Udaipur to Jodhpur & Adinatha Jain Temple


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March 24th 2012
Published: March 31st 2012
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ADINATHA JAIN TEMPLE & DRIVE TO JODHPUR. Saturday 24 March, 2012.

We were collected from our hotel by Brave Loins and Mr Barun for the drive to our next overnight stop, Jodhpur. This was our first exposure to prolonged driving on the Indian roads. We left Udaipur and joined the toll road out of the city. The toll booth was a little primitive to say the least - no traffic light controls and electric barriers here. Labour is so cheap it is more economical to do it manually. One guy sits in the hut and takes the money. Then he signals to the boy who then drags the barrier (which is a large billboard mounted four wheels with STOP emblazoned on it in 50cm high letters) out of the way to let us pass. We only stayed on this 'good' road until we left the city. The roads then became more rural and much worse quality.

Along the way Mr Barun pointed out a tree full of Dracular Bats (we call them Vampire Bats). He told us that these bats mainly feed on the blood of livestock but have been known to feed on humans when they are asleep on the roofs of their huts during the hot nights. We passed camel carts, little mud hut villages, buses that were so full people were sitting on the roof, and fields and fields of crops. The landscape was incredibly lush. This is due to the efficient irrigation systems they have in place to keep the crops watered. We stopped and looked at one of the irrigation systems powered by oxen.

As we climbed higher into the mountains we saw troops of monkeys sitting by the side of the road - waiting for tourists to throw them some food. We stopped at a traditional carpet weaving factory (2 huts) and were shown how the traditional cotton mats are made. We purchased a rather snazzy one to take back to Spain and arranged to have it shipped to M's mum in the UK. BL was going to stay with us and guide around the Adinatha Jain Temple and then catch the bus back to Udaipur.

We arrived at the Adinatha Temple, up in the hills some 90 km north of Udaipur, before it was open to the public. D took a stroll around the gardens while BL queued up to pay for the camera pass. The temple was built in 1439 and is strictly based on the number 72 (the age at which the founder of Jainism achieved Nirvana (or died and was released from all suffering and attained liberation). The entire temple sits on a pedistal measuing 72 square yards and is held up by 1440 (72 x 20) individually carved pillars. Inside there are 72 shrines and the main deity is a 72 inch tall image of the four faced Adinath encased in a central sanctum. The whole building is constructed from white marble and is absolutely stunning. When the doors opened BL showed us around and pointed out the fantastic carvings on the marble walls. Friezes are etched into the walls and carvings of musicians and dancers decorate the brackets between the pillars and the ceiling. The domed marble ceilings are also beautifully carved. We both agreed that this was the most stunning temple we had seen yet (and we had seen plenty!). After the tour of the temple we parted company with BL and continued our drive to Jodhpur with Mr Barun.

We arrived at our hotel called the Ratan Villas about 3.30 pm. This was formerly an old colonial house and is now a luxury hotel. Our room was lovely with old colonial furniture, TV with satelite and internet connection. We spent the rest of the day resting and ate at the hotel. The food was excellent. We both agreed that this was the best Indian food we had eaten so far. Tomorrow we have a guided city tour.

Jodhpur lies on the eastern fringe of the Thar Desert. Jodhpur is also known as 'the Blue City' after the colour-wash of its old town houses. We know it better as the name of a type of riding breeches that originate from here. These breeches are baggy around the thigh but tight and narrrow around the calf. We saw a guide wearing them yesterday in Udaipur. Jodhpur was once the most important town in the princely state of Marwar. It now has a population of about 1.2 million. We are looking forward to the tour tomorrow.


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31st March 2012

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Stunning photos - looks like a lovely place

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