Jaswant Thada sits on a quiet ridge just beyond Mehrangarh, a serene contrast to the fort’s rugged bulk. Built entirely in finely carved Makrana marble, its main cenotaph almost glows when sunlight passes through the thin stone sheets. The complex includes pavilions, smaller chhatris, a temple-like main hall and a stepped garden descending to a small lake. Inside, portraits of Jodhpur’s rulers line the walls, turning the place into both a memorial and a visual family history of the Marwar dynasty. Visitors often sit on the lawns looking back at Mehrangarh’s massive walls, framed by the white domes of the Thada.
About this place
History & highlights
Jaswant Thada was commissioned in 1899 by Maharaja Sardar Singh as a royal cenotaph in memory of his father, Maharaja Jaswant Singh II (r. 1873–1895), and completed in 1906. It was intended to serve as the cremation ground and memorial complex for later rulers of Jodhpur, replacing Mandore as the primary royal necropolis. The architecture deliberately resembles a temple to emphasise the semi-divine status accorded to ancestors in Rajput culture, and rituals are still performed here. Today the site is managed by the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, which has conserved the marble structure, landscaped the gardens and added displays to interpret Marwar’s royal history for visitors.
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