Rajasthan is the most popular tourist destination in India in which thousands of tourist visit every year.
Here is the list of 10 places to visit in Rajasthan are:
- Jaipur
Jaipur is also known as the Pink City , is the capital of the state of Rajasthan in India .
The city was built in pink stucco to imitate the sandstone . In 1905 the Prince of Wales visited Jaipur. To give a proper welcome it was decided to repaint the buildings of the city pink. Since then, this color is considered a symbol of Jaipur’s hospitality.
It is a model as a pre-modern city in terms of the regulation of its streets. The city is divided into six neighborhoods, separated by avenues of about 34 meters wide. These neighborhoods are subdivided by barred streets. Five neighborhoods extend east, south and west of the neighborhood corresponding to the Palace. This last quarter included the palace complex (the Hawa Mahal or Palace of the winds), gardens and a lagoon. Jaipur is one of the cities in India with more history.
- Bikaner
Bikaner is a city located in northwestern India. It is the head of the Bikaner district, in the federal state of Rayastán . Bikaner was the capital of the former principality of Bikaner.
Bikaner was founded in 1486 by Rao Bika (who was the sixth son of Rao Jodha , King of Marwar ). By 1465, Rao Bika had decided to conquer the lands of other Rajput clans , and by 1485 he established a fort at Bikaner, which still exists and bears his name and from which he was able to create the city of Bikaner (the ‘settlement of Bika’) .
In the following years the created state was submitted to the mandate of the Mughal emperors . Even the emperor Akbar married a daughter of King Rao Kalyan Singh , who ruled until 1571, being succeeded by his son Rai Singh . He was one of the most distinguished generals of Emperor Akbar, and was appointed first rajah of Bikaner,Getting to marry his daughter with the son of the emperor, Salim, who would be the future emperor Jahangir .
During the eighteenth century , Mughal power weakened, and Bikaner’s state intermittently clashed with Marwar . Towards 1815 a rebellion of thakures against the tyranny of the maharaja Surat Singh , who appeals to the British protection arose .
However, in the following years the Thakur continued with uprisings; the rebellion of 1883 led to the permanent establishment of a British agency of Rajputana .
- Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer “The Golden City”, in the Indian state of Rajasthan . For a time there was the state of Jaisalmer . The city is located on the crest of a sandy yellowish rock and is crowned by the Jaisalmer Fort which with 99 bastions crowns the hill of Trikuta [Three Peaks] of 80 meters of altitude. Inside the fort is the Maharaja Mahal palace, seven Jain temples and two Hindu temples .
Many of the temples and buildings are sculpted with great wealth. The city is located in the Thar desert and it has a population of around 78,000 inhabitants. It is the administrative capital of the Jaisalmer district . Jaisalmer receives its name from its founder Rao Jaisal.Jaisalmer means “The fort on the hill of Jaisal”. Jaisalmer is often called “The Golden City” because of the golden color that yellow sand gives to the city and its surroundings which you can explore through the luxury train Palace on Wheels.
- Udaipur
Udaipur is a city located in northwestern India , it is the head of the Udaipur district in the federal state of Rajasthan . Udaipur was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Mewar .
Udaipur is located at the foot of the Aravalli Mountains and is located south of Rajasthan, near the border with the states of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh . Known as the “City of lakes” or the “Venice of the East” because there are several lakes around it, including Pichola, Fateh Sagar, Udai Sagar and Swarup Sagar. Lake Pichola is the largest of these and is located in the heart of the city. It was built by Pichhu Banjara during the reign of Maharana Lakha around 1362. Between 1743 and 1746 it was built on this lake, on the islet called Jag Niwas, the royal summer palace, Jag Niwas or ( Palace of the Lake ) that today houses a luxurious hotel.
- Jodhpur
Jodhpur is the second largest city in the state of Rajasthan , in northwestern India . It is located in the Thar desert . Popular tourist destination for its many palaces, forts and temples. It is known as the Blue City because of the color with which the houses are painted under the fort of Mehrangarh. At first they were houses of brahmins , although very soon the color was adopted by the other castes because it was said to scare away heat and mosquitoes. Currently the new buildings are still painted blue for tourist reasons.
- Ajmer (Pushkar)
Ajmer or Ajmere is a city in the Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan . The city gives its name to a district, and also to an earlier province of British India called Ajmer-Merwara , which, after the independence of India, became the state of Ajmer until November 1, 1956, when It was included in the state of Rajasthan.
It is a pilgrimage center for Sufi Muslims because of the presence of the sanctuary of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, while serving as a base for the views of Pushkar , which is 11 km away and is an ancient Hindu pilgrimage site, famous for hosting one of the three temples of India dedicated to the god Brahma .
