Still up North!

Lots on the agenda today before we return to Jodhpur.  Time for a quick walk around the garden before breakfast on the verandah. 

Mostly the Indian people like to have their photographs taken. In fact they ask, especially the young men.

I just peeped over the hedge and the neighbours were already in the garden and promptly stood and posed for me.

The Neighbour

We climbed into Khrishnapal’s open jeep and bumped our away along the dusty tracks towards the school which seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. It was 8.30am and already very hot.

 There are about 150 children at this school.  As our visits are all planned by Kishal so we go to places where there are no other tourists.  

We could hear the children’s excited chatter as we drove in but they were soon lined up and sat down on the verandah. They respond to the teachers immediately! You could hear a pin drop, and we were invited to take photographs. Not very exciting as they were all in a crowd, but some lovely faces.

Back in the very basic classrooms we were left alone with them to get more photographs. They can’t help staring a lot and I seemed to be a source of amusement, don’t know whether it was because I’m  a white woman or whether it was my hat!

He was a really cheeky little fella!

He was happy to write his name!

Noticed the eyes on this one

Had a peek in the classroom before they went in-basic!

It's a wonder I got a photograph of these two, they were giggling so much. Sitting on the floor to work doesn't seem to bother them.

She wanted to wear my hat and glasses, she was very bossy and wanted her friends in the image.  Prescription glasses! Must say she looks better in the hat than I do.

These ladies appeared, don't know why. We were lucky to get this as when they were near the men they covered their faces.

The school saw us off with the national anthem which they sang with gusto. Kishal also but the staff didn't. Krishnapal got in the picture but I'm glad he did. He was a perfect host.

We found our Reika goat man, counting his sheep I think.

We managed to get some shots of him walking up and down and then as if by magic people started appearing from all over the place.  The young man on the motor bike couldn't be persuaded by Kishal and Krishnapal to go past....said he was going to turn right into the field but when we moved the herder he turned round and went back the way he came.  He just wanted his photograph taken. However, by this time the Reika had to go back to the fields so we retired to the house nearby for a cup of chai.

This is where the chai was being made. Mother is in blue. Her two children to her left.

The other woman and her family just turned up.  They were all very shy. I think they were a bit overawed by the fact they were hosting not only us but another religious man. I don't know quite what position he held but they (and us) were very honoured that he came along.

The little boy still looks very wary of the religious man!  We tried very much to get them to not look at us but it was very difficult.  The room was about 6'x8' with two seats in it so not easy to get images.

Jogi Village
We visited a group of Jogi nomads. Although they do roam the countryside they were at the same place when the group visited last year.  As you can see they are very poor but always smiling and very pleased to see us. Music was blaring out when we arrived and they came rushing from all directions.

This is where they live!

These are two of the older men in the village, we noticed that the young men and boys tend to wear western style clothes. They tried to push themselves in all of the photographs!

They asked for a group picture. They were very happy

This baby has the most amazing eyes.

We were treated to a dance before we left

I think they wanted to come with us!

One of my favourite girls

This young lady is 100 years old. After I took this she went and squatted against the wall.  I couldn't!

I think these must be all their worldly goods.

I did a bit of research on these people and apparently they are originally snake charmers. Had I known this I wouldn't have got out of the jeep.  We didn't see any thank goodness.

What a morning, we were all over the place. back in the jeep and on our way back to the farm for lunch, or so we thought, but Krishnapal thought it would be a good idea if we called in at his parents place to photograph one of the two women they employ to grind the millet.

They put the short pole in a hole in the stone wheel and keep it spinning while putting the millet in the hole in the centre.  Hard work!

 She had the most beautiful smile and seemed to know how to pose! After a glass of very welcome home made lemon water and meeting Krishnapal's Mother we were on our way back to Krishnapal's home for a lovely lunch and soon our great two days away was over and we were back in Jodhpur.

Way up North!

Day 1

I was pleased to see that we were travelling 200km up to the farm in a nice comfortable air conditioned car!   The plan was.....an overnight stay at a farm in the middle of nowhere really!  We would arrive late afternoon and some Reika tribesmen were coming out to be photographed at sunset.
Before I left for India I was thinking... very rural, talk of sleeping on the roof (Mark, Kishal, Steve and our host did) would need a torch, so that went in the suitcase. Would be completely surrounded by poisonous snakes and was wondering what I would do if I came face to face with a cobra, they spit in your eyes don't they so would my sunglasses save me and so on...so had a panic attack about that!  Why was I going!!  Because I wanted to do the photography course!  
Anyway here I was... the road was a main road but very bumpy in places.  We had been told about the motorcycle God so the plan was to stop at the temple as it is on the way.

This is the motorbike at the temple. As in all temples we had to take our shoes off before we could walk around. Kishal also paid for us to have a 'tikka' a red spot on our forehead.
I was very proud of that!

There was music at the shrine

It was very hot standing here!

This happens in Chotila village of Rajasthan where the people have also build a temple in memory of the bike’s  owner, Om Singh Rathor also known as Om Banna or Bullet Baba. Om Banna, the owner of the bike died 20 years ago in an accident while driving his ‘bullet’.

(A Royal Enfield!)

