My Rajasthan Tour - Visit to Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur and Thar Desert

As a part of my Rajasthan tour with my family members, we first visited Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan and thereafter visited Udaipur and Mount Abu. We left Mount Abu in the morning of 28th December and started our journey to Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur. In my previous three posts I have shared my experiences and brief information about the places that I visited with my family in Jaipur, Udaipur and Mount Abu. In this post I would like to share my experiences and brief information about the places that I visited Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur and Thar Desert.

1. Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur

We reached Mehrangarh Fort in the afternoon and we had taken lunch on the way. This fort is located on the top of the hill which is at a height of about 122 meters above the surrounding plains. It was built in the year 1459 by Rao Jodha Rathore who founded the city of Jodhpur in the same year. This fort is having seven gates, the brief details of which are mentioned below.

(i) Jai Pol i.e. Victory Gate built by Maharaja Man Singh to commemorate his victories over Jaipur and Bikaner armies.

(ii) Fateh Pol which literary means Victory Gate was built to commemorate the victory of Maharaja Ajit Singh over the Mughals.

(iii) Gopal Pol, the second pol after Fateh Pol.

(iv) Dedh Kangra Pol still bear the scars of bombardment by cannonballs. 

(v) Amruti Pol is in between Dedh Kangra Pol and Loha Pol.

(vi) Loha Pol is the final gate into the main part of the fort complex.

(vii) Suraj Pol is the inner most gate which provides access to palace complex and Daulat Khana Chauk. 

Within the fort you will find several beautifully crafted and decorated places. You will also find various paintings, palkis and other articles used by Royal Families inside the palaces. There are five palaces inside the fort. 

(i) Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace)

(ii) Phool Mahal (Flower Palace)

(iii) Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace)

(iv) Sileh Khana (a place of storage of weapons or the armoury)

(v) Daulat Khana 

                            ☝ Daulat Khana

👈Inside Daulat Khana

👈 Palki (Traditional means of transport in those days. Palki was used as a means of transport mostly by Royal families which was carried on shoulders by four to six persons for transportation.)

                  Beautiful Paintings inside the Palace 👉

After completing our visit to Mehrangarh Fort we proceeded to hotel for taking dinner and for night stay. On the next day morning i.e. on 29th December 2023 we proceeded towards Thar Desert.

2. Thar Desert

We reached the tents of SAM Desert in the afternoon where we were allotted tent for staying overnight. After keeping our luggage in the tent, we proceeded to enjoy the evening in Thar Desert. In the Thar Desert we enjoyed camel riding. We were there till sunset. Sunset was beautiful in Thar Desert. Before Camel riding we had Desert Safari which gave us thrilling experience. Sunset view in the desert was very beautiful. We have taken photograph of sunset view in the desert. Camel riding was also a thrilling experience for me as I was doing camel riding for the first time. I was very much scared of falling down. However, I enjoyed camel riding with my wife. After sunset, we came back to our tent in SAM Desert.

                                       

                                        Sunset in Thar Desert 👉 

It was a unique experience of staying in tent in the desert and that too during extreme winter. Daytime was comfortable due to sunlight. After coming from Desert Safari, we assembled in the central place where a stage was arranged for cultural programme. That place was almost equidistance from all the tents in the camp. Snacks and tea were served during cultural programme. Traditional Folk Dances were performed by the local artists. We enjoyed the cultural programme with snacks and tea. There was a bonfire kept in the middle of the stage. Ghoomar Dance, Bhavai Dance and other folk dances of Rajasthan were performed by the artist.  

               Bhavai Dance Performed by the Artist 👉

Artist was performing dance with seven pots kept one over other on her head.

After cultural programme we all assembled in one tent for dinner. That tent was specially made for taking meal. After taking dinner we went to our respective tents. In a chilled winter it was really thrilling to spend one night in the tent. In the next day morning after taking our breakfast we proceeded toward Jaisalmer.

(Note: The historical facts mentioned in the article are collected from Wikipedia and some other sources in public domain.)  

 

 My Rajasthan Tour - Visit to Mount Abu

As a part of my Rajasthan tour with my family members, we first visited Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan and thereafter visited Udaipur. We left Udaipur in the morning of 27th December and started our journey to Mount Abu. In my previous two posts I have shared my experiences and brief information about the places that I visited with my family in Jaipur and Udaipur. In this post I would like to share my experiences and brief information about the places that I visited in and around Mount Abu.

1. Brief Information about Mount Abu

We started our journey to Mount Abu from Udaipur on 27th December 2023 in the morning. We were about 27 persons in a group tour travelling to Mount Abu from Udaipur by bus. We enjoyed the beautiful sceneries of hilly terrain during our journey to Mount Abu. We have seen monkeys sitting on the branches of tree. We have seen the beauty of Aravalli Mountain range when our bus was moving towards Mount Abu through the hilly road on high altitude. Mount Abu is a hill station set on a high rocky plateau in the Aravalli range and is near to the Gujrat border. Climate is relatively cool in Mount Abu. 

