Travelogue: Rajasthan road trip
One of the most beautiful states in India
Topic: Ourdoors, Travel

Rajasthan is one of the most beautiful states in the country. Lying to the south-west of the national capital of Delhi, it is primarily a desert state. However it has a rich history encompassing tradition, valour, patriotism, beauty and an unsurpassed beauty.

Diwali is the Indian festival of lights. And during this diwali, we had a long weekend as it coincided with the muslim festival of Id. So a few of us decided to go on a road trip to Rajasthan, covering three cities. This is the account of that very awesome journey through sands and time.

We started early on thursday, November 11, 2004. The trip spanned almost five days and we returned tired but satisfied to Delhi on the following Monday.

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The trip

The entire trip was a road trip. We drove early on the thursday, starting at around 1:30 am. We knew this would not only help us beat the invariable rush on the roads out of Gurgaon, but would also give us a headstart to reach the destination as early as possible. We did pretty good time and reached Jaipur early in the morning. From there on it was new territory. A few quick queries later we were on the way towards Jodhpur, the blue city, our first destination.

We reached Jodhpur, around 330 kilometers later. We found looked around the place and it was later afternoon by the time we found a place ot check in. We then we around Jodhpur understanding why it was called the blue city. We were back, completely exhausted by late evening, to a warm bath and a good night's sleep.

Next morning there was an addition place we had to check out in Jodhpur. We did that and then headed towards the second city - Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer is called the golden city, and it is undoubtedly the most beautiful city that I have seen in India. We drove through rapidly changing climate and increasing heat and sands towards jaisalmer.

On the way we stopped at one of the first few real sand-dunes, to climb it and feel like a real camel. The steep slopes and the rather slippery sand ensured that we were quickly out of breath, flooded with sand in our shoes and wishing we were indeed camels. Tips about getting down to climb sand-dunes - do no wear shoes; do drink a hell load of water, you will not realise how quickly the desert dehydrates you and wear a cap or a hat.

Our path also lay through Pokhran, a non-descreipt town, but for the fact that recently the Indian nuclear tests were conducted near this place. The locals tell us that this has actually increased temperatures by atleast 10 degrees centigrade. Well, of course not all of this is true or can be taken at face value, but that is how it is.

One more thing worth talking about the trip were the roads. Roads were pretty good all through the trip. Once past Jaipur the traffic thins down. And once past Jodhpur, traffic is quite thin. We were able to maintain 120 kmph speeds continuously for pretty long stretches. One one stretch we actually did 115 kilometers in one hour. We avoided doing any of the drives in the night time - though this eats into your available time, but it is a lot safer especially if you are with girls in the group.

We reached Jaisalmer around 7 in the evening. This was, Friday, the evening of Diwali and before we could do anything about it, we had to find a place to place and settle in. Our search led us to this awesome place called the Nachna haveli, which is a heritage hotel. This was apparently the house of the owners for around 1100 years and they had converted part of that into a hotel. We spent the evening of Diwali in this absolutely quaint refuge, with fireworks and fun. More on that later.

The next evening, the saturday, we spent on a camel safari. The morning of Sunday found us back in the hotel and rearing to move on. We spend some time shopping in Jaisalmer and set out for Bikaner, in the afternoon. Drove through out the evening, with more than a few aahs at yet another desert sunset, we reached Bikaner as it was getting dark.

Having reached Bikaner in the evening of Sunday, we settled into a hotel. The next morning, Monday, found us checking out the sights in Bikaner. As it was nearing the afternoon, we started south of Bikaner, to a place called Deshnoke which is about 30 kilometers away from Bikaner. After a rather disturbing visit there we set out to Delhi.

By around 6 we were at a place called Faterpur on the road from Bikaner to Jaipur. Then we decided to not take the trodded path and took another path which would eventually save us almost a 100 kilometers. This route took us through Jhunjhunu, Narnaul, Riwadi connecting to the Jaipur highway. We finally reached Delhi at around 11:30 pm for a bout of well deserved sleep after a very satisfying trip.

Jodhpur

Jodhpur is called the 'blue city'. The brahmins were asked to paint their house in blue, in order to identify them as brahmins. Over time a number of other also picked up this habit and and a significant number of these housese are now painted blue. However do not expect to see blue all over the place, the best view of the blue city is from the ramparts of the Mehrangarh fort itself. Otherwise, you will see blue, but only in small isolated patches. Also remember, the blue is bluer in the photographs.

The first monument we visited was the Jaswanth Thada. We took a rickshaw for this part of the tour, but with a few enquiries, you can well take a car or even a bus to both Jaswanth Thada and the Mehrangarh fort. It is the site of the white marble royal cenotaph of Jaswant Singh II and four of his successors. The place is set beside the typical Rajasthani sandstone hills and next to a lake. The place is serene, beautiful, intricate and worth a visit. If you are not on a sight-seeing tour, this could be the place you would want to settle down for a quite time. There are a few trees in the gardens which can provide shade to one willing to hang out at this place.

The Mehrangarh fort is an awesome spectacle. If ever forts were built to withstand attacks this was one of them. The place is huge and imposing. Guides are typically available at the ticket counter. As an alternative, there are also audio guides to a most of the locations, with the various points in the audio guide marked out quite clearly in the fort. Dont miss the sight of the blue city from the windows. If you are in town for dinner, see if you can catch it right at the fort itself. Dinner is offered on the 5th floor landing overlooking the city.

