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Jaipur

Well known as “The Pink City”, Jaipur is a flourishing capital of Rajasthan. It is a prime center of handicrafts. It is commonly famous for its interesting architecture of Hawa Mahal- Palace Of Winds, which has 900 tiny windows through which the court ladies observed the outer world. There are many attractions in Jaipur like City Palace, Jantar Mantar that are worth a visit.

Udaipur

Udaipur is one of the most romantic cities of world, so oftenly, reffered as the Venice of East.Surrounded by five beautiful lakes, it is a lovely land around the pure water lake, hemmed in, by, the lush hills of Aravalli. Udaipur is famous for its stunning royal palaces, forts, gardens, temples and mountains. It is a vision & dream drenched in romance and beauty, that is, full of fascinating blends, of sights & sounds, that are enough to inspire anybody, including, poets, painters and writers.

Jaisalmer

This golden city lies near the western border of Rajasthan, named after Prince Jaisal of 12th century. Tourists are attracted towards its beautiful Jailsalmer Fort carved out of golden-yellow sandstone. Patwon-Ki-Haveli is the impressive and grand mansion of Jaisalmer, with beautifully carved balconies. Manu other enchanting royal Havelis are also popular amongst tourists.

Bikaner

Lying in the north of the desert State, the city is dotted with scores of sand dunes. Bikaner retains the medieval grandeur that permeates the city's lifestyle. More readily called the camel country, the city is distinguished for the best riding camels in the world and hence boasts of having one of the largest Camel Research and Breeding farms in the world. The ship of the desert is an inseparable part of life here. A camel besides being a mode of transport, also works on wells. These are built on high plinths with slender minarets on each of the four corners and can be noticed even from a distance.

The history of Bikaner dates back to 1486 when a Rathore prince, Rao Bikaji founded his kingdom. Bikaji was one the five sons of Rao Jodhaji the illustrious founder of Jodhpur. But Rao Bikaji was the most adventurous of them. It is said that an insensitive remark from his father about his whispering in the Durbar provoked Bikaji to set up his own kingdom towards the north of Jodhpur. The barren wilderness called Jangladesh became his focul point and he transformed it into an impressive city. He accomplished this task with 100 cavalry horses and 500 soldiers, and established his kingdom on 84 villages abandoned by the 'Shankhlas'. When Bikaji died in 1504 his rule had extended to over 3000 villages.

Jodhpur

Jodhpur is the second largest city of Rajasthan. Although it lies on the edge of Thar Desert, it encompasses many beautiful lakes, gardens and parks. The Umaid Bhavan Palace is one of the best architectural examples with delicate windows and colorful chambers. Other than this palace Jodhpur has a beautiful cluster of many forts, palaces and temples.

Ajmer Pushkar

South west of Jaipur, Ajmer is an oasis wrapped in the green hills. The city was founded by Raja Ajay Pal Chauhan in the 7th Century A.D. and continued to be a major centre of the Chauhan power till 1193 A.D. Then Prithviraj Chauhan lost it to Mohammed Ghori, after which Ajmer became home to many dynasties. Today, Ajmer is a popular pilgrimage centre for the Muslims as well as Hindus. Especially famous is the Dargah Sharif-tomb of the Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, which is equally revered both by the Hindus and the Muslims.

Ajmer is a centre of culture and education. The British chose Ajmer for its prestigious Mayo College, a school exclusively for Indian nobility at one time. However, now it is one of the best public schools in the country. Ajmer is also the base for visiting Pushkar (14 km.) which has the distinction of having the only Brahma temple in the world. The Picturesque Pushkar Lake is a sacred spot for Hindus. During the month of Kartik (Oct/Nov), devotees throng in large numbers to take a dip in the sacred lake. Ajmer was also a favourite residence for the great Mughals. One of the first contacts between the Mughal King Jahangir and Sir Thomas Roe took place here in 1616. The Scindias took over the city in 1818 and then handed it over to the British. Thus Ajmer was the only region to be directly controlled by the East Indian Company. The bus stand in Ajmer is located near the RTDC hotel Khadim. The railway station is further south and most of the office lies in the northeast and most of the city’s market is located behind and up to Agra Gate. Further northwest is a large artificial lake called the Anna Sagar.

Chittaurgarh

Chittaurgarh epitomizes Rajput spirit, valour, pride and romance. It reverberates with heroism and sacrifice the tales of which are still sung by the Bards of Rajasthan. The imposing and awe inspiring fort stands on a 240-hectares site, on 180m high hill that rises rapidly from the plains. It has one kilometre zigzag ascent to it. The road leads through seven gates to the main gate Rampol (meaning Gate of Ram). On the ascent between the second and the third gate, you see two ‘Chattris’ (cenotaphs) built to honour Jaimal and Kalla heroes of 1568 siege by Emperor Akbar. The main gate of the fort itself is Surajpol (meaning Sun Gate).

The fort fell thrice to the enemies in its entire history. The first attack occurred in 1303 when the Sultan of Delhi Ala-ud-din Khilji, overwhelmed by the beauty of Queen Padmini, besieged the fort with sinister design to capture the queen. In 1535 Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat, besieged the fort causing immense carnage. It is said that 32000 men donned the saffron robes of martyrdom and rode out to face certain death. The women folk led by Rani Karnawati committed Jauhar (collective self immolation by fire) to save their honor. In 1568 Mughal Emperor Akbar conquered it. In 1616, Mughal Emperor Jehangir restored the fort to the Rajputs. Now, a new township sprawls below the hill on thewest side.