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Travellers: Niraj Yadav and Vishwanath Dalvi
The plan was Mumbai to Ahmedabad by Rail. Ahmedabad to Jodhpur by Rail.
Roam around Jodhpur in 8 hours we had. Move to Jaisalmer from Jodhpur.
Stay 3 days in Jaisalmer. Visit Tanot and Longewala border post. Travel Jaisalmer to Jaipur.
Roam 1 day in Jaipur and back to Mumbai.
Short excerpt from the trip --
The tour provided us a first hand experience of cultural and spiritual insights of remote people living in expanse of Thar. It made us feel the high spirit they had to tackle challenges borne out of hard surrounding and made even harder by successive governments.
Their simplicity, never complaining nature and feel of Indian aesthetics (I feel somewhat reduced now) in their daily routine are alive in our minds.
This tour also put our negotiation skills at test. And we are happy we managed it well. We will remember the trip for the experiences soldiers shared with us, the never ending roads rolling on the hills, vast expanse of the desert land and high speed wind which makes your bike swirl on the road.
We will also remember the tour for the time we spend spellbounded sitting behind the lonely Jaisalmer fort road and speaking nothing for half an hour lost in extreme deep thoughts.
We will also remember sipping coffee at Joshi German Bakery and our eyes fixed on Jaisalmer fort.
And of course for the nice photographs we could manage.
Mumbai Ahmedabad:Ahmedabad to Jodhpur:
In Jodhpur bound train. An army man was travelling from Bangalore to Jodhpur. I was surprised by his capacity to eat Namkeen. Just as we eat rice and dal he decorated his big thali Namkeen and completed in one go !! Pata nahi agli subah kya hoga uska
Next day that is on 15th August we were at Bhagat ki kothi railway station, 5km behind Jodhpur. Autos were charging Rs 100. We walked for 50 rupees and hired auto for 50 rupees. Boond boond se gaagar bharta hai
Ghanta Ghar:
From bazaar you take right turn from chauraha which takes you to Ghanta Ghar. The ruler ordered a British company for a clock and paid 1 Lakh for its construction, 1 Lakh for transportation and 1 Lakh for copyright of the design.
From Ghanta Ghar you go straight ahead castle styled hotel comes in way and on moving ahead with the road it takes you to nice lake surrounded by old architectures and temples.
In Dharamshala for 4 hours:
Came back at Jodhpur main circle and started hunting for cheapest Dharamshala. We needed it for 3-4 hours to charge our mobile/cameras and getting fresh. Not far from circle we got one for Rs 75/person for 24 hours. It had everything we needed.
Ajab gajab train kahani (Fiasco at Jodhpur station):Abe saare ke saare chalu dabbe hain re! I said to Vishwanath. Ran again from one end of platform to other. YES, all coaches were general and heavily packed with devotees. We crosschecked train, it was same. We crosscheck our ticket it showed S1 45 and S1 47. Now the suspense where was this S1?
We asked a police standing there he explained. Train will be divided into two parts. Half of the train will leave the station. Half will remain here. The half which left the station will go where the S1 and B1 coach are. Those coaches will be joined and again the train will come back to Jodhpur station and connect the other half. Only then it will leave. As he completed, we completed with wat d dash!
A pleasant morning at Gadisar lake:
Out of Handicappness:
From there we went to Joshi German Bakery at Gopa ChowkTowards the Cursed Village of Kuldhara:
It was 10 AM now. After initial round of testing the bike in city, tied our luggage. Fueled it for Rs 600 and started towards Kuldhara. It is nearly 18 km from Jaisalmer city. After 5km we were out of the city and were greeted by splendid roads and views.
There is left turn after 14km from Jaisalmer city which takes you to Kuldhara. You are at the gate of village after 4km.
Aap ghumkar aa jao phir le lenaExperience at Kuldhara:
Lot of references are present on Internet about Kuldhara and Paliwal Brahmans.
What I felt is, there was an ultra advanced civilization here. Who not only managed to but were solid rich wrt economy and culture.
