A brother's house in the new city
Who built it: Maharaj Ajit Singh, a younger brother of Maharaja Umaid Singh, the ruler who began Umaid Bhawan Palace on Chittar Hill in 1929.
A younger son: he did not inherit the throne, but he held a place of honour at court and built himself a residence in the new city, outside the old walls.
When: the house went up in the 1920s, and several accounts give 1927 as its date.
- Built
- The 1920s, often dated 1927
- Built for
- Maharaj Ajit Singh
- Known as
- One of India's first heritage hotels
- Setting
- The newer city, outside the walls
- Good for
- A family welcome and conversation
- Getting there
- A short drive from the airport
- A palace in miniature: sandstone, courtyards, verandas and gardens, designed for the comfortable, sociable life of a twentieth-century Rajput nobleman.
- Polo and cavalry: Jodhpur in these years was famous for both, and for a court that moved easily between Rajput tradition and English country-house habits.
- Famous horsemen: Sir Pratap Singh had made the state's riders famous, and the Jodhpur Lancers had fought in the First World War.
- An airfield: the city was laying one out on the edge of the desert.
- Built for that life: guests for dinner, horses in the stables, a drawing room for conversation and long evenings on the veranda.
- The old order ends: after Independence the princely states joined India, and Jodhpur became part of Rajasthan in 1949.
- 1971: the royal families lost first their states and then the privy purses that had replaced them, and faced a stark choice about houses they could no longer afford to run.
- The wider story: our journal piece on the Jodhpur royal family tells it.
The house that opened its doors
The house is still run by Ajit Singh's descendants, and that continuity is the reason to stay. A modern hotel can copy the furniture, but it cannot copy a family that has lived with these rooms for a century and can tell you who sat in which chair.
Among the very first: Ajit Bhawan is often described as India's first heritage hotel, and it was certainly among the earliest.
- What came before: Rajasthan's palace hotels were mostly grand buildings run on hotel lines.
- What was new here: a real home, with family portraits on the walls, the owners at dinner, Marwari food from the family kitchen, and the sense of being a house guest rather than a customer.
- A model others followed: dozens of forts, havelis and rawlas across Rajasthan copied it, and the government eventually gave the idea its own name, the heritage hotel.
- Village outings: the family also pioneered taking guests out to meet the villages around Jodhpur, an idea now everywhere in Marwar.
- A classic half day: today the Bishnoi villages and craft hamlets south of the city are offered by a great many families and hotels.
- How the movement grew: our journal pieces on heritage hotels explained and on rawlas and thikanas explain it and the old estates behind it.
Inside a 1920s Rathore residence
Rajput bones: sandstone walls, arched verandas, carved brackets and small domed pavilions on the roofline.
Modern comforts of their day: high ceilings, wide doors, and rooms planned around gardens rather than enclosed courtyards.
After the sieges: a house built when a noble family could afford to look outward.
- Style
- Rajput bones, 1920s comforts
- Material
- Sandstone
- Look for
- The Gol Kamra, the round drawing room
- Rooms
- Historic house and later buildings
- Outdoors
- Gardens and a pool
- The Gol Kamra: the round drawing room where the family received guests. It still sets the tone for the house.
- Historic rooms: some keep the furniture and atmosphere of the old residence, with family photographs, painted details and period pieces.
- More space: other rooms are in later buildings within the grounds, with contemporary comforts.
- How rooms are given: the hotel allocates them, so we don't promise one. Tell us whether you want history or space and we ask accordingly.
- Reading the windows: our journal piece on what a jharokha is helps with the windows and balconies around the house.
- Afternoons: when the city outside is hot and busy, the lawns are shaded and quiet, and the only traffic is birds.
- Evenings: lamps go on in the courtyards and verandas, and the house becomes what it was built to be, a place for long conversations over dinner.
What a stay here feels like
Relaxed, not formal: staff learn your name quickly, and many have worked for the family for years.
The family is around: if they are at home, they may stop to ask about your day or tell you a story about the house.
