RAJASTHAN. (Part - 1)

RAJASTHAN.  (Part – 1)

The location of a very ancient and historic state adjacent to the north-western part of the Republic of India. That state we know as Rajasthan. Covering a vast area of ​​about three hundred and forty-two thousand square kilometers, this vast state is home to the famous Thor Desert, also known as The Great Indian Desert. It is bounded on the west and northwest by Pakistan, on the north by the Indian state of Punjab, on the northeast by the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, on the southeast by Madhya Pradesh and on the southwest by the state of Gujarat. The existence of this kingdom can be traced back to the time of the great Vedic civilization of India and the Indus civilization. Many traces of the ancient Harappan civilization have been discovered at Balthal near Udaipur. The location of the ancient fish  kingdom (Matsya desh) mentioned in the Mahabharata extends from the present capital city of Jaipur to Alwar and Bharatpur. Since ancient times, Rajasthan has been remembered for its heroic Stand and heroism. A several number of stories, plays and novels have been written about this state. As we hear the stories of the places like Mebar, Chitore, Marwar, bundi etcs, which are the places of the many undefeated heroes of Rajasthan, in the same way, we hear the stories of giving their own lives for the country, for the nation and to protect the dignity of women. We also hear  the story of Rani Padmini, and the Mira Bai, The story of Rana Kumbh, Rana Pratap and also the story of Chetak, the much loved horse of Rana Pratap. Even today, the wind of Rajputana is heavy with the story of their great sacrifice. So Rajasthan is not just a state to all Indians, it is another name for a vast pride.

This northwestern state is very cold in winter and very hot in other season. However, winter is the best time to visit Rajasthan.  There are many ways to visit Rajasthan. If you have time, you can take a 12-day vacation together and explore the main attractions of Rajasthan. Although I have not consider your journey time here. This programme will be on pick up and drop basis. If you want to arrive at your first destination point by train or air or even by bus, please calculate that time along with this programme. Many also want to cover  Jaipur, Alwar, Sariska, Bharatpur with Delhi and Agra. This tour is very popular in North India and known as GOLDEN TRIANGLE TOUR. Some people can take six or seven days off every year to get to Rajasthan in small portions, while Mount Abu and Udaipur can also be taken with Ahmedabad. You can travel to Rajasthan according to your budget and time by making the right travel schedule. The distances from places to places in this state are quite high. So it is better to make a schedule accordingly by taking utmost care in this regard. Today, in this article, I will discuss how to see the main places of interest of Rajasthan in twelve days together.

Rajasthan travel schedule.

First of all, choose two cities to start and end the journey. You can either start with the capital city Jaipur and end at Jodhpur or start with Jodhpur and end at Jaipur. Both cities are directly connected to other major cities in the country by rail, road and air. Udaipur and the desert town of Jaisalmer are connected by air in recent times, but for the convenience of traveling, it is better to choose these two cities to start or end the journey. For our convenience, I will start here from Jodhpur and end in Jaipur.

The first day.  Jodhpur.

Train or plane, whichever way you come, try to reach Jodhpur in the morning. Arrive at the hotel quickly and have breakfast ready. Then first let's go to see Umed Bhavan Palace. Situated at a slight elevation on the ascent-descent road, the palace is really beautiful, although much of it has now become a five-star hotel. Inside there is a vintage car collection hall, don't forget to check it out too. After seeing Umed Bhavan, let's go to see Yashwant Thada. It’s construction style is very beautiful. After seeing this magnificent Thada, let's go to see the main attraction of Jodhpur, The Meherangarh Fort. At every turn of this hilltop fort, countless mysteries are waiting to be unfolded step by step. Let's go back to the hotel after seeing everything a little bit up to the highest floor. On the way back, we will return to the hotel after seeing the famous Clock tower of Jodhpur. In the evening, if you want, you can go shopping on foot or by renting an auto. Today we spend the night in Jodhpur.

The second day. From Jodhpur to Jaisalmer.

On the second day, get ready early, have a snack and go out with your belongings. Today we will go to the desert town of Jaisalmer. It will take less than five and a half to six hours to cover this distance of about 300 km. Arrive at Jaisalmer at noon and have lunch. You can also eat home-cooked meals at the entire Bengali Hotel of Kamal Giri of Medinipur on the roof of the Prince Hotel at Hanuman square junction, where the memory of Satyajit Ray is entangled on the every corners of this hotel. Ray has been staying at this hotel for a long time with his complete shooting unit on the occasion of the shooting of his famous Bengali film Sonar Kella. Aman Ji, the owner of the hotel, bowed his head with both hands in utter reverence while talking about Satyajit Ray even today. Sonar Kella or Jaisalmer Fort can be seen from every positions of this hotel in a very beautiful way. In fact, from the entire city of Jaisalmer, this golden fort is visibly colored. Most of the people in this city, whether they are businessmen or ordinary people, will speak to you in one word. All of them admit that once unknown, this city, has found its place on the world tourism map today only for the work of Satyajit Ray.

