13th Jan, 2016

We were sad to leave Jodhpur, but it was time to head further west towards the desert outpost that is Jaisalmer.

Before we left we visited the Umaid Bhawan Palace, part of which is still occupied by the local Maharaja, part is a museum and the rest a hotel. It would have been great to stay there and I believe you can get the Royal Suite for a mere £1,900 per night. Another time, maybe. We visited the museum and had a look at the collection of vintage cars. It took 15 years to build, being completed in 1944 and was built  to help relief a famine – which was nice of the Maharaja! He did end up with a palace, which was nice for him too! The photos show the Maharaja’s throne (I think), his Rolls (Jodhpur No 1) and some pictures that show the original art deco concept for the interior. The one of the palace also includes what looks like someone doing a jig!

From there we set off for Jaisalmer, but with a stop at Osian where there are some temples well worth a visit. Monu dropped us off and told us not to speak to anyone, but within two minutes we had a lad in tow who seemed happy enough to be our unofficial guide. It was worth having him as it helped us find our way around Rajasthan’s largest group of early Hindu and Jain temples. The first one we visited was the Vishnu and Harihara temples, built in the 8th and 9th centuries, then the Sachiya Mata temple from the 12th century. The decorative carving is outstanding – though Val and I are still bemused that whilst the code for women in India is one of modesty and decorum, most of the females depicted, whether goddesses or dancing girls, are fantastically sensuous.  We also visited the Jain temple (8th century) which was wonderfully peaceful and a little less flamboyant than its Hindu neighbour.

The first photos are of the Hindu temples

And now the Jain temple (plus street scenes!)

It was a long way to Jaisalmer, but the roads were a little less congested and we entertained (?) Monu with a selection of my Spotify music with accompanied singing. He seemed to be driving considerably faster as time went on, so we thought we had better desist.

We arrived finally in Jaisalmer of which more soon.