Beautiful caste inequality (7 photos)

The azure or even Blue city of Jodhpur stands out among all the cities in India. They are usually buried in all shades of brown, sand and gray. And in Jodhpur, it’s like taking a sip of refreshing, clean water; your eyes just rest.





A huge number of houses here are painted bright blue. Moreover, these buildings are historical; the city began to be built in the 15th century, so the city is not small.



This piercing blue, it refreshes the landscape so much

And they began to paint houses azure from its very foundation. Then Maharaja Rao Jodaji ordered that the houses of the Brahmin caste should stand out from the houses of ordinary people of other castes.

In those years, brahmins were higher in status even than the maharajas themselves. They occupied the places of chief court advisers, astrologers and mentors.





Why aren’t houses painted in such shades in all cities, it’s so beautiful

It seemed logical that if you belonged to a high caste of priests, you had the right to paint your house in all shades of blue. Everyone rushed to demonstrate their social status to every passerby as quickly as possible, God forbid they confuse them with an untouchable.

They also say that blue paint is very helpful in fighting termites, which are virtually invisible in India due to the excellent weather. And, judging by the fact that the houses still stand, there is a practical sense in this.



Any sari against the background of blue walls looks so juicy and beautiful

It’s also better to live as brahmins, because blue helps you cope with the heat better. It's even cooler to be in blue houses in 40 degree heat.

The color blue keeps the city in the past

From the point of view of Indian history, Jodhpur is very interesting because of how it “stuck” in the past. Here the city is still divided into quarters according to caste. Nine streets converge in one square, and each street traditionally has its own caste-profession - weavers, tanners.



A truly impregnable fortress of the Maharajas rises above the city

But in Europe this is called a craft quarter. In India, everything is increasingly tied to caste and social restrictions based on birth, and not on chosen profession.

This rigid distribution remained in the city even after the abolition of the caste system in the last century. Because every blue house here is a reminder of her. It is believed that until now there is not a single person who would dare to paint his house blue, simply because he likes it, even if he is not from the Brahmin caste.



India's past and present - the ubiquitous motorcycles

I would love to go there, rent a house, and overnight paint the house the most azure blue there is! Only then you have to leave your feet, the softest thing is that they will throw cow dung at you.

Jodhpur is also called the city of the sun because it has excellent weather almost all year round.



Beautiful, and most importantly - with an interesting story

Do you think the color of houses affects caste in the city, or will nothing change if everything is painted blue?