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!

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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

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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.

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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!

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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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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