K Gudi

This is about another journey of ours into the jungles of Karnataka. We had finally managed to get accommodation in JLR resort at K Gudi (Kyatha Devara Gudi) near B R Hills (Biligiri Ranga Hills) on a long weekend in September of this year. Usually we stay for 2 nights in all the wildlife trips that we do. We did the same in this case too. We had booked two log huts as Niranj would also be joining us.

We had come to Ranganathittu the previous day and stayed in Mysore overnight. After a hearty breakfast at the famous GTR (Gayathri Tiffin Room) we commenced our journey to K Gudi around 10 AM. Some stretches of the road were bad past Nanjangud town. After crossing Chamarajanagar the beautiful hills came into view.

We crossed the B R Hills Sanctuary check post around 12 PM. We were asked not to stop anywhere within the forest. The resort is around 15-20 kms from the check post. Beyond the checkpost, most of the road was in a bad state and in the process of getting repaired. Therefore one would be well advised to approach K.Gudi from Yelandur instead of from Chamarajnagar; that is also a closer route from Bangalore. The uniqueness of this JLR resort is that it is inside the jungle and not fenced. There is no electricity here and a generator is used in the early mornings and for 3-4 hours in the night. It can get quite cold here, especially in the monsoon and in the winters. We had therefore booked the log huts instead of tented cottages and also carried warm clothing.

When we entered the resort the people at the reception welcomed us and took us to our loghuts immediately. We chose the Biligiri hut while Niranj got the Nilgiri hut. These huts were at the edge of the property. The JLR guy who showed us our room told us that we might get to spot some wild animals in the night after the lights were off and we were silent enough. The huts were well furnished and beautiful.

We spotted a pair of Scarlet Minivets on one of the trees near our hut. Nagesh and Niranj took out their cameras and sat on a nearby rock happily.

Soon it was time for lunch and we went to the Gol Ghar (name given to dining area of JLR Resorts). Like all our previous experiences at JLR the food was excellent here too. Given the fact that we were in the jungle, it was an excellent effort by the cooks and they never disappointed us throughout our stay here. After a hearty lunch we went for the noon siesta. It was drizzling. The evening safari would start at 4.30 PM and we had to assemble near the reception around 4 PM for tea/coffee and biscuits.

By the time we woke up the rain had abated. We set out to the reception and had tea. The safari started on time. Our companions on this safari included a friendly couple from Chennai and their little daughter. We saw some tame Chital Deer and Elephants as we left the resort.

As we crossed the check post at a diversion from the main road, we came across some Soliga homes. The people of this tribal community live in harmony with nature and worship all forms of nature. The first sighting was of a Brown Fish Owl which was deep asleep atop a tree. The visibility was not great for taking pictures due to the gloomy weather after rain.

We then saw the three varieties of deer namely Chital, Sambar and the Barking Deer.

The birds that we spotted were Black Drongo, Greater Racket Tailed Drongo, Orange Headed Thrush, Yellow footed Green Pigeon, Jungle Owlet and White Throated Kingfisher. The “cats” did not make an appearance. Our driver told us that summer is usually the best time for viewing Leopards and the occasional Tigers. There is a point called Leopard Rock where the Leopards supposedly sit for hours together some times in the evenings when it is sunny.

An unusual sighting was of a Black Rumped Flameback Woodpecker feasting on the side of the jeep track with a group of seven Jungle Babblers. Nobody knew the reason behind this behaviour. We later got to know that different species of birds sometimes get together to feed on the Termites which come out post the rains.

The safari lasted for a good two hours and we were back at the resort by around 7 PM. A pack of Dholes (Wild Dogs) had been spotted near the property by the staff when we had been on the safari. We had missed a golden opportunity. Hot Pakoras and Coffee/Tea awaited us at the hall next to the reception area. A documentary on Dholes was being played. We did not watch the entire screening and left for the hut as we had already seen it during our trip to Kabini. After having some nice dinner we retired early for the night since the generator is switched off by around 10 PM.

We woke up early the next morning by 6 AM to the sounds of birds. After having some coffee and biscuits we set out for the safari at 6.30 AM. The forest looked so pristine. It was misty as well.

The sightings were again of the three types of Deer and Wild Boars. We then sighted the majestic Crested Serpent Eagle. It allowed us to take some pictures before it flew off.

Next came the sighting of a baby Elephant which got petrified on seeing our jeep and started making noises. The mother came immediately and seemed very much annoyed and worried. She started shaking the bushes vigorously. We were worried that that the Elephant would charge us. The Elephant seemed to try and smell the danger (we humans). Given that we were upwind from the elephant, it probably did not smell us and hence did not charge. Our driver told that it was not safe to remain there anymore. It was a scary experience! We immediately left the place.

The next sighting was a momentary glimpse of a Tree Shrew which disappeared immediately. It is endemic to this region and elusive. We then stopped near a water body in the forest to see if any animals were there. But we did not sight anything. This is one place within the jungle where we were allowed to venture out of the jeeps. This place had Leeches and Niranj got bitten when he stepped out from the jeep to take pictures.

We returned from the Safari around 8.30 AM and had breakfast. Afterwards we went for a walk on the main road. We spent some time with the tame deer just outside the resort.

We spotted a Great Tit on a tree nearby. It seemed impossible to get a picture of this hyperactive tiny bird. It was never still for a moment. It started raining and we rushed back to the resort. When we reached the reception area we heard a bird making distressed sounds. It turned out to be a juvenile Rufous Treepie which seemed lost and constantly screeched for its mother maybe. It could not fly due to the rain. It is hard to believe that such a colourful and beautiful bird belongs to the same family as the Common Crow.