When I went through some literature I came to know the richness of the place and people who lived here. Although Paliwal Brahmins lived here in 84 villages they were vaishya by profession. And according to accounts some traders here had 5 rooms one each filled with precious metals.
People living here build villages with lakes all round it and beautiful step wells. Beautifully carved temples depict the splendor of the village. Houses neatly arranged in parallel sequence.
Chat with keeper of the cursed village: the other man standing there said. He really looked like Jungle ka aadmi. Babaji said these two were his sons.
In all these talk they were never unhappy with their life.
Towards Sam dunes:
Started the bike and left Kuldhara faring a good bye to them. Returned after riding for around 200 metres and handed Rs 50 to them. Sam dunes were another 20km from the main road.
We were warned earlier about local frauds who ask Rs100 for camel safari and they loot you inside the desert. I am not aware of any firsthand experience but got the feel of the local people who are ruining the tourist spot. As soon as we reached there, locals started pouncing on us. They chase you on bikes
Parked bike close to the Swiss tents and marched towards dunes. Spend some time there and moved towards Ramgarh village which was 65km from there.
Towards Ramgarh:
Night stay at Ramgarh:
Around 6 PM we were at Ramgarh. Luckily we located Bhavani Guest house, only guest house in Ramgarh. Across the road owner of the Guest house owned a small dhaba. Had desi dinner for Rs.80/plate.
I miss the chaas kadhi from there. Negotiated an attached room with cooler for Rs.350 a day. Costliest deal we ever had in this trip.
Now only thing we need was sound sleep.
Ride to Tanot and Longewala:
We started early at 6AM. From Ramgarh you have two routes. One goes to Longewala and one goes to Tanot. We proceeded for Tanot Mandir. Roads ahead are extremely fantastic.
You experience rolling hills enroute. Roads going up then down and repeating throughout the journey. You get nothing but military trucks and wild desert for 75km.
Invitation for tea by Maratha regiment guys:
Just before Ranau village which is the last properly habituated village we were posing for photos. Two joggers heard some Marathi word from us. They showed interest and asked us as to where we were from.
Those two were on morning PT and were happy to listen we were from Maharashtra. They invited us for tea. These guys were from Maratha regiment and they handled sophisticated satellite and voice channel tracker across borders.
We loved the experience they shared.
Moved ahead to Tanot Mandir. AFAIK it is only temple in our country where live bombs are placed next to Devi idol. We offered the pooja thali and moved ahead to Longewala post.
Surprise we received at Longewala post:ear deafening blastlagta hai shuru ho gaya!Relax! This is an army drill and you are lucky to be here!
Took some pics and started the return journey taking Longewala Ramgarh route which was around 45km. Half of the route was under construction which slowed us.
Reached Ramgarh packed our stuffs and moved to Jaisalmer.
Back to Jaisalmer:
We were in Jaisalmer before evening. Moved inside Maheshwari Seva Sadan Dharamshala near Hanuman circle for Rs.75 per person.
Next we had Vyas Chhatri in the list. Sunset looks splendid from here. Next to Vyas Chhatri was free folk program. Chief Guest was Aruna roy so decided not be part of
Will post another half of the travelogue SOON.
The plan was Mumbai to Ahmedabad by Rail. Ahmedabad to Jodhpur by Rail.
Roam around Jodhpur in 8 hours we had. Move to Jaisalmer from Jodhpur.
Stay 3 days in Jaisalmer. Visit Tanot and Longewala border post. Travel Jaisalmer to Jaipur.
Roam 1 day in Jaipur and back to Mumbai.
Short excerpt from the trip --
The tour provided us a first hand experience of cultural and spiritual insights of remote people living in expanse of Thar. It made us feel the high spirit they had to tackle challenges borne out of hard surrounding and made even harder by successive governments.
Their simplicity, never complaining nature and feel of Indian aesthetics (I feel somewhat reduced now) in their daily routine are alive in our minds.
This tour also put our negotiation skills at test. And we are happy we managed it well. We will remember the trip for the experiences soldiers shared with us, the never ending roads rolling on the hills, vast expanse of the desert land and high speed wind which makes your bike swirl on the road.
