ROYAL WAY
RAJASTHANIN THE FOOTSTEPS
OF THE HEROIC WARRIORS
Area
3,42,80,640 sq. kms.
Population
5,58,00,640
Climate
Mean Max
Mean Min
Summer
45.0oC
17.0oC
Winter
32.0oC
7.0oC
Capital
Jaipur
Clothing
Summer
Winter
Light
Tropical
Woolen
Best
Season
October to March
Languages
Rajasthani, Hindi, Urdu, English
Rajasthan, a rainbow within a sojourner’s easy reach, the legendary
land of Rajas and Maharajas, is the second largest state of the
Indian Union, comprising a number of former principalities. It is a
country of sand dunes, desert and rocks interspersed with wonderful
palaces, impregnable forts, myriad colors, placid lakes, secluded
sanctuaries, gardens, fertile tracts,
forests,
and superb scenery. The Aravali mountain ranges, one of the oldest
in the world, divide the country into ruggest southeast and sterile
northwest. Its thar desert sprawls across the border far into
Pakistan. Rajasthan’s history dates back to Indus valley
civilization (3,000 B.C. to 2,000 B.C.).
It is here in exotic and spectacular Rajasthan that time seems to
stand still and a traveler is lost either in bustling gaity of the
people or in splendid and exuberant isolation. The Rajasthanis wear
the most colorful apparels- men in splendid turbans and moustaches
and women in bright mirrored or ornate skirts and fascinating silver
ornaments. This splendour of their daily clothing lend bright splash
of color to life in general.
The
spectacular best of Rajasthan can be seen at its fairs and
festivals. Each season has its plethora of fairs and festivals,
ceremonies and rituals, and each festival is an occasion of artistic
expression of the spirit of its people. They are to be experienced,
to be watched and to be participated. There is always a time for
celebration and merry-making, frolic and fun. The most vibrant and
colorful local festivals include Gangaur and Teej Festivals, Pushkar
Fair, Desert Festivals, Ajmer Urs Fair and many other usual fairs
and festivals. In short, Rajasthan is the land of the most ornate
people and great oriental splendour. The people of Rajasthan still
live in their picturesque historical past and that is why the
country abounds in colors and gaity.
Rajasthan
is the home of Rajputs, the heroic warrior clans, who ever preferred
death to surrender and compromise. Rajputs, the descendants of
ancient Kshatriyas of the Age of Epics, continued the social,
political and martial traditions of their forefathers. Their
towering individuality and valour have been instrumental in shaping
the destiny of the country, which has been in the melting pot
several times since the time of the Ramayana and Mahabharata down to
our own days.
The origin of Rajputs is difficult to trace, but it is a historical
fact that by the 8th century most of the Rajputana was under the
shelter of the mighty arms of various Rajput clans. They maintained
their supremacy until the ever-increasing powers of the Mughals in
Agra and Delhi eroded it. The three hundred years between the 13th
and 16th centuries of the Christian era, was the time of their
crowning glory, when the history of Rajputs and Rajputana become
almost the history of India. They served as a bulwark against
foreign invasion and maintain the continuity of Indian culture and
civilization and conservation of Indian arts, architecture and
literature.