhpur by 10:30 and found an interesting hotel 'Shanti Bhavan', right across the railway station. This was an old haweli of the local administrator which was converted into a hotel later. It had more than 50 rooms at three levels! We got a nice three-bed room with a huge balcony overlooking the busy street and the railway station at Rs.600 a night. It was a nice sight to watch the moon shining right above the clock tower of the station with a beer in hand! We had dinner at a nearby hotel named Kalinga and it was a rip off; but we hardly had any choice at that time of the night. With another exciting day in the offering, we soon retired to the room. To spot the striped beast in the jungle, still remains an item on my wish list!

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Rajasthan Stories - Day 1: Jaipur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 2: Jaipur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 3: Ranthambhore
Rajasthan Stories - Day 4: Osian & Thar
Rajasthan Stories - Day 5: Mandore & Jodhpur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 6: Udaipur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 7: Ranakpur & Kumbalgarh
Rajasthan Stories - Day 8: The Taj Mahal

Rajasthan Stories - Day 2: Jaipur

Jaipur, the Pink City as it is often referred as, is a wonderful place to walk around. It is one of the best planned cities in the country, where the entire space is divided into six quarters linked by wide roads and walkways. Most of the buildings are still painted in Pink, and even the name boards of shops are all in black font on a white background. There is an underlying order to the structures and activities, in spite of the filth and crowd that has come about with modern times. Even after Shailesh's warnings that we cannot walk and see the city but to take a cab, we decided to give it a shot and walked into the Tripolia street.

Passing the shops selling ironware and brass-ware we came across a Krishna temple. Taking a flight of steps we stepped into the courtyard and the priest there was happy to invite us in. He even let us climb on to the terrace by a stairway behind the temple which also doubles up as his house. He had an art & crafts store operating adjacent to the temple and he showed us the fastest moving item in his collection - palm leaf scrolls with Kamasutra paintings on them. A priest selling Kamasutra as memorabilia by the temple, that is today's Jaipur for you! We then walked towards Hawa Mahal, another landmark structure in Jaipur. Built to look like a honeycomb, with more than 900 windows, this is another example of royal eccentricity. Story is that this beautiful palace was built for the royal women to watch the festivities on the street!

Bang at the heart of the commercial area, built of red sandstone, this five storied building is a formidable structure and provides a good view of the city and Jantar Mantar, our next pit stop. It is an understatement to say that Raja Jai Singh, the king who built Jantar Mantar was an Astronomy enthusiast. You should see the elaborate structures in the observatory for predicting eclipses, position of planets etc to understand his serious interest in the topic. This is the largest of the many Astronomical observatories he built across his empire and it also houses the world's largest sundial, standing 27 meters tall. Local astronomers use these instruments even now, to predict local weather.

In the morning as we came out of the rooms at the hotel, Rakesh Jain was waiting to give us his daily dose of expert opinions and tips. Hearing that our plan was to leave Jaipur that evening for Ranthambore Tiger sanctuary, he sent a man out to fetch Rajendar. The nearest railway station to Ranthambore is Swai Madhopur and Rajendar was a native of Sawai Madhopur who had a mechanical shop in Jaipur. Rakesh arranged for Rajendar to get tickets for the evening train and accompany us to Ranthambore. In spite of our best efforts to discourage this arrangement, Rakesh insisted that we should take Rajendar along, as he is very resourceful around there, and indeed he was! A jolly good fellow who sweetens up after having a peg or two in the evening, Rajendar readily agreed to the proposition and asked us to meet him at the Railway station that evening.

So after visiting Jantar Mantar we vacated the hotel room and by that time Rajendar came with the tickets. It is a 2 hours train journey from Jaipur to Sawai Madhopur and the train was crowded like hell. We managed to get in with much difficulty, but the journey was comfortable unlike we expected. We reached Sawai Madhopur by 7 in the evening and soon realized Rajendar is indeed a Lion in his home turf. Everyone from the cobbler on the street to the shop keeper knew him and exchanged pleasantries with him. He was kind of a somebody out there, someone who made it to the big city and making a living there. He showed us around and introduced us to some of his 'important' friends. He walked into an eye-wear shop, picked up a sunglass and told the shopkeeper that he will try it for a while and pay afterwards.. now you get the picture!

We wanted to take the tiger safari at Ranthambore park the next day morning and we did not have tickets. But Rakesh had got us in touch with the manager of one of the resorts at Ranthambore, who could arrange tickets for us. Rajendar also agreed to come with us to collect the tickets early morning the next day. So after putting us in a hotel he left to meet his friends for dinner. we had to get up at 4 the next morning, walk up to the forest office 2 kilometers away, meet a person there to collect the tickets and then go for the safari at 6. With such a busy day on the cards, we did not waste much time to hit the sack and in no time we were roaming with tigers and deer in our dreams. Rajendar was also somewhere there.. wearing his cool new shades and riding a tiger!

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Rajasthan Stories - Day 1: Jaipur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 2: Jaipur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 3: Ranthambhore
Rajasthan Stories - Day 4: Osian & Thar
Rajasthan Stories - Day 5: Mandore & Jodhpur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 6: Udaipur
Rajasthan Stories - Day 7: Ranakpur & Kumbalgarh
Rajasthan Stories - Day 8: The Taj Mahal