November 14, 2004After breakfast we began our 400 km drive to Jodhpur...
Everywhere we traveled in Rajasthan, this state in India, we were struck by the brightly colored saris that women wore. They were much brighter than those we saw in Delhi and Varanasi and brighter than those we would see in Mumbai.
Scheduled stops along our route were Dargah Sharif in Ajmer and the city of Pushkar.
Ajmer is the holiest Muslim site in India. It is the location of Dargah Sharif, the tomb of a great Sufi saint. It was on our original itinerary. But, while we were in Jaipur, our driver and guide combined to discourage us from visiting there (as well as Pushkar). At first we wondered if their suggestion was out of concern for us. It was just after our presidential election and also, the last day of Ramadan. Perhaps tourists from the U.S. would not be welcome. Later, the thought crossed our minds that our driver just didn't want to make any stops on the long drive to Jodhpur.
On the morning we left Jaipur, Naresh announced that we would be visiting Ajmer and Pushkar. We suspected the hand of Mr. Lawania at work.
After our bumpy ride to Orchha, we were relieved to be riding on a smooth and wide two lane highway. Alongside the road construction was underway to build a 4 (or 6) lane toll road. Noticing the dozens of small roadside shops on just a short stretch of road, we wondered what would happen to the hundreds of families whose livelihoods would be adversely effected by this modern highway.
Dargah Sharif is more than a tomb. It is part of a complex that contains two mosques and a bazaar. Approaching the area was a little overwhelming. Fortunately we were greeted by a helpful gentleman with a red dyed beard, who escorted us to the mosque. After being requested (ordered?) to make a donation to feed the poor, we registered our names and our contribution in a guest book. At this point, a young man took charge of us and lead us around the grounds. Frankly, we were apprehensive about being in Ajmer. Muslims make up only twenty percent of the population of India and tend to keep a low profile in practicing their religion. Also, there was the issue of the strong anti-American sentiment in the Muslim world. Our feelings were unjustified. The few people with whom we had contact were cordial and welcoming and most people just ignored us.
On our leaving, the young man said to Tom, "God bless you." Tom replied, "salaam" (peace). The young man answered back, "Yes, salaam."
Looking at a map, our next stop, Pushkar, seemed like a short journey from Ajmer. For some reason it involved a longer diversion that we had expected. We still had a long day ahead before reaching Jodhpur.
Pushkar is most famous as the site of a huge cattle fair -- one of the largest in Asia -- each fall. Reading about the presence of thousands of camels, cattle and donkeys, serious buyers, volumes of tourists, Ferris wheels and vendors made this seem like the ultimate county fair. That's what we had come to see. Well .... We were a week early! The fair begins ten days after Diwali. Diwali had ended only a few days before. Whenever we had mentioned, in India, about going to the fair, no one had told us we were going to be disappointed. We first realized our mistake when we were entering the city and Naresh pointed out a large area where he said the fair was going to be held.
Pushkar does have one of the few temples dedicated to Brahma (the god of creation) and it was an interesting site. At the temple, a "guide" attached himself to us and became a general nuisance. He convinced one of our party that he was a priest and was trying to get her to make a donation to "his" temple. Tom had just read of this scam in the newspaper a few days before and warned her not to give him any money. He then insisted that we go to Pushkar Lake but, wanting to disengage ourselves from him, we returned to our van and continued towards Jodhpur.
November 15, 2004
Upon arrival in Jodhpur we checked into the Hotel Ajit Bhawan
After breakfast we began a full day sightseeing tour of Jodhpur, known as the "Blue City."
Few sights in India match seeing the massive Mehrangarh Fort overlooking Jodhpur. Begun in 1459, construction was not complete until the middle of the 19th century.
After the rulers of Rajasthan had made accommodations with the Mughals and, later, with the British, the forbidding fortress became the lavish living quarters of the rulers. Behind the thick brown walls are brightly colored airy rooms.
The women of the harem were kept in seclusion.
Their only view of the outside was through elaborately carved lattices.
Rajasthani men are noted for their turbans. Wrapping the 9 yard long cloth can be a 2 person operation. Not a fashion statement, the turban could be used as a shawl, a blanket, a pillow, to protect the head (from the sun or a sword), to lower a bucket into a well, or, if there is no bucket, to lower it into the well to absorb water.
November 16, 2004
After breakfast we began our 270 km drive to Udaipur with a special stop at Ranakpur on the way.
The Jain temple at Ranakpur, profuse with marble carvings, is one of the most stunning sights in India. It is dedicated to Adinath, the 6th century B.C. founder of the religion
.Jains believe that every living creature has a soul and, thus, should not be harmed. Thus, the giant beehives left undisturbed.
The faith's belief of non-violence towards all living things was a major influence on Mohandas Gandhi. Jains are strict vegetarians and some go to the extreme of not eating any vegetable that grows below the surface, such as carrots and potatoes. They believe that in harvesting these crops, some creatures might be harmed or killed. Others wear masks to cover their mouths so they do not swallow insects.
When Akbar, the16th century Mughal leader, saw Ranakpur, he was so impressed with its magnificence that he declared the whole area around the complex to be part of his private hunting grounds. That action prevented Muslim zealots, who might be offended by the images of gods, from damaging the art work
As we arrived at Ranakpur, Naresh advised us to leave all leather items in the van -- purses, wallets, belts, watches with leather straps, fanny packs. Our shoes would be removed before we entered any of the temples. No leather is allowed inside the temples and we saw a large pile of belts outside on the steps.
The main temple contains 1444 majestic columns with no two alike.
This pilgrim is one of many who come to Ranakpur to refresh their faith and to work in the cleaning and maintenance of the buildings.
It would have been faster and more convenient to fly to Udaipur from Jodhpur, but we are glad that we went by van. It would have been a mistake to have missed the grandeur of Ranakpur.
On to UDAIPUR and MUMBAI