We have visited Delwara Temple, Shree Guru Shikhar Dutta Temple, Sunset Points and Nakki Lake. 

2. Delwara Temple

We reached Hilton Hotel in Mount Abu in the afternoon, and we checked in that hotel. After keeping our luggage in the hotel room and taking lunch we proceeded for day tour of Mount Abu. First, we visited Delwara Temple which is a group of five Jain Temples. Photograph is strictly prohibited inside the temple. Among those five temples, Vimalashahi temple is the oldest temple and was built in 1231 AD. Other four temples are Luna Vasahi Temple, Pittalhar Temple, Shri Parshwanath Temple and Shri Mahavir Swamy Temple. The architectural design and minute artistic works and carvings done on the walls, pillars, ceilings, doorways and panels are remarkable and appreciable. 

3.  Guru Shikhar Duttatreya Temple

After finishing our visit to Delwara Temple we proceeded to Shree Guru Shikhar Duttatreya Temple which is at a distance of about 15 km from Mount Abu. Guru Shikhar, a peak in the Arbuda Mountains and is the highest point of Aravalli Range, Rajasthan. The peak is dedicated to Guru Dattatreya and therefore the name of the peak is Guru Shikhar. You have to use staircase to reach the temple because vehicle cannot move after a certain point. 'Palkis' can be used on payment by the persons who find it difficult to walk through staircases.  You will find lot of eateries before reaching the temple. You will find large number of shops displaying various local made products including various articles for decorating house. You can enjoy the scenic beauty of various mountains from the temple which is at the highest point of Aravalli Range.  Adjacent to the temple is the Mount Abu Observatory operated by the Physical Research Laboratory. 

4. Sunset Point

After finishing our site seeing at Guru Shikhar Duttatreya Temple, we proceeded to the sunset point. Vehicle cannot go up to the spot and therefore we left the vehicle on roadside and started walking uphill to reach a place from where we can spot the setting sun. One has to walk uphill for a good amount of distance to locate the spot. Because of partial cloudy weather we could not see the sun setting beyond the hill. You can view the sunset beyond the hills only when the sky is clear. From that spot you can have the beautiful view of mountain and river flowing through the valley. You will find few stalls selling mineral waters, cold drinks, tea and snacks. Though we could not view the sunset, but we enjoyed the natural scenic beauty of the hilly terrain. You can see in this photograph that my younger son is watching and enjoying the beauty of the sunset point. 

5. Nakki Lake

After enjoying the sunset point, we proceeded to Nakki Lake. By the time we reached Nakki Lake it was complete dark. However, the lake was visible due to lighting on the street and shops on the side of the lake. This lake is the first man-made lake in India. It is an important tourist destination of Mount Abu. This lake is having a length of about half a mile and width of about a quarter of mile. This lake is having a depth of 20 to 30 feet. There is a Toad Rock on a hill near the lake. There is an arrangement of boating in the lake. There is a pathway on the sides of the lake. There are sitting arrangements on the sides of the lake where one can sit and enjoy the beauty of the lake. Raghunath Temple and the palace of Maharaja of Jaipur are also on the hills near the lake. There are few fountains inside the lake. You will find many shops and eating outlets near Nakki Lake. Though we have seen Nakki Lake during night but it's better to visit this Lake in the evening during daylight. One should visit this lake with sufficient time in hand so that one can enjoy boating and complete site seeing of this place. Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were immersed in this lake on 12th February 1948. After finishing our site seeing at Nakki Lake we proceeded to hotel for dinner and night stay.

6. Conclusion

We have covered the above places in a half day which is too short to satisfy our pleasure in visiting these places. Actually, half a day is required to fully enjoy the site seeing of Nakki Lake alone. To cover the above places complete two days are required. We could not visit Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary which is having wide and varied range of fauna and is known for its biodiversity of flora. One full day is required to properly see this wildlife sanctuary. 

Mount Abu is well connected by rail and road. Nearest railway station to Mount Abu is Abu Road railway station located at a distance of about 28 kilometers from the main city. This railway station is having rail connectivity with New Delhi and Mumbai. Mount Abu does not have any airport. Nearest Airport is at Udaipur which is at a distance of 185 kilometer. Ahmedabad Airport is at a distance of 221 kilometer from Mount Abu.  

 We checked out from the hotel in the morning of 28th December 2023 after finishing our breakfast. Then we proceeded to Jodhpur for visiting Mehrangarh Fort. Very soon I will come with another post in this blog on my tour to Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur. 

(Note: The historical facts mentioned in the article are collected from Wikipedia and some other sources in public domain.)