Brahmapuri – which roughly translates to “city of Brahmins” in Sanskrit – was built as a colony of upper caste families who adopted the color blue as a symbol of their socio-cultural piety in the Hindu caste system.
They stand out as Jews from Chefchaouen – or the Blue City of Morocco – who settled in the old part of the city, known as the Medina, in the 15th century to escape the Spanish Inquisition. It is believed that they painted their houses, mosques and even government offices in blue, which in Judaism is considered a divine shade and symbolizes the holy sky.
After all, the color proved useful in more ways than one. The blue paint mixed with limestone plaster – also used in the houses of Brahmapura – cooled the interiors of the structures, besides attracting tourists attracted by the strange appearance of the surroundings.
But unlike Schaffhausen, the blue in Jodhpur has started to fade. There are several reasons for this.
Historically, blue was a viable option for the people of Brahmapuri due to the easy availability of natural indigo in the region – the town of Bayana in eastern Rajasthan was one of the main centers of indigo production in the country at the time. But over the years, indigo fell out of favor because growing the crop caused excessive damage to the soil.
