Rajasthan: Exploring the Rich Cultural Heritage and Traditions

The country of Rajputs is Rajasthan. Its sky and air are filled with valor and heroism. The way the air is filled with Mirabai's bhajan as well one can hear the tingling sound of the weapons of Ranas in all over Rajasthan. But, now it is history. Rajasthan's one of the main attractions is its palaces and forts. Each one is more beautiful than the other. But today's Rajasthan is more renowned for its sharp intellect in business. Tourists from all over the globe visit the pink city and state's capital Jaipur and lake city Udaipur, the golden fort of Jaisalmer, the marble poetry of Dilwara, Mount Abu, Ranakpur Jain Temple, and Chittorgarh Fort which is strung with valor and heroism. The three hunting grounds of the kings, Sarisaka, Ranthambore, and Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary are also in Rajasthan. Pushkar's world-famous camel fair in October/November every year is situated close to Jaipur.

In the past, small territories with small areas were ruled by the Ranas or the Kings. The Ranas ruled for 1000 years. Due to the basic weakness of friendship, Rajasthan was attacked no of times. It was first attacked by the Muslim King of Ghori and he occupied Ajmer by defeating Prithwiraj Chouhan. Then it was attacked by the Mughals. Emperor Akbar made a family bridge by marrying Ambar's Princess Jodha Bai. Then British came to Rajasthan. They extended a friendship to Rajputs, made them independent, and built Rajputana. Later, they indirectly took over the economic hold of the subcontinent following the Mughal system.

Rajasthan is world famous for its beautiful hand embroidery. For its Kundan and intricately designed golden jewelry, Qatari craft work, brass work, and stone carvings, Rajasthan is very famous. Also attractive are the Rajasthani Bandhni saris, Sanganer's block prints, and shoes of Jodhpur.

The Opulent Lifestyle Aboard the Palace on Wheels

Also, Ranas patronized the luxurious princely Palace on Wheels train starts from New Delhi and terminates in Delhi after 7 days of royal splendor. This is a charming palace that moves on rails. The past splendor's unique taste is found in this train. It is decorated in Rajasthani style with luxuries of a 5 Star hotel.

Jaisalmer: A Cultural Oasis in the Thar Desert

Jaisalmer is the Thar of India means the abode of the dead. In this desert land, there is Jaisalmer and the sand here is golden yellow. The temple, fort, and Palace everything is built of yellow sandstone. During sunrise and sunset, it looks golden. Jaisalmer is also called the Golden Town. Just before the sunset in Jaisalmer the sand dunes that dazzle the whole day turn into golden yellow and pinkish. Mina's work of Jaisalmer is unique and houses, rooms, and balconies attract tourists. Business and commerce flourished in the 17th century, due to the building of trade routes between India and Middle Asia. But slowly the business dwindled up and during the Second World War, the desert roads were blocked. The prosperity of Jaisalmer was reduced. During summers life becomes miserable here. The best time to visit Jaisalmer is from October to March. The temperature during summer goes up to 45 degrees. Here one can enjoy Camel and Jeep Safaris.

Just like each town of Rajasthan, Jaisalmer was also built centering the fort and is surrounded by a wall and second oldest, next to Chittor. Hindu Kshatriya Surya dynasty royal Kings built this Rawak Fort. Eight Jain temples and four Hindu Temples - idols of Gods, dancing statues, and ancient religious scenes are found here. Many precious stones are imbibed with the artistic pattern in the statue of Jain Tirthankara, whose eyes cast a fierce glow. With emeralds is simply a magnificent artistic statue of Shri Mahaveer. Inside the temple, there are numerous stone-made Jain statues. The Parasnathji temple is not as high as the Dilwara temple, its architectural skills are quite impressive. Rishwavnathji, Shantinathji, and Sambhavnathji temples are also noteworthy temples.

Modern Jaisalmer's nother extraordinary attraction is stone work of excellent miniature which is not found anywhere in the world. The rich businessman had also built many wonderful havelis, deploying skilled artists. Patwari Ki Haveli, Nathmalji Ki Haveli, and Sakim Sighji Ki Haveli are extraordinary with lattice carvings.  The latticework of the Raja-Ka-Mahal is elegant.

Jaisalmer's other attraction is the 3-day desert festival held on the full moon in February. Different religious sons, dance, and folk music are part of it. With bright royal attires of Rajput tradition, the females and males take part in the procession. The camels also take part in the races and folk dances.

From Palaces to Temples: Architectural Wonders of Jodhpur

The name Jodhpur has been derived from Baggytight trousers Jodhpuus. In the past, Jodhpur was the Marwar capital of the Rajputs. In Ramayana, Jodhpur is referred to as Northern Marwar.  The old caravan route was linked with the Middle East via Jodhpur- Jaisalmer. So, Jodhpur was famous as a business center. The enchantingly beautiful town of Jodhpur is glorious with its ancient historical monuments, which attracts tourists.