The resort was arranging for jeeps to take those interested to the temple at B R Hills. We decided not to go as we would be staying at Gorukana resort in B R Hills the next day and the temple would be closer from there. We went back to our rooms. We sighted some birds near our room. Some Black Drongoes were trying to shoo away a Greater Racket Tailed Drongo.

A Black Hooded Oriole was sitting close to where the Drongoes were creating a ruckus.

During lunch we spotted some Bonnet Macaque Monkeys and Langurs as well. One of the monkeys had managed to steal a Phulka and was happily gorging on it. Another one stood on its hind legs to show us that it can also stand on two legs :)

The evening safari did not yield any different sightings. The Brown Fish Owl was sleeping at exactly the same spot as the day before. The Racket Tailed Drongo and Orange Headed Thrush seemed to be following us everywhere. We even went on the main road for reasonable distance as many sightings had happened there in the past. But we were not lucky enough on this occasion.

The last safari on the next morning also did not yield any new sightings except for a Grey Junglefowl. Even the Deer seemed to have grown weary and decided not to come out. The Crested Serpent Eagle gave an occasional appearance.

Our driver took us through a path called Mooradi Raste (Three Feet Road) in the forest. This narrow path was engulfed by Lantana bushes and we had an adventurous ride. By the time we got out of this path, we were covered with leaves and Lantana flowers. The driver had got bitten by a leech.

As we were walking back to our huts after breakfast we saw a juvenile White Bellied Drongo.

We checked out of the resort at around 11 AM and set forth for Gorukana.

Maidenahalli

This post is about a wildlife reserve which is not known to many people though it is not too far from Bangalore. I am talking about the Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve at Maidenahalli which is around 100 odd kms from Bangalore.I read about this place first in Rohini’s Blog sometime last year. A few weeks back we decided to go on a day trip to some nearby place as it had been quite some time since we did such a trip. Nagesh wanted to go to a birding/wildlife place. We remembered Maidenahalli and decided to go there. What seemed the most challenging aspect was the route.

Map

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Journey

1. We started from home on a Sunday morning around 8.30. The plan was to have breakfast at Dobbaspet. We managed to reach the Davanagere Benne Masala Dose joint opposite Dobbaspet Police Station by 10 and enjoyed some dosas! We got the delicious Thatte Idly packed for lunch as Maidenahalli or nearby areas do not have any eating options. The nearest town is Madhugiri.
2. After the left turn turn for Devarayanadurga where we have been previously, the road was not that good. The greenery on both sides of the road compensated for the bad road.
3. We passed through Koratagere and the majestic fort of Madhugiri perched on the second biggest Monolith in Asia came into sight. What a place to build a fort! After the town of Madhugiri you need to take a left turn after about 1 km on the road to Hindupur. This road had a board indicating the black-buck reserve. This road leads to Puruvara.
4. After crossing the village you have to go on the I D Halli Road past the villages of Badakanahalli and Giregowdanahalli. About 1.5 kms from here there is a board on the right side of the road indicating the reserve. From here a mud road starts which goes into the reserve. We reached here around 1 PM.

Jayamangali Reserve

We were greeted by kids at the gate of the reserve shouting cheerfully that there were no black-bucks in the reserve. The terrain had changed gradually once we crossed Puruvara. This was plain land territory. The beautiful skies added a magical touch to the scenery. We spotted some Green bee-eaters and Drongoes flitting nearby.

As we moved forward the government IB came into view. The caretaker Mr.Murthy came to us and said that he would come with us in our car to show us the black-bucks. According to him, we were pretty late in reaching there as the blackbucks do not come out after early morning as the farmers in the adjoining lands start their work and the black-bucks keep away from humans. He suggested that we come back again for camping. Early morning would be ideal to watch the black-bucks in action as well as foxes and birds. The IB has basic facilities only and food is not available there.

He soon spotted a herd of blackbucks in the distance. They started watching us warily and ran away pretty soon. Nagesh managed to get a few  record shots and one very good shot of a leaping blackbuck.

However this did not feel satisfactory. We decided to come back some other time for overnight camping. We went back to the IB and had our lunch. We spotted some Rufous Shrikes, Large Grey Babblers, Brahminy Starling and Common Iora.

On getting out of the gate of the reserve we spotted a Black Winged Kite with lizard. Our trip had ended well!

Masinagudi

This post is on Masinagudi, a place nestled in the lap of the Nilgiris aka the Blue Mountains. Masinagudi is a heaven for wildlife and nature enthusiasts and a birder’s paradise to boot. There was a long weekend coming up in the last week of April 2011 and we wanted to go with our friends to one of the JLR Resorts at K Gudi, Kabini or Bandipur. But none of them were available that weekend. With sore disappointment we were wondering whether we could go to any other similar place.

The thought of going to Masinagudi sprang up then and we started looking for a good place to stay there. We mailed a couple of resorts which sounded interesting. The first reply came from Zo of Safari Land Resort. They had accommodation and it suited our budget too. We decided to book tree houses for 2 nights for the sheer experience. Another interesting aspect of this place was that it is owned by Nawab Shafath Ali Khan, a former national rifle shooting champion and modern day Jim Corbett. He has shot a few man eating tigers as well. In addition to this he is also a conservationist, all of which got us very interested in the man. The four of us (myself, Nagesh, Niranj and Pratap) are nature enthusiasts and birders. With my exception the rest are into photography as well.

