Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, the ‘land of kings’

Magnificent architecture, imposing fortresses, colourful locals, complex cuisine, and traditional street art… find all this, and more, in Rajasthan—literally, the ‘land of kings’.

We’ve been to Rajasthan twice now, and it’s showed us that one could spend years there and still not see all there is to see. Here, then, are eight of the many great reasons to visit ‘the land of kings’.

Also read: Our motorcycle tour through southern Rajasthan kicks off from Jaipur

1. The splendid architecture, of course

Rajasthan is famous for the intricate architectural style employed by the erstwhile rulers of its city-states, with subtle variations from one end of the state to the other. Everywhere you look are palaces, pavilions, mansions and marketplaces, all built with the same intricate embellishments in varying levels of complexity. Happily, every other hotel here is a repurposed ‘haveli’ (mansion), so tourists are spoiled for choice in the heritage hotel department.

In case the authentic heritage hotels are booked out, many others mimic the old styles with varying degrees of success. Just like the one we stayed in in Jaipur, the slightly overdone Umaid Bhawan (not to be confused with the magnificent palace-hotel of the same name in Jodhpur). Our hotel in Jodhpur, on the other hand—the lovely Haveli Inn Pal—was a true heritage hotel. It was even managed by the original owners!

Jaipur - City Palace - Brass gate - Rajasthan
Brass gates at Jaipur’s city palace
Jaipur - City Palace - Elephant gate - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Guardian – Jaipur city palace
Jaipur - City Palace - Gateway arch - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Jaipur city palace – inner gates
Jaipur - Hotel balcony
A balcony at our hotel in Jaipur
Jaipur - Hotel blacony 2 - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
A view from another hotel balcony


Jaisalmer - Hotel room
Our room in Jaisalmer fort
Jaisalmer - Mausoleum of kings 1
Mausoleum of kings near Pokhran on the Jodhpur-Jaisalmer highway
Jaisalmer - Mausoleum of kings 2 - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Long-dead kings watch over the landscape
Jodhpur - Mahrangarh filigree windows 1
Filigreed windows in Mehrangarh fort
Jodhpur - Mahrangarh filigree windows 2 - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
More filigreed windows


Jodhpur - Mahrangarh staff - Rajasthan
A happy staffer at Mehrangarh
Jodhpur - Mehrangarh gate
One of the gates of Mehrangarh – the spikes deter ramming by elephants
Jodhpur - Towering temple - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
A temple being built on a spire of rock in Jodhpur, seen at sunrise
Jodhpur - Traditional blue houses
The famous traditional blue-painted houses that give Jodhpur its nickname
Jodhpur - view of mehrangarh
The brass ‘shikhara’ or peak of a haveli dome


Udaipur - City palace on the lake
The lakeside walkways of Udaipur’s city palace
Udaipur - Stone hut - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
An old stone hut stands the test of time in Udaipur
Udaipur - View of lake Pichola from City palace
Lake Pichola seen from the city palace museum
Udaipur - Welcoming elephants at Jagmandir palace
Marble elephants welcome visitors to Jagmandir palace in lake Pichola

Also read: 21 simple tips to be a responsible traveller

2. The imposing hill-top forts

As some may point out, I should probably have included forts in the architecture section above. But I think the hill-top forts of Rajasthan deserve a section of their own, and not just because there are so many of them. Each fort we saw was special in its own right, but Jodhpur’s Mehrangarh—a massive, looming presence visible from anywhere in the city—is by far the most impressive (and intimidating) fort we had ever seen. Covering an entire hill from one sheer edge to another and ringed by concentric fortifications, it’s no wonder it has never been conquered. Plenty have tried, though, as the cannonball dents in its walls show. If you want to know a little more, take a look at this post about Jodhpur by Footloose Dev.

Jaisalmer fort, though much smaller, is impressive for a different reason—its sand-gold colour glows in the sunset, and it is still inhabited by a few thousand people. Unfortunately, its lack of an organized drainage system—together with a mushrooming of tourist accommodation inside its walls—is eroding its foundations. To our everlasting guilt, we contributed to that by staying a night in a homestay on the fort walls. Never again.

Udaipur’s Sajjangarh is more a palace than a fort, but its hill-top location offers magnificent views of the city far below.