According to the devotees who wait for long hours to pay tribute to their God, every time Om’s bike was taken to the local police station, after the accident, it disappeared from there each time and was later recovered from another site

This unusual incident made people of Jodhpur to worship the bike as their God and the news about the miracle spread like wildfire.

There are sayings from the local people that if you are travel to Pali-Jodhpur and returned without stopping and worshipping the Bullet Baba you might not reach to your destination safely.

The local people also say that the motorcycle miraculously starts some time on the date and time of Om’s death.  (Taken from the internet but the same account as told us by Kishal.)

 We drove on and on, the roads getting smaller and bumpier taking us further into the countryside.

As I have to eat regularly by this time I was flagging and desperately needing to eat.  We stopped at a small village. Kishal said he had ordered me something to eat from a road stand. My heart sank, I had been so careful not to eat meat, not to drink local water, sterilize my hands etc. I couldn't refuse!  While we were waiting for them to cook (Mark wouldn't allow us to waste a minute! he was a real slavedriver! ) I'm only saying because I know he reads this! Off we went to a small alleyway where he had found these two characters!

He was hand crafting a soft rope and plastic strips to repair the seat he was sitting on.

These were just enjoying the moment!

Kishal walked over to my car and handed me a bundle wrapped in newspaper. They were spinach bargees (I think) Cooked in the lightest of batter and were delicious!

So off we bumped again and drove until we saw a man in a jeep waiting for us. This was our host. He led us onto a narrow track by a canal.  I could see our driver was getting a bit anxious that the trees were brushing against his car and I was getting anxious that he was getting closer to the canal than I was comfortable with as I was sitting that side!  However, a mile or so further on surrounded by big bushes we came to the beautiful farmhouse.   We were greeted with great hospitality and freshly made lemon water which was delicious.

My room- no sleeping on the rooftop for me!

A short rest and a cucumber sandwich high tea and then sunset was almost upon us and as the sun sets pretty quickly we had to really work fast to get our sunset photographs. The light was amazing.

Another smoke!

Sunset arrived too quickly! I pretty much missed it! although we did get a slight one, it wasn't the greatest but that's the luck of the draw.  Something I shall never forget!

Supper was served on the rooftop under a beautiful starlit sky with the brightest half crescent moon. We couldn't see the stars in Jodhpur.

Mandore Gardens,Jodhpur

Mandore is an ancient town, and was the seat of the Pratiharas of Mandavyapura, who ruled the region in the 6th century CE. The rulers of this dynasty probably became vassals of the imperial Gurjara-Pratiharas.

Jodhpur is now the capital.

Our Bubas were waiting for us at the Mandore Gardens. These are wandering religious men (They don't preach) They had been hired as our models for the time we were at the gardens.  

The Buba in the red turban was quite serious but the one in the white turban had a mischievous look in his eye and a ready smile.

As I pushed my way through the very stiff turnstile my heart sank when I saw the unkempt gardens and I wondered whatever we had come to! Vishal, our hotel owner and guide for the day had told us that the gardens had once been the best in the whole of Asia but had now been left pretty much unattended but I had not thought they would be so unloved.  But..... then as we rounded the bend and the beautiful sandstone buildings came into view I could forgive the slight neglect of the gardens.

The 'Mandore gardens', with its charming collection of temples and memorials, and its high rock terraces, is a major attraction. The gardens house the Chhatris (cenotaphs) of many rulers of Jodhpur state. Prominent among them is the chhatri of Maharaja Ajit Singh, built in 1793.  There is no fee to go in so perhaps if they charged a small amount they could slowly restore the gardens to their former glory.

Resting and contemplating!  We had been working him hard lifting the sacks up and down.

This is what he was contemplating! It is common practice for the religious men.

Walking through the park to the temple at the top of the hill we were hoping that there would be a wedding blessing.  We had no way of knowing and hung around for a while waiting. Luckily a couple showed up. 

Outside the temple, a lady selling flowers.

We were allowed in the temple after taking our shoes off.  We were also allowed to photograph. It was so crowded that I couldn't get any decent photographs of the ceremony but the new husband and wife take small coconuts and give them to the officiator, (we think it was the father of the bride or groom).

After the ceremony the wife is led to the small altar fire (they didn't bring the cow he was already there) and halved coconuts are put on the fire as an offering (It is said by some that coconut is God's fruit) by the wife and husband, relatives and friends.

The husband swapped hats with Steve (one of our gang!)

The new wife was a little over whelmed and shed a few tears!

I took a photograph of this old lady just to spite her because she kept poking me in the ribs in the temple when I was trying to take photographs!

It was all over within 30 minutes and our Bubas were patiently waiting for us by the Hall of Heroes.

The 'Hall of Heroes' commemorates popular folk heroes of the region. It contains 16 figures carved out of a single rock. Next door is a larger hall called "The temple of 33 crore gods" which houses images of various Hindu deities.

In their time these would have been beautiful statues but like the rest of the gardens they have not been very well looked after which is such a great shame.

Now it was time to leave and wend our way back to the car, past a few street vendors selling their trinkets and souvenirs. We passed quite a large crowd of monkeys on our way out. They had been given some food and some had young so I didn't hang around to take photographs. They have a bit of a reputation of being nosy and can be quite vicious.