Rajasthan and Maharashtra are two of the biggest states of India, where Rajasthan is at the north and Maharashtra is at the west. After travelling a lot to India visiting my husband’s family, this was the first time we were venturing west for tourist purpose. My husband picked this area as it has some of the best tourist attractions of the area.
India requires a visa for every visitor, the visa application is carried out by prior appointment which can be done online, including online payment. After the visa application, the visa collection is either by counter collection or by post. It is recommended to keep track of the process online. The processing time depends on the type of visa you are applying for and it is recommended that you only plan your journey once you received your passport with the visa to avoid any delays.
Rajasthan is the largest Indian state, located in the north west and has border with Pakistan. Rajasthan was formed on 30th March 1949 as the result of the merger between Rajputana (also known as British Raj) and Dominion of India. The most important cities of the state are: Jaipur (capital), Jodhpur, Kota, Bikaner, Ajmer, Bharatpur and Udaipur.
Maharashtra is the third largest Indian state, located in the west and has border with the Arabian sea to the west. Maharashtra was formed on 1st May 1960 as the result of the merger between Bombay State (west and south west parts), Berar, Vidarbha, and Hyderabad State (north west parts). The most important cities of the state are: Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad, Solapur, Amravati, Kolhapur, and Nanded.
As part of my research, I check out all the most seen places of the cities and its surroundings. This particular trip was designed by my husband. India’s currency is the rupee (INR) and it is recommended to exchange at the airport just after landing, as who has the time to search for it after.
Our trip to India started earlier than this as we were attending my sister-in-law’s wedding in Kolkata (East India) and after this we were travelling to Pune for the reception. Therefore, we took the chance to explore other parts of India and we decided to do a road trip from Aurangabad in Maharashtra to Jaipur in Rajasthan. My adventure started on Monday 4th February 2013.
On Day 1, after a nice breakfast at the hotel, we took a five-hour bus trip to Aurangabad with two breaks in between. After arriving to the bus terminal, we took a taxi to take us to our hotel as it was a full-day of travelling.
On Day 2, after an amazing breakfast provided by the hotel, we decided to rent a car with a driver to take us to Ellora which is located 29km north of Aurangabad. In India, you cannot rent a car to drive yourself, the only way to rent a car is with a driver. Therefore, we decided that instead it was more effective to rent a taxi with its driver as they know the area better.
Our first stop was Bibi Ka Maqbara which is best known as the mini Taj Mahal, as it is also a tomb and were designed by the same architecture. It is the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s first and chief wife Dilras Banu Begum (a princess of Persia), and was built between 1668 and 1669 by designer Ata-ullah and architect Hanspat Rai. The tomb is built in marble from mines near Jaipur.
After a quick stop to Bibi Ka Maqbara, we continued our journey to the Ellora caves which are included in the UNESCO World Heritage sites, and is one of the major tourist attractions of Maharashtra.
Ellora is the largest rock-cut monastery-temple complex in the world featuring monuments and artwork depicting Jain, Buddhist and Hindu religions dating from 600 to 1000. The site consists of over 100 caves all excavated from the basalt cliffs within the Charanandri Hills but only 34 caves open to the public. These caves are 12 Buddhist (from 1 to 12), 17 Hindu (from 13 to 29) and 5 Jain (from 30 to 34), depicting mythologist prevalent of the 1st millennium and hosting monasteries of each religion. The caves were built close together demonstrating the harmony that existed in ancient India among the existing religious groups.
The caves are amazing as you are able to go inside and even climb the stairs to experience how the monks lived, additionally you can see the top view from the top of the hill. The detail of the carvings is amazing not to mention the size of the constructions, which are several floors high.
After an amazing day, walking all over the caves and photographing every single detail. We returned to the hotel to have an amazing dinner and made arrangement for the following day.
On day 3, after enjoying an amazing breakfast provided by the hotel, we made our way to Ajanta which is 108km south of Aurangabad. Ajanta is another set of caves also included in the UNESCO World Heritage sites since 1983, and also one of the major tourist attractions of Maharashtra.
Ajanta is a rock-cut Buddhist complex featuring one of the finest examples of ancient Indian art, as most painting depict emotions through gestures, poses and form. These pieces of art are precursor of the modern Indian art. The site consists of around 30 caves carved into a 75-meter wall of rock. These caves were built in two phases: starting in the 2nd century and ending between 400 and 650. The caves form a U-shape gorge containing several waterfalls which are audible when the river is high.
Although the exteriors of Ajanta caves are not as powerful as the ones in Ellora, the quality of the paintings inside are spectacular. Due to this, there is not tripod or flash photography allowed inside which is something that needs to be admired, as they had been able to conserve most of the plaster and colours with their original colours. They are amazing preserved.