And lastly, one of the largest (if not the largest) forts in India, Chittorgarh. This massive fort atop its high hill dominates the surrounding countryside, and has done so for nearly 1,000 years. As the main defence of the Mewar region against invaders, it was besieged and conquered a number of times. It still has a small village within its walls today, with a single homestay providing the only accommodation with the fort.

Also read: Chittorgarh fort – The third stop on our motorcycle ride through Rajasthan

Jaipur - View from Jaigarh - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
The lights of Jaipur from the ramparts of Nahargarh fort
Jaisalmer - early morning in the fort
Inside Jaisalmer fort at sunrise
Jaisalmer - View from the walls
A view from the golden walls of Jaisalmer fort
Mehrangarh - morning view
Mehrangarh in the morning


Mehrangarh - Portal
Through the portal into another time
Mehrangarh - Internal fortifications - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Inner fortifications of Mehrangarh
Mehrangarh - Palace walls
Mehrangarh’s palace walls
Mehrangarh - Looking east - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Looking over Jodhpur from Mehrangarh
Mehrangarh - Looking west
Looking over the eastern plains from Mehrangarh
Mehrangarh - Outer fortifications - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Mehrangarh’s outer fortifications
Mehrangarh - Cannon and Umaid Bhawan
A cannon on the ramparts of Mehrangarh points in the direction of the Umaid Bhawan palace


Mehrangarh - Pigeons
Mehrangarh pigeons
Mehrangarh - South facing cannon - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Another cannon
Udaipur - Sajjangarh hill view 1
The hills of Sajjangarh
Udaipur - Sajjangarh hill view 2 - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Sajjangarh hills seen though an arrow slit
Udaipur - Sajjangarh panorama
Panorama of the Sajjangarh hills
Udaipur - Sajjangarh view - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Udaipur far below Sajjangarh


Udaipur - Sajjangarh doggie
Sweet old doggie in Sajjangarh’s courtyard
Udaipur - Sajjangarh sunset
Sunset in the Sajjangarh hills
Chittorgarh Fort - Suraj Pole gate
The Suraj Pole gate, with its spike-studded double doors, was Chittorgarh fort’s main entrance
Chittorgarh Fort - Vijay Stambh
The Vijay Stambh was built to commemorate the victory of Chittorgarh over the armies of Mahmud Khilji
Chittorgarh Fort - Sunset view from Padmini Haveli
A spectacular view of the sunset from the roof of our homestay inside Chittorgarh fort

3. The magical night-time views

Considering the impressive royal heritage that is so easily visible everywhere you go, it’s not surprising that everything looks even better at night, when the lights come on. In each of the four cities we visited, we found something wonderful to see at night, with the lights giving everything a magical touch.

Jodhpur - Road Sunset
The day ends between Jaipur and Jodhpur
Jodhpur - Sardar market at night - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Jodhpur’s Sardar market
Jodhpur - Umaid Bhawan at night
The Umaid Bhawan palace in Jodhpur
Udaipur - Lake at night - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Reflections of lake Pichola in Udaipur


Udaipur - Souvenir shop at night
A souvenir shop in Udaipur
Jaipur - Jal Mahal - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Jaipur’s Jal Mahal palace
Jaisalmer - Fire dancer
A gypsy fire dancer in the desert near Jaisalmer
Jodhpur - Mehrangarh at night
Mehrangarh watches over Jodhpur while it sleeps
Jodhpur - Mehrangarh entrance at night - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
The entrance to Mehrangarh

4. The riot of colours

Probably because most of the landscape in Rajasthan is dry and doesn’t have much variation in colour, the locals seem to want to make up for it by giving their lives as much colour as possible. Everywhere you look, bright reds, blues, greens, oranges and pinks contrast brilliantly with the dry yellows and sandy browns of the countryside. Of course, sand dunes against a deep blue sky offer an incredible contrast in their own right!

