Jodhpur Walking Tour

Summary

There is no better way to get a sense of a city than to take a walking tour around the old town. On our Jodhpur walking tour, not only did we see the shops and eateries in Sardar Market, and the clock tower that overlooks the market, we wandered into the commercial hub of the town and through the back alleys.

Jodhpur Walking Tour

 

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There is no better way to get a sense of a city that to take a walking tour around the old part of town. We were in Sardar Market in the middle of the afternoon so we decided to do a Jodhpur walking tour.

Sardar Market is the heart of the old city of Jodhpur and being the main market area this is where all the local action happens. In Sardar Market, the buzz of the old city takes over the senses and captures the imagination.

We love walking tours around old cities as there is so much to see, so many lanes and by-lanes to walk through, and so many people to interact with. It is great to soak up the atmosphere in these old and often forgotten towns.

 

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Inside the old city is a tangle of winding, glittering, medieval streets, which never seem to lead where we expect them to. The scents that emanate from the market are a mad concoction of incence, roses, sewers and cow dung. This crowded, hectic zone is also Jodhpur’s main tourist shopping and eating area.

Everywhere we turned there were shops – on the street, in the alleys and anywhere we least expected them. Shops and bazars in Sardar Market sell everything from fruits and vegetables to temple decorations and saris. From Sardar Market, tourists can purchase Rajasthani textiles, clay figurines, miniature camels and elephants, marble inlay work and classic silver jewellery.

Sardar Market has some of the best eateries in town. We tried the famous Omelette Shop that sells between 1000 and 1500 eggs a day. For our review click here. We also had a lassi at Shri Mishrilal Hotel, located inside the southern gate of Sardar Market. For our lassi review, click here.

 

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The clock tower that overlooks Sardar Market and the shops around it is more than a hundred years old. It is an old city landmark that stands in the middle of the market area surrounded by the vibrant sounds, sights and smells of Sardar Market.

Ghanta Ghar also known as the clock tower of Rajasthan was constructed by the Late Shri Sardar Singh Ji of Jodhpur.

Sardar Market is marked by triple gateways at its north and south ends. From this point, there are numerous narrow, winding lanes that spread out in every direction possible.

As we travelled west from the clock tower into the commercial heart of the old city, we are faced with crowded alleys and bazars selling vegetables, spices, sweets, silver and handicrafts.

 

 

As we walked down the streets that led from Sardar Market into the commercial heart of Jodhpur, we came across three local Rajasthani women who were making handicrafts. One woman was weaving baskets while another woman was making coloured strings. The third woman seemed to be supervising them (basically doing nothing). Surrounding them were pots of different shapes and colours. A make-shift street stall was their production centre which I found very intriguing.

Above is a clip of them at their various tasks.

 

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One of the best things about walking down the old streets is the unexpected. You don’t know what you’re going to see, and what you do see is fascinating and different to any preconceived expectations.

While in Rajasthan, we saw donkeys in every city we visited. Donkeys are a poor man’s transportation option. However, they are resilient and very tough so they are less likely to break down than a car. Camels are the other popular transportation option in Rajasthan. While we saw camels in other cities we didn’t see any along the old streets of Jodhpur.

 

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It’s hard not to see a temple while walking around the alleys of the old city of Jodhpur. The cities and people in Rajasthan are very religious and build temples for the local people to worship.

The temples are small, brightly coloured, and located on almost every street corner. I really like the images of the gods and goddesses in various poses painted in bright colours.

 

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Jodhpur is India’s blue city and I was on the hunt for a blue house. It shouldn’t have been hard to find in this town given that a lot of houses are painted blue these days. Traditionally, a blue house signified that a Brahmin or holy man lived there, but these days even non-Brahmins have picked up on this act and have painted their houses blue. Why blue and not green I ask? That’s because blue is associated with the Hindu God, Vishnu.

While earlier in the day I had seen several blue houses while looking over the city from the rooftop and the fort, the task of finding a blue house while walking down the old streets of Jodhpur was harder than I thought. After walking down several alleys I managed to find a beautiful blue house which is in the picture above.

The blue paint on the house looked so much nicer when viewed up close. I didn’t realise until that moment that the colour blue is so beautiful. It provides a very tranquil and serene feeling of ease. It’s the same feeling that you get when you look up at a bright blue sky.

Jodhpur is such a beautiful city and we got to appreciate it and get a sense of its charm on a walking tour around the old city. If you have an hour of two of spare time in Jodhpur, a walking tour of the old town will be time well spent.