- Who loves it: guests who enjoy that kind of warmth. Those who prefer the anonymity of a large hotel may find it a little intimate.
- A central base: the house is in the newer city, not inside the walls or on a distant hill. Mehrangarh is about fifteen minutes by car.
- Close by: the clock tower and Sardar Market are a short drive, and the city's shops and restaurants are near.
- The rhythm: out early, back to the house at midday to rest in the heat, out again in the late afternoon. It suits guests who want to see Jodhpur properly without being worn out.
- Heritage quirks: thick walls that can weaken wifi, a few steps here and there, and older bathrooms in some historic rooms.
- Limited mobility: tell us, and we check the right rooms before we book.
The family kitchen
Dhani: the restaurant is named after the Marwari word for a desert hamlet, and is known for reviving the old dishes of Marwar alongside the familiar Rajasthani menu.
Khad maas: meat cooked slowly in a sealed pot buried in hot coals, a technique from the hunting camps of the desert.
Bajre ki raab: a warm, soothing porridge of pearl millet and buttermilk that village families drink in winter.
- Restaurant
- Dhani
- The name
- Marwari for a desert hamlet
- Known for
- Reviving old Marwari dishes
- Ask about
- Khad maas, bajre ki raab, panchkuta
- Tell us early
- Jain and other dietary needs
- Panchkuta: a dish of five desert ingredients, among them ker berries and sangri beans.
- Menus change: so we don't promise particular dishes.
- The everyday table: dal, gatte in yoghurt curry, ker sangri, and bajra rotis with white butter and garlic chutney.
- For meat eaters: laal maas, fiery with red Mathania chillies.
- Breakfast: on a veranda, with hot parathas and fresh curd, one of the small pleasures of a stay.
- Learn more: our food of Jodhpur guide explains the dishes, and our cooking class in a haveli page explains how we arrange time in a family kitchen.
- Special meals: tea in the old drawing room, dinner under the stars on the lawn, or a private meal for a family celebration can all be arranged.
Rest, pool and the shady hours
Gardens and a pool: in the warmer months the middle of the day is best spent beside the water.
Treatments: massages and simple treatments can usually be arranged, but offerings change, so we confirm what is available rather than promising a full spa.
- If a spa matters: we may pair a night here with Umaid Bhawan Palace or a wellness-focused hotel elsewhere on your journey.
- An early walk: in winter, stroll the quiet streets of the newer city, past the old bungalows and gardens of the twentieth-century nobility.
- Wider choices: our page on spas and Ayurveda explains them across Rajasthan.
Jodhpur from the house
- Planned around light and heat: our guides and chauffeurs shape each day that way.
- More ideas: our full list of things to do in Jodhpur.
Mehrangarh, first thing
When: drive up for opening time.
- Allow: a full morning.
- The heart of it: the palace rooms, the armoury and the views over the blue city.
The clock tower at dusk
- Getting there: a short drive to the clock tower and Sardar Market.
- Best time: late afternoon and early evening, when the stalls are lit and the mirchi bada sellers are frying.
Jaswant Thada and the rock park
- The cenotaph: white marble below the fort, glowing in the late afternoon.
- The rock park: gentle walking trails beside it, among the native plants of the Thar.
Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum
Close by: the museum wing of the palace built by Ajit Singh's brother.
- Why go: it explains the world this house belonged to.
- For children: the classic cars outside are a hit.
The villages to the south
A morning out: the Bishnoi and craft villages south of the city.
- What you see: potters and weavers at work, and blackbuck grazing near the homes.
- The story: our journal tells it in Bishnoi conservation.
Two days from Ajit Bhawan, the way we would spend them
Day one, the fort and the old city
Early: leave after an early tea and be at Mehrangarh as the gates open.
Morning: the palace rooms and the ramparts, then walk down through the blue lanes of Brahmpuri to Toorji ka Jhalra, the restored stepwell.
- Midday: back to the house for lunch and a rest by the pool.