Jaisalmer - Desert camels
Camels in the desert
Jaisalmer - Fort top lounge - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Lounge on the ramparts of Jaisalmer fort
Jaisalmer - Fort wall leaather shop
Leather shop
Jaisalmer - REading newspaper
The morning news
Jaisalmer - Selling peacock feathers - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Selling (illegal) peacock feathers


Jaisalmer - Souvenir shop
Colourful souvenirs
Jaisalmer - Sunset camel - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Sunset camel
Jodhpur - Autos
Auto rickshaws in Jodhpur
Jodhpur - Railway crossing
Petroleum tanker at railway crossing
Jodhpur - Sardar market elephant - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Real elephant in Sardar market
Udaipur - Doggie in the doorway
Sleepy doggie, green doors
Jaipur - Blue pottery tiles - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Traditional glazed blue pottery tiles

5. The rich, creative cuisine

We found that Rajasthani food is rich, varied and satisfying, whether we were eating a simple dal-baati or a full thali. Traditional Rajasthani cooking supposedly involves little or no water, using milk, ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable oil instead. This is said to be because any precious water was either drunk or given to the livestock. The lack of water also probably meant there wasn’t too much livestock in the first place, which may be why the cuisine in Rajasthan is mainly vegetarian—though the state also has its signature meat dishes.

Of course, not having much water also meant many of the vegetables we now take for granted couldn’t be grown, so cooks needed to be endlessly creative with limited ingredients. Lastly, we were also told that the spiciest dishes were reserved for the summer months, both to help people cool off by sweating, and to stop food from spoiling as quickly. The combined result of all this is a cuisine that lacks nothing in flavour and complexity, and one that we would happily go back to again and again.

Udaipur - Poha
Traditional breakfast in Udaipur – Poha (steamed flattened rice)
Jodhpur - Thali - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Traditional Rajasthani thali for lunch in Jodhpur

Also read: 12 vegetarian dishes from all over India that you need to try

6. The traditional street art around every corner

In every city we visited, but most so in Udaipur, traditional street art seemed to be a strong part of the local culture, and gave even the more modern parts of the city a lovely old-world feel. In Udaipur itself, it was hard to look in any direction without spotting an elephant or a warhorse on a wall, sometimes sketched but more often richly painted. Surprisingly, much of the street art we saw was recently done, which obviously meant the tradition was still very much alive.

DSCN5353
Two princes
Mural of an army in Udaipur - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
They march to war as time marches on
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A young noble?


Wall art of a an old man in Udaipur - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Ghostly old man
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The elephant goes about its business, just like everyone else
Elephant on the move in Udaipur - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Elephant in a hurry

Also read: In the shadow of elephants in Valparai

7. The soulful and evocative music

Whether it was single musician playing the sonorous sarangi in the echoing courtyard of Mehrangarh or a group of gypsy bards performing in the desert, we were mesmerized by the traditional Rajasthani music we heard. The music evoked visions of camel trains, endless sand dunes, and cool palace corridors echoing with soft laughter. The desert entertainers, in particular, were exquisite, with their quick rhythms and their ‘kartal’. They say this simple percussion instrument that imitates the sound of a cantering horse is the forerunner of the castanets. Some believe that a variation of this desert music found its way to Africa via ancient trade routes, and from there to America, where it combined with other styles to eventually become the blues.

Mehrangarh - Musician
Traditional musician plays the sarangi in Mehrangarh
Mehrangarh - Musician's muse
Musician’s muse in Mehrangarh
Jaisalmer - Musicians - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Gypsy musicians in the desert
Jaisalmer - Pot dancer - Rajasthan
Impossible balancing acts performed by a gypsy dancer
Jaisalmer - Kartal player - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Gypsy musicians play percussion instruments – the kartal and dholak

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8. The endearing quirkiness that hides beneath the surface

While Rajasthanis overall seem to possess an air of quiet dignity, we found that there’s a certain quirkiness to them and their culture that sometimes pops up in amusing and wonderful ways. From worshipping an old motorcycle to ensure a safe journey, to using humorously tall claims to sell their wares, the people of Rajasthan are just as weird as the rest of us Indians—but in their own inimitable style.

Tall claims in Jaisalmer - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Really? Interesting!
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A ‘happy’ state of affairs! For those not in the know, bhang is an extract of the cannabis plant
Bullet temple - Eight great reasons why you should visit Rajasthan, 'land of kings'
Om Banna’s worshipped Royal Enfield Bullet
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Not a usual sight, even in India

Also read: Don’t make these 10 travel mistakes that we did

9 comments

  1. It’s like artisans peaked in that era. The incredible workmanship and ornamentation is just mindboggling. If only they made buildings like that now and not the concrete monstrosities.

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