Photo of the day: inside the Jain temple at RanakpurWe headed back north from Udaipur along a route where a new road was being built – lots of construction work in place and diversions. After a couple of hours we came to a hilly and forested area, which was where Ranakpur Temple was.
This is one of the most notable Jain temple complexes – in a beautiful area feeling very peaceful and natural. At the temple there were lots of tourists but it still seemed quiet, especially in the second temple where we were the only ones there. In respect to Jain traditions we took off not only shoes and socks but also leather belts. (Jains are famous for their pure vegetarianism – e.g. sweeping the street in front of them to avoid stepping on insects, or not eating root vegetables. Does that mean no chips?)
The temple itself was ornate with many intricate marble pillars and felt cool and airy. A group of pilgrims was worshipping but we went and sat at the side where a priest came and blessed us with a yellow spot on our foreheads. The smaller temple felt very quiet and spiritual – well worth a visit.
Our driver took us to a nearby restaurant for lunch. One small disappointment has been that the driver has taken us to lunchtime spots which are expensive (by Indian standards – in some cases up to UK prices), whereas I would be happy with some street food. So today when they offered us a lunchtime buffet for 300 rupees (£4.50) I declined and got a plate of dahl and rice for 100 – still a very good deal for them. It was very tasty and I spent the next couple of hours feeling smug about my negotiating skills.
Jodhpur is dominated by its fort on a hill above the city, which we will be seeing tomorrow morning. But it seems like more of a working city. Our hotel, a 200-year old “haveli” (palace) is a fantastically ornate old style building, with courtyards and thick stone walls. It is right in the middle of the city, by the market.
After leaving our things in the room we went out for a walk in the city – this was probably our first authentic Indian city experience and it was market day! It was amazing – loud, bustling and frenetic. It was a lot more enjoyable than I might have thought – as this isn't such a touristy city we didn't get hassled at all: people were going about their business doing their shopping or going home. It was like being on a film set! We made slow progress down the street, getting out of the way of vehicles or cows lying in the street (I am secretly rather scared of cows), making a couple of purchases in the shops – a pharmacy store and a kitchenware store, where we got a tiffin for my packed lunches back at work.
Every day is fascinating and exciting – but I'm exhausted! A quiet biryani on the rooftop restaurant and a good sleep tonight, I think...
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