My family and I took a 6-day road trip to cities of Rajasthan state -Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, and Udaipur. Along with visiting the major palaces and forts at each one of these timeless cities, we broke our journey along the way in minor temple-towns like Pavapuri and Nathadwara (or Shrinathji).
To view my pictures from this trip, click here.
Day 1
We started out at 6:00 am from Ahmedabad, and our first stop was Mahudi, a small village near Kalol about 78 km from Ahmedabad. There are two temples here, Kotayark Mandir (pictures) and the Mahavir Jain Mandir (pictures). The Jain temple is famous for its Sukhadi prasad (sweet), which can be offered and consumed only within temple grounds.
From Mahudi, we drove to Pavapuri (pictures), home of the Shree Pavapuri Tirth Dham (a Jain temple complex). Situated in the Sirohi district of Rajasthan, this magnificent collection of shrines is spread over 500 acres of land. We spent the night at the temple guesthouse, and ate really good food at the kitchen complex.
Day 2
The entire day was spent driving in our mini-bus. Along the way, we stopped at two Jain temples near Nakoda for darshan and prasad (pictures). We finally reached Jaisalmer after sunset, ate a pretty good meal, and spent the night at a mud-hut hotel in the desert.
Day 3
The first half of the day was spent at the Jaisalmer Fort. After seeing the Fort (pictures), we drove to Patwa Haveli (pictures). By evening, we were on our way to the sand dunes 40 km west of Jaisalmer known as SAM (pictures). We dropped our gear off at the tent-rooms provided by the hotel, and rushed out to catch the sunset on camelback. While enjoying the many colors of the sun, we listened to music and danced with a little girl from the Kalbeliya community of the area. After watching the sunset, I also ran into some other musician friends with whom I’d worked with in 2007 while researching at the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology in Delhi. The artists, from the Manganiyar community, were performing for visitors to the sand dunes and were picking up tips along the way.
Day 4
We made it to Jodhpur, and enjoyed the Mehrangar Fort and the Umaid Bhawan Palace. Unfortunately, my camera died on me and I didn’t take any pictures here.
Day 5
En route to Kumbhalgarh Fort, we stopped at Ranakpur. The Jain temples here are tucked away in the Aravalli hills, land that was gifted to the Jain community in the fifteenth century by Rana Kumbha, the Hindu ruler of Mewar. The main temple here was built in 1439 according to a rigid system of measurement based on the number 72, the age at which Mahavira achieved nirvana. For example, the entire temple sits on a pedestal measuring 72 square yards, and is held up by an astonishing 1440 marble pillars that are each beautifully carved (pictures).
At Kumbhalgarh Fort, we were taken aback by the 15th century structure built by Rana Kumbha of Chittaurgarh in the 15th century. This impregnable fort is protected by a series of seven thick ramparts and thick walls, and is located on an unassailable hill (pictures). It was successfully besieged once by Akbar’s forces by adulterating the water supply to the fort. There are many Jain and Hindu temples clustered around the main gate.
We drove to Nathadwara via a dirt road that lasted for 60 km through the hills. We spent the night in Shreenathji. No pictures here.
Day 6
We started early at 5:00 am and enjoyed Mangala darshan at Shreenathji, the first of eight ritual offerings that take place each day. After a breakfast of hot tea served in clay cups and khaman, we left for Udaipur. Here, we spent time at the Pratap Museum at the City Palace (pictures). By nightfall, we made it to Ahmedabad.
- Sudev
