A Visual Journey Through Bhap Village, Rajasthan.
Explore Bhap Rajasthan (in Phalodi Rajasthan) through my lens.
Late last year, I visited Bhap village, near Jodhpur in Rajasthan. Despite being one of India’s most travelled states, Rajasthan harbors secrets that take long to find, and even longer to forget.
Bhap Rajasthan, surrounded by a serene village lake, gorgeous salt pans, massive sand dunes, and friendly people, is one such secret. This photo essay is a collection of fond memories from the days I spent there:
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SOAKING IN THE SERENITY OF PHALODI RAJASTHAN LAKES
in Bhap village. Bhap itself is a typical Indian village with no proper sewage or drainage system, but after a disheartening walk through its narrow by-lanes, arriving on the pristine shores of this village lake is nothing short of amazing. Across the lake, we could spot several herds of camels trotting along in the desert.
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LAUGHING WITH VILLAGE KIDS NEAR BHAP RAJASTHAN
in a village where Dalit families are still discriminated against and not allowed to visit the village temple. The smiles of these Dalit children give hope that India’s future will be brighter than that.
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MEETING SALT WORKERS
at the nearby salt lakes, as they painstakingly dig salt from the waters and port it to a cart.
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PLAYING WITH REFLECTIONS AT THE SALT LAKE NEAR BHAP RAJASTHAN
Far off Rajasthan’s tourist circuit and a visual delight.
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STAYING AT THE HERITAGE BARSINGHA VILLA IN BHAP RAJASTHAN
Mud huts, beautifully furbished from within, opening into royal courtyards at Barsingha Villa in Phalodi Rajasthan.
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FINDING A GREEN VILLAGE IN THE THAR DESERT
of India, where sandy brown is the dominant color. Trees, shrubs and other vegetation has survived in this village due to its proximity to the Indira Gandhi canal, that starts in Punjab and offers irrigation facilities to the northwestern Rajasthan.
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PLAYING WITH KIDS ON THE SAND DUNES
which, unlike the dunes of Jaisalmer, are completely devoid of travellers, camps, camel safaris and such. The moment we sat atop these dunes, the kids came rushing up to play with us, and asked us to take pictures of them rolling the sand.
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8. RELISHING TRADITIONAL RAJASTHANI FOOD
made with delicious fresh vegetables, and served with local Bajra rotis.
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10. FEELING LIKE A SMALL FISH IN THE VAST DESERT
of Rajasthan; pure bliss.
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MARVELING AT A PINK SKY AT SUNSET IN BHAP RAJASTHAN
and at nature’s ability to add such brilliant colors to the dull monotones of the desert.
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CONTEMPLATING ALTERNATE PROFESSIONS
you know, just incase the whole travel blogging thing doesn’t work out!
What are your first impressions of Bhap Rajasthan? Have you visited the region of Phalodi Rajasthan?
ALSO READ:
Offbeat Rajasthan: 10 Awe-Inspiring Experiences
Wild, Adventurous and Quirky Things to do in Jodhpur
Lakshman Sagar: Add it to Your Rajasthan Bucket List
Welcome to my blog, The Shooting Star. I’ve been called a storyteller, writer, photographer, digital nomad, “sustainability influencer,” social entrepreneur, solo traveller, vegan, sustainable tourism consultant and environmentalist. But in my heart, I’m just a girl who believes that travel – if done right – has the power to change us and the world we live in.
Brilliant compositions. Interesting place. Did you get a chance to meet any of those Bhap singers?
Thanks! No, unfortunately not. I remember hearing about them too, but no one seemed to know where they could be found. It’s a nomadic tribe I believe, so they keep moving from village to village.
Who are Bhap Singers? Are you sure you guys are not talking about Bhopa-Bhopi singers?
Nice pics, gr8 place.. 🙂
Thanks Hemant 🙂
want to go. ASAP.
Plan the trip, Anand. You’ll love it!
awesome clicks…crisp and catchy narration..:)
Thanks Sunil, glad you liked the narration too 🙂
Awesome snaps- the village snaps reminded me of the Bishnoi village day trip which I had taken when I had gone for a trip to Jodhpur. We had lunch at a villagers house and it was one of the most delicious meal I’ve had!
