Things to do in Western Rajasthan
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Mehrangarh
Still run by the descendants of the Maharaja of Jodhpur, Mehrangarh is captivating. As you approach, the walls soar overhead in a mesmerising demonstration of the skills of the builders. Cast off your audio-tour prejudices, as this tour, covered by the foreign-visitor admission charge (which also includes camera fees), is terrific, with a mix of history, information and dramatically narrated anecdotes. It’s a real treat to wander around at your leisure, taking a fix of information when you feel like it. Personal guides are available for Rs150.
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JG Art & Crafts
Abhay Kumar is the proprietor of this excellent store, which has a cheap and reliable international courier service, and all kinds of handicrafts and fabrics.
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Gallops
This is a spiffy air-conditioned cafe with a camel leather–clad lounge area with big windows. There is real, and very good, espresso coffee, but at Rs100 a cappuccino, you would have to be keen. The menu also features pricey Indian and Chinese veg and nonveg, including tandoori specials.
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Vino Desert Safari
Recommended operator Vino Desert Safari offers half-day to 13-day trips (Rs500 to 1500 per day, depending on how much luxury you require and how much you use a jeep).
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Omelette Shop
Just through the gate (by the inner arch – surrounded by imitators) on the northern side of the square, the Omelette Shop claims to go through several thousand eggs a day – the egg man has been doing his thing for over 30 years. Two tasty, spicy boiled eggs cost Rs10, and an oily two-egg omelette with chilli, coriander and four pieces of bread Rs15.
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Saffron
Run by the folks in charge of Nanchana Haveli, the veg and nonveg food here is superb, plus it has a great setting on a sandstone terrace overlooking Gandhi Chowk. Evening time is especially atmospheric. The Indian dishes are hard to beat, though the Italian comes a close second.
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On the Rocks
This leafy garden restaurant (candle-lit in the evening) is frequented by families and tour groups. It has tasty Indian cuisine, including lots of barbecue options, a small playground and a cave-like bar, Rocktails (open 7.30pm to 11pm), with a dance floor (couples only).
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Kalinga Restaurant
This restaurant near the train station is smart and popular, with a bright, classy ambience and AC. It has a well-stocked bar, and tasty veg and nonveg North Indian dishes – tandoori and curries. Try the lal maans, a mouthwatering Rajasthani mutton curry.
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Hari Om Jewellers
Following the famous footsteps of Hari Om, Roop Kishore Soni is a silversmith who makes delicate silver rings and bracelets. Visitors have commissioned personalised wedding rings here. There’s also a shop inside the fort, or visit this home address.
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Handloom House
This is a huge department store thronged with locals. Alongside some questionable clothes are mountains of fixed-price bandhani, silk saris and woollen shawls.
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Maharani Art Exporters
Maharani Art Exporters is one of the better bets for quality replica antiques.
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Jaisalmer Fort
Jaisalmer Fort is a living fort - about 25% of the old city's population resides within its walls. As well as a palace and various temples, its carless streets are packed with houses, handicraft shops and beauty parlours, and honeycombed with narrow, winding lanes paved in stone.
Built in 1156 by the Rajput ruler Jaisala and reinforced by subsequent rulers, Jaisalmer Fort was the focus of a number of battles between the Bhattis, the Mughals of Delhi and the Rathores of Jodhpur. The lower layer of the fort's three walls is composed of solid stone blocks, which reinforce the loose rubble of Trikuta Hill. The second wall snakes around the fort, and between this and the third…
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Salim Singh-ki-Haveli
This private haveli has an amazing, distinctive shape – the top storey mushrooms out into a mass of carving, with graceful arched balconies surmounted by pale blue cupolas. It was built about 300 years ago; part of it is still occupied. Salim Singh was a fearsome prime minister when Jaisalmer was the capital of a princely state.
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Trio
This casual Indian and continental restaurant, with its romantic setting under a tented roof, is a good, relaxing eating option. There are reliably good vegetarian and nonvegetarian dishes, musicians playing in the evening, and a great fort view. Barbecue fans will enjoy the tandoori thali.
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Sahara Travels
Sahara Travels, by the First Fort Gate, also gets good reviews for its camel tours, and is run by Mr Bissa, alias Mr Desert - he graces lots of Rajasthan Tourism posters.
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Natraj Restaurant
This is an excellent place to sample veg and nonveg in multicuisine forms, and the rooftop has a satisfying view of the upper part of the Salim Singh-ki-Haveli next door.
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Baiju Ayurvedic Beauty Parlour
Baiju Ayurvedic Beauty Parlour offers facials and Ayurvedic massages, as well as manicures, pedicures and waxings. It's near the maharaja's palace.
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Janta Sweets
The 'home of sweets' comes pretty close to the money, with superb mawa ladoo and mawa katchori, and a high customer turnover.
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Govind Hotel
Coffee drinkers will find the precious beans and espresso machines at the rooftop Coffee Bar at the Govind Hotel.
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Refreshment Room
There's a strangely timeless ambience here, and surprisingly palatable food.
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Mid Town
Mid Town is fine dining with a choice of seating, live folk music and great veg food. It serves Rajasthani specialities, including some particular to Jodhpur, such as chakki-ka-sagh (wheat dumpling cooked in rich gravy) and kabuli (vegetables with rice, milk, bread and fruit). The Rajasthani thali costs Rs100.
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Junagarh Fort
Constructed between 1588 and 1593 by Raja Rai Singh – a general in the army of the Mughal emperor Akbar – this most impressive fort has a 986m-long wall with 37 bastions, a moat and two entrances. The Surajpol (Sun Gate) is the main entrance to the fort. Here you will be accosted by private guides, even though your ticket includes either the audio guide or an official fort guide (leaving every 15 minutes or so from the ticket office). The palaces within the fort are on the southern side, and make a picturesque ensemble of courtyards, balconies, kiosks, towers and windows. The museum here is fascinating and well labelled, with over-the-top costumes, jewellery and a rar…
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Jain Temples
Within the Jaisalmer fort walls is a mazelike, interconnecting complex of seven beautiful yellow sandstone Jain temples, dating from the 12th to the 16th centuries. Opening times have a habit of changing, so check with the caretakers. The intricate carving rivals that in Ranakpur or Mt Abu, and has an extraordinary quality because of the soft, mellow stone. Chandraprabhu is the first temple you come to and is dedicated to the eighth tirthankar, whose symbol is the moon. Around the upper gallery are 108 marble images of Parasnath, the 22nd tirthankar.
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Nathmal-ki-Haveli
This late-19th-century haveli was also a Jaisalmer prime minister’s house and is still partly inhabited. It drips with carving, and the 1st floor has some beautiful paintings that used 1.5kg of gold. A doorway is surrounded by 19th-century British postcards from the prime minister’s time, and there’s also a picture of Queen Victoria. The left and right wings were the work of two brothers, whose competitive spirit apparently produced this virtuoso work – the two sides are similar, but not identical. Sandstone elephants welcome visitors/shoppers.
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Fort Palace Museum
The Jaisalmer fort is entered through a forbidding series of massive gates leading to a large courtyard fronted by the elegant seven-storey palace. Part of the palace is open to the public as the Fort Palace Museum. The foreigner admission includes an audio guide and camera fee. With floor upon floor of fascinating rooms that peep creepily on the outside world, the highlights are the mirrored and painted Rang Mahal, a small gallery of finely wrought 15th-century sculptures and the spectacular 360-degree views from the top.
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