We will also remember the tour for the time we spend spellbounded sitting behind the lonely Jaisalmer fort road and speaking nothing for half an hour lost in extreme deep thoughts.
We will also remember sipping coffee at Joshi German Bakery and our eyes fixed on Jaisalmer fort.
And of course for the nice photographs we could manage.
Mumbai Ahmedabad:Ahmedabad to Jodhpur:
In Jodhpur bound train. An army man was travelling from Bangalore to Jodhpur. I was surprised by his capacity to eat Namkeen. Just as we eat rice and dal he decorated his big thali Namkeen and completed in one go !! Pata nahi agli subah kya hoga uska
Next day that is on 15th August we were at Bhagat ki kothi railway station, 5km behind Jodhpur. Autos were charging Rs 100. We walked for 50 rupees and hired auto for 50 rupees. Boond boond se gaagar bharta hai
| Big artist on big Ganesh and Small artist on small Ganesh near Bhagat ki kothi railway station |
| Devotees of Ramdev carrying kanvwar |
| Near Jodhpur main circle. 5 mins from Jodhpur railway station |
| Jodhpur main circle |
| Local ladies in discussion |
| Howz my pagdi |
| Jodhpur main baazar |
From bazaar you take right turn from chauraha which takes you to Ghanta Ghar. The ruler ordered a British company for a clock and paid 1 Lakh for its construction, 1 Lakh for transportation and 1 Lakh for copyright of the design.
| Ghanta Ghar in Jodhpur |
| The thinker below Ghanta Ghar |
| Lake and temples in Jodhpur |
| Enjoying motorboat |
| Vishwanath Dalvi posing |
Came back at Jodhpur main circle and started hunting for cheapest Dharamshala. We needed it for 3-4 hours to charge our mobile/cameras and getting fresh. Not far from circle we got one for Rs 75/person for 24 hours. It had everything we needed.
Ajab gajab train kahani (Fiasco at Jodhpur station):Abe saare ke saare chalu dabbe hain re! I said to Vishwanath. Ran again from one end of platform to other. YES, all coaches were general and heavily packed with devotees. We crosschecked train, it was same. We crosscheck our ticket it showed S1 45 and S1 47. Now the suspense where was this S1?
We asked a police standing there he explained. Train will be divided into two parts. Half of the train will leave the station. Half will remain here. The half which left the station will go where the S1 and B1 coach are. Those coaches will be joined and again the train will come back to Jodhpur station and connect the other half. Only then it will leave. As he completed, we completed with wat d dash!
A pleasant morning at Gadisar lake:
HDR version of Gadisar lake - Jaisalmer |
| Close up of a hungry fish |
| Gadisar Lake scape |
| Poser pic at Gadisar lake |
| Parked boats at Gadisar Lake - Jaisalmer |
| Colored windows at Gadisar Lake |
| Enjoying solitude |
| Lines and shapes attracts us at Gadisar Lake - Jaisalmer |
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| Art shop near Gadisar Lake - Jaisalmer |
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| Sadhu at Gadisar Lake - Jaisalmer |
Out of Handicappness:
From there we went to Joshi German Bakery at Gopa ChowkTowards the Cursed Village of Kuldhara:
It was 10 AM now. After initial round of testing the bike in city, tied our luggage. Fueled it for Rs 600 and started towards Kuldhara. It is nearly 18 km from Jaisalmer city. After 5km we were out of the city and were greeted by splendid roads and views.
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| Me posing near Jaisalmer |
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| Me posing near Jaisalmer |
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| Stone houses near Jaisalmer |
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| Rural house near Jaisalmer. Note satellite television and cooler |
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| Rural house near Jaisalmer |
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| Vishwanath Dalvi posing near Jaisalmer |
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| Kuldhara milestone |
Lot of references are present on Internet about Kuldhara and Paliwal Brahmans.
What I felt is, there was an ultra advanced civilization here. Who not only managed to but were solid rich wrt economy and culture.