While we started at 7AM from Bangalore, we reached Masinagudi only by 2PM. Courtesy chaotic long weekend traffic heading out of Bangalore and some mess we created for ourselves by taking offbeat roads in Mysore. On the way we did however enjoy some lovely food at good old Maddur Tiffany’s, especially the Maddur Vadas! The road beyond Mysore is pretty scenic and dotted with lush green fields and a couple of water bodies near Nanjangud. The weather had turned rainy and visibility was low within Bandipur and the Mudumalai National Park. All in all, made for a lovely drive.

We were ravenously hungry and gobbled the lunch with great gusto before going to the tree house. It was still drizzling when we finished lunch. We then went to the tree house and it looked very cosy. Here are some pics of the resort.

After the afternoon siesta we woke up only to see that it was still raining :( It finally stopped around 5 PM and the resort people had put together a small trek to the nearby hill. One word of caution to those of you going to Masinagudi. Do carry insect repellent with you. Especially if it is raining, it is required. We remembered to apply insect repellant before venturing out and it proved to be very useful. The hill was very scenic and had a small temple at the top. The views of the Nilgiris from the top of the hill were fantastic. We spent some time here taking pictures of the landscape and the changing light during sunset.

Our “guide” for this trek told us that we could try our luck in spotting wildlife by driving down the Moyar Dam Road from Masinagudi town, especially after dark. Since we still had time for dinner, we decided to drive down that road. However, as is our wont, we did not spot anything and returned back to the resort.

We met the Nawab during dinner. The Nawab is a hearty man and is a brilliant conversationalist, especially around topics of nature and wildlife. He regaled us with many stories of his hunts and experiences! After getting to know that we are nature enthusiasts and birders, he generously offered to take us on a jeep ride to the forest the next morning for birding.

We woke up early to the mesmerizing song of the Malabar Whistling Thrush and were out near the dining area by around 6.30 AM. Nawab Saheb was already out and about. The first stop on our road was a huge tree on the main road near the resort, a favorite of the Nawab. There was a cacophony of sounds and we could see so many birds together. Black Hooded Oriole, Asian Koel, Crow Pheasant and Plum Headed Parakeets were some of the birds we caught sight of on the tree.

We took a detour from the main road to head into the forest. We spotted quite a few birds like Indian Bush Lark, Red Wattled Lapwing, White Throated Kingfisher, Spotted Dove, Red Vented Bulbul, Oriental Magpie Robin and Black Drongo. Also saw some Chital Deer having their breakfast amidst the lush green shrubs.

We had ventured into the open forest land behind the resort and at one spot, the Nilgiris looked so serene that we stopped to take some pictures and admire the beauty of this place.

The Nawab has personally modified his jeep and installed low gears, making it a high performance 4X4. To our thrill, he made the jeep climb up a small flight of stairs leading to a dilapidated house in the fringes of the forest followed by going up a mound next to the road with an incline of nearly 60 degrees. It was a memorable experience, though a little scary!

We returned back to the resort around 9 AM in time for the breakfast. The food in this resort is very homely and delicious. The Nawab’s family runs this resort and Zo, the Nawab’s daughter-in-law and Asghar, the Nawab’s son, manage most of the show. Near the dining area, we spotted a “resident” Malabar Giant Squirrel. An Oriental Magpie Robin was flitting around as we were eating.

Post breakfast, we walked back to the “Nawab’s tree” where we had been before. We spotted few more birds like Jungle Babblers, Red Whiskered Bulbul, Coppersmith Barbet, Rufous Backed Shrike, Brahminy Starling and the Grey Wagtail.

The Nawab had also told us about a tree which Salim Ali, the noted Indian Ornithologist, used to frequent whenever he visited this part of the country. It was next to a small temple further up the road from the resort. We decided to head out there to meet the inhabitants of trees, the birds :)

Initially we could not spot anything atop the tree. Slowly our eyes got accustomed to the tree and we gradually started seeing the birds. Our first prized viewing was of a Brown Capped Pygmy Woodpecker. It is a small and beautiful bird and seemed to be ravenously hungry as it munched on the berries growing on the tree.

We returned back to the resort by around 12 PM. Everyone except me went to chat with the Nawab while I was going towards the tree house with the camera. Suddenly I saw a beautiful bird which I had never seen before. I started clicking furiously so that at least one shot would come out reasonably well. The bird seemed to be posing for me for a good 2-3 minutes before it flew. I excitedly showed everyone the captures. Niranj identified it as a Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher.

It started raining again post lunch and continued for a good part of the evening. We relaxed in the resort and played a few indoor games like Carrom and Table Tennis before dinner.

We were leaving early the next morning since Nagesh was leaving for US on the same day by the evening flight. We left the resort around 6.30 in the morning and decided to make a brief stopover at Salim Ali’s tree before going back. We were duly rewarded by the presence of the colourful Coppersmith Barbet and the Oriental White Eye.

We had breakfast at Jungle Lodges in Bandipur. The plain dosa was simply out of the world! After a brief stopover at my home in Mysore and a sumptuous lunch at Kadambam we were back home in Bangalore by 4 PM.

Map

http://g.co/maps/deh43

Agra

Our Rajasthan trip ended with a visit to Agra which is world famous for its Taj Mahal. Agra was not a part of our initial itinerary when we planned the Rajasthan trip. While reading up about the Taj, I found out that the last Saturday of our vacation would be a full moon day. The fact that we could try and watch the Taj by moonlight had a high appeal for us! We were supposed to be returning home the next day. We went with our friends by car from Gurgaon. This was my second trip here while it was the first for Nagesh. My first trip being nearly twenty years ago when I was in school. We had arranged for stay at Colonel Lamba’s homestay.