The Hindus (practitioners of the Hindu religion ) believe that the gods released a swan with a lotus in its beak. Where the swan drops the lotus, the god Brahma would make a great iagñá . The place where the lotus fell was called Pushkar.
The locality of Pushkar is located 14 km northwest of Ajmer and is one of the five dhams (sacred places of pilgrimage for devout Hinduists). A Pushkar is also known as Tirtha Rash (‘the king of the places of pilgrimage’) and is a place frequented by foreign tourists.
Pushkar is one of the oldest cities in India. Seated on the shores of Lake Pushkar , its founding date is unknown, but the legend associates Brahma with its creation. In the Puranás (sacred texts of Hinduism) it is said that the god Brahmá did penance for 60,000 years to be able to contemplate briefly the Radha Krishna (Hindu God).
- Jain Temples of Mount Abu & Ranakpur
The Mount Abu is a mountain of the Aravalli Range , in the district of Sirohi , State of Rajasthan , India . Its old name was Arbudaanchal . At its top is the city of Mount Ābū, of 22,152 inhabitants. It is a nature reserve, and a place of pilgrimage for Jainism .
In Hindu mythology , Mount Ābū was the mythical mountain of the asura-naga (fluvial genius) Arbuda . It was the refuge of meditation of Majavirá , founder of Jainism , reason why it is a sacred mountain for this religion. Artistically, it highlighted by all temples of Dilwara , the architectural jewel of Jaina art, built in a limpid marble white between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries. It consists of five temples type nagara of which are those of Adinath and Neminath .
The temple of Adinath ( 1032 ) is dedicated to tirthankara ( prophet jaina) Adinath , and was promoted by Vimala Shah Vasahi, minister of King Bhimadeva I of the Solanki dynasty . It consists of a runway of 59 chapels, with an anteroom, a mandapa (prayer room) and the garbha-griha ( sancta sanctorum ), where an image of Adinath is covered with silver plates .
The temple of Neminath (1230) is dedicated to the tirthankara Neminath , and was sponsored by the brothers Tejahpala and Vastupala, ministers of the kings Solanki Vivadhavala and Bhimadeva II . It has characteristics similar to that of Adinath, albeit with a more morbid and decadent sculptural style, highlighting the magnificent vault of his mandapa , which looks like “crystal drops”, according to James Fergusson , one of the founders of the Archaeological Survey of India .
Ranakpur one of the cities of Rajasthan, is a small town and a set of temples near the town of Sadri in the Pali district of Rajasthan , west of India . It is located between the cities of Jodhpur and Udaipur .
This locality is known mainly for the jaina marble temple , considered one of the most spectacular temples of this religion . There is also a small solar temple in the area dedicated to the god Suria who manages the royal family of Udaipur and which was built in the 12th century but later destroyed and rebuilt in the 15th century.
- Chittorgarh Fort
Chittorgarh is a city and a municipality in the state of Rajasthan of western India. It is located on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of the Chittorgarh district and an ancient capital of the Sisodia Rajput dynasty of Mewar. The city of Chittaurgarh is located on the banks of the Gambhiri and Berach rivers.
Chittorgarh is the home of the Chittor Fort , the largest fort in India and Asia. It was the site of three major sieges (1303, 1535 and 1567-1568) by the Muslim invaders, and their Hindu rulers fought fiercely to maintain their independence. On more than one occasion, when they faced a certain defeat, the men fought to the death while the women committed suicide through the jauhar (mass self-immolation). Chittor has also been a land of worship for Meera.
- Bundi
Bundi is a city in the Hadoti region of the state of Rajasthan in northwestern India. It is of particular architectural importance for its ornate forts, palaces and stepped deposits known as baoris. It is the administrative headquarters of the Bundi district. Bundi has many temples, so it is called “Chhoti Kashi” (Little Varanasi).
- Ranthambore National Park
The Ranthambore National Park or simply Ranthambore is one of the largest national parks in India , covering an area of 392 km². It is located in the northern region of the country, in the district of Sawai Madhopur , about 110 km northeast of Kota and 160 km from the city of Jaipur , which is also the nearest airport.
Know more about the Palace on Wheels train schedule before planning your trip. The nearest city and railway station is at Sawai Madhopur , about 11 km away. The park is also close to the Kota train station. The Ranthambore National Park lies on the edge of a plateau and is bounded on the north by the Banas River and to the south by the Chambal river . It receives its name from the historic Ranthambhore fortress, which is inside the park.
