RAJASTHAN ON ROAD

Ralph Waldo Emerson justly said that “It’s the journey and not the destination”, that matters, so here I take a trip down the memory lane and reminisce about my road trip from The City Of Lakes to The Golden City (Udaipur to Jaisalmer).

THE BEGINNING

My journey began on a beautiful and cold winter morning, where we all got loaded up in our car, ready to explore the roads while the music and the magnificent Aravali Hills kept us company, while we paved our way out of “Mewar” (the south-central part of Rajasthan). The 490 km long journey was no less than an adventure, as we got a chance to experience the grandeur of the majestic mountains, the spectacular landscapes, and the glowing dunes.

After a 5- hour not-so-tiring journey we bid goodbye to the serene views of Mewar and landed in “Marwar” (south-western part of Rajasthan), The word itself means, “The Land of Deserts”. Here, we began our journey to explore the real Rajasthan in its raw form, the state of Marwar, welcoming us with its beautiful colors and prints, which is the essence of Rajasthan. People adorned in beautiful turbans and women with the authentic traditional “lehengas”, left us in awe of them.

Read more about travel experience in Rajasthan in the blog written by Sophie

THE MUST VISIT STOPS

While drooling over the amazing culture and heritage of the state we paved our way and reached our first destination, THE BULLET BABA TEMPLE, located about 40kms from Jodhpur. Here, the devotees gather to worship a Royal Enfield Bullet (Motorbike), which is decorated and encased in a glass case. On speaking with the locals here, we got to know that there is a fascinating piece of history associated with this temple. It is said that a local youth, Om Banna died in a motorcycle accident and since then his soul protects people from the same fate. People worship here for a safe journey. Locals also claim that they have seen the ghost of Om Banna! The bike is also believed to have supernatural powers, which intrigued us.

After worshipping at the temple, we moved forward and took a stop to enjoy the very famous delicacy of the state, “Kachori“, a seasoned deep-fried bite. It was astounding to watch the oil-dripping kachoris landing directly from the stove on our plates. The burst of flavors in my mouth is something that I will treasure forever. After refreshing ourselves with a blast of flavors, we got back on wheels and moved towards Jodhpur, The capital of the Kingdom Of Marwar, to sink deep into the mysteries, to hear tales of triumphs and battles, to get mixed into the culture and heritage of the city and to surrender to the delicious cuisines the state has to offer.

We reached Jodhpur at the onset of dusk, where we were welcomed by traditional Rajasthani folk music, which was like a prayer to our ears. The environment was full of soothing lights, bonfires, and melodious tunes. After relaxing in the evening. We started our exploration early next morning, our first destination being the “MEHRANGARH FORT” (Citadel of Sun) which stands on a perpendicular cliff, about 400 feet above the skyline of Jodhpur, is a majestic citadel of colossal proportions. Burnished in red sandstone, the fort presents a strangely haunting yet beautiful view. Walking through the fort and reading the tales of valor made me admire the culture more. The local artists performing at the fort and the beautiful shops added to the beauty of the fort. The fort has an amazing view, which makes me wonder how exciting it would have been to be a king!

For lunch, we decided to devour the flavors of the city and tried out “Laal Maas”, a mutton curry prepared in a sauce of yogurt and hot spices, along with “Missi Roti”, a Rajasthani bread made of wheat and gram flour.

After a sumptuous lunch, we went on to explore the local market, where we enjoyed shopping for souvenirs.

For dinner, we enjoyed the famous,” Dhani Dinner”, a village-themed dinner where we enjoyed the local delicacies Kair Sangri, Gatta Curry, Missi Roti, Dal bati churma. The local food was engrossed with a variety of flavors, which played hide and seek with my taste buds.

After spending the night, we bid goodbye and moved towards the Golden city. A four hour journey which was spent driving through the beautiful roads admiring the beauty of the dunes, we reached our final destination Jaisalmer.

We made our first stop at the mesmerizing Jaisalmer Fort, also known as Sonar Qila (Golden Fort). The fort rises from the sand itself and the setting sun adds its magic and shrouds the fort with mystique. It is one of the first living forts of India which has a dwelling of human settlements inside it, giving it a more aesthetic appeal. The fort is adorned with beautiful carvings which depict the culture in a never known way.

We then made our way towards the famous village of Kuldhara, which is also known as the “Ghost Village”, the village is believed to be the home of Paliwal Brahmins, who were forced to leave the village, when they did not submit to the wishes of Salim Ali, who was a powerful prime minister of the state. But, it is believed that the Paliwals cursed the village such that nobody would be able to settle there and to date, the village remains barren. The walls of the houses here depict a story of pain and sadness. The village tells the tales of a struggle adding to the history of Jaisalmer.

In the late afternoon, we made our way towards Sam Sand Dunes, stretched across the Thar Desert is a prominent part of the place. It is one of the places to connect with nature and explore the enchanting sunset. Amidst the glorious dunes, we enjoyed several activities such as camel rides, Desert Safari and quad biking, which added a bit of adventure to our vacation. At night, we enjoyed the lock folk cultural program and had a traditional Rajasthani dinner, which was an experience for a lifetime.

The next day, sadly the last day of our trip, we went on to explore the Longewala War Memorial, where the battle of Longewala took place between India and Pakistan in 1971, the memorial is home to stories of bravery and valor, Which made us love and adore our country even more.

With a heavy heart, we then bid adieu and headed home, in hope to keep moving along the roads and exploring new and fascinating destinations.