Desert kaleidoscope

Desert Kaleidoscope

 

Swaati

I have traversed all the three desert cities of India - Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner that make the Desert Triangle and the entire desert land is replete with endless forts and palaces that bask in regal splendour.
My desert sojourn began with Jodhpur – the second largest city in Rajasthan way back in October, 2012. We packed our bags in advance to head to the legendary city of Jodhpur, the bygone capital of Marwar that was discovered by Rao Jodha in 1450 A.D, the chief of Rathore tribe of Rajputs who claimed to be the descendent of Lord Rama. 

 

UMAID BHAWAN PALACE

 

A view of the famous Umaid Bhawan Palace

 

Best described as a miracle in sandstone, Umaid Bhawan Palace is one of the largest global palaces and the last of India’s palaces that has been the manifestation of Maharaja Umaid Singh (1903 to 1947) of Jodhpur. 

 

The palace is done up in Deco style and brings to life the grand lifestyle of Rajput rulers of Marwar. The work was done by a Polish artist- an amateur interior designer. The palace is the residence of Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Marwar and a portion of it is transformed into a heritage hotel                                                         and museum.
 

Once well-known as Chittar Palace, Umaid Bhawan prides in having a robust foundation built by the highly skilled workers of Agra and Fatehpur Sikri in 1929. Like all Rajput palaces, Umaid Bhawan is categorized into Zenana Mahal and Mardana Mahal replete with Durbar and banquet halls.

Inside view of the Palace

There is a separate section that houses an astounding collection of Venetian, Bohemian and English glass wares dating back to 20^th century collected by Jodhpur Maharajas during their visit to England. Viewing the palace was a marvellous experience for us and we were filled with memories to last a lifetime. 
 

MANDORE

 

 

No trip to Jodhpur is complete without a visit to the ancient town of Mandore that lies 15 km away. An hour drive from Jodhpur brought us to Mandore and it was here that we could get glimpses of 6^th century Marwar. 

A ruined fort

 

The legendary town of Mandore was once famed as Mandavyapur that formed the regal capital of Gurjara Pratihara dynasty of Marwar kingdom from 6^th to 12^th century A.D. A flourishing town in medieval India, Mandore finds it mention in Ramayana as the home town of Mandodari, the wife of Ravana. Life stands still in this fabled town of Marwar where the clock hasn’t clicked for centuries.
We visited the fascinating garden and the attractive cenotaphs or chhatris that trace back to bygone rulers of Marwar. 

 

Ajit Gate

The cenotaphs served as the crematorium of the royal dynasty of Jodhpur. 

Bhairoji temple

We made our way through the towering Ajit Gate done up with toran gateway to visit the highly revered Bhairoji shrine locally called Kala Bhairo.

 
EKTHAMBA MAHAL

 

Ekthamba Mahal

The three-towered structure is a rich architectural grandeur of Marwar built during the times of Maharja Ajit Singh. The ruined ancient fort of Mandore belongs to post Gupta period where we came across carved inscriptions suggesting that the fort was frequently invaded by Mughal Emperors like Iltutmish, Feroze Shah Tughlaq and Jalal-ud-din Khilji. 

 
JAISALMER

 

Rising like a phoenix in the sky is Jaisalmer – best known as the “Golden City of India” that was popularized by the late film maestro, Satyajit Ray in his popular hit- Sonar Kela. Since a train journey from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer is an exciting one, we boarded the train to get fascinating views of desert countryside.At a distance, the Golden Fort or Sonar Kila appeared like the sentinel in the sky.

 
Jaisalmer has its own charm for history buffs since they get to explore forts, resplendent palaces, heritage mansions and gateways. It was in 1156 AD that the city was discovered by Rawal Jaisal, a Bhati Rajput who belonged to the Yadava clan. Rising 80 metres from the ground on the Trikutha Hill is the Golden Fort built by Maharawal Jaisal Dev that forms the pride of Jaisalmer. The fort has four gateways- Akhey Pol, Ganesh Pol, Suraj Pol and Hawa Pol. 
 

MAHARAJA MAHAL

 

The chief attraction of the fort is the 850-year-old Fort Palace Museum and Heritage Centre famed as the Maharaja Mahal. We climbed the five-storied colossal structure to gape at the amazing architectural wonders. The first floor has the Armoury House displaying the weapons used by Nepali Gurkhas, the second floor portrays the coronation of the present Maharaja of Jaisalmer-Maharawal Brij Raj Singh, the third floor has Akhey Vilas preserving fish and Kalasia symbols of the royal family and the fourth floor is Sarvottam Vilas with latticed windows. I came across the family tree of Lord Krishna in the Maharaja Mahal providing complete info on the Yadava clan that is by far, the most interesting aspect for tourists. 

 
BADAL VILAS

 

Another impressive heritage site is the residence of the present Maharaja of Jaisalmer with beautiful taazia on the rooftop. 
 

NATHMAL'S HAVELI 

 

 The 19^th century monument exhibits a brilliant piece of craftsmanship done up with floral patterns on lattices, artistic pillars, balconies, projections and doorways. Set up by Maharawal Bairisal, the former ruler of the city, it was gifted to his Diwan, Nathmal. 

