Tryst with Royalty in Jaisalmer and Jodhpur

With an extremely fascinating history, Rajasthan enchants more than just domestic tourists from India. It ranks 5^th for the highest number of foreign tourists arriving in India. And it’s not for nothing. Every city delivers something unique. Ergo, no wonder most of them have earned their sobriquets. I decided to visit The Golden City, Jaisalmer and The Blue City, Jodhpur on an extended weekend in early October, 2015.

I chose it to be a backpacking adventure, without any company except myself, surprising many on and off the trip. Although it meant no friend to talk to, it gave me ample opportunity to interact with people hitherto strangers. The overnight journey from Delhi to Jaisalmer by train took me nearly 19 hours and it was already afternoon by the time I reached Jaisalmer. I put up at a decent Jain Dharamshala for the next one day.

Almost all cities in this kingly state have a regal history. Kings used to build forts to protect their kingdoms. Jaisalmer fort or the Sonar Quila is one such living fort. King Jaisal had built it in 12^th century. The streets inside the fort are always abuzz with activity. Several people have their residences inside the fort premise and tourism is their mainstay. The museum in the fort premises is vast and fascinating for history buffs. It offers panoramic views of the Jaisalmer city. Spellbound, I spent more than a couple of hours observing the museum.

 

While I was deciding where to head next sipping tea outside the fort, someone gave me a visiting card for camel safari tour operator and I gave the person a call. Excitedly he came to pick me up and next we were negotiating the cost of camel safari. But it was getting nowehere as the place for camel safari was nearly 40 km away from Jaisalmer and I had no way to  reach there. Fortuitously, I met a few strangers from Sancher in Rajasthan who also wanted a similar package. I made a deal with them and together we left to enjoy camel safari in the Thar desert. I paid INR 400 for a package which included a camel safari, folk dance and music programme from tribals and chai pakoda. I rode along with these strangers, befriended them on the way and we reached the place where camel bearers took us for a desert safari at sunset. Later, we watched the dance and music show by the tribal artists at night. We left at around 9:15 pm from there to Jaisalmer again and reached there at around 10:00 pm.

 

Something in me asked me to start my next morning by offering prayers at the Jain temple in the dharmshala premises, which I gladly did. Patwon ki haveli was also on my cards. I walked till the haveli and paid INR 100 for the entry ticket which also included photographing. The haveli is very well maintained and surely worth a visit. It captures the lives of a Jain businessman and his family, including five sons. The businessman, Ghuman Chand Patwa, gifted separate havelis to each of his five sons. The patwon ki haveli contains artifacts from their life preserved in different rooms. A local market surrounds the haveli and I could not stop myself from buying some goodies for friends and family. The weather outside was getting really hot but I walked till the Gadisar lake. This lake was constructed to supply water to the city of Jaisalmer. In winters, you might even find migratory birds who take pitstops enroute the bharatpur bird sanctuary.

I went back to the dharmshala, packed my bags and caught a bus to Jodhpur at around 1:30 pm. It took me nearly 4:30 hours to reach the blue city. I roamed around just to get the buzz of the city, had dinner and found some time to browse through a few pages of 1984 and went to bed making up my mind to begin another adventure the next day.

As a researcher in the natural resource management field, I feel particularly inclined towards nature. Thus instead of beginning my last day of the trip from the famous Mehrangarh fort, I chose to visit the less frequented yet amazingly well maintained Rao Jodha Desert Rock park. Way to the desert park and the Mehrangarh park are same for most part of the overall distance except in the end where the steep and rounded road bifurcates to these two places.

 

I had read about this park on the internet and had high hopes from it. And it did not disappoint. I met couple of people on entering the park and they guided me to follow the yellow color coded trail to avoid getting lost in the 200 acre park. I found the red one and still came out fine. I am sure I was the only person roaming in the whole park. Although, I did see a bunch of adventure buffs trying their luck on the flying fox in the backdrops of the Mehrangarh fort. This park boasts of both floral and avian diversity. While I did find floral diversity but the marvelous scenery would not really allow me to focus on noting the avian diversity, instead I chose to click pictures.