One of the things we had decided before this trip was that we will do offbeat destinations in this city steeped in history. Some of the hidden jewels in this city are really worth a visit. We sought the help of Wikitravel and the Rough Guide (Rajasthan, Delhi and Agra) in deciding which places to visit. [UPDATE: I have recently come across an interesting website thewanderers.travel and they seem to have some interesting details on many places. You can find Agra as part of the "Golden Triangle" tour on this website]

Mehtab Bagh

As all of you know the Taj Mahal is situated on the banks of the Yamuna river. Mehtab Bagh is a garden which is situated on the other bank of Yamuna directly opposite the Taj. Mehtab Bagh stands for Moonlight garden. One of the most astounding features of the Taj is its symmetry. A local fable has it that Shah Jahan’s grand plans included building a copy/replica of the Taj on the opposite side of Yamuna albeit in Black Marble. If so Shah Jehan never got around to completing his dream. Had he succeeded, can you imagine how much more magnificent this edifice would have been?! Anyway, within Mehtab Bagh, right opposite the Taj there are remnants of a foundation that suggest that there is probably some truth in this local fable.

Today one can view the Taj across the Yamuna in an unhindered manner in the absence of the omnipresent “tourists” from here. What better setting than the lush green lawns adorned with colourful flowering plants!

The tranquility and relative lack of tourists of this garden lends itself well to local lovebirds who want to script their own love stories in the footsteps of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal :)

As we were leaving we saw a couple of Cattle Egrets which seemed to be engrossed in viewing the Taj!

Itimad-ud-Daulah

This is a tomb built by the queen Nur Jahan for her father Mirza Ghiyas Beg. He was the chief Minister in Emperor Jahangir’s court. He earned the title of Itimad-ud-Daulah which translates to Pillar of the State. This tomb is popularly known by the locals as the ‘Baby Taj’. It has been built entirely with Marble and has beautiful intricate inlay work on the walls.

Sikandra

Sikandra is home to the tomb of Emperor Akbar the Great. Akbar himself chose this site for his burial in keeping with the tradition of building one’s tomb in his lifetime. Jahangir completed the construction of this place after Akbar’s death. Akbar’s wife Mariam is also buried here. Many of Akbar’s children including stillborn infants are buried here.

I don’t need to tell you that Akbar was possibly the greatest Mughal Emperor that India saw. An emperor as great as Akbar deserves an equally grand resting place. Sikandra is that and so much more. The size rivals small forts. The architecture is unparalleled. The main structure of the tomb and the surrounding walls are built using red sandstone with white marble inlay work.

Taj By Moonlight

The Taj Mahal is considered to be one of the wonders of the world. It is a symbol of undying and eternal love. A different and magnificent way of viewing Taj would be to visit it at night on a full moon day. Bathed in moonlight, the Taj takes an ethereal look and looks like a castle from a fairy tale.

You need to carry an ID proof with you while going to watch the Taj by moonlight. All belongings must be left behind and no eatables are allowed. Thankfully photography is allowed but without tripods and the likes. Difficult but possible. Viewing Taj by Moonlight is allowed for five days in a month (The full moon day along-with two days before and after the full moon except Fridays). Per night only 400 people are allowed in multiple batches with each batch being a max of 50 to view the Taj. Each batch of people get to spend 30 minutes here. The viewing happens from the sandstone platform just within the main enclosure of the Taj and the Taj is a good 500m away. Even from that distance, the magnificence and radiance of the Taj is something else totally. Just not describable in words!

As I mentioned before, we were in Agra on the full moon day. Our home-stay owner arranged the tickets for us through an agent. For those interested, tickets for viewing Taj by moonlight can be obtained only one day in advance from the Agra Tourism office. After security checks, we boarded an electric bus from the parking lot of the Taj and went to the North entrance. It was a struggle to get the cameras to focus and manage to capture the Taj given the darkness. However Nagesh managed to get a few shots just before it was time for us to leave.

Some of the places which we could not visit here but would like to do in future are the Agra Fort, Chini Ka Rauza, Swami Bagh Samadhi, Fatehpur Sikri and Jama Masjid. Maybe a normal visit during the day to the Taj as well! For the birding enthusiasts there is Keetham Lake on the outskirts of Agra in Sur Sarovar Bird Sanctuary to view a reasonable variety of water birds.

A trip to Agra is not considered complete if you do not taste the famous Agra Petha (a sweetmeat made of pumpkin and sugar). We were told that the best place to buy them is Panchi Sweets on the Delhi-Agra highway close to Sikandra.

Amer

Amer is a town 10 kms from Jaipur. The Rajput Maharajas used to stay here before the city of Jaipur was built. We visited Amer on our first day at Jaipur as a part of Rajasthan trip in March 2011.

Amer Fort

The Amer Fort also called as Amber Fort is perched upon a hill and offers a breathtaking view of the Aravalli mountains. It was built by the Kings belonging to the Meena dynasty. Over a period of time the Meenas were overthrown by the Kachwaha Rajputs. Today Amer is just a shadow of its glorious past but beautiful nevertheless.

The main gate at the entrance is the Suraj Pol (Sun Gate). This leads into a courtyard which was used for victory parades by the army when they returned victoriously from battles. A stairway from this courtyard leads you into the palace complex. Next to this stairway is a temple of Sila devi where the Kings used to worship the Goddess by offering animal sacrifices in the past.

