Ever Wondered Why Houses In Jodhpur Are Painted Blue?

One of the most beautiful cities of India, Jodhpur is also known around widely as “Gateway to Thar”. The minute you step into Jodhpur you get the feeling of time travel. It is as abraded and pure as you get to witness the Indian culture, which you are not able to see in most of the tourist places situated in Rajasthan. It is one of the second-largest city in Rajasthan.

Jodhpur’s one significant feature of blue-walled houses is what distinguishes it from other places. They are concealed in the streets of the old city, in the locality of Mehrangarh Fort.

How to get to the blue house?

The nearest place to reach the blue houses through a cab or a bike is namely Navchokiya. You can take a cab or for that matter a rickshaw or a bike to Navchokiya and then walk into the lanes with the blue houses right from there.

Why are these houses painted blue?

There are a lot of theories about the reason why these houses are painted blue. Well, not all of the houses in Jodhpur are painted blue but only the old town area near the Mehrangarh Fort has houses painted in blue hues. Standing on the top of the Mehrangarh Fort and watching the blue-coloured houses looks absolutely stunning and is a complete delight to the eyes.

1. To keep termites away

There exist few people who strongly hold the view that the blue colour enables to dissuade termites. As per this theory, termites caused harm to various famous historic structures and buildings in the city. Therefore, to preserve their property from these disgusting pests, the residents of the city painted their houses with blue colour. This colour is a combination of two things namely copper sulphate and limestone that keeps away bugs, and alongwith it also delivers a soothing and calming effect.

The residents who discovered this concept strictly disregard the belief that blue is related to the Brahmins. Putting forward their views, they state that there are just as many families from other castes living in the blue-painted houses.

2. The colour blue is associated with Lord Shiva

Many elder people in the town believe that the colour blue is linked with Lord Shiva, who at the time of, Churning of the Ocean Milk drank the extremely dangerous poison named Halahala, to save the planet. This position eventually turned his body blue, and from that very time, his followers regard the colour blue to be associated with Shiva and sacred colour. Due to this theory, his innumerable followers who resided in the region painted their houses in blue colours, which eventually resulted in the naming of the city, the Blue City.

3. To keep the houses cool

One of the top reasons is the blue colour helps keep the houses cool during the high-intensity heat in Rajasthan during summers which can ultimately go up to the 40s during peak summers. Few people residing in the town hold a belief that the blue colour is and an excellent reflector of sun rays so daubing your house in blue colour will result in their house staying cool during summer months.

4. Blue defines the social status

Another theory prevalent in this region is that the blue colour is a representation of social status. This concept can be traced long back when the Hindu caste system was regarded to be the unit for deciding social status. Aa per the reports given by local lore, the Brahmin community covered their houses blue colour so as to distinguish themselves from the lower-caste communities, and from that time, blue is associated with the Brahmins. You may also come across the word Brahmin houses, referring to these houses.

Best panoramic view of the blue city from Mehrangarh fort

Mehrangarh fort presents you with the top panoramic views of the blue houses. You can also have a luxurious dinner at an Indique restaurant with a beautiful look at the blue houses and the fort. Pachetia Hill sunset viewpoint also has an amazing site for you to enjoy.