Jodhpur is sprawling city, with a blend of the modern and traditional, from palaces to ethnic handicrafts.Jodhpur is a city built at the foot of the hills admidst the Thar desert. The region is known as Marwar or Maroodesh, the land of the sand. The foundation of the city was laid in 1459 A.D. by Rao Jodha, the chief of a clan of Rajputs known as the Rathors, the city is protected by the fortified high wall which is nearly 10 km in length and has eight gates facing different directions. Within the city, on a sandstone hill about 125 meters high, stands the imposing fort of the Rathors,
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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