The Ganesh Pol is a beautiful gate that leads into the chambers of the royal family. It has beautiful frescoes and paintings. Atop this gate is the Suhag Mandir (Balcony) where the ladies belonging to royal family could sit and observe the proceedings in the Diwan I Aam below through the Jharokhas (Windows with intricate latticework).

The next courtyard has some Mughal Gardens with colourful flowers. It also houses the Sheesh Mahal which is a beautiful chamber whose walls and ceiling are adorned with glass pieces.

Another beautiful sight here are the corridors featured in the cover of the Rough Guide to Rajasthan, Delhi and Agra.

The Baradari pavilion offers some shade for the weary traveller. That’s a weary me sitting down for a breather in the pic below.

There is an underground tunnel which connects the Amer Fort with the Jaigarh Fort. This tunnel was used for evacuating the royal family when the fort was under attack. Today the tunnel is closed but the initial part is open for public. It was an eerie experience to walk here!

Jagat Siromaniji Temple

An old temple in the heart of Amer town below the fort. This temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna and was built by Raja Man Singh I in memory of his son. It is said that the idol of Lord Krishna here is the same that Meerabai used to worship.

Souvenirs

We visited a shopping complex in Amer suggested by our guide. There were couple of artists there demonstrating how the Sanganeri hand block prints are made on cloth. We bought silver earrings, lac bangles, Meenakari camel and elephant figurines, Rajais, Bedspreads and dress materials. We had a look at the exquisite Kundan jewellery which is the specialty of this region. Also took a look at furniture made of Makrana Marble.

Jaipur

Rajasthan is the land of colours. The last destination of our Rajasthan trip was to Jaipur also called the ‘Pink City’ due to its pink coloured buildings.

This city was founded in the eighteenth century by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II who was a great astronomer and town planner. It is a very well planned city. We had taken the evening train from Jaisalmer and reached here early in the morning. We had arranged for our stay here for 2 days at Dera Rawatsar.

Dera Rawatsar
This is a family run hotel which is more like a home. The family hails from Rawatsar which was part of the state of Bikaner. Their ancestors were the chiefs of the Rawatsar estate and served under the King of Bikaner. This place proved to be a grand finale for our Rajasthan trip. One of the most exquisite places we have ever stayed at! We couldn’t find a single fault with this place throughout our stay. The staff was courteous and the food was great. The hostess Mrs Mandvi Ranawat personally supervises all the affairs and ensures that the guests are having a good time. Every article in the room looked as though it had been chosen with a lot of care. The decor was very artfully done.

The matriarch of this family Padmashree Rani Laxmi Kumari Chundawat is a gifted story teller. She played an important role in Indian politics and was pivotal in abolishing the purdah system. Being the avid reader that I am, I felt very happy to be gifted a copy of (English translation) of her book – ‘Love Stories of Rajasthan’.

Chowkri Modikhana
We wanted to see Jaipur in a different light other than just the normal tourist destinations. The best way to explore a city and know its secrets is to take a walk through its streets. We decided to go on the Chowkri Modikhana walk to the old city with Virasat Journeys. Anurag from Virasat took us on this walk.

We started the walk with a visit to the Kalyanji temple which is pretty old and has beautiful frescoes.

Next was a visit to the Brass Artisans Street where they were busy at work. We also went inside a ramshackle building where these artisans have stayed for generations together. The building looks ready to collapse. Already some sections have collapsed. Yet this does not deter the residents from continuing to stay there.

We then visited a unique museum called the Sanjay Sharma Museum which chiefly houses thousands of rare and ancient manuscripts as well as paintings and other relics from all over India. This is the collection of one man! No mean feat. Left us mightily impressed. This museum was being shifted to a new building constructed near Jal Mahal.

The next stop was at the Sita Ramji temple which supposedly predates the city.

Now came the time to savor some goodies. We stopped at a shop where fresh Jalebis were being fried. They tasted heavenly and we happily gorged on them :)

The city of Jaipur was planned very well by Raja Sawai Jai Singh II. He planned the city such that separate areas were allotted to people belonging to different professions. He then invited artisans and scholars from various parts of the country to come and settle in Jaipur. Even today most of these artisans have stuck to the areas where their forefathers lived. We passed through a street where lac bangle makers were busy at work. Saw some old havelis which had beautiful frescoes. Our walk ended at an antique shop, where amidst beautiful antiques from a bygone era, we had some lovely tea.

Ishwar Lat
This charming minaret near Tripolia gate in the old city was built to commemorate the King Sawai Ishwari Singh’s victory over the Marathas and other Rajasthani rulers. It is a nice place to get an aerial view of the pink city. It has seven storeys and around 200 odd steps to climb to the top. Having climbed to the top, we spent some time soaking in the views :)

City Palace
The City Palace is a palace complex in the old city. The royal family still resides in one part of the palace while the other parts are open to public.

Some parts of the palace like the Diwan I Aam or the Hall of public audience have been converted to museums for displaying the clothes, weapons and other artifacts belonging to the royal family.

One of the sections of the palace has been used for displaying the works of various talented artisans.

The Diwan I Khas which used to be a private hall of the Maharajas is a marble floored building adorned with exquisite chandeliers. This houses a couple of huge Silver Urns as well as a nice model of the layout of the entire pink city and around.

A beautiful inner courtyard in the palace depicts the four seasons of the year namely summer, spring, autumn and winter! I would love to go back to the palace just to see this courtyard again :) I don’t think any picture can do justice to it’s glory.

Chandra Mahal is where the royal family reside now. The flag of the Jaipur Kingdom flies atop this building.

The Baggi Khana houses the collection of old carriages (Baggis) and palanquins owned by the royal family.