When I went through some literature I came to know the richness of the place and people who lived here. Although Paliwal Brahmins lived here in 84 villages they were vaishya by profession. And according to accounts some traders here had 5 rooms one each filled with precious metals.
People living here build villages with lakes all round it and beautiful step wells. Beautifully carved temples depict the splendor of the village. Houses neatly arranged in parallel sequence.
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| Something was smelling right from beginning. I thought my clutch plate is down. But it was the silencer of Impulse which burnt my bag. |
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| Inside temple |
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| Golden pillar in Kuldhara temple |
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| Parallel houses in Kuldhara |
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| Step well in Kuldhara village |
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| Ruins of Kuldhara |
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| Ruins of Kuldhara |
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| Temple in Kuldhara - Jaisalmer |
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| Kuldhara temple architecture - Jaisalmer |
Chat with keeper of the cursed village: the other man standing there said. He really looked like Jungle ka aadmi. Babaji said these two were his sons.
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| Portrait of ghost keeper at Kuldhara |
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| L2R. Vishwanath Dalvi, Babaji (keeper of kuldhara), Niraj Yadav |
Towards Sam dunes:
Started the bike and left Kuldhara faring a good bye to them. Returned after riding for around 200 metres and handed Rs 50 to them. Sam dunes were another 20km from the main road.
We were warned earlier about local frauds who ask Rs100 for camel safari and they loot you inside the desert. I am not aware of any firsthand experience but got the feel of the local people who are ruining the tourist spot. As soon as we reached there, locals started pouncing on us. They chase you on bikes
Parked bike close to the Swiss tents and marched towards dunes. Spend some time there and moved towards Ramgarh village which was 65km from there.
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| Golden dunes at Sam - Jaisalmser |
Towards Ramgarh:
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Night stay at Ramgarh:
Around 6 PM we were at Ramgarh. Luckily we located Bhavani Guest house, only guest house in Ramgarh. Across the road owner of the Guest house owned a small dhaba. Had desi dinner for Rs.80/plate.
I miss the chaas kadhi from there. Negotiated an attached room with cooler for Rs.350 a day. Costliest deal we ever had in this trip.
Now only thing we need was sound sleep.
Ride to Tanot and Longewala:
We started early at 6AM. From Ramgarh you have two routes. One goes to Longewala and one goes to Tanot. We proceeded for Tanot Mandir. Roads ahead are extremely fantastic.
You experience rolling hills enroute. Roads going up then down and repeating throughout the journey. You get nothing but military trucks and wild desert for 75km.
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| Poser pic near Ranau village |
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| Its my turban which catches your eyes |
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| Shepherd near Ranau village |
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| Portrait of boy near Ranau village |
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| Million dollar smile near Ranau village |
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| Ranau ka gadriya |
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| Wild camels near border |
Invitation for tea by Maratha regiment guys:
Just before Ranau village which is the last properly habituated village we were posing for photos. Two joggers heard some Marathi word from us. They showed interest and asked us as to where we were from.
Those two were on morning PT and were happy to listen we were from Maharashtra. They invited us for tea. These guys were from Maratha regiment and they handled sophisticated satellite and voice channel tracker across borders.
We loved the experience they shared.
 |
| Us with Maratha guys |
Moved ahead to Tanot Mandir. AFAIK it is only temple in our country where live bombs are placed next to Devi idol. We offered the pooja thali and moved ahead to Longewala post.
Surprise we received at Longewala post:ear deafening blastlagta hai shuru ho gaya!Relax! This is an army drill and you are lucky to be here!
Reached Ramgarh packed our stuffs and moved to Jaisalmer.
Back to Jaisalmer:
We were in Jaisalmer before evening. Moved inside Maheshwari Seva Sadan Dharamshala near Hanuman circle for Rs.75 per person.
Next we had Vyas Chhatri in the list. Sunset looks splendid from here. Next to Vyas Chhatri was free folk program. Chief Guest was Aruna roy so decided not be part of
Will post another half of the travelogue SOON.
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