After a tiring day of walking and hiking, we returned to our hotel and had amazing dinner before arriving to the hotel in order to make plans for the next day.
On day 4, after a great breakfast at the hotel, we decided to go to Jaipur in Rajasthan which is 15-hour drive from Aurangabad. After a very, very long drive to Jaipur, we dropped all our things in the hotel and left to have a nice traditional Rajasthani food.
We went to Chokhi Dhani Village for dinner, as this is the modern version of a traditional Rajasthani village style into a luxury resort. This village allows you to immerse yourself into life in Rajasthan, as you can experience its cuisine, architecture, and performance arts. However, as it is a five-star hotel the entrance to the public is closed until after sunset but after paying an entrance fee, people can enjoy the facilities and have a traditional dinner, as this is the best place to enjoy an authentic Rajasthani cuisine.
While we were there, my husband had a camel ride and we had an Asian elephant ride (Asian elephants are smaller than African elephants). I was able to have some henna drawings on my hand and finally we enjoy an amazing vegetarian thali (is dinner serves in small metal bowls). After an amazing dinner, we took a taxi ride back to the hotel to rest and plan the next day activities.
On day 5, after an amazing breakfast at the hotel, we decided to take it with calm as we were just recovering after the long drive from the day before. Therefore, we decided to cover the most important tourist attractions of Jaipur and drive around the city.
Jaipur is the largest city and capital of Rajasthan, and it is also called the Pink City as it the most dominant colour of the buildings. Jaipur is the most popular tourist destination of India, as it is part of the Golden Triangle which includes Delhi and Agra. Last year, Jaipur was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and it already included UNESCO sites like the Amber Fort and the Jantar Mantar.
The first place we visited was the Albert Hall Museum, which is the oldest state museum of the state was opened in 1887. The building is a good example of Indo-Saracenic architecture and it is located opposite to the New gate outside the city wall.
The museum has a rich collection of artefacts including paintings, jewellery, carpets, ivory, stone, metal sculptures and works in crystal. In addition, there is a collection of coins and even an Egyptian mummy. Although the collection is very limited, the building has a unique architecture and that makes a great visit.
After our visit to the Albert Hall Museum, we visited the Jantar Mantar which its name derives from the Sanskrit meaning instruments. The Jantar Mantar is an astronomical complex containing 19 astronomical instruments which features the largest stone sundial. The complex was completed in 1734 and its observatory is an example of the Ptolemaic positional astronomy which were shared by many other civilizations. The Jantar Mantar is within the walls of the city of Jaipur.
The aim of the complex was to make astronomical observations with the naked eye, and after 300 years there are only few people in the world that can still read this instruments, this is still an amazing site as it was essential for the exact time keeping in India and you are able to climb the stair to see how the largest sundial works.
After our visit to the Jantar Mantar, we visited the Nahargarh Fort (also known as the Tiger Fort). The Nahargarh Fort is located 15km outside Jaipur, was built in 1734 by the king of Jaipur Maharaja Sawai Jai, has amazing views of Jaipur city and was part of the strong defence ring of the city. As it is a 2km hike from the bottom and there is no parking on the top, we were dropped by our driver as close to the gate as possible and then slowly hike our way up which now was just less than half way.
The Nahargarh Fort has the best views of Jaipur city and includes amazing paintings of floral patterns which brighten the walls of its many chambers constructed in a maze-type style. Every chamber has a different painting pattern in their walls and the combination of mirrors and glass make this palace an exciting place to explore.
After our visit to the Nahargarh Fort, we visited the Amber Fort (also known as Amber Palace). The Amber Fort is located 11 km outside Jaipur, was built on 967 by architect Mairs with yellow sandstone and marble in a Mughal architecture style. The Amber Fort was erected during the reign of Raja Man Singh and underwent improvements over the next 150 years until Jaipur became the capital for the Kachwahas. The Amber Fort was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013, as part of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan.
The Amber Fort is a beautiful complex containing beautiful buildings full of engraving walls, ceilings and columns; overlooking the Maota Lake. The complex is laid out on four levels each one with its own courtyard. The main entry is via the Suraj Pol (Sun Gate) leading to the first courtyard. The next courtyard leads to the stairs towards the third courtyard. This courtyard was the main quarters for the king; therefore, it has the most beautiful buildings like the Mirror Palace and the Sheesh Mahal.
The only problem is that although the buildings are beautiful constructed and full of engraving wall and mosaics, if you pay close attention to the wall you can see that there are holes in the wall. My husband was explaining that every hole used to contain a precious stone and then when the royal family left, these were stolen for a profit. Although the holes are apparent from a close up, from a distance the structure and the designs are beautiful enough to attract a visit.