The Govind Dev Ji temple next to the palace complex dedicated to Lord Krishna was built by the Jaipur Kings. It is said that the King could see the idol here from his chamber in the palace. Since our visit here was close to the time of Holi, this place was swathed in festivities. It looked very colourful. We paid our respects to Lord Krishna and sought his blessings :)

Jantar Mantar
The Jantar Mantar is an observatory which houses astronomical instruments. It was built by the King Jai Singh II in the early part of the eighteenth century when he shifted his capital from Amer to Jaipur. There are around 15 instruments here which serve various purposes like determination of time of the day, altitude of a place, times of eclipse and so on. It is difficult to capture the scientific beauty, if one can call it that, of this place in words. Let the images do the talking.

Hawa Mahal
The Hawa Mahal or Palace of Winds is a pink coloured palace complex in the centre of the old city. The striking feature of this place is its exterior which resembles the shape of a beehive. There are more than 900 jharokhas (windows) across five storeys here with intricate latticework. The ladies of the royal family who had to follow strict purdah used to sit near the windows and watch the goings on outside unobserved. As we reached here around closing time, we could not go inside though we had tickets.

Jal Mahal
The Jal Mahal which translates to Water Palace is a palace situated in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake between Amer and Jaipur. This palace has been restored recently and might have been opened to public now. The lake which had got polluted by sewage for so many years has been cleaned as part of conservation programme initiated by the State Government of Rajasthan. We spent some time observing this beautiful palace from outside.

Nahargarh Fort
This fort atop the Aravalli Hills on the outskirts of Jaipur is close to Amer Fort. Nahargarh translates to the fort of the Tiger. This was the hunting residence of the Kings. Unlike the other forts, this fort is sadly in a neglected condition. Added to this, lot of the unscrupulous elements have booze parties here and litter the place with broken glass and plastic. This place became popular when a song from the Bollywood movie ‘Rang De Basanti‘ was shot here. We spent some time by the ramparts here and did not venture inside the fort to see the palace.

Jaigarh Fort
The Jaigarh Fort (translates to Victory Fort) overlooks the Amer Fort. We could not go here due to lack of time. However managed to catch a glimpse of it from afar on the way to Amer. The chief attraction of this fort is the ‘Jaivana’ which is one of the largest cannons on wheels.

Amer Fort
Undoubtedly the jewel among the forts of Jaipur, Amer was where we spent a good deal of time. Its splendor and beauty knows no bounds. My next post will be dedicated exclusively to Amer.

Apart from the above mentioned places, there are a plethora of other places in and around Jaipur which we could not cover due to lack of time. Some of them are Albert Hall Museum, Vidhyadhar Gardens, Sisodiya Rani Bagh, Galtaji temple, Chand Baori in Abhaneri, Chokhi Dhani, Parshwanath temple in Sanganer and Sambhar Lake.

We did not get to try the chats and sweets of Jaipur. Our plan to pay a visit to LMB (Laxmi Mishtan Bhandar) in the old city did not materialize.

Beyond Jaisalmer

Beyond Jaisalmer lies the Thar desert. Some of the lesser known places here are what this post is going to be about. Places where you will hardly find any tourists. When we went to these places, most of the times we were the only people around. I will talk about these places in the order in which we covered them over a period of two days.

Bada Bagh
Bada Bagh aka The Big Garden is midway between Jaisalmer and Lodhruva (the old capital of the Bhati Rulers). The cenotaphs of the kings of Jaisalmer have been built here on top of a small hill. A serene and calm place for the departed to lie in peace! The sight of windmills behind the cenotaphs make the place look like the blend of both past and present. The panoramic views of Bada Bagh make good pictures.

Khabha
Khabha is one of the 84 villages which was abandoned by the Paliwal Brahmins overnight in the eighteenth century. They left the villages overnight leaving behind all their wealth and property. They never returned back. Kuldhara is the most popular of these villages amongst tourists. As we wanted to go to unconventional places, Prince Vikram Singh of Nachana Haveli where we stayed suggested Khabha instead of Kuldhara.

The exact reasons for this surprising act of the Paliwal Brahmins is not known for sure. There are many stories and versions of the same stories as well. One of the popular stories as to why they deserted these villages is as follows. When Salim Singh (the vile minister in the court of the Jaisalmer king) was passing through one of these villages, he saw a beautiful Brahmin girl drawing water from a well. He wanted to marry her and went to meet her father to talk about this proposal. The father did not agree to this as Salim Singh was already married and also of a community that ate meat. Irked by this Salim Singh threatened that he would wreak havoc on the villagers if they did not get her married to him. The people were petrified as Salim Singh was responsible for all the tax collection for the kingdom and held an important position in the King’s court. The queen treated him like a brother. When the girl got to know about Salim Singh’s threats, she decided to end the problem at once. She committed suicide. When the villagers saw this, they decided to abandon these villages and leave all their wealth as they did not want anything from this land. The villages were deserted overnight and the people migrated to different parts of the country. When the kings of neighboring kingdoms heard of this incident, they appealed to the Maharawal of Jaisalmer to intervene and make the people come back. The king tried in vain but the people refused to budge from their stand. Salim Singh was taken to task by the King and lost his importance gradually. He ended up being murdered upon the orders of the king as he had become impossible to handle and threatened him.

At present one can see the ruins of the Khabha fort and the small houses around. We hiked up to the fort which is on a hillock strewn with ruins. Some of the artifacts found here have been kept inside the fort ruins. There was not a soul in sight except for us and our driver.

Here is a picture of the caravan of camels that we saw en route Khuri from here.

