Jodphur, in Rajasthan, India, is renowned for many thing , amongst which are the infamous riding jodhpurs, for its blue and for bandhani – tie-dyed silks.
Many of the houses of the Mehrangarh Fort area are painted in Jodphur blue, an unforgettable and wonderful sight between the sky and the desert sand.
These homes belonging to the Brahmins–the higher caste–were painted blue to differentiate them from the other castes. Although some say it’s because blue repels insects, and indeed Indigo does, and many English kitchens were painted blue for this very reason…
The blue used is an Indigo tint, but it looks in the Indian light much more vibrant, very like cobalt – which is the palette colour I’d be reaching for to mix it here.