Rajasthan – The Royal State of India

Want to feel like a King? Go to the Land of Kings!. Rajasthan, the largest state of India located in the western region of the country is aptly acclaimed as the Land of Royalty, and holds a lot of untold secrets and unheard stories in its womb. It was ruled by the Rajputs for a very long period and they were highly regarded by the natives. The Rajputs were the descendants of the Kshatriyas which were the warriors of Vedic India. The world's oldest civilization, the Indus Valley Civilization has it's roots in Rajasthan.  The Great Thar Desert of India covers the major part of this state. Besides the lush green forests, lofty mountains and vast ocean, The Thar Desert, well known as “Ocean of Sand” is one of the major tourist attractions of India. The best way to explore the hidden gems of Rajasthan is to board the luxurious trains like “Palace on Wheels” or “Royal Rajasthan on Wheels”. To get a deeper insight of Rajasthan, let's discuss the best attractions of this place before you book your flights to Jaipur India.

 

Thar Desert :- The Thar Desert, well known as the Great Indian Desert, is located at western region of Rajasthan and is the second largest desert in the world. It is encircled by the Aravalli ranges on the east, by Rann of Kutch on the south and by the Indus river on the western part. This Indian desert is diversely rich in it's flora and fauna. Around 25 species of snakes and 23 species of lizard inhabit the region. Wildlife includes black ass, wild cat and black buck. Camel Safari, a famous attraction of this place is an experience which should not to be missed.

 

Forts and Palaces :- Rajasthan is far famed for it's majestic forts, splendid palaces and elegant havelis that were constructed by Great Maharajahs of Rajasthan. In all there are around 14 forts in Rajasthan with Chittorgarh Fort being the largest in India. The other forts include Nahargarh Fort, Amber Fort, Mehrangarh Fort, desert forts of Rajasthan and beautiful Jaigarh Fort in the city of Jaisalmer. The Land of Maharajahs is also known for beautiful temples and elegant gardens and imperial palaces. Few to mention are City Palace, Hawa Mahal, Lake Palace, Jai Mahal and Umaid Bhawan, which is one of the world's largest private residences. These palaces are remarkable example of Rajput's art carved out of red and pink sand stones.

 

CULTURE :- Being the most vivacious and colourful states in India, Rajasthan is popular for it's dances, culture, customs and music. Udaipur is famous for it's Ghoomar dance and Jaisalmer for Kalbeliya dance. The attire in Rajasthan is adorned with lot of embroidery and mirror work with traditional dress of females being chaniya choli. The economy of Rajasthan is predominately agricultural and pastoral.

 

  CUISINE :- Rajasthani cuisine depicts uniqueness in flavour with liberal use of spices specially a lot of pepper in it's dishes. The food items are rich and ingredients are mostly coarsely grained. There are a variety of dishes like dal bati churma, mawa kachori from the land of Jodhpur, Mawa of Alwar, Malpuas from Pushkar, Bikaner's rasgullas and ghewar from Jaipur. The best place to get truly absorbed in Rajasthani culture, custom and cuisine is the Choki Dhani.

 

FAIRS & FESTIVALS :-  Fairs and festivals are celebrated with great exuberance and zest in Rajasthan. Few of the famous festivals that are celebrated each year are Desert festival, to rejoice the glory of desert land and it's rich heritage, Pushkar Fair, which is the largest fair in the world and the Bharatpur Brij Festival, dedicated to Lord Krishna and celebrated every year before Holi . The most popular Pushkar Fair is an annual camel and livestock fair which is celebrated till five days  and this place is also well known for it's ghats, lakes and the most visited Brahma Temple.

 

WILDLIFE :- The royal land of Rajasthan is a host to a plethora of wildlife. It has bagged six national parks to it's credit namely Sariska, Desert National Park,  Ranthambore,  Keoladeo or Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. Some wildlife species that are vanishing at a fast pace are abundantly found in the desert region of Rajasthan like Blackbuck, Caracal- a wide cat, Great Indian Bustard, Indian Wild Ass and other wild animals like snakes, insects and lizards.

 

SHOPPING :- Jaipur, the pink city in Rajasthan is the chief shopping hub for clothes, jewellery, footwear and almost everything with huge variety and price range.  Other famous markets are Bapu Bazar, Nehru Bazar, Jauhari Bazar, MI Road and Tripolia Bazar. All these markets are flooded with tourists for hunt of handicrafts,  hand loom items, puppets and pottery.

To get a Royal Rajasthan experience, plan well in advance and enjoy the life in a royal way.