 

PATWA HAVELI:

 

This 19^th century haveli is a sight to behold where a traveller gets carried away by the artistic brilliance of the interiors of the mansion. Built by a wealthy merchant, Gumanmal Bafna, the haveli has massive carved doors embellished in ivory works. The inner roof flaunts golden paintings and the walls are of Belgian glasses with lattices. 
 

GADISAR LAKE

 

Gadisar Lake

 

It is an ideal place to chill out in the desert city with a man -made lake. For those interested in gateway architecture in India can take a look at the massive, arched gate built in yellow sandstone and adorned with lattices and balconies. 

 
LUDERWA 

 

 We took a 15 km desert drive from Jaisalmer to reach the age-old town of Luderwa, the former capital of Jaisalmer. Once known as Lodhervapur, the Shwetambhar Jain temple renovated in 1635 has the black idol of Lord Parasnath. The most interesting feature of the temple is the footprints of all 24 Jain Tirthankaras right from Rishabhnath to Mahaveer. We could sight the 400-year-old Kalpavriksh in the shrine complex. 
 

BIKANER 

 

 The desert city of India was founded by the Rathore Prince-Rao Bikaji, the son of Rao Jodhaji, the founder of Jodhpur in 1488 AD. 
BHANDASAR JAIN TEMPLE: 

 

Bhandasar Jain Temple

Interiors of Bhandasar Jain Temple

Painted ceiling

 

The oldest of the Jain shrine in the walled city dates back to 1468 AD before Bikaner was founded. Set up by Bhandasa Oswal, the shrine honours Sumathinathji, the 5^th Jain Tirthankara and has richly coloured painted ceilings, walls and pillars depicting the tales from Jain scriptures. 

BIKANER FORT

 

Bikaner Fort

 

The seminal attraction of Bikaner is the fort popularly called Junagarh- rated as the finest land laid forts of India.

 

An outer view of Bikaner Fort

 

Discovered by Maharaja Rai Singhji, the 6^th ruler of Bikaner in 1588 AD, the colossal fort is the ancestral property of rulers of Bikaner and had remained unconquered in the bygone era.

 

Karan Mahal

The spectacular fort has four huge gates- Karan Pol, Suraj Pol, Ratan Pol and Fateh Pol. There are highly carved fascinating palaces- Karan Mahal, Anoop Mahal, Gaj Mandar and Phool Mahal. 

Badal Mahal

For us, the most attractive palace was Karan Mahal built in red sand stone and Italian tiles with the presence of silver gate weighing 65 kg.

 
The Gaj Mandar has mirror works and the splendid Janmasthami Jhoola. 

DESHNOK- KARNI MATA SHRINE

 

  Nestling nearly 30 km south of Bikaner is the popular pilgrim resort of Deshnok that has the most sacred shrine of goddess Karni Mata- an architectural gem and the one and only shrine in the country that is infested with thousands of rats, believed to be the incarnation of the goddess and are fed by the pilgrims. The shrine has golden domes at its top and a massive, highly adorned silver door at its entrance. 
 

BHARATPUR

 

  I was on a tour of Bharatpur sometime in October 2013 and there’s more to Bharatpur, the gateway city of Rajasthan than the renowned Keoladeo Ghana National Park. It is the only city in Rajasthan that was ruled by non-Rajputs. 
 

GANGA MANDIR:

Ganga Mata Mandir

In the heart of the city is the magnificent shrine devoted to Ganga Maharani that was built by Maharaja Balwant Singhji Bahadur in 1845 AD. The shrine has ceilings that are painted in a riot of colours. 

 
LOHAGARH 

 

Lohagarh Fort

Situated in Chauburja area, Lohagarh Fort in Bharatpur is a must-see for history buffs. Surrounded by a moat that is filled with water, the fort stands apart from other forts of Rajasthan and boasts of a strong foundation that has withstood many attacks in the bygone times. The ashtdhatu gateway bears elephant carvings.

 

Kachchri Kalan

 

Once inside the fort, we came across Kachchri Kalan or old court in the Kamra Khas area that has Durbar Hall, built by Maharaja Balwant Singh in 19^th century. It was here that the historic meet spearheaded by Sardar Vallabhai Patel regarding the formation of Matsya Pradesh incorporating four states of Rajputana-Dholpur, Bharatpur, Karauli and Alwar was held in 1948. 
 

GOVERNMENT MUSEUM 

Government Museum

The Kamra Khas was converted into a museum by Brijendra Singh in 1944 A.D that displays a plethora of antiques and decorative art of Bharatpur from bygone times. One of the most striking features of Kamra Khas that I had come across is the presence of Hamam or Persian bath.

 

Hamam

  Hamam is derived from Arabic and implies bathroom and formed a significant aspect of architecture of Turkish residential palaces during 15^th to 16^th century. With the arrival of Turk-Mughal, a fundamental change occurred in the bathroom architecture of medieval India and Turkish Hamam was built in Indo-Persian style with colourful tiles and paintings. 

 

Hamam or Turkish bath

The Rajputs and Jat rulers also set up Hamam in their residences and the walls of the Hamam were spruced up with fresco paintings, flowers and creepers on durable ariash plaster. The Hamam at Government Museum serves as the best example of Turkish Hamam built in Indo-Persian style during 18^th century and flaunts an interesting technology, similar to a modern spa used by the members of the royal family to enjoy massage and heat soaking.