5 Things To Do In Jodhpur

Jodhpur, also called as the Blue City, is a must-visit historical city if you are planning a trip to Rajasthan. It is the second largest city in the state. The city of Jodhpur was founded as a princely kingdom called Marwar with its capital as Mandore during the rule of Rao Jodha in 1459. Later on taken over by the Mughals, the place owes its exquisite architecture and art culture to this era.
Together with its Rajputana architecture in its stunning monuments and the Thar Desert culture, Jodhpur offers a variety of sightseeing destinations. Besides, the vibrant city has numerous exciting and adventurous activities in store for tourists visiting this Sun City. Here are the 5 best things that you can plan to do during your stay in Jodhpur:

1. Sightseeing

If you are a travel freak and love seeing new places, you can easily spend a few days visiting the fascinating monuments, lakes and gardens in Jodhpur. Mehrangarh Fort tops the list and should definitely be visited in order to get the true feel of king-size life. Its museum houses rare collections of vintage cars, watches, palanquins, thrones, turbans and all other well preserved treasures of the royal families. The famous Chamunda Mata Temple within the fort and beautiful lawn gardens will leave you in awe. A trip to the nearby Jaswant Thada should not be missed too which is a intricately carved white marble memorial. Other famous spots like the Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park, Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum, Balsamand Lake, Clock Tower, Mandore Gardens and Kailana Lake are also good options for relaxing and offer breathtaking views for photography.

2. Flying Fox

This is once-in-a-lifetime adventure that you cannot afford to miss out in your Jodhpur stay. Operating since 2010 in Jodhpur, Zip line offers this extremely thrilling aerial adventure trip that is carried out with world class expertise and standard safety measures. The plan is to make you glide over high quality zip wires all over the spectacular Mehrangarh Fort, which is almost equal to becoming a Batman in air! It is a paid package that will take you to ride over the fort so that you can view it with an entirely new perspective. Then you will smoothly glide over two beautiful desert lakes and also ‘fly’ over the Rao Jodha Rock Park. It ends with a safe landing on a tower outside the Ranisar Lake. You can also take memorable clicks and videos with your camera from air! With the convenience of both online and spot booking, one can buy tickets for adults as well as children.

3. Village Safari

Hoping to get a glimpse of the true Rajasthani culture? You should book a village safari ride that will take you to the local villages around Jodhpur. One of the spots is Khejarli village, which is predominantly inhabited by Bishnoi clan and is historically famous for the sacrifice of 363 Bishnois in 1730 to conserve the local tree Khejri (Prosopis cineraria). Another trip takes you to Salawas (Weavers’ Village) which is famous for handcrafted cotton and wool Durries (carpets). You can closely watch the rugs being weaved and even pick a colourful rug for your home or as a gift. One more such rural paradise is Singhasini (Potters’Village) where you will witness a series of homes engaged on the potter’s spinning wheel and creating clay pottery. You can also choose to visit Guda which is a desert oasis for a wildlife trip and to witness traditional tribal life. A camel safari is equally enjoyable.

4. A Visit to Janta Sweet House

Rajasthan is full of ethnic traditions and one of these is the ‘Halwayi’ style sweet and savoury items that Jodhpur is famous for. The people are fond of eating fried spicy snacks, so much so that they can have it as all 3 meals of the day! Janta Sweet Home is the most famous sweetmeat shop in Jodhpur where you can relish such delicacies. Its popular ultra-sweet Mawa Kachori is simply irresistible, especially for people with a sweet tooth. The shop also sells Special Ras Malai and Makhania Lassi, Samosa, Mirchi Wada, Dal Bati Churma and the irresistible Malai Ghewar, which are famous Rajasthani dishes. Don’t forget to get your hands on the ‘Jaleb’, which is a large sized version of the Jalebi, with thinner strands.

5. Shopping in Sardar Bazaar around Clock Tower

This extravagantly colourful and noisy street market around the Clock Tower in old city is a one of its kind experience for shoppers. Some of the shops are more than a hundred years old! It is a Bazaar style market with small shops selling almost everything from Jodhpuri Mojdis to Bandhej Saris and local Indian spices. Stick to a good bargaining strategy to get goods at a reasonable price. Handicrafts can also be bought to be taken as souvenirs or gifts. It is a very lively experience to see the colourful bangle stalls, the stall holders haggling with the customers, people looking for the ‘right’ things and of course, tempting street food too! Even if you are not too much of a shopper, you can wander in the narrow streets decorated with beautiful ethnic stalls and enjoy the chirpiness with some delectable Rajasthani food.

So, plan your stay in Jodhpur in such a way that you can visit its enchanting sightseeing spots. Meanwhile, you can engage yourself in some or all of these activities to make the most of your Jodhpur trip.