Rajasthan
WESTERN
R AJASTHAN
Rajasthan
GETT iNG A ROUND
Rajasthan
JA iSA lMER
rave reviews. The cost is around ₹1000 per
person per day (minimum two people). Pick-
up from Osian bus station, or from Jodhpur,
can be arranged.
There are frequent buses from Jodhpur to
Osian. Trains between Jodhpur and Jaisalm-
er also stop here. A return taxi from Jodhpur
costs about ₹1200.
Southern Villages
A number of traditional villages are strung
along and off the Pali road southeast of
Jodhpur. Most hotels and guesthouses in
Jodhpur offer tours to these villages, often
called Bishnoi village safaris. The Bishnoi
are a Hindu sect who follow the 500-year-
old teachings of Guru Jambheshwar, who
emphasised the importance of protecting
the environment long before it was popular
to do so. Many visitors are surprised by the
density – and fearlessness – of wildlife such
as blackbuck, bluebulls (nilgai), chinkara
gazelles and desert fox around the Bishnoi
villages. The Bishnoi hold all animal life
sacred. The 1730 sacrifice of 363 villagers
to protect khejri trees is commemorated in
September at Khejadali village, where there
is a memorial to the victims fronted by a
small grove of khejri trees.
Bishnoi village tours tend to last four
hours in total and cost around ₹600 to ₹800
per person. We recommend those arranged
by Durag Niwas Guest House, but loads of
other places do them.
Rohet
Rohet ̈Garh (%02936-268231; http://www.rohetgarh.
com; s/d ₹5000/6000; aiWs), in Rohet vil-
lage, 40km south of Jodhpur on the Pali road,
is one of the area’s most appealing heritage
hotels. This 350-year-old, lovingly tended
manor has masses of character and a tran-
quil atmosphere, which obviously helped
Bruce Chatwin when he wrote The Son-
glines here, and William Dalrymple when
he began City of Djinns in the same room,
No 15. Rohet Garh has a gorgeous colonnad-
ed pool, charming green gardens, great food
(breakfast/lunch/dinner ₹500/600/700) and
lovely, individual rooms. It also possesses a
stable of fine Marwari horses and organises
rides, from two-hour evening trots (₹2000)
to six-day countryside treks, sleeping in lux-
ury tents. The quirky Om ̈Bana ̈Temple is a
short bus ride from here.
A taxi here will cost around ₹800 from
Jodhpur. There are also frequent buses;
once here, turn right out of Rohet’s tiny bus
stand, take the first right and keep walking
for about 1km.Jaisalmer
% 02992 / POP 78,000
The fort of Jaisalmer is a breathtaking sight:
a massive sandcastle rising from the sandy
plains like a mirage from a bygone era. No
place better evokes exotic camel-train trade
routes and desert mystery. Ninety-nine
bastions encircle the fort’s still-inhabited
twisting lanes. Inside are shops swaddled
in bright embroideries, a royal palace and
numerous businesses looking for your tour-
ist rupee. Despite the commercialism it’s
hard not to be enchanted by this desert
citadel. Beneath the ramparts, particularly
to the north, the narrow streets of the old
city conceal magnificent havelis, all carved
from the same golden-honey sandstone as
the fort – hence Jaisalmer’s designation as
the Golden City.
A city that has come back almost from
the dead in the past half-century, Jaisalmer
may be remote but it’s certainly not forgot-
ten – indeed it’s one of Rajasthan’s biggest
tourist destinations, and few people come
here without climbing onto a camel in theTHE ̈MOTORCYCLE ̈TEMPLE
One of the strangest temples in all India
stands beside a main road, 8km south
of Rohet. The deity at Om ̈Bana ̈Tem-
ple is a garland-decked Enfield Bullet
motorcycle, known as Bullet Baba. The
story goes that local villager Om Bana
died at this spot in the 1980s when his
motorbike skidded into a tree. The bike
was taken to the local police station,
but then mysteriously twice made its
own way back to the tree, and travellers
along the road started seeing visions
of Om Bana – inevitably leading to the
machine’s deification.
Buses from Jodhpur to Rohet (₹32,
one hour) should continue on to Om
Bana, but check with the driver. Other-
wise, you can hop on almost any pass-
ing bus from Rohet (₹10).