Informations

Rajasthan, the Land of the Kings, is India at its exotic and colourful best, with its battle-scarred forts, palaces of breathtaking grandeur and whimsical charm, riotous colours and even its romantic sense of pride and honour.

The state is diagonally divided into the hilly and rugged south-eastern region and the barren north-western Thar Desert, which extends across the border into Pakistan, There are plenty of historic cities, incredible fortresses awash with legends, and rare gems of impressionistic beauty, such as Udaipur. There are also a number of centres that attract travelers from far and wide, such as Pushkar with its holy lake, and the desert city of Jaisalmer, which resembles a fantasy from The Thousand & One Nights.

This diverse state is the home of the Rajputs, a group of warrior clans, who have controlled this part of India for 1000 years according to a code of chivalry and honour akin to that of the medieval European knights. When India gained Independence, Rajasthan had one of the subcontinent's lowest rates of life expectancy and literacy.

Cities of Rajasthan
Jaipur
The vibrant capital of Rajasthan, is popularly known as 'the pink city' for the colour of the buildings inits wonderful old city. This buzzing metropolis is certainly a place of wild contrasts and is a feast for the eyes. Vegetable-laden camel carts thread their way through streets jam-packed with cars, cows, rickshaws, bicycles, tempos, motorcycles and pedestrians traffic. The city owes its name, its foundation and its careful planning to the great warrior astronomer Maharaja Jai Singh II. His predecessors had enjoyed good relations with the Mughals and Jai Singh was careful to preserve this alliance. Jaipur is connected to Delhi by National Highway 8 and the distance of about 260 km can be covered in 4 to 5 hours, depending on the time of day. The entire highway is 4 lane double carriageway and the surface is in excellent condition that allows you to maintain good speed. Jaipur is also connected by Indian Airlines & Jet Airways flights & an excellent connection from Delhi by train is Shatabdi Express (four and a half-hour run) leaving at 0610 am. Other train connections to Jaipur are from Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Secunderabad and Lucknow, Kanpur. Agra, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai.



Jodhpur
A valiant sentinel in the desert, on the eastern fringe of the Thar desert has the distinction of neither being a part of the Thar desert nor out of it. At best it is a doorway to the wonderland of sand dunes and shrubs, rocky terrain and thorny trees. The home of the Rathroes - the awesome princely state of Rajasthan. They conquered Marwar or Maroodesh, land of the sand after the fall of Delhi and Kannauj. In 1459 AD, Rao Jodha, chief of Rathore clan of Rajputs, who claimed descent from Rama, the epic here of the Ramayana, laid the foundation of Jodhpur. A high stone wall protects the well-fortified city. The wall is nearly 10km in length and has eight gates facing various directions.




Jaisalmer
Rising from the heart of the Thar Desert like a golden mirage is the city of Jaisalmer. A commanding fort etched in yellow sandstone stands with all its awesome splendor, dominating the amber-hued city. The city has an interesting legend associated with it, according to which, lord Krishna- the head of Yadav clan foretold Arjuna that a remote descendent of the Yadav clan would build his kingdom atop the Trikuta Hill, His prophecy was fulfilled in 1156AD. When Rawal Jaisal, a Bhatti Rajput abandoned his fort at Lodurva and founded a new capital Jaisalmer, perched on the Trikuta Hill Bhatti Rajputs of Jaisalmer were fedual chief who lived off the forced levy on the caravans laden with precious silks and spices that crossed the territory enroute Delhi-or Sind. These seems to be straight out of the "Tales of the Arabian Night ' still enchants.




Bikaner
The royal fortified city with a timeless appeal. Lying in the north of the Desert State, the city is dotted with many sand dunes. Bikaner retains the medieval splendor that pervades the city's lifestyle More popularly called the camel country, the city is renowned for the best riding camels in the world. The ship of the desert is an inseparable part of life here. Be it pulling heavy carts, transporting grains or working on wells. Camels are the prime helpers. The well of Bikaner-an important source of water are another attraction of the city. These are built on high plinth with slender minareted towers on each of the Four Corners and can be noticed even from a distance. Bikaner's history date backs to 1488A.D. when a Rathore Prince. Rao Bikaji- a descendant of the founder of Jodhpur(1459A.D.) Rao Jodhaji, established his kingdom here. Rao Jodhaji had five sons but Rao Jodhaji had five sons but rao Bikaji was the most enterprising of them.