Khuri
A small village in Jaisalmer district. The gateway to the Sand dunes of the Thar and the Desert National Park. An alternative to the Sam Sand dunes which is very crowded and throngs with tourists and camel carts. In Khuri we had the dunes to ourselves. We were there from late afternoon till sunset. We spotted black bucks from afar and they were warily looking at us. Watching the sunset from atop the dunes was a pleasant experience.

Lodhruva
The old capital of the Bhati rulers before moving to Jaisalmer. An important Jain centre. The place where Princess Moomal and King Mahendra’s love story (a popular Rajasthani folk story) took place. A place where the Kak river used to flow. Today this place is isolated and the ruins depict a mere shadow of its glorious past.

An old Jain temple dedicated to Bhagwan Parshwanath is intact. The entrance to the temple is flanked by beautiful arches. Like most of the Jain temples in Rajasthan, this temple also has intricately carved walls. Another important feature of this temple is a 10 meter high artificial Kalpavriksha made out of wood and metal.

Amar Sagar
Amar Sagar is a water reservoir built by Maharawal Amar Singh in the seventeenth century. It has a Jain temple, summer palaces and gardens. The water had dried up when we were there. We spent some time in the temple next to the dry lake bed.

Desert National Park
The Desert National Park is one of the largest national parks in India and a place to watch some unique flora and fauna supported by the ecosystem of the Thar desert. It takes close to 2 hours to reach here from Jaisalmer. One of the few places where the extremely endangered and elegant Great Indian Bustard which is the state bird of Rajasthan can be seen. They say that this bird was considered for the National Bird of India. However it lost out to the Peacock because of its name and the possibility of it being manipulated to mean something else :| We were lucky enough to spot both male and female birds.

Other sightings included a conglomeration of various types of vultures who were hunched up together on a sand mound, Common Kestrel, Tawny Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Grey Francolin and Larks.

We were the only ones there apart from our driver and the camel cart driver who took us on the safari in the park for two hours. Prior permission is needed to visit this place. This has to be arranged from the forest department office in Jaisalmer. Our driver took care of this for us. The infrastructure in the park is not developed yet. There are no jeep safaris. Probably a good thing anyway that it remains like this. Else we humans will destroy what remains as well!!

Jaisalmer

When someone says “Rajasthan”, the first image that springs to my mind is that of the dunes of the Thar desert and the colourful people of the desert region. Right at the heart of that desert, sits the “Golden City” of Jaisalmer. Here is my take on this jewel of the desert. The city gets its name from the founder namely Raja Jaisal. It is known as the golden city due to its yellow sandstone houses and the imposing fort which acquire a golden hue when sunlight falls on them. Not to mention the lovely people of Jaisalmer, it also has many beautiful Havelis and ornate Jain temples.

We had taken the early morning train from Osian and reached around 12 in the afternoon. As our Rajasthan trip (which started with Jodhpur) progressed further, the temperatures where also climbing. It was pretty hot in Jaisalmer. We had arranged for our stay in Nachana Haveli – again based on TripAdvisor ratings.

Nachana Haveli

This eighteenth century haveli is a heritage property and belongs to the cousin of the current Maharawal of Jaisalmer. The family still occupies one portion of the property and the rest is let out as rooms for the hotel.

The rooms are divided across two beautiful courtyards. Every room is named after a family member who had stayed here in the past. The rooms were surprisingly cool considering temperatures outside. This was probably because of the usage os the yellow sandstone to build them. The rooms also had many a relic from the glorious past. We felt transported back to a bygone era of Kings and Queens when we entered the room for the first time. We were so enchanted that we even forgot to take a picture of the room. Duh!

The courtyard outside our room was home to two cute inhabitants – a star tortoise who took naps in the cool recesses here and a white eared bulbul who had built a nest amidst the vines in the net used to cover the courtyard. In the outer courtyard, a sunbird was busy building its nest :)

The Saffron rooftop Restaurant here has good views of the Jaisalmer Fort and the Badal Mahal (also Mandir Palace Hotel) where the current Maharawal of Jaisalmer stays.

The owner of the hotel, Prince Vikram Singh helped us build an itinerary for going around and arranged a cab for us while going outside the city. The landmarks within city are at walking distance from the hotel. I would recommend anyone visiting this place to take a walk in the narrow by-lanes here. More on the streets later in this post. First let me talk about the Jaisalmer fort – Sonar Kella!

Jaisalmer Fort – the Sonar Kella

The yellow sandstone fort which represents Jaisalmer is a treat to the eyes. Satyajit Ray,the note Bengali film maker and writer was so captivated by this fort which he fondly referred to as ‘Sonar Kella‘ (Golden fortress) that he wrote a book on it with the same name and later made it into a movie.

The fort was built in the twelfth century by Raja Jaiswal who shifted his capital from Lodhruva. Ala-ud-din Khilji had attacked this fort in the thirteenth century and captured it. In order to protect their honour, the Rajput women of the fort committed Jauhar. Some of the Bhati Rajputs from here migrated to Punjab and Sindh. The interesting fact here is that the ones who migrated to Sindh (which is in Pakistan today) took the name of Bhutto!

