In the north of India there is a fascinating and mysterious region where some of the most important princes and maharajas lived. A territory with a great variety of temples, magnificent havelis (traditional houses) and impenetrable fortresses that blend with the desert dunes.
Rajasthan is the region that best represents the fantastic and legendary image we have of India: women wrapped in beautiful colorful fabrics and mustached men wearing rich turbans. The memory of the ancient splendor has left indelible marks both in culture and in architecture, which are among the most beautiful in India.
In addition to the golden triangle (New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur), there are other cities that will bring you back to the ancient splendor of an epic past.
About a 4-hour-drive far from Jaipur (link), there’s the haveli land: the local lord’s dwellings, beautifully decorated with frescoes that reproduce scenes from daily life during the colonial period. The most interesting villages are Fatehpur and Mandawa.
And here too there is a little anecdote to share. While we were in the car with our driver, it started to rain. He decided to wait before leaving town to check if the weather would have gotten better. But the rain was pouring down harder and harder and most of the streets were starting to flood. When he finally decided to go, there were no streets, but rivers and we did not have 4×4, but and old Ambassador!!!
He tried, and tried and tried, but the engine, completely underwater, simply stopped. The floor started to fill with water. We were literally sinking! From outside, we were the attraction of the town. Curious children and people were looking at us, laughing. We were reluctant to get off from the car because there was everything in that greenish/brownish water (remember when we said that there were cows around, too? Where do you think their sacred excrement end up?).
We noticed the driver was looking for help. Some children rushed to push the car. For them, it was just a game, so we decided to do the same, we got off! We had our trousers rolled up to our thighs, but fortunately we were wearing sandals. They laughed loudly, we laughed and pushed too. All together, laughing and pushing.
After spending the night in the most awful hotel of our trip (or maybe of the entire world), we left for Bikaner the following day: the most northerly city among the ones in the desert.
Here, there’s the sumptuous Junagarh: one of the most fascinating and best-preserved fortress/palaces of Rajasthan and perhaps of entire India. At 3 kilometers away from the city, you’ll have the possibility to stay and immerse yourself in the colonial atmosphere of the Lalgarh Palace, a mixture of oriental and western interior facades.
A wing of this palace is still the Maharaja’s residence, while the rest of the building is used as a hotel.
On the road connecting Bikaner to Jaisalmer you can decide to make a detour to the Karni Mata Temple (the temple of rats): this 600-year-old temple is dedicated to Karni Mata, a famous mystic that is said to be the reincarnation of the Durga goddess. Rats are considered sacred in this place because it is believed that the souls of Karni Mata’s worshippers are transmigrated in these animals that are, therefore, to be protected and nourished.
