RAJASTHAN, THE LAND OF MAHARAJAS

RAJASTHAN ALSO KNOWN AS THE LAND OF MAHARAJAS, AND THERE COULDN'T BE A BETTER TERM TO DEFINE THIS STATE. THIS NORTHWESTERN STATE OF INDIA IS FULL OF RICH CULTURE, AUTHENTIC INFLUENCES, ANCIENT ART, MAGNIFICIENT PALACES, HOLISTIC TEMPLES AND FORTS WHICH CONTINUE TO ATTRACT GLOBAL TOURISTS TO THIS STATE EVEN TODAY. I CAN NEVER FORGET MY EXPERIENCE OF TRAVELLING THIS RAJPUTANA STATE, FROM JAIPUR TO JODHPUR. LET ME TAKE YOU THROUGH MY EXPERIENCE OF TRAVELLING THE HERITAGE CROWN OF INDIA....

THE FIRST CITY THAT I STEPPED MY FOOT INTO WAS JAIPUR- THE PINK CITY. YOU WOULD BE WONDERING WHY JAIPUR IS CALLED THE PINK CITY, THE STATE CAPITAL JAIPUR WAS PAINTED PINK IN 1876 TO WELCOME THE PRINCE OF WALES, AND HAS BEEN CALLED THE PINK CITY HENCEFORTH. ACTUALLY, ALL OF THE MAJOR CITIES IN RAJASTHAN ARE PAINTED DIFFERENT SHADES OF COLORS! JAIPUR BEING THE PINK CITY, JODHPUR BEING THE BLUE CITY, UDAIPUR IS THE WHITE CITY AND JAISALMER IS THE GOLDEN CITY.

MY FIRST STOP IN JAIPUR WAS THE MAGNIFICIENT HAWA MAHAL, THE PALACE OF BREEZE. IT ALLOWED THE ROYAL LADIES OF THOSE TIMES TO WATCH ALL THE ONGOING PROCESSIONS AND ACTIVITIES ON THE STREET WITH BEING SEEN BY THE PUBLIC, AS THEY HAD TO FOLLOW THE "PARDAH" SYSTEM. AS I WAS EXPLORING THE HAWA MAHAL, I WAS STRUCK BY ITS BUILD AND ARCHITECTURE. I WONDERED HOW IT MUST HAVE FELT, TO LIVE IN A HUGE MAHAL WITH TINY WINDOWS. 

AFTER VISITING THE HAWA MAHAL, WE ENJOYED A KATHPUTLI SHOW AT OUR JAIPUR HOTEL. KATHPUTLI SHOW IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR FORMS OF INDIAN PUPPETRY WHEREIN PUPPETS ARE DRESSED IN COLORFUL RAJASTHANI ATTIRES AND ARE MADE TO DANCE BY SKILLED PERFORMERS ON RAJASTHANI FOLK SONGS. IT WAS TRUELY AN ENTERTAINING AND VIBRANT SHOW, A PERFECT END TO OUR JAIPUR STAY!

OUR NEXT STOP WAS UDAIPUR, OFTEN REFFERED TO AS THE 'VENICE OF THE EAST', THE CITY OF LAKES AND PALACES. MY FAVOURITE PLACE IN UDAIPUR WOULD BE THE CITY PALACE. THE GRANDEUR OF THIS ARCHITECTURAL BEAUTY IS STILL FRESH IN MY MIND. IT WAS THE SAME PLACE WHERE THE SHOOTING OF YEH JAWANI HAI DEEWANI HAD TAKEN PLACE! YES YOU HEARD IT RIGHT, I COULDN'T BELIVE I WAS WALKING ON THE SAME TRACK WHERE RANBIR KAPOOR AND DEEPIKA PADUKONE WERE WALKING ONCE. DO YOU REMEMBER THE BOAT SCENE FROM THAT MOVIE? EVEN THAT WAS SHOT IN UDAIPUR ON LAKE PICHOLA WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND REFRESHING SIGHTS YOU WILL WITNESS IN THIS CITY OF PALACES AND LAKES, UDAIPUR.

