A NEW HOPE - Page 21

Hey this was a great update......truely enjoyed every part of it.... 👏

the dance between naina nad raj was very romantic... 😳 👏

good to see that Yudi and shalini' relationship is progressing... 👏

the update was execellent....too good 👏

just a request ...but please try and update as soon as possible....we all have gotten into the habit of reading your updates every day...something that we look forward to....

Will be waiting for the next update.

hey anji(hope u dont mind me callin u like that).. nice update... but pls dont take a break 😭 .. update everyday na... coz we have gotten used to readin your ff daily.. and sorry for the late comment... 😊

@ quietrajpri - thanks for the comment...

@ Shaina - wah... thanks a lot for such a big and lovely comment... shayad Abhi bhi in secret passages ko khud ke liye use karega... thank you....

@ Dazzling_glory - thank you... glad to see that ur such an avid reader, i'll try my best to update as soon as i can....

@ Archana - no problems, i'll try to update asap....

hey anji... when ll your next update be??

@ Archana - maybe on Wednesday night... it's sort of a 80-20% thing... i'll confirm it tomorrow....

Sorry everyone; i'll be updating tomorrow evening, 100%....

Sorry for the delay... part one is coming up now...

The next morning; everyone woke up early as they had a long day ahead of them. Abhimanyu had organized a sightseeing trip first thing after breakfast was over and in the late afternoon, everyone would go shopping to finish all the last minute things. The roka ceremony was going to be held the following day and shortly after that, the wedding functions would begin. All of them finished showering quickly, got ready and met downstairs in the dining hall for breakfast. Once they were done, Abhimanyu got up to make a small announcement.

"Aaj hum sab Jodhpur ke kuch puraane aur mashoor jagah dekhne jaa rahe hai; juch ghanto ke liye wahan ghumenge aur phir mahal mein waapis aake shopping ke liye chale jaayenge…"

"Sir, kya hum sabko shopping ke liye jaana hai?" Huda asked.

"Yes Huda… kal roka hone waala hai, isliye saari shopping aaj hi khatam karni hogi…" Navin said.

"Okay, toh kya hum chale?" Gunny asked.

They all left the dining hall and went outside the palace to the entrance gates. As always, there were 4 silver cars standing in the driveway. The group split themselves into 5, 4, 3 and 3 and once everyone was settled, the cars left the palace and headed for the heart of Jodhpur where they would spend the next couple of hours sightseeing. Navin had taken up the job of being the guide on their trip and would be telling everyone about the famous, ancient monuments and other places which they visited.

In the car where Naina and Rajveer were, Navin, Sherry and Aalekh had decided to join the couple, making it the wedding couple's sibling's car.

"Bhaai, humaara pehla stop kahan hoga?" Naina asked.

Navin flipped through some sheets he had in his hand and said, "Pehle hum Mehrangarh Fort dekhenge, uske baad Umaid Bhavan, then Mandar Garden. In sab ko dekhne ke baad, ek choti si picnic ke liye hum Balsamand Lake jaayenge…" Navin said.

"Wow… Jodhpur mein itni saari acchi jagah hai, it's a good thing ki aap dono yahan shaadi kar rahe hai, bhaiyya, kyunki agar aap nahi karte toh I would never get to see such wonderful sights." Sherry said.

"Haan… bole toh, yeh jagah bahut mast hai…" Aalekh said.

About 20-30 minutes after leaving the palace, the cars stopped near the Mehrangarh Fort and everyone got out. Navin led them inside where they saw that there were a lot of tourists and locals roaming about clicking pictures and listening to the guide about the history of this fort. Their guide, Navin led them to a nice empty area inside the fort where the others took a couple of photo's after which he began telling them a little about the fort.

"This fort was built by Rao Jodha in 1459 on a rocky hill which was known as Bhaurcheeria, the mountain of birds. Entry to the fort is gained though a series of 7 gates. The most famous of the gates are: -

1. Jai Pol ("Gate of Victory"), built by Maharaja Man Singh in 1806 to celebrate his victory in a war with Jaipur and Bikaner.

2. Fateh Pol built to celebrate a victory over the Mughals in 1707;

3. Dedh Kamgra Pol, which still bears the scars of bombardment by cannonballs.

4. Loha Pol, which is the final gate into the main part of the fort complex. Immediately to the left are the handprints (sati marks) of the ranis who in 1843 immolated themselves on the funeral pyre of their husband, Maharaja Man Singh.

Within the fort, several brilliantly crafted and decorated palaces are found. Of these, Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace), Phool Mahal (Flower Palace), Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace), Sileh Khana, and Daulat Khana are notable. One also finds the fort museum comprising several palaces. This museum houses an exquisite collection of palanquins, howdahs, royal cradles, miniatures, musical instruments, costumes and furniture. The ramparts of the fort are home to not only several excellently preserved old cannon (including the famous Kilkila) but also offer a breath-taking view of the city." Navin said.

