For the last two and a half weeks of January, Megan and I have been traveling around Rajasthan, which translates as “the land of kings”. It’s an arid state in Northwest India that borders Pakistan, and as far as tourism goes, this place is the crown jewel of India. It’s seemingly right out of the pages of Sir Richard Burton’s 1001 Arabian Nights: forts, castles, camels, sand dunes, turbans, adventure, and mythology line the streets the way that cows and rickshaws do in other parts of India.
The Arabian cultural influence is more pronounced here, probably because the Mughal Empire was very closely intertwined with the region’s history. That’s a complicated story, and I am far from an expert on it, but Rajasthan mostly existed as a series of feudal principalities. Each city has its own fort, which was presided over by a local ruler called the Maharaja. They wielded an immense amount of wealth and power, and generally weren’t very shy about commissioning extravagant displays of both. We learned a story about Raja Man Singh, the founder of Amber, who apparently wielded an 80kg silver mallet in battle, and would throw the thing with one hand!
Once India became an independent nation, the government granted the Maharajas a limited stipend so that they could continue to enjoy the lifestyle of their ancestors, but when state coffers started to run dry during the days of Indira Gandhi, she cut this amenity from the national budget. These days, there are still Maharajas, but their daily routines are a little more austere than their ancestors. Of course, they aren’t exactly wandering barefoot in the streets; when we saw a caravan of military trucks carrying scores of soldiers, we asked Gamar Singh, our guide, “Are they headed towards the Pakistani border?” and he replied, “No, that’s the local Maharaja’s army.”
We shared many adventures in Rajasthan–plenty with Megan’s parents, in fact, who generously hosted our stays in some extremely lavish hotels–so it would be impossible to recount all of them here. However, the best way to share our experience is probably through photographs, since Rajasthan is a place where words fail to adequately convey the majesty and wonder of the place.
Our first camel ride, with the Stevenson family, was not exactly comfortable, but it was definitely one of our favorite memories in our whole trip. The camels kept making these weird blubbering noises, and a membrane-like sac would protrude from their mouths (Megan called it their “goiters”). Apparently it has something to do with mating season.
There were some extremely tense encounters with angry monkeys. One day, as we were returning to our hotel from the market with a bunch of bananas, a big one accosted Megan literally right in front of our door, hissing at her and baring its sharp pointy teeth nearly within arm’s reach. I threw an earthenware cup at it, and it scampered away. So heroic!
The streets of Pushkar are seemingly always filled with ceremony, whether it was a wedding procession, a New Orleans style brass band, or a funeral march with the corpse carried in plain view.
Finding water is always a challenge in Rajasthan, particularly with the advent of climate change. The monsoons are growing lighter, which means water supplies are not replenishing adequately. A lot of lakes and underground aquifers are permanently drying up.
The lake near Amber Fort a couple of years ago (we didn't take this picture)
The "lake" as it appears today
Puskhar Lake in the past (again, before we arrived)
Puskhar Lake, the way we saw it
Here are a few more of our favorite pictures:
