CestLaJu

Merry Christmas from Jodhpur!

We all woke up late this morning due to the festivities of last night. The staff had cleaned up the cake (from the glitter firecrackers) and shared some slices with us. Nick didn’t pull his string aggressively enough, so he decided to pour all of his glitter over my head. -_- I may still be sparkling….

Craig, one of the new friends we made last night, was traveling alone so we invited him to explore the city with us. We trekked up the hill at the center of the Jodhpur old city and entered one of the seven gates of Mehrangarh Fort.

The fort is situated 400 ft above the city and surrounded by thick walls. Within the complex are several palaces known for the intricacy of their carvings and the botanical diversity of their courtyards.

Legend says that Bhaurcheeria, “The Mountain of Birds,” initially had a single human occupant. In order to build Jodha’s fort, Cheeria Nathji, “Lord of the Birds,” was forced to leave. In his anger, the hermit cursed Jodha:

“Jodha! May your citadel ever suffer a scarcity of water!”

Credit: Nikhil Kulkarni

Nathji was only marginally appeased by the construction of a house and temple within the fort that was in close proximity to the cave that the hermit had meditated in. However, even to this day,the area is plagued by a drought every 3 to 4 years.

As an even more extreme measure to ensure his new site was propitious, Jodha buried a man named “Raja Ram Meghwal” alive beneath the foundation. In return, Meghwal’s family was guaranteed to be looked after by the Rathores. Even to this day, his descendants still live in Raj Bagh, an estate beaquethed to them by Jodha.

After catching a gorgeous view of the “Blue City” from high above, we started our descent on the other side of the hill, and came across some traditionally dressed girls with baskets on their heads. I find it quite fascinating that even in this modern-day and age, a diverse array of traditional clothing can be seen in India as a stark contrast to the more readily adopted Western Clothing.

We then paused by the Jaswant Thada for a breather, before continuing to engage in some aimless traipsing through the streets.