Rajasthan Tourism India

Rajasthan is one of the most colourful and exotic states in India. Much of it is desert. There are beautiful palaces and huge stone forts all over the state built by the Rajputs who held power here for a thousand years. Rajput means "son of a prince", and the Rajputs were fierce and brave warrior clans who had a sense of honour and chivalry like that of the Knights of Old England. This led to many feuds and battles over the centuries, and because the Rajputs would rather die than surrender, many many lost their lives this way. Later the Rajput rulers became very friendly with the British and began going to Europe, often with the entire family, spending huge amounts of money shopping and staying in the fanciest hotels. In the meantime, they lost control of a lot of their lands in Rajasthan to the British. When India became independant in 1947 the Rajputs one by one were convinced to become part of the new India and signed away their lands and their lifestyles. Many families converted their palaces to museums or hotels in order to continue to have an income.

There are many colourful events and festivals in Rajasthan. Every year in November a huge camel fair is held in the desert when traders of camels, buffaloes and oxen come together to buy and sell their animals. There is singing, dancing and camel races and the traders and visitors stay in tents set up in the sand specially for this event. In March, in Jaipur, there is the Elephant Festival, when hundreds of elephants are decorated with beautiful fabrics and jewels and paraded through the streets. Rajasthan is a land of colourful festivals, history and traditions, and in some parts of the state you can almost imagine that not much has changed in hundreds of years.