"Wow… tumhe itni information kahan se mili?" Rajveer asked.

"Main yahan bahut baar aa chukka hoon, in jagahon par pehle aaya hoon, isliye saare monuments ke baare mein sab pata hai… aur waise bhi, agar mujhe kuch yaad nahi hai, toh in kagaaz hai… inmein sab likha hai…" Navin said, indicating to the sheet of papers he had.

"How big is this fort?" Yudi asked.

"It stands at 400 feet." Navin replied.

"Bahut hi acchi jagah hai…" Ali commented.

"Haan, toh Mr. Guide, iss bade se fort mein dekhne ke liye kya hai?" Gunny asked.

"Bahut kuch, main aapko dikhata hoon, this way please." Navin said.

He led his friends to a Temple which was located inside the fort, and after the photos were clicked, everyone waited patiently for their guide to impart his knowledge about this temple to them.

"This is The Chamunda Mataji Temple. Chamunda Mataji was Rao Jodha's favorite goddess. Her idol was brought from Mandore and placed here in 1460. She remains the Maharaja's and the Royal Family's Isht Devi or adopted goddess and is worshipped by most of Jodhpur's citizens as well." Navin said. "Ab, chalte hai Moti Mahal ke andar…"

He led them all inside one of the most well known period rooms, Moti Mahal or the Pearl Palace. Everyone was amazed to see that this was still intact and beautifully decorated. It seemed to be new even though it had the feel of a few hundred years.

"Iss jagah ki khaas baat kya hai?" Roma asked Navin.

"This was built by Raja Sur Singh during his reign from 1595-1619. It is the largest of the periodic rooms inside the fort. Sur Singh's Moti Mahal has five alcoves leading onto hidden balconies; it is believed they were built for his five queens to listen in on court proceeding." Navin said.

"Ab hum kahan jaayenge?" Neelu asked.

"Now, we move on to the Sheesh Mahal or the Hall of Mirrors." Navin replied.

From the Sheesh Mahal, they went on to Takhat Vilas which was the Maharaja Takhat Singh's Chamber. Their last stop inside the Mehrangarh Fort was Phool Mahal; Palace of Flowers. Once they were done clicking pictures and stuff, the group left the fort and headed for their next destination, Umaid Bhavan. 15 minutes after leaving the fort, the cars stopped outside the palace. They were not allowed to go inside, but had permission to take pictures.

Once that was over, Navin gave them a brief description of the palace before everyone went on to their next stop on their sightseeing tour.

"The Umaid Bhavan was the only palace to have been built in the 20th century by Maharaja Umaid Singh in 1929. It was done so to give employment to all the famine struck population of Jodhpur which had occurred around that time. It was called Chittar Palace during its construction because it was located on Chittar Hill. This palace is built out of sandstone and took 16 years to complete." Navin told them all.

"Yeh jagah bahut sundar hai…" Shalini exclaimed.

"Haan… it's big and beautiful" Yudi added.

"How big is the palace?" Naina asked.

"It has 347 rooms, and the central dome is 110 feet tall. The palace grounds cover about 26 acres." Navin said looking at the sheets for the statistic numerals.

"Alright, our last stop before we take a break is the Mandar or Mandore Garden. Shall we go?" Navin asked them.

Everyone agreed that one last stop was fine with them before they took a small break. They all headed to the Mandar Garden which was about 5 to 7 minutes away from the Umaid Bhavan. When they reached there, everyone noticed that it was indeed a garden, but different from normal ones. Navin didn't know too much about this, so he told everyone what little information he had.

"Yeh Rishi Mandu ka ashram hua karta tha…" Abhimanyu said before Navin began his speech.

"Haan. Par tumhe kaise pata Abhi?" Navin asked.

"Hum Barmer ke raja zaroor honge, mere dost, par iska matlab yeh toh nahi hai ki humein apne hi sehar ke baare mein kuch pata na ho… hum aksar Babasa ke saath ghumne jaate thhe… unhone humein iss jagah ke baare mein bataya tha…" Abhimanyu said.

"Oh… okay. As Abhi said, this garden was really an ashram that belonged to Rishi Mandu. There is a gate further inside that is called 'Ajit Pole' and as you all can see over there, that is now a government museum, 'A Hall of Heroes' which has 16 figures carved out of a single rock and next to it is 'The temple of 33 crore gods'" Navin said.

"Hai, phir toh hum sabko wahan chalke apne memory card mein sab kuch store karna chahiye…" Pooja said excitedly.