50 Shades of Rajasthan

The royal shade of India, Rajasthan has a colour of everything to reflect. From its diverse culture to the breathtaking architecture. The princely state never seems to disappoint you. The Pink city Jaipur, the Golden City Jaisalmer, the Blue City Jodhpur, the City of lakes Udaipur and Holy City of Pushkar come together to make an exotic Rajasthan. This journey through the Land of Maharajas is a must. And one needs to know where to start and how to traverse further for a perfect tour. I had such an opportunity to visit this wonderful land with my friends and I booked the entire package from GlobalDuniya as part of their beta program. They have a wide range of packages to offer to suffice your expectations. We were very satisfied with the deals and guides they offered. It was a fabulous trip.

Amber Fort - Rajasthan

Rajasthan is globally known for its rich and proud culture that still remains intact. Everything like the music, art, paintings, handicrafts, religion, resplendent fairs and festivals and the breathtaking art and architecture, all show the rich culture of this desert state. Dance and music are the way of celebrating life for people and every region has its own way of celebrating, hence its own culture. The Kalbeiya dance from Jaisalmer, for example, is well known to the world. The folk dance and folk music reflect the past glory, chivalry, legends and the history. All over Rajasthan, Hindi is known to people, yet there are different local languages for almost all regions, for example, Jaipuri, Marwari, Mewati, Malawi, and Rajasthani. The architecture in Rajasthan has the caliber to blow one’s mind. Rajasthan has a lot of color in it. Ladies wear beautiful, brightly colored Saaris with jingles in anklets and so many bracelets on their arms. Men wear simple shirts with colorful turbans on their heads. The old forts add some kind of historic feel to the mind when you visit them, which makes you wonder how life must have been back then. The forts established on the mountains had Maharajas living in them and the common people lived down there on the grounds. They make you wander into the past. I have to say I loved the cuisines there. When you see dishes like Daal bhati Churma, Gatte ki sabzi, Bazre and Makke ki Roti, White Makhan, Mitha Bura, Khichdi, Poha, Pyaaz and Daal ki Kachori, Makhan wali Lassi, Jalebi, Mawa Kachori, Makhan Bada, Malai Ghewar etc. It is very difficult to control yourself and I ended up getting a few more pounds added to my weight.

My lunch at Udaipur!

While traveling to Rajasthan, I came across sceneries and views that I had never seen before in my whole life and I had experiences that I never thought I’d ever had. Rajasthan has got a very rich culture and history. You get to know as soon as you enter Rajasthan because the view of the desert by the sides of the roads that connect the cities keeps you busy looking out the window. There is just so much to see along the way with bustling towns and small villages that are alive with photo opportunities. The narrow streets there look serene with a touch of simplicity. The whole way of life is different there. It is clearly visible that they have a unique culture and one is definitely astonished to see the diversity. I must say people are extremely warm and simple all over Rajasthan. Everyone carries a naïve look on their faces. People aren’t fake or much sophisticated there. Our itinerary constituted of a visit to Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur. It was a pleasure being able to visit these beautiful places. So our journey begun from Delhi to Jodhpur where we had our hotels booked.

Jodhpur

As they say, is a rhapsody in blue. The first day we reached our hotel by evening and stayed the night. Next morning we ventured out with our cameras charged and our glasses on to capture the mesmerizing forts and old havelis. Mehrangarh, one of the largest forts in India is the most magnificent fort in Jodhpur. It’s called the Citadel of the sun because the palace has burnished red sandstone that turns into a colossal glittering when bathed in the morning sun. Rao Jodha Desert Park sits in the lee of the Mehrangarh and we took our time to capture some landscapes there. Later in the noon we went for the flying fox adventure sports. The view of Mehrangarh fort while you glide is just majestic. After this thrilling adventure we hung out at a restaurant where we ordered the typical Rajasthani dish, Dal Bhati Churma with some spicy sides. I must say that the Rajasthani people may be too simple but there food sure isn’t. After that we went back to the hotel and took the much needed nap. Next morning we had a low calorie breakfast and rode a taxi to Jaswant Thada. The marble cenotaph at Jaswant Thada, known as the Taj Mahal of Rajasthan is such a remarkable building that we got the best shots of Jodhpur’s history. At last we spend the evening at “The Rocks”, where after being well fed we drift back to our hotel. Continuing our journey, we checked out and took the bus to Jaisalmer, reaching there late at night.

Good things come in blue too.

Jaisalmer 

The golden city gets its name from the yellow sandstone used for construction of the buildings. Early morning we had breakfast from the hotel and left to visit the prime location of Jaisalmer, the Jaisalmer fort. It is one of the largest forts and the only living fort in Rajasthan with some 3000 people. It has businesses, temples, homes and cafes within its walls. Being a living fort, it definitely gives you an idea of how the life inside the fort must have been all the centuries ago. Then we went on to visit the Fort Palace, Jain temples, Patwa ki Haveli- the cluster of five Havelis, Nathmal ki Haveli, Bada Bagh, Vyas Chhatri, Thar Heritage Museum and Gadisar Lake. Gadisar lake has small temples all around and one can take a boat and enjoy the serenity. We\ sat by the banks and it was mesmerizing. The next day we went to some places that we could not see on the first day. Then we went to one of the must try experiences, camel safaris. There are dozens of operators in the camel safari business. We had an amazing time in the desert on a camel. The desert spreads to infinity. A camel safari is the best way to travel back in time. We spent hours there getting a lot of photos clicked and just sitting there and enjoying the view of the never ending sand dunes. It was a very unique and memorable experience. Next we got something with Jaisalmerish touch to eat. We checked out in the night to have an overnight travel to Udaipur.

Udaipur

Also known as the Venice of the east is located at the base of the Aravali mountain range. We reached there by bus in the morning and checked into our pre booked hotel. We took some rest and left for exploration in the noon. We visited the Pichola lake, one of the beautiful lakes in Rajasthan. The mesmerizing view of the lake would make your journey peaceful. After clicking some shots there and spending some considerable chit chat time, we moved on to see the City Palace of Udaipur which is located just on the banks of the lake. The palace is known for its balconies and towers. We took some good shots there. After that, we ate an ethnic cuisine at a famous restaurant near Pichola lake and then we walked back to our hotel which wasn’t that far. Next morning we freshen ourselves up and went shopping in the markets of Udaipur. Udaipur is particularly famous for its miniature paintings inspired by the Rajput and Mughal styles. If you admire the art, the Hathi Pol offers great pieces of art. In the evening we went to Apni Dhami which is a wonderful place to catch a taste of Rajasthani culture. Apni Dhami has magic shows, puppet shows, Nat ka Tamasha, traditional dance performances to unlimited Rajasthani food. This day marked the end of our journey. We returned back the next morning.

One of my best clicks at Udaipur.

It was a tremendous journey on the whole and I had one of the best times of my life there. The princely state of Rajasthan can never be forgotten once you see it.