India is experiencing a huge boom in tourist numbers, as visitors once again flock to the South Asian country to sample its many delights.
Last year saw a huge increases of over 300 percent in visitor numbers, with just over nine million tourists arriving.
Many are drawn to the country on account of its rich and unique culture, as well as its world famous architectural monuments.
These, of course, include the Taj Mahal, Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, the Golden Temple in Amritsar and the Amber Fort in eastern Rajasthan – to name but a few.
Equally famous for its spectacular appearance is the Mehrangarh fortress that rises imperiously above the city of Jodhpur.
Packed with history and legend, the fort stands 120 metres above the city’s skyline, with its battlements rising to heights of 6 to 36 metres.
But Jodhpur is also renowned for a district containing houses painted in a very distinctive blue.
The Brahmapuri neighbourhood stands at the foot of the famous fort perched above it on the hill.
It was built as a colony of upper-caste families who adopted the colour blue as a symbol of their sociocultural piety in the Hindu caste system.
An abundance of indigo in the region enabled homeowners to paint their houses blue for relatively little cost.
The paint also helped to protect the houses from heat when mixed with limestone plaster.
The unique colour of the buildings in the district has attracted a steady stream of tourists, helping to boost the local economy.
However, nowadays, due to the scarcity of indigo and the availability of better cooling technology and building materials, more and more residents are choosing not to repaint their homes blue.
Some locals fear that this will inevitably lead to a decrease in tourist numbers and are taking measures to try and keep the district’s unique character alive.
Deepak Soni, a garments seller, is working with local officials to encourage residents to keep their homes painted blue, the BBC reports.
Since 2019, he has raised funds locally from Brahmapuri residents to have the outer walls of 500 homes painted blue each year.
Over the years, he has convinced nearly 3,000 homeowners to revert to blue for the outer walls and the roofs of their homes.
