A Journey to the Majestic Mehrangarh Fort: Exploring Pushkar and Jodhpur

Pushkar

Our aim for the day was to hit Jodhpur by tonight so after having in-bed breakfast, we started our day. A beautiful bright sunny day awaited us. Our first destination in Pushkar was Bramha temple. The only Bramha temple in the world. Like many other temples, this temple was less crowded, than expected. The cameras and bags are prohibited inside the temple. So please keep all your belongings in safe lockers or hand them over to local shopkeepers at your own risk.

Once we came out we walked towards Pushkar lake. If you are interested in taking bath in a lake first and then moving to the temple, it’s absolutely no problem. They have changing rooms for ladies near the ghats. It has various ghats so you can enter from any side. The Pushkar market also has a few good house furnishing shops. I have already appraised you about your bargaining skills while shopping in Jaipur. Here the competition between shopkeepers favours you. Pushkar is a small market with lot many shopkeepers selling the same products.

We moved towards the lake and entered the old market. Did I mention the ‘Maalpuye’? Pushkar’s maalpuye are quite famous in Rajasthan. You should try them from any local sweet shop here and then enter the ghats. Here you can also enjoy the camel safari. After visiting the lake and the local market we came back to our tent. We packed our luggage and moved to our next destination i.e Jodhpur.

We hit the road around 1100h. It’s almost a 0430h drive from Pushkar to Jodhpur. Enroute you will find a place with lots of temples on the hilltop. It’s a nice place for nature photography.

Mehrangarh Fort : Jodhpur

We reached Jodhpur around 1600h and went straight to Mehrangarh fort. The entry to the fort closes at 1700h. There is ample space for parking near the fort. The moment you enter the main gate, the magnificent view amazes you. The fort has been filmed in many Bollywood movies. Prominently in ‘Sudh desi romance’ and ‘Thugs of Hindostan’. The unique huge entrance gates with smaller and steep roads were to defend the fort in case of any attack mounted on elephants. A word of advice, please wear flats, as on steep stone-built roads, it will be painful to walk with high heels. While the return journey will be even more painful. For adventure lovers looking for an adrenaline rush flying fox has six ziplines here. You will get entry from the security check post without buying any ticket.

The fort has recently been converted into a museum. It also has a goddess Durga temple and three courtyards, all different from each other carvings and the colour of stones. The restoration work done inside has devoured the authenticity and history of the fort. Few locations are untouched including the ‘Royal Darbar’ (royal court). We left from fort around 1800h and reached the old market called Ghantaghar market. The market at night becomes lively. Its main attraction is the ‘stone carved’ clock tower in the center of the market. You will find many shops for clothes and handicrafts. There are two outlets of ‘Rajsthali’ as well. But if you are not desperate and Jaipur is on your list of destinations, then do buy stuff from Jaipur or Pushkar.

At 2130h we headed towards our guestroom which was arranged by one of our friends. Dinner was planned in the room only. Tomorrow we are heading to Udaipur.