Somehow after some 1.5 hours I emerged from the trail victorious. Such nature walks will invigorate me forever. The hot weather was a letdown though, which I could not have managed without the water bottle I was carrying along. Mehrangarh fort is not far from the park and I walked from the park to the fort gates. Luckily, for some festival, I got free entry at both the park and the fort. To be frank, I found the Mehrangarh fort to be a bit overhyped. However, the strategic location and the thick walls of the fort are definitely one of the best among all Indian forts I have seen. A number of canons are perched on top of the fort, which was done to prevent attacks from enemies in those times. The museum is well-stocked and has several stories to tell. The fort also houses the (in)famous Chamunda Devi temple, wherein the stampeded that killed more than 200 people, took place. This fort is also the place where shooting of the Batman: the Dark Knight Rises took place.

Coming back from the fort, I headed to the extremely popular Umaid Bhavan Palace. But reaching the palace-cum-hotel was not easy. I had to change many buses from the fort to the palace before I stopped at a point from where the palace was still at least 2 km away. It’s always better to take a rickshaw to reach the palace directly but they all ask for exorbitant amount, especially if you are alone. City buses are a cheap option if you are able to find your route by yourself or by asking the locals, who in general are very helpful.

An entry ticket of INR 30 to visit the museum and the vintage car collection is paltry compared to exorbitant tariffs of the rooms in Umaid Bhavan Palace. The palace is spread in 26 acres and one of the largest private residences in the world. Henry Manchester, designer of the palace, left no stone unturned to prove his mettle in art deco. A security guard told me that 90% of the palace has turned into the Taj group of hotels, 5% is museum and the remaining is where the royal family still lives.

Visit to this palace brought me to the end of this fantastic solo backpacking adventure. I took the train back to Delhi that would drop me to Delhi Cantonment next morning. My understanding of Rajasthan as a royal place with rich culture and even 'richer' people has only strengthened. I wish to come back to the state again, that time for some other adventures.

Nako: the Cynosure of Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh

Numerous lakes are spread over India; most of them are in need of revival while some others have been able to preserve their charm. Nako Lake, at an altitude of 3662 meter, doesn’t fit in these pigeonholes. On one hand, algae floating in the lake during summer might suggest that it needs a revival. On the other hand, though, during winter, the frozen lake becomes a hub for ice skating and other pastime for those who dare, which suggests it ceases to lose its charm.

The tiny Nako Lake has been named after the village Nako in district Kinnaur of Himachal Pradesh. One of the more popular tourist destinations, Kaza is close by the small Nako village, which leaves Nako less perturbed from tourist activities with only a brief stopover, if any. However, this should not leave one guessing if Nako is worth visiting or not. One look at this place is enough to leave you flabbergasted. Located in the Hangrang valley near the Tibet border, Nako village exhibit in abundance the distinctive appeal of a mountain village.

The journey to reach Nako is magnificent in itself. When your vehicle keeps taking a shower under the freezing cascades en route, you only wonder if you should be sitting on the rooftop of the vehicle. Perils of shooting stones falling on to you or your falling in the fast-flowing muck-laden river in the valley at the bottom and single lane of road (for some part of the journey) definitely makes you jittery. Before you get to drive on the newly well-built road, abundance of bends and potholes makes one leg of the journey highly palpitating. An iron bridge, similar to many more such bridges often with wooden decks in the region, stands tall at Khab, over the confluence of the river Sutlej and the river Spiti. The lush green hills in lower Kinnaur segues into inhospitable terrains, when you move towards upper Kinnaur. Dry soil, tiny bushes and loose boulders of all sizes dominate the hills instead of the verdure of the pine trees.

The village appears as sacred as the Himalayan peaks that surrounds it. Natives have learnt the science of cultivating the dry soil of the mountain the hard way. The slanting mountain favors terrace farming and villagers practice that as long as the snow doesn’t disrupt this profession. Presence of Buddhist temples, monastery and cornucopia of prayer wheels evince the staunch faith of the locals in spirituality. It’s easy to fall into the same rhythm once you land your feet on this modestly-sized hamlet.

Nako Lake is situated in the village. Water in the lake changes its appearance in concurrence with the seasonally dynamic reflection of the multitude of trees, miscellany of clouds and motley of hills. Trek to the mountains in arbitrary directions above the lake gives you sublime spectacle of the valley. Getting lost amidst the labyrinthine lanes of the village is intriguing as treading on unfamiliar territory is only another way to experiencing novelty. Stones with holy inscriptions abound the streets, prayer wheels are commonplace, and the breathtaking vistas are ubiquitous.

Even if for a shorter duration, stopover at Nako is warranted. The tranquility of the place leaves you spellbound and its glory urges you to come back. Whether you trek the hills, satiate your spiritual penchant or leisurely contemplate the panorama; Nako serves everything on your platter. Make some effort, and visit the fabulous Nako.