Jodhpur

Mehrangarh Fort rises 120 metres above Jodhpur on a basalt outcrop with the sudden, non-negotiable authority of a geological event — the city it oversees is called the Blue City because the houses around it are painted in shades of indigo that from the fort's battlements look like a sea.

Mehrangarh is one of the finest forts in India in the sense that it is the most complete: the palaces inside have never been sacked, which means their painted rooms, their carved jalis, their stained-glass windows have survived in something close to their original condition. The museum within the fort is the best-curated collection of Rajput artefacts in Rajasthan, presenting palanquins and miniature paintings and a set of armour that belonged to Akbar's general with a specificity that makes the history feel inhabited rather than archived.

The blue colour of Jodhpur's houses has multiple explanations that residents produce with relish: that blue keeps mosquitoes away, that it marked Brahmin households, that it reflects heat. The actual explanation is probably all of these. The clocktower market at Sardar Bazaar, at the base of the fort hill, sells everything the old city has always sold — spices, textiles, sweets, silver — and the spice stalls here, fragrant with saffron, dried pomegranate, and mathania chilli, are among the most sensory places in the state.

Places to Visit in Jodhpur

• Mehrangarh Fort
• Umaid Bhawan Palace
• Jaswant Thada
• Old City blue lanes
• Clock Tower Market

Things to Do in Jodhpur

• Fort walk with valley views
• Heritage palace hotel stay
• Old City walking tour
• Local market shopping for textiles