Journey to Jodhpur - Kumbalgarh Fort and Ranakpur Jain Temple

I decided to hire a taxi to my next destination, Jodhpur. This was the best way to see the fort at Kumbalgarh and the beautiful marble Jain temple at Ranakpur which were on the way.

Unfortunately, buses (which are much cheaper) and used to make this journey had gone out of business. Also, due to the low season, it would be just me in the cab. Cab hire in India includes the cost of the return trip for the driver and any overnight accommodation. The cost for the 600km round trip in an insured AC car, which would take from 09.30 to 19.00 was INR 3000 (about £40). This was a mere £5 more than the taxi fare from central London to Blackheath i made on many a friday night (which was a mere 15km).. !!


My driver was called Anand, and i had a really interesting chat with him on the way. He told me he supported a wife and 2 kids and needed about 10,000 Rs per month (1 GBP = 73 INR) to look after them. His rent cost 2000 Rs, sending his kids to a private school cost 2000 Rs in fees etc. I'd imagine his wage was only 4000 - 5000 per month and he said the rest were collected from tips. He said the whole hotel industry depended on tipping to survive...
He had driven lorries before this, which was useful, as he was wide awake when i was slipping in and out of sleep that afternoon...


Kumbalgarh (85 km north of Udaipur) is not the most interesting of forts in itself, but its walls stretch for an incredible 36km ! That is second only to the Great Wall of China...


Approach to the fort :







The building where the Maharana was born..


One of 360 temples enclosed within the walls :





Next stop was Ranakpur which was another hours drive :

This is a Jain temple built in solid marble around the 15th century. I think Jains like Hindus consider cows as holy as we weren't even able to wear our belts inside ...




The temple has 1444 pillars and no two are alike..it must have taken ages to build..










It was an absolutely beautiful and intricately carved temple...

The head priest of the temple offered to show me (& other foreigners) some of the oldest statues of deities, which were locked in small chambers, in return for 'a donation to the temple' (money which was quickly secreted beneath his robe), which soured the occasion somewhat. It's sad to see supposedly holy men in one of the most important Jain temples corrupted by money....


Then we drove to Jodhpur, Anand dodging the potholes which my head bobbed gently up and down in deep sleep...