About Rajasthan
Rajasthan is located in the northwestern part of India and is the largest state of the country. Blessed with magnificent forts and palaces, colorful fairs and festivals, vibrant culture, varied topography, and thick forests, Rajasthan will never disappoint you.
Travel to Rajasthan and get in contact with the rich culture and traditions of Rajasthan. This abode of Maharaja invites you to recapture the éclat of a royal history in the most regal style. Travel to Rajasthan in the most novel way by stepping inside the Palace on Wheels, the royal train.
Rajasthan tour allows you to peek in the cultural heritage and the history of the state. The legends of gallantry still echoes within the heritage structures that narrate the stories of yesteryear. Havelis and forts of Rajasthan showcase the magnetic grace of the royal life and the glory that cannot come back but can only be witnessed. During your tour to Rajasthan, don’t miss to visit havelis of Shekhawati and Jaisalmer. Most of the havelis or palaces in Shekhawati region have high quality of frescoes. These open-air museums are paradise for artistic buffs.
Those who desire to live in luxury there are several heritage hotels in Rajasthan offering unwavering facilities and unmatched hospitality. The tour to Rajasthan has something for everyone. Nature lovers may visit Ranthambore National Park, Bharatpur National Park, Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary and many other wildlife reserve that offer shelter to various species of flora and fauna. If you are an adventure enthusiast, camel and horse safari will showcase the panoramic colors of the desert.
More About Rajasthan
Land of a people who are brave and chivalrous, people with a warlike lifestyle around whom grew the most amazing legends of romance and heroism. There is a certain magic about traveling through Rajasthan which is unequalled by any other place in the world. It is a land of superlatives, everything here is breathtakingly beautiful, impressive and fascinating. It is packed with history, art and culture that goes back several centuries.
This is the home of the Rajputs, a group of warrior clans who have controlled this part of India for a thousand years with a code of chivalry and honour akin to that of the mediaeval European knights. The Rajputs were never a united force, like the Marathas of central India; When they were not warring against outsiders they were generally squabbling amongst themselves. Thus they were never a real opposition to the Moghuls, but their bravery and sense of honour were unparalled.
The Rajput warriors would fight on against all odds and, when no hope was left, the women and children would commit suicide by marching into a funeral pyre in a ritual known as jauhar, Meanwhile the men would don the saffron robes of rejoicing worn at weddings and ride forth to certain death. Over and again this grim tale would unfold as stronger forces attacked the Rajputs. In Chittorgarh’s long history three times the women consigned themselves to the flames while the men rode out to their martyrdom. It’s hardly surprising that Akbar persuaded Rajputs to lead this army or that Aurangzeb clashed unsuccessfully with them.
Under the British, Rajasthan continued as a collection of princely states under the collective name of Rajputana, each with its own Maharaja. Independent India combined them with Ajmer to make Rajasthan. Huge, often battle-scarred, forts dominate almost every town in Rajasthan. They are a clear reminder of the state’s warlike past. And what forts they are – battlements, turrets, massive walls and inside palaces of amazing luxury and whimsical charm. They are redolent of that impossibly romantic Rajput sence of honour and bravery above all.
Rajasthan has a total are of 343,000 sq. km. and the most striking feature of this land is its division by the majestic Aravalli range which run from noth-east to south-west for about 688 km. It is the backbone of the state and divides it into two regions with totally different geographical feature.
North West of the Aravallis are the Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Barmer and Bikaner regions, it is the home of arid plains and the shifting sand dunes of the great Thar desert. Covering a total area of 196,150 sq. km. the hard compact earth here is covered by shifting sand dunes and sparsely dotted with scrub and thorny babool. Water levels are very low and have been for so many centuries. The Italian traveller Manucci, one of the several visitors who came to this area and put their impressions on record, came over to this region in the 17th century and noted – “Wells are so deep that when water is drawn out of them with the help of oxen, those who set these animals to work beat a drum as a warning that the pot is at the mouth of the well and they are about to draw water.”
Yet this land with its relentless carpet of sand and arid desert is neither barren nor uninhabited. If anything, the dryness and the heat of this region, the colourless surroundings have driven the people to fill their lives with dramatically brilliant colours. In fact, the colourfully dressed women against the stark backgrounds is one of the first and most lasting of all impressions that one may have of this state. Nothing really seems to dim their zest for living.
The harsh dry climate has, however, forced the people to evolve a semi-nomadic lifestyle; When survival becomes difficult these people move our with their cattle to more welcoming pastures, some use their skills as folk performers to earn a livelihood. The wanderers leave their homes but carry the desert and its history in their hearts and follow each custom scrupulously. They may move far away from their land but never move away from their culture. When the desert is a little more welcoming it becomes a rearing ground for camels, cows and buffaloes. Lack of vegetation has been compensated for by the wealth of minerals that are to be found in several parts of this fascinating region. The other side of the hills is a land rich in vegetation. Araavalli, or a beam lying across, has a greater presence here. Hard granite rocks, scattered hillocks, areas rich in silver, zinc and lead deposits. There are also long stretches of dense forests, lush green valleys and fertile fields. This area is drained by several rivers – the most important being the mighty Chambal river which hurtles through the rocky terrain of the Hadoti region.
Geologically, many areas in Rajasthan are older than the Himalayas therefore it was only natural that civilization came to Rajasthan much before it came to the rest of India. Excavations at Kalibangan, in Ganganagar district, prove that a fully developed and organized society was in existence in that area much before the Harappan culture. Numerous other prehistoric and proto historic sites exist in Rajasthan.
The leter history of Rajasthan is history of various kingdoms and their regular wars with one another. It was not until the mid-sixth century that the brave Rajputs, warriors par excellence, came to dominate the region and wrote the most glorious chapters of history with their blood and blade. Rajasthan was divided into kingdoms and the valiant Rajpurts kept themselves busy with skirmishes amongst the neighbouring kingdoms or else they faced the Turks, the mighty Sultans of the Delhi Sultanate and later the Great Mughals. The conflict between the Rajputs and the Muslim Rulers of Delhi lasted for almost 550 years. This period saw the rise of Prithvi Raj Chauhan Maharani Padmini, the beautiful queen of Rana Rattan Singh of Chittaur, Rana Sanga, Man Singh of Amer and Rana Pratap of Chittaur, and scores of other names which became hallowed in folk memory. It was a period of fierce loyalties and of death before dishonour.
It is this period in the history of Rajasthan that continues to live on in the proud inhabitants of this region and gives it a special charm of its own, unmatched by any other place, anywhere in the world. The annals of Rajasthan present golden examples of countless deeds of velour and selfless sacrifice. A visit to this wonderland will leave a lasting spell on your mind.
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