- Late afternoon: drive to Jaswant Thada for the low sun on the marble.
- Dusk: Sardar Market as the clock tower lights up.
- Dinner: at home, with Marwari dishes from the family kitchen.
Day two, villages, palaces and gardens
Early: the Bishnoi and craft villages south of the city, where blackbuck graze close to the homes and potters and weavers work in their courtyards.
Midday: return for lunch.
- Afternoon: the museum wing of Umaid Bhawan, the palace built by Ajit Singh's brother.
- Then north: the cenotaphs of Mandore, the old Rathore capital, and tea by the lake at Bal Samand.
- Evening: dinner on the lawn, or a table on the terrace at Umaid Bhawan for the view of Mehrangarh across the city.
With a third day
- Go further: drive out to the temples and dunes of Osian, or move on to a village fort for the night.
- Other lengths: our Jodhpur itinerary gives one-, two-, three- and four-day versions.
Who will love it, and who won't
Character and conversation: you will love it if you enjoy the feeling of staying with a family.
Second or third trips to India: travellers who want something personal.
Couples: who would rather have warmth than grandeur.
- Families: who want gardens and a pool within easy reach of the sights.
- The curious: the house itself tells how Rajasthan's royal families adapted to the modern world.
- Want great palace drama: choose Umaid Bhawan Palace.
- Want the old city at the door: choose RAAS Jodhpur.
- Want every room identical: the variety of a heritage house may frustrate you.
- Compare: our guide to luxury hotels in Jodhpur sets the options side by side.
How Ajit Bhawan fits our journeys
Warmth between grand cities: in the Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur journey, it gives the middle of the trip a family feel.
On the havelis trail: on the heritage havelis trail, it sits naturally among the painted mansions and family-run houses we choose across Rajasthan.
- A city prelude: on our Village Rajasthan journey, it eases you towards the forts of Rohet and Khimsar.
- Town house, then country fort: our favourite pairing is two nights here and then a night or two at Rohet Garh or Chandelao Garh.
- The old pattern of Marwar life: our heritage havelis guide explains other houses that work the same way.
When to stay
October to March: the season, with warm days, cool mornings and cold nights in December and January.
Busiest dates: the Rajasthan International Folk Festival at Mehrangarh in October, Diwali, and Christmas and New Year. Book early.
- Best months
- October to March
- Coldest nights
- December and January
- Hot season
- April to June
- Monsoon
- July to September, quieter
- Book early for
- Folk festival, Diwali, New Year
- April to June: very hot. The shade of the gardens and the pool become essential.
- The monsoon: July to September is quieter, with occasional storms and a brief green flush across Marwar.
- Month by month: our best time to visit Jodhpur guide has the detail.
Getting there
By air: Jodhpur Airport (JDH) is a short drive away. We meet you at arrivals.
By train: the main railway station is also close, with trains to Delhi, Jaipur and other cities.
- Nearest airport
- Jodhpur (JDH), a short drive
- By rail
- Main station, close by
- To Mehrangarh
- About fifteen minutes
- From Jaipur
- About five to six hours
- From Udaipur
- About five hours via Ranakpur
- From Jaisalmer
- About five hours
- Into the old city: Mehrangarh is about fifteen minutes by car, and the clock tower a similar distance, depending on traffic.
- By road: Jaipur is about five to six hours away, Udaipur about five hours via Ranakpur, and Jaisalmer about five hours.
- Planning drives: our guide to getting around Rajasthan explains how we do it.
What we tell friends before they stay
Linger at dinner: conversation with the family and staff is part of the stay.
Ask about the portraits: someone will usually know the story behind each one.
- Order something new: at least one old Marwari dish you have never heard of.
- Choose your room type: tell us whether you want a historic room or a more spacious modern one.
- Plan a village morning: in the villages south of the city.
- Learn one greeting: khamma ghani, the Marwari hello, and use it.
- Add a village fort: pair your nights here with one for the full picture of Marwar life.