With both Kate’s Mum and nephew visiting Mumbai, we wanted to get out of the city to experience a different part of India. Given the weather, Rajasthan was the best option and Jodhpur was next on the must visit list.
In looking for reasonably price accommodation for all of us, we discovered that the number 1 reviewed accommodation in Jodhpur on Trip Advisor was in a small village of 2,000 people about 45 minutes drive out of the city. Chandelao Garh is a 400 year old fort built after a local leader distinguished himself in battle against an enemy of the Rathore’s from Jodhpur, the last of the Rajputs who held out against the Mughals. Due to acts of bravey, the Singh family was given land that incorporated 5 local villages in a feudal arrangement, provided the family continued to provide a trained cavalry force for the Rathore’s. The Garh has been in the family for 16 generations, although they lost control of the land when it was reallocated to the tenant farmers in the land reallocations by the socialist governments in 1952 when they dismantled the feudal arrangements in the country.
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| The fort |
The entrepreneurial Praduman Singh, the 16
th heir to the Garh, has re-invented it as a boutique hotel by renovating and converting the cavalry stable into comfortable rooms. In addition, they support a local women’s craft collective, organize tours in the local area and help the village apply for development funding out of Europe.
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| Chris, Ada and the local kids |
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| Our fave... |
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| Twenty pics later! the kids loved having their pics taken! |
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| Check out this dudes eyes! |
Chandelao Garh is on an arid plain to the east of Jodhpur and relies on a monsoon crop of millet for grain and sorghum to provide feed for livestock over the hot summer. Water is scarce and the local’s manage this precious resource closely. There are a systems of lakes that fill during the monsoon then gradually dry up during the heat of summer. Drinking water is sourced from a subterranean well and the women of the village carry their water to their houses each morning via bucket. I was hoping that Kate would need to do them same when staying at the Garh and I had procured a cloth ‘donut” used to balance the load on women’s head in anticipation. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, the Garh had hot and cold running water. (Ha de ha ha....K)
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| The well |
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| The kids |
The area surrounding the Garh was full of wild life with wild peacocks, owls, parakeets, hoopoe and a type of kingfisher. One morning out for a run I saw some Bluebull antelope and camels, both roaming the country side and pulling carts were frequently seen. In addition to the wildlife the local children were always interested in the visitors coming and going from the Garh. It was pleasant to see little children not begging for money which is all too often the case in Mumbai. One of the highlights was a cricket game with the local kids. It was interesting to see the similarities in backyard cricket rules in India and Australia, particularly the use of the “automatic wicketkeeper” and the “6 and out” rule!
But the reason for the trip was to visit Jodhpur, the “blue city” due to the blue wash painted on many houses. Traditionally, the blue paint denoted upper caste Brahmin houses but has been more broadly adopted as it is believed to keep the houses cooler and repels insects. I am not certain about the validity of the last two claims. At the center of the city on a rock escarpment is the magnificent Mehrangarh, a fort almost 600 years old which was central to the power of the Rathore’s in the region as its walls were never breached by the enemy. The fort is a spectacular example of functional design, with winding roads between gates designed to prevent charging elephants from gaining momentum, and beauty, with the spectacularly carved stone latticework. Given the level of design and craftsmanship in modern India you wonder how these skills from the 16th century were lost.
It was a great weekend, a great escape from Mumbai and a piece of rugged paradise in Rajasthan.