In the evening, you can take a walk to this golden fort on foot on your own initiative. Go straight from the Hanuman Square to the arch, leave the king's house in your right hand and go straight through the market to bargain and shop. Here you will find a variety of Camel Leather bags, a variety of Rajasthani colored dresses, and a myriad of stoneware shops with varieties of materials made of golden colored stone of marcana. Dhanraj Bhatia's famous sweet and bhujia shop will be on the way to the fort through this alley. You must try the outstanding taste of the famous sweet Ghotwa of this shop here. I swear, you will never forget this taste. Return to the hotel after enjoying the unforgettable look of the golden fort decorated with evening lights.

Third day. Visit the sights of Jaisalmer and watch the sunset in 

the desert at afternoon.

Today is the third day. Let's get ready early, have a snack and go out to see Jaisalmer. First let's go to Gadisar Lake. Boating can be done here. Countless big fish are also roaming in the lake water here. Pleasant environment. After visiting the lake let us go to see the famous mansion of this city. Patwan Ki Haveli. It takes a long time to see this palace decorated with exquisite Rajasthani style work of fine latticework. This multi-storied palace will surely win your heart. After visiting the palace, let's go to see the main attraction of Jaisalmer, the Golden Fort. About four and a half thousand people still live inside of this one of the most famous forts in India. Inside the fort there are schools, colleges, shops, markets, temples, restaurants and almost everything you need for living. First of all, visit the ancient Jain temple inside the fort. Then slowly tour the entire fort. After seeing everything like the house of Mukul of Sonar Kella movie, etc., we will come back to the hotel this time.

The Sam Dunes Tour.

After lunch, let's go out with luggage to see the desert, The Sam Dunes. Today we will spend the night inside the tent in the desert. The location of these tents across a large area. Inside each enclosed area, there are many tents existing side by side here. Inside the tent, there are beds, bathrooms and everything. There is also a hot water system. The dining hall is in another big place inside this enclosure. Let's leave the luggage in the tent and go on a jeep safari and watch the sunset on the back of a camel.  Only the wave after wave of the sands here, spreading up to the horizon. These are small and big, just like sand hills. Rows of camels run through the desert with passengers on their backs.  Some people have ridden in camel carts also. Nothing is visible except a few small thorny bushes. In these amazing scenes, slowly redden the western horizon and enliven the eye by seeing the sweet color of the setting sun. Gradually, thick darkness is descending on the chest of the desert. Now it's time to return to the tent.

A bonfire has been set on the sand inside the round enclosure of the tents. Local artists are performing there with the help of various musical instruments. After enjoying a lot of Rajasthani folk dances, folk songs, fire dances, etc., let us go to the dining hall for dinner. 

Let me say one thing here, if you want, you can go back to Jaisalmer city and spend the night at the hotel after finishing the jeep safari and camel safari and watching the sunset. But it is not bad to spend a night in a tent in the desert. In that case, take all the informations about the tent and the arrangements there. If you have time and can spend another night in Jaisalmer, you can go out the next morning in the early hours to see the temple of Tanaut Mata, 120 km away from Jaisalmer city. There are many stories regarding this village which is very close to the Pakistan border. To this day, not a single cell or mortar fired from Pakistan has exploded in this village. A long time ago, an old mother lived here alone. He did not talk to anyone, and spent time in worship. Since then no incident has taken place in this village, the villagers believe that this old mother has always protected this village from all dangers. Then suddenly one day the old woman was not seen here again. Since then, the soldiers of the Indian Army have built the temple of Tanaut Mata here and have been worshiping it with devotion. Only Indians can apply to the Jaisalmer Military Headquarters if they want to visit the border from Tanout, but this should be done only after getting a good idea of the detailed rules and regulations. On the way back from Tanaut, you can visit the Longewala Soldier Memorial site and still return to Jaisalmer after seeing Kuldhara or the haunted village. If you want to spend three days in Jaisalmer, you can spend the first night and the second night in a hotel in the city of Jaisalmer and stay in a tent in the desert for the third night. However, ordinary tourists usually visit Jaisalmer and the desert in two days due to lack of time. So I also left it as optional.

End of Part – 1.  Please click “RAJASTHAN II” at our main menu for the next part.