From the Golden city to the Blue city

The day long ride was hot because we were passing through the Thar desert. But before sunset we could road dash to the Jodhpur fort in spite of our bus driver’s unfamiliarity of the route. Every now and then we stopped to ask some passing stranger where the fort was. Sometimes we were misled and then we had to make a U turn. Well, finally we were led by a local guide who knew some English. As usual the entry fee was high because we were entering the private property of an erstwhile king. The climb up the fort

was rather steep. A lift which took the tourists up to the twelfth floor was in service for an additional payment of Rs. 40/-. But the long queue discouraged us and so took to our steps courageously. On the way the guide explained how the builder Marwar king rewarded the family of a commoner who willingly sacrificed his life by standing amidst the stones which buried him alive. The sacrifice was for a successful architecture. Every fort has its specialties. This one exhibited many colourful  palanquins  that were used to transport royal families and sharp glittering swords with jeweled handles. The old city with many blue painted houses was visible from the parapets. We were told that high caste Hindus preferred their houses in blue in order to discriminate their dwellings. A local wedding was in progress, for the fort was offered for such family occasions, on a handsome rent. The bride and the groom were led by a few relatives to a hall above. A souvenir shop was quite crowded in spite of expensive small take-away tit bits. The drive from the fort to the hotel in the city was roundabout due to the heavy traffic. We had only one day’s tour left before we reached New Delhi.