Jodhpur is the second-largest city of Rajasthan after India became an independent nation.
Why has a large portion of Jodhpur been painted in blue color? There are a few reasons for it. First, it is believed that the blue color helps in keeping the interiors of the house cool during hot summers. Second, in the past, several historic buildings of Jodhpur were damaged by the termites. Therefore, it is believed that the blue hue keeps termites at bay.
Once the king of Jodhpur, Rao Jodha wanted to build a fort on a city hill. When he tried to dislocate a saint living on the mountain, the latter cursed him that the kingdom would suffer droughts. When the monarch sought mercy from the saint, he was told that the curse would nullify if someone else volunteered to bury himself alive. Soon after, a resident of the kingdom agreed to lay down his life for the kingdom’s welfare. The king made his memorial at the fort.
Jodhpur’s Umaid Bhawan Palace is one of the most extensive and most costly heritage hotels globally. It has also been voted as the best hotel in the world. Raja Umaid Singh built it to employ the famine-stricken people of the kingdom.
Long ago, Thakur Jai Singh was on his way to Ransi village in Jodhpur with his entourage to attend a festival. On the way, he stopped near a lake to quench his thirst and that of his horses. However, before he could touch the water, a ghost appeared before him. The spirit said that he couldn’t touch the water and pleaded with him to satiate his thirst. When Jai Singh did the needful, the ghost told him to ask for a boon. Jai Singh asked the spirit to build a beautiful palace and a stepwell in his native village. The ghost agreed to do so provided Jai Singh refrains from revealing anything about his identity to anyone. However, before the spirit could complete the palace’s construction and the stepwell, Jai Singh was forced to tell the truth to his demanding wife. Consequently, the ghost left the structure unfinished. A 200-ft deep Bhooton Ki Baori is having 14 pillars and 174 steps at Ransi village today as a testimony to this incident.
