Top Tourist Attractions in Jodhpur
Jodhpur is a city in Rajasthan, India’s northwest state, located in the Thar Desert. The Mehrangarh Fort, built in the 15th century, is now a museum with weaponry, paintings, and magnificent royal palanquins on exhibit (sedan chairs). The fort, which is perched on a rocky outcropping, looks out over the walled city, where many of the buildings are painted in the city’s signature blue.
Best Places to Visit in Jodhpur
- MEHRANGARH FORT (5 KM)
- JASWANT THADA
- UMAID BHAWAN PALACE
- GOVERNMENT MUSEUM
- GIRDIKOT AND SARDAR MARKET
- SANGEET NATAK ACADEMY / FOLK ART MUSEUM
MEHRANGARH FORT (5 KM)
The fort, which guards the city below and crowns a perpendicular cliff, was built by Rao Jodha in 1459 AD when he relocated his capital from Mandore. It overlooks the steep and rocky terrain and houses a palace artistically ornamented with lengthy carved panels and latticed windows exquisitely crafted from red sandstone. The apartments with their own magic include the Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace), Phool Mahal (Flower Palace), Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace), Sileh Khana, and Daulat Khana, which house a rich and diverse collection of palanquins, howdas, royal cradles, miniature paintings of various schools, costumes, furniture, and an impressive armoury. The cannon display on the ramparts at Chamunda temple is one of the most unusual in India. As you ascend, folk musicians recreate the splendour of a bygone period.
JASWANT THADA
The majestic white marble memorial was built in 1899 in honour of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II and marks the location of a royal crematorium. Portraits of successive emperors are housed in the cenotaph. These four cenotaphs honour the valour and kindness of four successive emperors.
UMAID BHAWAN PALACE
This splendid castle, built by Maharaja Umaid Singh (1929-1942) and named after him, is also known as Chittar Palace due to the usage of native Chittar sandstone. It is a magnificent example of the Indo-colonial and Art Deco styles of the 1930s. The fact that hand chiselled sandstone blocks have been placed together in a particular technique of interlocking, with no mortar binding, is a distinguishing aspect of this castle. A portion of the palace has been converted into a hotel, while the rest is open to the public in the shape of an excellent museum housing model aeroplanes, firearms, ancient clocks and bob watches, priceless dinnerware, and hunting trophies. Both parts have a royal magnificence atmosphere.
GOVERNMENT MUSEUM
This museum, located in the heart of the Umaid Public Garden, includes a diverse array of exhibits, including armoury, textiles, local arts and crafts, miniature painting, portraits of rulers, manuscripts, and images of Jain Tirthankaras. The Umaid Public Garden also has a zoo.
GIRDIKOT AND SARDAR MARKET
The vibrant bazar near Clock Tower is teeming with activity, with narrow lanes studded with little shops selling excellent Rajasthani fabrics, handicrafts, clay figurines of camels and elephants, marble curios with inlay work, and magnificent Rajasthani silver jewellery.
SANGEET NATAK ACADEMY / FOLK ART MUSEUM
This one-of-a-kind academy was founded to improve, safeguard, and create colourful and magnificent classical music, folk music, dance, and stage art. The academy operates a stage play, a folk celebration, a seminar, a research publication, training, scholarships, honours, and prizes for the successful growth and motivation of the city’s cultural heritage.
The institution also has rare folk music and instrumental recordings, as well as an air-conditioned sound recording studio.
Best Time to Visit Jodhpur
Jodhpur is best visited between October and March.
How to Reach Jodhpur
BY AIR:
Jodhpur Airport is one of Rajasthan’s most important airports. The airport is scheduled to be upgraded to an international airport in the near future. The work on which will begin as soon as possible. Air India and Jet Airways now provide daily flights to the city from Delhi and Mumbai.
BY TRAIN:
The North Western Railways’ divisional headquarters is located in Jodhpur (NWR). It is well linked to major Indian cities such as Alwar, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Trivandrum, Pune, Kota, Kanpur, Bareilly, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Indore, Bhopal, Dhanbad, Guwahati, Nagpur, Lucknow, Gwalior, Jaipur, and others through railroads. The suburban station Bhagat ki Kothi (BGKT) is being built as the second main station for passenger trains to relieve congestion at the main Jodhpur station (JU).
Currently, 106 trains run between the two stops. Ranthambore Express (Jodhpur to Indore), Mandore Express (Jodhpur to Delhi), Suryanagri Express (Jodhpur to Mumbai), Marudhar Express (Jodhpur to Lucknow), Howrah Superfast (Jodhpur to Howrah), and other major trains depart from Jodhpur railway station.
BY ROAD:
Jodhpur is well connected by road to all of Rajasthan’s major cities as well as neighbouring states such as Delhi, Ahmedabad, Surat, Ujjain, and Agra. Rajasthan Roadways provides Volvo and Mercedes Benz bus service to Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Udaipur, and Jaisalmer, in addition to deluxe and rapid bus services inside the state (click here for time table and reservations). The city’s Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) was recently established, with low-floor and semi-low-floor buses operating main routes. Three national highways link Jodhpur to the rest of the country, while eleven state highways connect it to the rest of Rajasthan.
LOCAL TRANSPORT:
Taxis, autorickshaws, and Tongas are all available modes of transportation in Jodhpur. Near the main train station is a taxi stop. Auto-rickshaws are ideal for navigating the tight streets of the ancient city. Bicycles may also be used to explore Jodhpur.