Jodhpur to Udaipur (Bishnoi Villages) Jan 20

1953 Land Rover

The sun is a golden ball as we head out to our jeep safari to visit the Bishnoi villages south of Jodhpur. It rained the same day and night that it did when we were in Jaipur, but because of the clay soil, the rainwater is still puddled on the unpaved roads. Deepak's 1953 Land Rover bounces us off our seats as he makes a stop at a potter's village. It's still pretty early, but the children are already playing on the clay and sawdust piles that they use to make the clay pots that women employ to carry water and that also keep the water cool in the heat of the summer.

making a pot

I expected the potter to have a kick wheel, but he didn't even have that. His wheel, typical of the potters in this and probably other villages, is perfectly balanced on the point of a piece of wood and turned with a stick. Remarkably, the wheel revolves for a long period of time while the potter makes a small pot with a lid. Again, he turns the wheel with the stick and makes a bigger pot. The results are rough but very pragmatic. We see the big piles of pots they have already made in the small kiln that is surprisingly sufficient for their products. Of course, we buy a few items and get back in the jeep for the second stop.

piles of clay pots

wild peacocks

fixing lunch in her kitchen

On the way we spot half a dozen gazelles, some peacocks and the ever-present Brahma bull. We were hoping to see some more animals, but then it's not a wildlife safari, so we are satisfied. We come to the second stop, not an artisan but a family who lives in a typical country house. It is rustic, for sure. The wife is very gracious and offers us a masala tea (chai). We accept, and she shows us her miniscule kitchen, sleeping rooms, and the animals' shelter.

fixing opium ceremony

The man of the house, her father-in-law, prepares an opium ceremony, much to our surprise. Deepak explains that the villagers have, for a long time, celebrated "opium ceremonies" not by smoking it but by making it into a tea. They grind the poppy seeds and mix with water, then they filter it, and, because it's bitter, add sugar and make it into a tar type of substance. For the ceremony they break off a piece of the opium mixture, add water. filter it, and pour it into their hands. The leader then offers a drink from his hand. Needless to say, we decline with big smiles, assuring him that the whole thing was most interesting.

our rug in progress

The third stop is at the hut of a dhurrie rug weaver (hooray). I've always enjoyed dhurries and hoped that I'd be able to see how they are made. We watch him weave and explain the pattern and how he goes about deciding which one he wants to do. He shows us a big stack and we decide that we actually like the one he is presently working on the best. He'll send it as soon as he's done.

bank card machine run on solar

Jain Temple

With that, our tour is over, and we head back to our driver, Jaq. From there we proceed to the Jain temple a few hours down the road. It is the largest and .most ornate in India and is quite an architectural wonder, besides. It's hard to describe, so I'll just put some photos of it on the blog.

close up of roofline Jain temple

Jain temple close up

me with guard (right) and little girl who wanted to be in photo
man with red turban??? I have no idea who he is
Now we are a bit behind schedule because we've stopped in extra places, so we set our compass south and head for Udaipur.