ON OUR WAY TO JAISALMER, OUR DRIVER NARRATED A BIZZARE STORY TO US ABOUT A MAN NAMED OM BANNA. IT IS A TRUE STORY, ON THE NIGHT OF 2nd DECEMBER,1991 OM BANNA WAS TRAVELLING FROM BANGDI TO CHOTILA, WHEN HE LOST THE CONTROL OF HIS BIKE AND FELL INTO A DITCH, KILLING HIM INSTANTLY. THE MORNING AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE POLICE TOOK HIS BIKE TO A NEARBY LOCAL POLICE STATION. THE NEXT DAY, THE BIKE WAS REPORTED TO BE MISSING AND WAS FOUND BACK AT THE SITE OF THE ACCIDENT. THE POLICE, TOOK BACK THE BIKE, THIS TIME EMPTYING ITS FUEL TANK AND TYING IT WITH A LOCK AND CHAIN TO PREVENT IT FROM ANY POSSIBLE THEFT. DESPITE ALL THEIR EFFORTS, THE BIKE WAS AGAIN FOUND NEAR THE DITCH. THE BIKE WOULD KEEP RETURNING TO THE SAME SPOT BEFORE DAWN, WHICH COMPELLED THE POLICE OFFICERS TO WITHDRAW FROM THE CASE. THE LOCALS FOUND IT AMUSING AND STARTED WORSHIPING THE "BULLET BIKE". LATER THE LOCALS, ALSO BUILT A TEMPLE TO WORSHIP IT. THE TEMPLE IS KNOWN AS "BULLET BABA'S TEMPLE". WHEN WE STOPPED AT THIS TEMPLE TO BOW OUR HEADS, I COULD SEE OTHER DRIVERS OFFERING SMALL ALCOHOL BOTTLES AT THIS SITE. IT IS BELIEVED IF YOU DON'T STOP AT THIS TEMPLE YOU WOULD END UP WITH A FATE LIKE OM BANNA. PRETTY BIZZARE RIGHT?

 OUR NEXT STOP WAS JAISALMER, WHERE WE ENJOYED THE BEAUTIFUL SUNRISE ON A CAMEL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SAND DUNES. I STILL REMEBER HOW THOSE FLASHY RAYS FROM THE BRIGHT SHINING SUN MADE ME GO BLIND FOR A FEW MINUTES. INDEED, IT WAS A BREATHTAKING VIEW TO EXPERIENCE IN THE START OF THE DAY. THEN WE WENT TO THE JAISALMER FORT, WHICH IS FULL OF SUNSET POINTS. A VISIT TO CAFE DE KUKU IS A MUST, WHERE I HAD THE TASTIEST ESPRESSO COFFEE IN THE WORLD. ONE DAY IN THIS CITY, MADE ME UNDERSTAND WHY IT WAS CALLED THE GOLDEN CITY OF RAJASTHAN!

OUR LAST STOP WAS JODHPUR, WHERE I GOT A CHANCE TO VISIT TOORJI KA JHALRA (TOORJI'S STEP WELL). THE STEP WELL IS A MINI ARCHITECTURAL ATTRACTION WITH TOORJI'S STEP WELL AT THE CENTER. I STILL REMEBER STARING DEEP INTO THOSE DEEP WATERS FROM THE UPPERMOST LEVEL, IT WAS QUITE FRIGHTENING! I DIVERTED MY MIND BY COUNTING THE NUMBER OF STEPS, BUT LOST THE COUNT IN THE END...

IN MY OPINION EVERY INDIAN SHOULD VISIT THIS INCREBILE STATE, ITS BEAUTY WILL BE INTIMIDATING AT FIRST BUT WITH TIME IT WILL ALL SOAK IN WELL. IF YOU WANT TO HAVE YOUR MIND BLOWN, RAJASTHAN IS THE PLACE YOU SHOULD BE AIMING AT!