India's largest state,
Rajasthan is located in the
north-west of the country, bordering with Pakistan. An arid and desert land for
the most part, Rajasthan is nicknamed "Land of Kings" because of the
conquering elite – the Rajput, who built a large number of citadels, palaces
and temples. To the west of Rajasthan, in the great desert of Thar, are located
two princely cities- Jaisalmer &
Bikaner. Both of the
tourist destinations of Rajasthan have fortified palaces.
Built in the second half of the 16
th
century, the
Junagarh Fort in Bikaner is a massive fort protected by moats and
ramparts fortified by thirty-seven bastions. The old town itself is surrounded
by a wall and is home to many "havelis", houses with chiseled and
richly decorated facades built by the merchants.
Jaisalmer, founded in 12
th century, astonishes a
tourist by the beauty of its sumptuous houses built of yellow sandstone. The
ancient city, with its typical alleys and stalls, is located inside the
fortress -
Golden Fort (Sonar Qila) - surrounded by a double rampart and a hundred bastions - built on a
85 meters high hill. Intricately carved Hindu and Jain temples within the
fortress and on the banks of Gadsisar Lake are worth watching.
In
Jodhpur, the fort is also built on a hill overlooking the
city known as Blue City of Rajasthan. Made of red sandstone, the
Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur has impressive dimensions and is a veritable masterpiece of
Rajput military architecture, now an open-air museum.
More to the east, the town of
Pushkar is most revered
pilgrimage of the Hindus in Rajasthan. Pushkar is famous for its pious
Pushkar Lake,
Brahma Temple and annual camel fair, globally renowned as
Pushkar Fair.
Pushkar is a holy place where spirituality is lived daily, the pilgrims come in
horde for a purifying bath.
Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan, was built in planned manner according
to wishes of Maharaja Jai Singh II. In the city center, the
City Palace is a
huge complex containing various princely buildings in the middle of private
enclosures. Discover the façade of the
Hawa Mahal Palace , and its famous
honeycomb balconies characteristic of Rajput architecture. Nearby, the city of
Amber is an ancient clan capital dominated by a fort as well as a palace on the
shores of Lake Maota. Access to the
Amber Fort is done on the back of an
elephant. Observe paintings, frescoes and mirrors, beautiful pieces of Rajput decorative
art.
The southern part of Rajasthan also has many tourist
attractions, citadels and temples. Second most visited destination of Rajasthan
is
Udaipur, princely city on
Lake Pichola. On the hillside, the prestigious
City Palace is the largest palace in the province. Surmounted by very sober
style granite and white marble towers and cupolas, City Palace of Udaipur
contains a large number of pavilions, courtyards, terraces, narrow passages,
hanging gardens etc.
On the natural side, Rajasthan boasts two beautiful national
parks, located to the east of the state.
Ranthambore National Park, which
covers an area of 400 km2, is famous for its tigers. The second, the
KeoladeoNational Park, is a splendid bird sanctuary classified by UNESCO since 1985.
Optima Travels offers scores of Rajasthan tour packages. In
addition to them, there are several city specific tour packages like
JaipurTour Packages,
Jaipur Day Tours,
Pushkar Tour Packages, Pushkar Fair Tour,
Jodhpur tours,
Jaisalmer Tour Packages,
Udaipur Tour Packages. Rajasthan is an
inexhaustible treasure trove of historical and cultural tourist destinations,
interspersed among the most famous ones. Prominent among them are
Abhaneri,
Sardargarh,
Osian,
Ranakpur,
Kumbhalgarh,
Chittorgarh etc.
