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Jodhpur
Jodhpur is the second largest city of the
state of Rajasthan.
The Rajput chief Rao Jodha
founded the city of Jodhpur in 1459. Earlier, it was the capital of the
Marwar state of Rajasthan. A 10-km-long wall made of stone surrounds the
city. Eight doors stand all through the wall leading to different places
of Jodhpur. The city has about 100 towers most of which are surrounded by
defensive battlements.
How to reach
Jodhpur
By Road: It is
also well connected by the national highways and other small roadways.
By train: Trains are available from Delhi and
Mumbai to Jodhpur.
By air: The nearest airport of Jodhpur is
Udaipur. The airport is well connected to Jodhpur by roadways.
Places of tourist interest
Mehrangarh Fort -
Rao Jodha laid the foundation of Mehrangarh
Fort on 13th May , 1459.The Fort is surrounded by a wall 12 to 17 ft. wide
and 20 to 150 ft. high. Maximum width of the Fort is 750 ft. and length
1500 ft. This magnificent Fort on a 400ft. high hill can be seen from a
great distance.
There are three entrance gates namely Jaipole, Lohapole and Fatehpole.
Maharaja Man Singh built Jaiapole in 1806 to commemorate his victory,
while Fatehpole was built in 1707 to commemorate the victory of Maharaja
Ajit Singh over the Mughals. The last gate Lohapole was started in 16th
century by Rao Maldevji and later completed by Maharaja Vijay Singh in the
18th century. Inside the fort, Moti Mahal, Ranisar lake,
Chandika Devi’s temple and Fateh Mahal are some of the major attractions.
Chitar Palace (Ummaid Mahal) –
It is built on the Chitar Hill and is made of red stone of
Jodhpur and the famous marble of Makrana. It was built by Maharaja
Ummaid Singh in 1948. It was designed by Sir H.C. Lanchester, president of
Royal Institute of British architects. There is a large garden in front of
the entrance gate of the palace.
Sur Sagar Palaces - In the hill ranges
a mile away from Jodhpur, Raja Sur Singh made a pond with beautiful
gardens and palaces. These palaces are made on rectangular platforms made
of white Makrana Marble. Two palaces opposite each other belong one each
to ladies and gents.
Rai-ka-Bag Palace - This palace is
situated near Raika Bag palace railway station. It was constructed in 1663
by Hadiji, queen of king Jaswant Singh-I.
Bijolai Palaces - Approximately 11kms
from Jodhpur city between the Kaylana hills, king Takhat Singh made a few
palaces which are known as Bijolai Palaces. It is said that king Vijay
Singh used to come to this place for hunting
Lakes of Jodhpur
The
Balsamand Lake -
This lake is situated 8 kilometer from the city and was
built
by the Partihar King Balak Rao in the year 1159 AD. Nearby
there is a beautiful garden and a palace.
Kaylana
Lake - Located 8 km west of Jodhpur, Kaylana lake was
constructed in 1872 by Pratap Singh. It is spread over 84 square
kilometers' area.
Gulab Sagar - 150x90 m sized
Gulab Sagar water storage was constructed by Gulab Rai in 1788, who was a
mistress of Maharaja Vijay Singh. Other lakes in Jodhpur include Umed
Sagar and Fateh Sagar lakes.
Temple of Kapedaji -
The Jain temple of Kapedaji lies at the distance of 40 km
from Jodhpur. The architecture of this temple is similar to that of the
temples of Ranakpur. |