Jodhpur: Places to visit in the Blue Town

Ashok and I rode through the narrow gully that meandered its way past houses and shrines, which seemed like an endless path, until it came to an abrupt end. Parking our bike, we headed up a staircase to the rooftop of one of the a number of blue structures that cluttered the place. From the rooftop we hopped on to the neighbouring hillock. We were in race to witness the setting sun from the sunset viewpoint with a sea of blue houses in the foreground. Luckily, we were just in the nick of time to see one of the prettiest frames in Jodhpur, and that was a great start to my exploration of the Blue Urban centre.

The urban centre get its nickname, ‘Blue Town of India’ due to the plenty of houses painted with a mix of indigo and limestone, which gives it a sky-blue colour. My area guide, Ashok mentioned that the houses painted in sky blue colour belong to the Brahmin local population. It’s probably a way to discern their houses from the rest. Another story reveals that this was done to keep termites away, which had encroached these houses.