Jodhpur, a land of legendary kings, royalty and warrior is very colorful all the year round. The city is an oasis spread in the vast desert with the best fusion of art & craft, religion, culture, rich history, desert, dance, forts, palaces, wildlife and lakes. The place where sun rays create an illusion of shimmering lakes on the arid desert, Jodhpur is the land of Romance of the Dessert.
Located almost on the edge of the Thar Desert, the city of Jodhpur was founded in 1459 by Rao Jodha, the chief of the Rathore clan of Rajputs and was the capital of the State of Marwar.
Jodhpur is also known as the Sun City because the sun shines brightly here every day of the year, and as Blue City since most houses in the old part of the city are painted blue.
The forts and palaces, temples and havelis, culture and tradition, spices and fabrics, colour and texture, a booming handicrafts industry, all add up to make this historic city worth a visit.
Fast Facts
Temperature
Summer 45 - 35 C
Winter 27 - 15 C
Best Season
August to March
Getting to Jodhpur
AIR
Jodhpur is connected by air with Jaipur, Delhi, Udaipur and Mumbai. The airport is 5 km away from the city centre.
RAIL
Jodhpur is connected by rail with major cities in India.
ROAD
Motorable roads connect Jodhpur with
Agra 577 km
Ahmedabad 516 km
Ajmer 198 km
Alwar 483 km
Barmer 220 km
Bikaner 260 km
Delhi 592 km
Jaipur 343 km
Jaisalmer 290 km
Mount Abu 280 km
Mumbai 1073 km
Ranakpur 175 km
Ranthambore 481 km
Udaipur 260 km
Tourist attractions
Mehrangarh Fort
Founded by Rao Jodha in 1459 AD, the fort is like a crown on the cliff. With rugged and rocky terrain, the fort houses a palace adorned with latticed windows and carved panels designed from red sandstone. Spreading over 5 km on the perpendicular cliff, the fort showcases some of the best Jodhpuri sculptures. Other than this, there is Moti Mahal, Sheesh Mahal and Phool Mahal to visit in the fort.
Umaid Bhawan Palace
This palace is the most romantic spot to visit in Jodhpur. Named after Maharaj Umaid Singh who built this, the palace is also popular as Chittar Palace because of the chittar sandstone used in the structure. Showing off he Indo-colonial art & decor work, this palace is constructed with a special system, hand-chiselled sandstone blocks are interlocked in a manner that there is no mortar binding in the structure. In the palace, there is a well- maintained museum for the tourists, displaying a vintage collection of royal items like family weapons, antiques, clocks, crockeries and trophies.
Jaswant Thada
Coming down from the Mehrangarh Fort, on the left is Jaswant Thada, with a secluded and a mystic aura. This is a marble cenotaph of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. The prime structure is built like a temple adorned with intricate carving on the marble stones. There are portraits of successive rulers and the four cenotaphs for honoring the bravery and generosity of the four successive rulers.
Guda
This is a Bishnoi village not so far from Jodhpur. Tourists visit this village to experience exotic wildlife and nature. A number of bird species can be seen here during the season, out of which, the Demoiselle Crane is the attraction. Then, there is a pond in the village with antelopes and black bucks.
Mahamandir Temple
A sanctified spot in Jodhpur, the temple witness is a place where tranquility reigns supreme. The temple has a very unique architecture to wonder about, supported by 84 pillars, the place is adorned with ornaments and detailed design of ious figures depicting different postures of Yoga.