Travel Information on Jodhpur will help the travelers to gather traveling tips about the place they are planning to visit. It is one of the popular tourist destinations in Rajasthan. The nearest airport is the Jodhpur Airport that is located at a distance of 5 kilometers from the city center. From cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Udaipur and Jaipur flights services are available for Jodhpur. Jodhpur is also well connected by railway lines. `Palace on Wheels` is one of the best ways to explore the district. The local transport in Jodhpur comprise of taxis, tongas and auto rickshaws.
The best time to visit the place is from October to March. Apart from checking out the superb local attractions the travelers can dig their teeth into the scrumptious local dishes. Several restaurants offer the local dishes. Shopping is another option for the tourists. Local arts and crafts are available in abundance in Jodhpur.
The tourist attractions in Jodhpur include forts, palaces, temples and gardens. Numerous festivals and fairs are also part of this state. One of the unique festivals of Jodhpur is Marwar Festival, which is held between September and October. The folk culture of Jodhpur is presented at its best at this festival.
The kingdom of Jodhpur was once upon a time ruled by the Rathores. This ruling class also ruled upon Marwar and Bikaner. They claimed that they were the descendants of Lord Rama. As a result the Rathores also referred themselves as Suryavanshi, the family that is related to the Sun god. The first settlement of the Rathores was in Pali. It was Rao Jodha who actually established the city of Jodhpur in 1459. The history of Jodhpur initially sounds like a fairy tale. The king established his kingdom at this place on the advice of a hermit. The place was then a simple settlement on a rocky hill. The fort building that was built here was the Chintamani fort, which was later, renamed as Mehrangarh fort.
After being driven away from Kannauj by Mohammed Ghori it was incredible of this clan to reestablish a city as beautiful as Jodhpur. Rao Jodha ruled for 30 years and the after him the responsibility of the kingdom passed on to Surajmal, his son. It was during his reign that Jodhpur and the Mughals fell apart. Surajmal died in the battle against Sikandar Lodi. He was succeeded by Rao Ganga Singh. He ruled for another 16 years in Jodhpur. He also took part in the war against Babur and was defeated. Fortunately Babur showed no interest in Jodhpur. Hence the region remained devoid of Mughal interference and invasions until Akbar descended the throne. During this time Raja Maldeo extended his kingdom till Bikaner.
When Akbar ascended the throne his troops attacked and captured Jodhpur and the Nagore forts. He then handed them over to Rai Singh of Bikaner. This region was at that time a part of the kingdom of Jodhpur. All of Raja Maldeo`s efforts for reconciliation could not win Akbar over. Rather it was Udai Singh who made peace with the Mughal Emperor. The relation was further strengthened between the two clans by marital bonds. Jodha Bai, Udai Singh`s sister was married to Akbar. Akbar returned all the possessions he had captured from Jodhpur. Jodhpur had assisted Akbar in conquering several regions and in expanding the Mughal dominion in India.
During the battle of succession between the sons of Shah Jahan the then king of Jodhpur, Jaswant Singh supported Dara. Aurangzeb`s conspiracies led to the fall of the king and his son. Aurangzeb also tried to kill the infant son of Jaswant Singh, Ajit Singh. But the intelligence of Durga Das foiled his plans. Enraged he raided Jodhpur and wrecked the city. After the death of Aurangzeb Ajit Singh formed an alliance with the rulers of Jaipur and Durga Das and reclaimed the throne of Delhi from the Mughals. It was under his rule that the region prospered. He reestablished that was essentially Rajputana in his kingdom and denounced anything that was Muslim or Mughal. Unfortunately he was killed by his own son.
With King Ajit the golden era of Jodhpur also passed away. From then on Jodhpur witnessed conflicts and connivances. Around 1753 the Marathas were growing in power and Jodhpur passed onto their hands. In the later years the one name that stands out in the history of Jodhpur is that Man Singh. With him on the throne Jodhpur was once again in a safe custody. The valorous king was succeeded by Pratap Singh. Both these rulers developed cordial relations with the British.
According to the history of Jodhpur the foundation for the modern district was laid down by Pratap Singh. He was succeeded by Umaid Singh who ruled from 1918-1947. With efforts from these rulers the city was not only beautified but it was established as one of the modern cities.