the
Meherangarh Fort. It overlooks the city of Jodhpur.
Meherangarh means majestic, and the fort reflects this
character in full as it perches on a perpendicular cliff.
The museum in the fort can be reached by car or jeep
through narrow passenger gates. Among the interesting
items on display at the museum are collections of palanquins,
elephant howdahs, miniature paintings of various schools,
folk music instruments, costumes, furniture, armoury
of bygone days, and even babies, cradles. One of the
rarest collections is that of old cannons which are
placed on the ramparts near the Chamunda temple.
Close to the fort is the Jaswant Thada, the royal crematorium,
and a cenotaph of the rulers of Jodhpur. This was built
in 1899 A.D. The fort has within it several palaces
which reflect in their ornate courtyards, balconies,
walls, ceilings and arches and lattice work (in sandstone),
the finest stone craftsmanship that this region is known
for. Among the places to be seen in the palace are the
Moti Mahal (the palaces of pearls), the Phool Mahal
(flower palace) and Man Mahal (Palace of honour), besides
the Sileh Khana which houses the armoury.
Facing the fort is the Umaid Bhawan,
a sprawling palace built by Maharaja Umaid Singh in
1929-42. It is popularly known as Chittar Palace because
of the particular kind of sandstone used to build it.
While most of the palace has been converted into a hotel,
a part of it, which is with the former owners gives
a glimpse of the life of the royalty which ended with
the independence of India. The Government Museum in
the middle of the Umaid Palace Gardens offers a collection
of local arts and crafts, miniature paintings, manuscripts
and images of Jain sages, beside armoury, textiles,
etc. the Giridkot and Sardar Market near the clock tower
is a colourful bazaar where, strolling through the narrow
lanes and jostling through the crowds, one can shop
for some of the exquisite objects for which the state
is famous- textiles, handicrafts, clay figurines, camels
and elephant figures, marble curios, inlay work and
silver jewellery, etc.
By Air Indian Airlines links Jodhpur
with Bombay and Delhi, usually on flights that also
connect with Jaipur and Udaipur. The Airport is 5 km
from the center of the city.
By Rail Jodhpur is linked to various
centers in the region by express and passenger trains.
Some important links are those that connect with New
Delhi, Agra, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Udaipur and Ahmedabad.
By Road Some important distances are
Jaipur-340 km Ajmer- 208 km, Mount Abu-264 km, Bikaner-245
km, Udaipur 275 km, Jaisalmer-285 km
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