I’m sure there are similarities between these Rajasthani villages. I can imagine how delicious that meal must’ve been. Craving some good Rajasthani food now!
Rajasthan is not only the land of Royals, but also a beautiful scenic destination of India, spices and culture ads colours to it, I enjoyed the journey to rajasthan with my family, I also recommend you to take a tour of Jaipur and other major cities of Rajasthan
I’ve been to the major places with my family before, but really like Rajasthan off the beaten track, where it’s not so touristy 🙂
this is a very..emotional post Shivya…you keep getting better at winning our hearts. you simply do not need an alternate profession!
Glad this one won your heart, Priya 🙂 I have such fond memories of Bhap.
Wow! It seems you enjoyed it very much. 🙂
I did, Gayatri. Thanks for stopping by as always 🙂
Rangilo rajasthan!!
Awesome Clicks Specially The Sun Set I Never Ever Seen Such Beautiful Sun Set.
Thank you!
Oh My god 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 awesome shots 🙂 🙂
Thanks, glad you liked them!
Great clicks Shivya. Truly inspiring.
Thanks Mandrekar 🙂 And thanks for sharing the post on Facebook too!
Shivya…great work,nice pictures.Congratulation…:-)
Thank you Mustafa, glad you liked it!
What a beautiful post. It has got me not just hungry for that food, but thirsting for such a unique experience too. Lovely, how you have wrapped up a whole holiday in a handful of very expressive pictures . As usual, well done! 🙂
Thanks Sakshi, reliving those memories through this blog post really made me want to go back 🙂 Hope you get a chance to visit someday!
What a lovely piece of writing, wrapping a complete village in a photo essay.
Although my hometown is in Jodhpur but never heard of this village.
And the last point is humorous ” just incase the whole travel blogging thing doesn’t work out!”.
Glad you liked it, Girdhar. You should visit it! The salt lakes, the wilderness, the dunes, it’s all beautiful.
shivya ## hey its brilliant work rather i will say awesome one…..hats off to u dear..!! its been my pleasure to follow u at twitter….i wil hv chnce to explore myself abt travel love…!!!
Thanks Aniket! Glad you liked it 🙂 Hope to see you here again!
Nice pictorial journey…enjoyed. 🙂
Thank you Praveen!
Lovely pictures Shivya. Though I’m a very recent visitor to your blog and have started following you on twitter only a couple of days back I admire your style of writing and expression. Your blog posts are fun to read and I especially like the way you wrap up the posts so that the reader can read them just in a couple of minutes but still remembers them.
Whenever you start giving lessons in blogging you know who’ll be your 1st student 🙂
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers
Thanks Harjeev, your comment made my day 🙂 Glad to hear that you enjoy reading my blog posts and that I have a potential student!
Great pictures with information words feeling like I’m watching a TV and they are play a show on Rajasthan. Thanks Shivya nice blog
yes beautiful place.i have been there.. i think the first one pic is from bhairo mandir which is in market in bhap..
very nice pic.
very nice and wonderful place i love it….
Can you tell me what was your itinerary like while visiting these offbeat places in Rajasthan? I am planning a 8 day trip and was wondering which places to cover. Thanks in advance, Shivya!
first time for me to see your page but I could say with all sincerity, I like your style of writing. The shots, stories…the views , Hmmm….You caught my attention so fast. Well, I am a strong person…and I admire woman who has a strong passion on her craft….I like everything that i read tonight, surely, Ill try to read more the next days as Im not yet done with my readings….Thanks a lot for the wonderful journey, seems like I am travelling too with you…..BRAVO!
nice pic
Wow. I was planning to visit Bap village only for some 30 mts to perform some ritual. However your post has completely change my perspective , very interesting captured natural clicks with crisp and catchy narration . great work
Beautiful Village. On my future travel list.
You doing Great, Shivya!!.. Nice photography with perfect timing..