Jodhpur, the second largest city of Rajasthan, was founded by Rao Jodha in1459. Jodhpur is also popularly known as the Sun City as the weather of city remains bright & sunny all the year. A thick stone wall enclosed the ancient city of Jodhpur. This wall has six giant gateway entitled as Nagauri gate, Merati gate, Sojati gate, Jalori gate, Siwanchi gate and Chand pol. Apart from a bleak, picturesque desert landscape, Jodhpur is full of beautiful tourist destination including beautiful palaces, fortresses and temples. Some of these attractions are:
Mehrangarh Fort or the Sun Fort, located in Jodhpur city is one of the largest forts in India. The fort is located in the center of the city that stretches over a 5 km high, 400 feet above the city, and is enclosed by striking thick walls. This fortress was originally started by Rao Jodha in 1459, founder of Jodhpur, but most of the fort which stands today was constructed by Jaswant Singh. To enter the fort one must go through a series of 7 gates. Jai Pol or The Gate of Victory was built by Maharaja Man Singh in 1806 after his victory in a war with Jaipur and Bikaner; Fateh Pol was built to celebrate a victory over the Mughals in 1707; Loha Pol is the final gate into the main part of the fort complex. On the left there are the hand marks (sati marks) of the ranis who immolated themselves on the funeral pyre of their husband, Maharaja Man Singh, in 1843. Several brilliantly designed and decorated the palaces are there in the fort. Among them, Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace), Phool Mahal (Flower Palace), Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace), Sileh Khana and Daulat Khana are remarkable.
Umaid Bhawan Palace named after Maharaja Umaid Singh was initially called Chittar Palace, as it was located on Chittar Hill. Umaid Bhawan was one of the last royal buildings. The building does not use mortar or cement to bind stones together; all pieces are engraved stones collected by a system of interlocking positive and negative carved pieces. Umaid bhavan is designed in a way that preserves the temperature always around 23º celcius. A railway line was built specifically for the transport of such large blocks of stone. The Palace, when it was built, was the world's largest private residence, with 347 rooms. Central dome of the building is distinguishably 110 feet high. H V Lanchester, the architect of Umaid Bhawan designed the palace, which could be called Indo-Art-Deco style. The Palace now has been divided into three functional parts, one with a five-star hotel, the other is the residence of the royal family and third one has been opened to public.
The Jaswant Thada is one of the important rajputana architectural landmarks found in Jodhpur. Sardar Singh built this white marble monument in 1899 in memory of his father & 33rd Rathore ruler, Maharja Jaswant Singh II. The monument, which is half a mile from Mehrengarh Fort, consists of sheets of intricately carved white marble. These stones are polished in a way so that they emit a warm glow when the sunrays fall at their surface. It is also the cremation ground of Jodhpur rulers.
Besides these captivating places there are lot more in Jodhpur to enjoy like Mahamandir Temple, Balsamand Palace, Osian Temple, Nagaur Fort & many more.