Jodhpur is commonly referred to as the Blue City because all of the buildings in the oldest district are painted in a light shade of blue. This district lies to the north of the city and the colour scheme is almost uniform. The best vantage point to view the blue painting of Jodhpur is from the Meherangarh Fort’s battlements.The residents of Jodhpur are extremely proud of the city’s blue color. When pushed for an answer as to why the city is blue they usually respond by saying it keeps the buildings cool during the punishing summer. This answer usually puzzles visitors who fail to understand why Rajasthan’s other great cities are not also painted blue and is not the true answer.
The true reason for Jodhpur’s blue color is more practical motivated than artistic reasoning. The dry arid environment of which Jodhpur is located is blighted by termites. The small insects damaged and destroyed the traditional building techniques which involved the exterior being coated in lime wash. It was discovered that the termites were repelled by copper salt compounds and these were added in low concentrations to the lime washes. Copper solutions under certain conditions produce blue compounds and this was true of the materials applied to the exterior of Jodhpur’s houses.
