Rajasthan India

Romantic Rajasthan - a legendary land of chivalry and knightly prowess, of pink palaces and sun-baked forts, of preening peacocks and a proud colourful people. Despite the changes of the last few years, it is still a country living in its historic past. Here the best martial qualities of a race are welded to the refinements of peace, of courtesy and culture. Nowhere in India will a visitor see people more intrinsically Indian and more true to their tradition than the Rajputs.

Home of the Rajput warriors, this is a desert land where you will find isolated villages inhabited by nomadic and pastoral people, largely unaffected by modern civilization. Amongst the remains of a magnificent-past, they maintain folklore traditions in a flamboyant style. Countless tales of legendary heroes are still sung by folk musicians all over Rajasthan. Colour and gaiety abound everywhere. The picturesque costumes reflect the joy by which the people of Rajasthan seek to enliven their existence.

Rajasthan is the second largest state in India. It is also the land of the tiger and offers a vast variety of scenery. The Aravalli mountain range divides the region into two. The inhabitants are made up of a jumble of races, of which the Bhils and the Minas are the oldest inhabitants. Civilization came to Rajasthan much before it came to the rest of India. Excavations at Kalibangan prove that a fully developed and organized society was in existence much before the Harappan culture.

Conquered later by the Rajputs, the region became known as Rajputana. A warlike race, they claim descent from the regal heroes of those two great epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Their feats of valour and sense of honour were outstanding. When faced by overwhelming odds, they made the supreme sacrifice: clothed in saffron robes of immolation, they went out to battle and died to a man, while their women threw themselves into the flaming pyres in order to avoid the indignities of capture. It was a period of fierce loyalties and death before dishonour’ was an accepted fact of life.

The formidable forts of Rajasthan which witnessed fierce attacks and gave strong resistance to its enemies could not face the ravages of time and before long the abandoned palaces turned into ruins. A tour of these forts takes visitors to the days of blood and blade, of heroism and sacrifice and of brave rulers and beautiful maharanis.

There is a certain magic about travelling through Rajasthan which is unequalled by any other place in the world; Trains of camels move slowly across the yellow desert sands; graceful women balancing brass pots for fetching water; stark fortresses on deserted hills and enchanting doorways painted gaily with elephants and peacocks. Everything here is breathtakingly beautiful, impressive and fascinating - the mood and the rhythm is so overpowering that it impresses the most seasoned traveller. This is Rajasthan - “The Abode of Kings”.