A loving wedding invite, and we were all set to travel to Kishangarh, the famous city in Ajmer district in the state of Rajasthan, known across the country for marble processing units.
The historical town is accessible via air, rail and road. While some of the baraatis chose to travel by Vande Bharat, we planned to travel by road in our car, with our boot crammed with numerous outfits for the multiple ceremonies. Early morning, we took the state highway onto NH152D, which connected us to NH148B and later to NH48. The eight-hour-long journey was pretty enjoyable as the fresh green wheat fields greeted us on both sides of the road with water sprinklers spraying merrily. Spring had spread its magic wand with fresh, gorgeous green shoots on the barren Kikar trees, pink/white/fuchsia bougainvillaea and yellow tikoma buds bursting on the dividers.
Rajasthan is a desert state geographically, yet the exuberance of the inhabitants is unparalleled. We had to stop to let a big herd of long-horn cows pass. The nomads accompanying wore such vibrant colours, the jewellery and gota work of the female clothes shining bright. We also came across pilgrims on foot, marching to Khattu Shyam Ji, carrying bright flags. Numerous food stalls had been put up en route for them.
We reached in nick of time for the Haldi ceremony. We parked our car in the portico and joined the family. It was fun participating in Marwari wedding rituals; we danced ourselves crazy and gorged on delicious traditional food, so lovingly served. With the groom’s and bride’s families in the same resort, our itinerary was hectic, but somehow we sneaked in a city tour.
Kishangarh is famous for its fort/palace, painting and Katni marble. Our first destination turned out to be a dampener. The fort is inhabited by the descendants of the royal family and is private property prohibited for commoners. The home of Bani Thani paintings, i.e. the miniature paintings of Kishangarh, too, has restricted entry. We visited the Khoda Ganesh temple and the Navgrah temple atop a small hillock. Gundalav Lake is a huge water attraction, with some ancient, dilapidated structures.
The high point of our tour was the visit to the marble dump yard. It is a huge site where the marble slurry is stocked. A unique effort in waste management. Piles of discarded marble have been aesthetically landscaped into a popular pre-wedding shoot destination. The retreat, a massive landfill, appears snow-clad with an aqua water reservoir. The place offers stunning vistas and one can click to the heart’s content. Not an opportunity to be missed. As we returned with some amazing clicks, the white marble dust clung to our outfits and footwear.
For a local nibble, Chotu Ji Kachoriwale was recommended by one and all. Huge karahi brimming with daal kachoris, sold within minutes and basic kalakand. The owner regaled us with the tales of the princely Rajputana state and its people, who are devotees of Lord Krishna.
We returned home physically exhausted, mentally rejuvenated and with memories galore.
Suruchi Kalra Choudhary
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