The third place we went to was the Umaid Bhawan Palace. This is one of the country's newest palace. It was built by Maharajah Umain Singh during the 1920's and took 13 years to complete. This was meant as a famine relief project, which was food given in exchange for working on the palace. With 347 rooms, this is one of the biggest private residences in India. The current ruler has converted part of this to a museum and a hotel under the Taj group. However if you are on a quick pass through the city, and want to give something a miss, this would probably be it.

For the markets, the clock tower is a perfect place to go. Though we gave this a miss, the sight from the fort, showed the market bustling with people.

We stayed at a place on the High Court Road. Would recomment a quick run down this street for a place to put up for the night. However more elaborate stations are available, some as part of the inner city itself.

Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer is like a golden mirage, something out of a dream. As you are driving towards it, you will first see a quite large sandstone hillock to one side. As you drive nearer you notice that it actually has a huge fort above it, and as you get closer you see the small town nestled right next to it, almost like the sandcastle and the sandcity made by a little girl sitting on the beach.

The entire city is made with the golden-brown sandstone, which all but camouflages it from the sky. Jaisalmer is the last of the princely kingdoms between India and Pakistan. Established by Rawal Jaisal, in 1196 AD, Jaisalmer earned early wealth and glory as it lay on the part of the profitable trade routes to Central Asia and Far East. With the growth of shipping and Mumbai as an alternate route, Jaisalmer started dwindling in influence. Its fortunes took a twist again with the advantages offered by the strategic location of the city in dealing with India's neighbour Pakistan. Now tourism and the army presence are two of its biggest revenue streams.

The fort established on the Trikuta hill dominate the horizon and is visible from every part of the city. During diwali, when we were there, the entire fort is lit up and forms a mesmerizing sight in the night. The fort, unlike many of the others in India, is in full use. It is actually occupied by almost 4500 people, who live right inside the fort. Almost all the houses in the fort sell something or the other, and just wandering the narrow streets, with coke and miniature paintings vying for your attention is an unforgettable experience.

To enter the actual palace here you need a ticket. There are touts all over the place in Jaisalmer, and if more than one happens to catch you it can get pretty annoying. The palace itself offers some breathtaking views of the town and the other quarters of the fort. And for once, the name of a place - 'golden city' is more than justified.

Other than the fort there are a few other sites. There are a few Jain temples which has some of the most beautiful carvings. There is also a hindu temple, situated away from the main city, which is worth a visit.

The Haveli's are a mist see. Constructed by the wealthiest of the kingdom, in recognition of their support to the king, these are masterpieces in architecture and splendour. The Pathwon ki Haveli is one of the biggest and most elaborate. There are perfectly maintained rooms of yesteryear in this place, including bedrooms, kitchens, dining places and halls.

Other than the fort and the temples, there is another thing that is a must-do in Jaisalmer - the Camel Safari. We got a good deal from our host at the heritage hotel who had become a good friend too. Generally there are a few very populat tourist destinations for the dunes, such as the Sam Sand dunes. We however took another path, and ended un at a pretty unknown sand-dune but completely outside other tourist influence. Rajasthan is not a sandy desert - it is a rocky one. So images like the ones seen in say the Sahara are not common. Sand dunes typically turn out to be a massive sand heap in the middle of the desert surrounded by a good amount of vegetation.

A camel ride is one of the most self revealing things one can ever do. It reveals that you are heavy, that you have a spinal cord, that you have a butt that can ache like crazy and that you would rather walk than stride atop a camel for a 10 kilometer ride.

One of the best things one can do in these sand dunes is nothing. Just watching the sun go down, then the bonfire, food cooked on the fire, stories told around the fire with a cool glass in hand. Then as the stars come out and the ait cools down, you find a more cozier corner within your blankets to curl up for a nights sleep. Popping your head out in the middle of the night, and seeing just the stars, and hearing only the crunch-crunch of the camels chewing cud is an out-of-this-world experience.

Bikaner

After Jaisalmer almost every place has its volume turned down. Bikaner is more of a city than a quaint town. Reaching the Junagarh fort is an exercise in maps and discussions with the locals. However, the insides of the fort are just as impressive as they can ever be. The delicate carvings on wood and sandstone, elaborate paintings in vegetable dyes, and tall spacious halls is a hallmark of Bikaner. Bikarner provides its own guides to most of the places including the fort.

The Junagarh fort is unusual in that it has been built at ground level and not on any elevated location. In spite of this it remains one of the few forts in India that have not been conquered.

Right next to the temple is a museum too. With an impressive collection of artifacts from the age of the Mughals and the Rajputs, it is worth a visit.

30 kilometers south of Bikaner is Deshnoke. This is the place of the Karni Mata temple. The current temple was built by Maharajah Ganga Singh in the early 20th century. It is built in marble and has lavishly worked on doorways and panels. The resident deity of this place is Karni Mata. Legend has it that once the Karni Mata tried to restore the dead child of a storey teller to life, but was unsuccessful as Yama, the god of death had reincarnated his soul in human form. Karni Mata, famed for her legendary temper, announced that all humans from her tribe would not fall into the hands of Yama. Instead, they would be formed transitorily as rats (called kabas here) and then be reincarnated as humans. Hence rats or kabas have a free reign of this place and are given divine status.

Walking the small stretch from the entrance to the main temple is an awesome experience. There are rats all over the place, and scuttling to and fro too. Watch each step and make sure any girls with you are suitably forewarned.

Closing Talk

For five days it was away from the hustle bustle of the city. And for some reason my cell phone was not working too. So it was an absolutely brilliant time, away from all that is part of daily routinue. If you are looking for a place to take time off, and have grown sick of yet another hill station - try Jaisalmer.

Document Changes
November, 23, 2004: First published version.