The main attraction of Jodhpur is Meherongarh Fort. This fort was built by the Pradhan Rao Jodha who left Mandore and settled here in 1459 AD. Hearsay, the architects of the fort were buried alive to maintain the secrecy of the fort. Even the Mughals could not penetrate or destroy this fort. There was friendship between Jodhpur and the Mughals. Udai Sigh arranged marriage with Akbar and his sister with Jenangir and his daughter. Udai Sigh was given the title, Raja by Akbar. Sher Shah also attacked Meherangarh in search of wealth destroyed the temple of the fort and built a mosque there. After the demise of Aurangzeb, the kingdom was restored by Ajit Singh. On the pyre of Ajit Sigh's dead body, 6 queens and 58 concubines sacrificed their lives.

Another attraction is Umaid Bhawan Palace in Italian style built in pink marble. The majestic palace with a unique interlocking system has 347 rooms. Till now one wing of the palace is occupied by the royal family. Now the Umaid Bhawan Palace Hotel is located in the palace.

Another beauty of Jodhpur is its lakes and ponds. Around the town, there are several lakes. Balsamanda Lake is surrounded by a garden on the way to Mandore Garden.

Mount Abu: A Photographer's Paradise - Capturing the Beauty of the Aravalli Range

1219m high in the Aravalli range, covered by peculiarly shaped granite hill and green forest is Abu hill. It is a very beautiful scenic hill station. For architectural wonders of the medieval period, Mt. Abu is very famous. It is exceptional among the other hill stations of India. It was a summer resort of the royal kings in the past.

Dil means temples which means Abu is a place of temples. Mt. Abu's other attraction is, the white marble-made Dilwara covered in mango trees. Dilwara Jain temple consists of Shri Adinath, Neminath, Mahavira, and Rishabh devjis. The breathtaking sights of Dilwara carvings are wonderful. The hearsay is that Goddess Amba proclaimed in the dream about the statue of Parawanath Bhagwan under the Champark tree.

Nakki Lake is in the heart of the town, surrounded by green mountains, this artificial lake, Nakki is located.

Udaipur: The Ultimate Romantic Destination for Couples and Honeymooners

The abode of Uday or the city of sunrise is Udaipur. The city of Udaipur has been developed with beautiful lakes, marble palaces, decorated gardens, and ancient temples.  There are five palaces - City Palace, Jag Niwas, Jag Mandir, Lakshmivilas, and Monsoon Palace. Each palace is unique in architectural grandeur. In the past, it was the capital of Mewar. The whole atmosphere is filled with the tales of heroism and valor of Rajputs. After being defeated by Akbar, Maharana Uday Singh built the city of the bank of Pichola. After independence, Mewar and Udaipur became part of the Indian Republic. The successors of Rana although lost their kingdom are honored in Rajasthan.

The largest palace of the Udaipur is the city palace which was the winter palace of Maharana. The hearsay is that in 1559 Maharana Udai Singh after getting assurance from Sage Harit that he would be successful in killing his enemies, built this palace. From that time onward, different Maharannas built different mahals in the City Palace, the total number of Mahals is 11.

Jagadish Temple is also a famous temple in Indo-Aryan Nagri style. Here the idol is of the Lord Universe, Vishnu, as Jagannath.

Pichola Lake is to the southwest of the city and it is surrounded by the wall on 3 sides. At the end of the 14 century, covering 10 sq.Kms area artificial Pichola Lake was created. There are some islands and there are many castles and temples. On the moonlit night, the beauty of this place amazes the tourists.

Another island of Pichola, Jagniwas Palace or the summer palace or the summer resort was built by Maharana Jagat Singh II.  Among the castles built on water, this castle is unique. The luxurious Lake Palace Hotel is also there. On a moonlight night, it looks as if a ship is floating on the water bed of the lake. On the northern side of Pichola Lake is another artificial lake called the Fateh Sagar. In Fateh Sagar, is the enchanting island Nehru Park, this project was started during the famine, and built in the same way as Vrindaban Gardens.

Nathdwara: Unraveling the Divine Mystique of this Sacred Town

Nathdwara is the second richest temple in India. In the temple full of beautiful paintings and skillful delicate architectural decorations and made of black granite stone there is an idol of Shri Krishna who is popular as Srinath Ji. It is said that the idol was brought from Mathura to Mewar to save it from the hatred of Aurangzeb.

Eklingji: Tracing the Origins of a Timeless Pilgrimage Site

There is a marble-made white temple complex. It was built in the 8th century, with 108 temples. In pyramid pyramid-shaped decorated temple the enshrined god of Ranas of Mewar is Eklingji with four heads and made of black stone. The western face is of Lord Brahma, the northern one is of Sri Vishnu eastern one is of Sun God and the southern one is of Rudra or Lord Shiva. The door is made of silver and the Nandi is also made of silver besides there are 10-faced Kali, Parvati, Ganesha, and many other idols of Hindu gods and goddesses in these temples.