Jaisalmer was one of the important points along the caravan trade route until the sea route opened and the port of Bombay took over. There was a point of time when all inhabitants of Jaisalmer lived in the fort. Gradually they had to move out and settle around the fort as the fort was packed to the full. Today one of the major concerns about this fort is that its foundations are getting corroded due to the excessive water usage within the fort. The water usage is predominantly due to the influx of tourism. Jaisalmer and the land around it is a desert and the people who built the fort therefore had planned for a situation where water is heavily conserved and very rarely let into the ground. Then when government started pumping in water, tons of it, for tourism purposes, all the water started going into the ground. Of course the fort’s structure is not able to handle it, it was never meant to, and is therefore weakening by the day! After having read up about this, we had decided to do our bit in protecting this priceless monument by not considering any stay options housed inside the fort. Many efforts have been made to evacuate the inhabitants of the fort but this has been met with stiff opposition by them. No new construction is allowed within the fort.

Some of the main attractions of this fort are the beautiful Jain temples with their intricate carvings and the city palace.

Jain Temples

The Jain temples built from yellow sandstone inside the fort dedicated to Thirtankaras are a marvelous example of the Dilwara style of architecture. The intricate carvings and sculptures depicting humans as well as animals are beautiful. The temple complex also has a library housing rare and ancient manuscripts.

Royal Palace

The Royal Palace is where the Maharawals (Kings) used to stay previously.

Some parts of the palace have been converted to a museum today housing various artifacts belonging to the royal family. A painting shows the family tree of the Bhati Rajput rulers and they believe that they have descended from Lord Krishna. One more unusual display in the museum was an idol of a bearded Lord Rama.

From the top of the palace one can get a good view of the city and beyond.

Just before exiting the palace we saw a yellow sandstone model depicting the map of Jaisalmer fort.

Inhabitants of the Fort

The hustle and bustle of vendors inside the fort trying to sell their wares to the tourists is a common sight. Mirror-work bed sheets, blankets, dresses, puppets, musical instruments, souvenir shops. Name it you will find it. Our guide took us to an artist’s shop where paintings of Rajasthani folklore, birds and Hindu gods and goddesses were sold. With deft strokes of the brush the artist was able to bring out every single detail in the scene being depicted in the painting. We were amazed by his creativity and bought some paintings depicting Rajasthani folklore. He told us that his work was showcased on TV as part of the Jaisalmer episode of a programme aired in Fox history channel.

Havelis of Jaisalmer

The havelis of Jaisalmer belonged to the jain merchants and ministers of the King’s court. Some of the important havelis are Patwon ki Haveli, Salim Singh ki Haveli and Nathmalji ki Haveli. These havelis have intricate designs in the outer walls.

Colourful puppets are sold at a lot of places here. Here is one picture from Patwon ki Haveli.

Gadi Sagar Lake/Gadsisar Lake

This scenic lake on the outskirts of Jaisalmer is a water conservation tank built in fifteenth century. It used to be the single source of water for the entire city at one point of time. During the celebration of the Gangaur festival, devoted to Goddess Parvati, a procession is taken here. The lake is surrounded by small temples and shrines. An ideal place to while away the evening!

Badal Mahal

The residence of the current Maharawal of Jaisalmer. It was built in the early twentieth century. A part of this palace is now a heritage hotel called Mandir Palace. A small portion of the palace however is open to the public. The palace is a fine example of the Indo-Saracenic architecture combining both Rajput and Isalamic style of architecture that was brought in from the middle east due to the Caravan route passing through here. The Jawahir Vilas built by Maharawal Jawahir Singh is a splendid section of the palace. The beautiful tiles and the green curtains along with the intricately carved golden hued yellow stone of course gives a magical look to the place! Inside this section there is a museum housing exhibits from the royal family.

Tazia Tower

This five storeyed structure near the Badal Mahal is a fine example of Muslim architecture. Each floor has a balcony with beautiful designs. This was built by Muslim craftsmen from wood and gifted to the king in the nineteenth century.

Bylanes of Jaisalmer

The by lanes of Jaisalmer have their own charm. Especially within the old walled city. The streets are narrow and full of vigour. The shops in the Bhatia Bazaar are a sight by themselves. There were many gypsy women who come in to the city daily bringing unbelievably fresh, given that it is in midst of a desert, vegetables to sell.

We also witnessed another interesting tradition. On the walls of many a house there was a painting of Lord Ganesha with the date and names of the bride and groom of the last wedding in that house. What a brilliant way to celebrate the new couple :)

Gastronomic Delights of Jaisalmer

Everyone will tell you what to see in Jaisalmer. Not many however will tell you what to eat :) The Ghotua Laddoo and the Panchadhari Laddoo of Jaisalmer are fabulous. The best of these are available at Dhanraj Bhatia Sweets and in one word, heavenly :) We liked it so much as to make a second trip there to buy some for carrying home all the way back to Bangalore. While you are at it, you should also try the fresh fruit juices at R K Juice Centre. Mind you, it is a very small shop in the Bhatia Market and easy to miss. So ask for it. We were directed to it by the owner of Dhanraj Bhatia Sweets. Incidentally it so happens that the shop next to RK Juice Centre is another Bhatia – Bhatia News Agency.

Yellow Stone Factory

Our guide took us to a yellow stone factory where you get varieties of souvenirs all made from yellow stone/fossil stone. A huge portrait of Satyajit Ray was hung here. We bought a model of Jaisalmer fort as a token of memory of our trip to this lovely city. We also bought a model of the fort for our friends in Gurgaon. Both of these were to be couriered to us. However, we were disappointed by the packaging they put in place for these heavy stone artifacts. In fact the gift to our friends in Gurgaon arrived broken :(

I hope you enjoyed reading about and watching pics from Jaisalmer as much as I did writing about it. Do let me know your thoughts. Jaisalmer is of course much more than just the city and fort. There is so much to see Beyond Jaisalmer. Stay tuned for more on that front!