The famed blue-roofed houses give Jodhpur its identity, the blue city. Seen here is the view from Mehrangarh Fort



Mishti seen here at the fort top with Baba

The Rawal's bed clearly didn't impress many, us included however as the guide mentioned it was purely for safety purposes, a low-floor bed. However the gold laced work in the room was simply breathtaking

At the Diwan-e-Khaas, the three 'khaas' people

At the entrance to the fort, built of yellow sandstone

The imposing entrance to the fort, Fatehpol built by Raja Ajit Singh

Looking like a doll, Mishti in a typical tourist hat captured in the lenses of many foreigner tourists

The climb to the entrance was clearly exhausting, however the Mehrangarh fort is a beautifully built fort

Seen here at the Shringar Chowk, the courtyard which saw many coronations happening, the last one being of the current ruler, Maharaja Gaj Singh II when he was only 5

Kabutar aa aa aa. Mishti and her chiya tales continue at Mehrangarh as well as she tries to get close to a royal kabutar

My little princess peeping through the jharokha. remembering her last birth perhaps

The imposing Mehrangarh seen from outside

yeh this is how we climbed up, the path to the entrance was extremely steep, wonder how the armies used to attack the fort, perhaps that's why the fort hasn't been conqured even once since it was built in 1475 AD. Only once did the combined amies of Jaisalmer and Bikaner managed to take control of only one entrance to the fort and they too were defeated



The gold laced diwan-e-khas. Ever wondered from where did all this gold come from? 



Our last stop in the Desert Triangle, Jodhpur clearly impressed us with its well maintained Mehrangarh Fort, the royal family of Maharaja Gaj Singh II has done a fine job of maintaining the fort, the others need to learn a lesson. The Mehrangarh fort stands a hundred feet on a perpendicular cliff, four hundred feet above the sky line of Jodhpur. Burnished red sand stone, Rudyard Kipling called it “ the work of giants”. Jodha’s fortress was 'Chao Burja' – a fort with four Bastions.

In its Janampatri the fort is named Chintamani, after the Mythological gem worn by lord Ram which supposedly frees the owner of all worldly worry. Chintamani gave way to Mordhwaj, the flag of the peocock, presumably because the forts outer parameter suggests the fan like tail of a dancing peacock, It is at some point after this that the name Mehrangarh began to appear in chronicles and poems. “Mehr” is a Rajasthani word for the sun and it is not at all unlikely that the Suryavanshi Rathores would name their first citadel in their mythological ancestor’s honour.

Desert Safari at Jaisalmer

The Desert Safari at Jaisalmer saw us a doing a trip to Sam, sand dunes located around 30 km outside the main city. The trip was worth it as Mahashree went berserk on seeing the sand dunes and did her own thing whether it was doing a roller coaster ride, walking and running in the sand or simply trying to hold the sand in her tiny fist, unsuccessfully of course. Howling initially when seated on the camel, she soon began to make cooing noises and thoroughly enjoyed the three hour long trip which ended with a sumptous rajasthani delicacy dinner. For all those who haven't seen the desert (like us), a visit to Sam is a must.

Trip to Sonar Killa, Jaisalmer

 Made famous by Satyajit Ray's Sonar Kella, Jaisalmer's fort truly shines like gold, although our visit lasted only two days, we carried fond memories of the fort and the beautiful view of the city from the fort. We visited the city in the second week of October (11-13th) and staying inside the fort (incidentally Sonar Killa is the only inhabited fort in the world) gave us a taste why no one should be allowed to stay inside the fort premises. The fort is in shambles and the living king (Maharaj Brij Raj Singh) has been thrown out and is fighting a lost battle to reclaim what was originally his. Coming back to the visit, the Raja Mahal and the Rani mahal, a visual delight not only for the panoramic view of the fort and the city. The Maharajas of Jaisalmer trace their lineage back to Lord Krishna. Mishti although was asleep for most of the time we were inside the mahal, was enamoured by the cows strolling outside the mahal. A must visit for all history lovers, Jaisalmer's visit was truly memorable. A word of caution - don't stay inside the fort though!