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The city is known as the Sun City for the bright,
sunny weather it enjoys all year. It is also
referred as the Blue City due to the indigo
tinge of the whitewashed houses around the Mehrangarh
Fort. Jodhpur lies near the geographic center
of Rajasthan state, which makes it a convenient
base for travel in a region much frequented
by tourists. The old city of Jodhpur is surrounded
by a thick stone wall.
This area was part of the Gurjara - Pratihara
empire and till 1100 CE was ruled by a powerful
Bargujar King. Jodhpur was founded in 1459 by
Rao Jodha, a Rajput chief of to the Rathore
clan. Rao Jodha succeeded in conquering the
surrounding territory and thus founded a state
which came to be known as Marwar. As Rao Jodha
hailed from the nearby town of Mandore, that
town initially served as the capital of this
state; however, Jodhpur soon took over that
role, even during the lifetime of Rao Jodha.
The city was located on the strategic road linking
Delhi to Gujarat. This enabled it to profit
from a flourishing trade in opium, copper, silk,
sandals, date palms and coffee.
Early in its history, the state became a fief
under the Mughal Empire, owing fealty to them
while enjoying some internal autonomy. During
this period, the state furnished the Mughals
with several notable generals such as Maharaja
Jaswant Singh. Jodhpur and its people benefited
from this exposure to the wider world: new styles
of art and architecture made their appearance
and opportunities opened up for local tradesmen
to make their mark across northern India.
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Umaid
Bhawan Palace
