Showing posts with label Jodhpur. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jodhpur. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Umaid Bhawan, Jodhpur

Umaid Bhawan Palace, a very popular tourist destination in Jodhpur is presently home to Maharaj Gaj Singh. With 347 rooms, this is one of the world's largest private residences. A part of the palace is maintained by Taj hotels and a large part houses a museum with historical artifacts and vintage cars on display. The open hours are from 9 am to 5 pm.




Vintage cars on display






















































Private taxis and public transport facilities are easily available to reach Umaid Bhawan on Circuit House Road. However, make sure that you negotiate well with the auto rickshaw drivers before they drop you off at mid point (which is barely 800 meters walking from the palace).
Closely guarded and well maintained, Umaid Bhawan offers a serene view of the city. Be the lake facing the palace or the surrounding forests, you are bound to be mesmerized by the royal history. Besides, a section of the palace also has exotic automobiles which were in use a century ago. A must visit place is Umaid Bhawan.

How to reach- Volvo/train/flight connectivity from major cities.  10 hours by train/Volvo in overnight journey.
Weather- Extremely warm from April to September. Pleasant in October & November. Starts getting cold in December & January, yet bright and sunny throughout. Starts getting better March on wards.
Popular things to eat-  More on https://expressunleashed.blogspot.com/2016/05/jodhpur-palate.html

This trip of mine was in January 2015

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Jodhpur Palate

Jodhpur, the second largest city located in central Rajasthan has loads of historical stories in its façade. Founded by Rao Jodha in 1459, the city boasts of rich Rajasthani culture and grandeur, much evident from the monuments and savory food.  Rajasthanis are known for their affection of sweets, which we enjoyed on our trip to Jodhpur.
Right in the center of the city is clock tower. In the same vicinity is Sardaar Market that houses several eateries, always bustling with people. Not only tourists, even the locals relish sweets in the eating joints. One such eating joint is Janta Sweet Home on the main road of Sardaar Market, which offers a variety of snacks and sweets. Spacious, well maintained and neat, Janta Sweet Home is run by a courteous family who receive the customers with smile.

Makhaniya Lassi@Mishri Lal
Makhaniya Lassi@Janta Sweets



Jodhpur is well known for Makhaaniya Lassi. Sweet curd is topped with malaai and a dollop of home-made cream (butter), and that’s where it gets the name from. Heavy and creamy (plus the extra sweet), a single glass can make you feel really full and drowsy.

Maawa kachori
The most outstanding sweet dish which we discovered was Mawa Kachori. Ya agreed, it is high on calories and too sweet, yet we could not resist and gave in to our temptation. The filling of the kachori is with mawa and dry fruits with a tinge of spices. The kachori is soaked in chaashni and served hot on the plate.  With every bite you take, you feel the spices burst on your taste buds. That’s the uniqueness of Jodhpuri dish. However, beware of the calorie intake as this is high on sweet and is deep fried of-course.

The only disappointment is lack of seating arrangement in Janta sweet home. So, you can manage to stay awake as you slurp on the heavy snacks.

Another speciality food in Jodhpuri cuisine is pyaz kachori, which is available almost everywhere. They serve pyaaz kachori with aloo subzi. Reminded me of Uttar Pradesh, where kachori is served in breakfast as well as snacks. (I have experienced the kachori ritual in Mathura, Lucknow & Agra)

Take a turn at the end of the road, and spot a small eating joint named “Mishri Lal & Sons” which serves you excellent makhaniya lassi, dosa, kachori and tea. We had a meal!



Warm milk preparation
Kesar Doodh Jalebi

Doodh Jalebi adds on to the list of the sweets that we savored in Jodhpur. Jalebi is dipped in a bowl full of warm milk with a tinge of kesar. The milk is warmed in a large iron vessel swarmed with dry fruits, kesar and malai. The guy with a huge sweet shop on the clock tower road near our hotel was a hotspot for doodh-jalebi during evening. One can have it as dessert post dinner or treat it as dinner itself. The wholesome dish fills you to your core. Who said Rajasthanis have sweet tooth? They have sweet jaws!


                                   














Towards the road leading to the clock tower is a tea shop named Bombay Tea Stall. Ah! The thought of Mumbai's "Cutting Chai" came gushing to me. A thin tall glass full of tea just made my day, while my husband stared at me enjoying my tea (He is not a tea person). Beware of the tea loaded with sweet and milk
.
As we entered the market next to Clock Tower, we were taken aback by the sight of sweet shops and namkeen stalls. The place bustled with shoppers, rickshaw pullers, horse carts, cloth merchants..the place bustled with an enthusiasm, and positive spirit of Jodhpur..it bustled with life.

Our 3 days of stay in Jodhpur was a joyful one where two food lovers had their plate full.