Friday, June 15, 2007

Rajasthan

Rajasthan, the northern state of Rajasthan in India is synonymous with royalty. The legendary tales of Rajput rulers entice a number of people. The forts and palaces made by them during their heydays are, today, the pride of the state. Tourists from around the world flock in large number to see these forts and palaces.

Prominent amongst these are the City Palace (Udaipur and Jaipur), Hawa Mahal (Jaipur), Amber Fort (Jaipur), Mehrangarh Fort (Jodhpur), Jaisalmer Fort (Jaisalmer), Chittaurgarh Fort (Chittaurgarh) and the Lake Palce (Udaipur). These forts and palaces, despite the modern day developments, have retained their prominence in the state. Together with other forts and palaces, they are the standing reminders of the glorious past of the state. A number of these have been converted into heritage hotels today to allow the visitors experience royalty first hand.

Other attractions of Rajasthan which draw tourists in large number are the colourful festivals. Some of these have been celebrated for years now, while others have been specially devised by the state government to promote tourism. Some of the festivals which are extremely popular with the tourists are Jaipur Elephant festival (March- April), Jaisalmer Desert Festival (February), Bikaner Camel Festival (January), Pushkar Fair (November), Mewar Festival (March- April), Gangaur Festival (March- April) and Nagaur Festival (Jan- Feb). These festivals are a great time to interact with the people of Rajasthan and know about their colourful culture.

People in Rajasthan are a happy lot despite the hardships of life. The women dress themselves in long flowing colourful skirts and cover their face with a veil. The veil is not just meant to protect them from the evil eyes of men but also from the harsh rays of sun. Silver jewelleries shine and tinkle as they make their way out in the sandy landscape. Men, too, do not lag behind when it comes to dressing themselves colourfully. their red, orange and saffron turban are instantly noticeable. Their beard and twirled moustaches are a symbol of pride. Rajasthanis are also a gifted lot. The kings were great patrons of art form and because of this, almost everything was decorated, be it palaces, forts, huts, elephants or even donkeys. The artists today, churn outlarge number of stone, clay leather, wood, ivory, glass, brass, silver, gold and textiles items. These items are hot favourites with shoppers in the state.

Any mention about Rajasthan attractions is incomplete till the time a reference has been made to the luxury trains. The Palace on Wheels, the Heritage on Wheels and the Royal Orient take tourists on a royal voyage and also enable them to experience the more common lifestyle of the people.

To conclude, a visit to Rajasthan means seeing, experiencing and enjoying all that have been stated above.

Above, I have tried to provide you as much details on Rajasthan as possible, still if you wish to know more, here are some links that can help you

Official Tourism Site of Rajasthan Government
Rajasthan India
Rajasthan Unlimited

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi
U ve well potrayed the true pic of this desert place.....especially the colourful women of Rajasthan depict the coloured culture of tis massive place!
Well I ve been visitin tis place repeatedely since my childhood and now too wenever I visit Rajasthan I feel oops !!! I ve missed out tat place ....
cos its difficult to cover the entire Rajasthan ..
and yes Mac has well-said Rajasthan is truly A Land of Kings!
massive and fearless ...
Sherry

mukuzs said...

the list of forts, festivals and the heritage trains of Rajasthan is good one. However we were looking for the description of at least one of them.
Good try!

Anonymous said...

ur blog was a mesmerising one, love to visit the place once........

SHUBHAJIT said...

well written

Anonymous said...

Rajasthan seems to be popular amomngst travellers. I think it forms one of the major travel destinations of India.

rajasthan.gov.in is a good site to refer incase you are planning your trip.

Anonymous said...

Nicely compiled blog, it seems that the author has deeply observed the every aspect of Rajasthan. For more info on Rajasthan I am suggestin you this website Rajasthan Heritage Travel