From the fort, we were able to see Jal Mahal Palace, which is a palace in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake. The palace is the best representation of the Rajput architecture style. However, the hotel is a five-floor construction but due to lake levels going up the top floor is the only visible and hence it is close for visitors.
After an amazing day visiting different forts, we decided that it was time to return to the hotel. In our way back, we saw camels parked at the side of the road and even an elephant taxi. We stopped for dinner on the way and finally we were able to return to the hotel for a good night rest and to plan next day’s activities.
On day 6, after an amazing breakfast at the hotel, we decided to go to Udaipur, south of Jaipur and after six hours of driving, we stopped at the Chittaurgarh (Chittor) Fort.
The Chittaurgarh Fort is one of the largest forts in India and we were able to drive all over the complex and see some amazing building. The Chittaurgarh Fort is spread around a 5km stretch containing several palaces, gates, temples, towers and even a deer park. The fort began construction during the 7th century and changed hands depending of the area rulers. The Chittaurgarh Fort is situated on the left bank of the Berach river and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013, as part of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan.
As the fort is so big, cars are allowed to enter and we had a nice car tour of the buildings to enjoy the view but specially time to take nice photographs. We entered via the main gate Padan Pol and after a series of gate we arrived to the Ram Pol, which was designed to be the back gate of the fort complex. We took the circuit counter-clockwise and started with the Palace of Ratan Singh and followed the tour south. On our way, we found amazing constructions with different style.
The last building that we passed was the Kalika Mata Mandi and the Hanuman Temple, where there were many monkeys as this was their temple. The last stop in the route was the deer park, where we were lucky enough to found a pair of deer and saw some other wildlife. On our returned, we saw more buildings and then we decided to continue our trip towards Udaipur.
The trip to Udaipur was a further two-hour drive and we decided to stop on the way to have some dinner. After an amazing dinner, we made our way to our hotel for the night in order to relax and plan our activities for the following day.
On day 7, after a great breakfast we decided that the best plan was to explore Udaipur and its amazing attractions, therefore, our first stop was the City Palace.
The City Palace of Udaipur is a palace complex located at the east bank of Lake Pichola. Its construction started in 1559 by the Sisodia Rajput family and is considered the largest palace of its kind as it is a mixture of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture styles constructed in marble and masonry. The complex includes several structures including 11 small individual palaces with the architectural style allowing the various buildings to merge creating a homogeneous pattern, as all the complex is built in granite and marble. Due to its size, currently the City Palace is part museum, part luxury hotel and part royal residence, therefore the only place opened to public is the museum.
The museum is a maze of rooms and courtyards interconnected by narrow passages containing glass mosaics, miniature paintings and beautiful mirror-work that can be seen throughout. In my case my favourite part was the inlaid glass peacocks as this has become one of my favourite animals soon after finding out that it was the national animal of India. I had a lot of fun taking self-portraits using the mirrors that were all over the place and its amazing interiors, as their decorations are full of detail and their colours are very vibrant. I had a lot of fun taking pictures, as every detail was worth a picture.
After visiting the City Palace, we decided to venture outside the city and we stopped at the shore of Fateh Sagar Lake where we enjoyed the fresh breeze of the wind while basking in the sunshine, we enjoyed some amazing Indian ice coffee, which has some amazing spices making this an amazing taste.
After visiting the Fateh Sagar Lake, we made our way to the Saheliyon-ki-Ban. Saheliyon-ki-Ban is an amazing public garden containing several fountains, kiosks, a lotus pool and various marble elephants. It was constructed between 1710 to 1734 by Maharana Sangram for the use of the royal ladies.
The amazing part of this garden is that it is filled with stone elephants in all kinds of different positions with excellent masonry over elegant lotus ponds, making this a unique walled garden.
After another amazing day visiting all the many interesting places, we decided to return to the hotel and have an amazing dinner in order to make plans for the following day.
On day 8, after an amazing breakfast we made arrangements to depart and continue our adventure towards the city of Jodhpur, which is a four-hour drive. However, before arriving to the hotel we decided to stop at the Umaid Bhawan Palace.
The Umaid Bhawan Palace is one of the largest private residence in the world and it is part hotel, part museum and part royal residence. The Umaid Bhawan Palace is the current residence of the former Jodhpur royal family. The palace started construction in 1929 and concluded in 1943, designed by architect Budhmai Rai and Sir Samuel Swinton with an Indo-Saracenic architecture style using golden yellow sandstone.
The museum inside has a great hall with amazing wall decorations, particularly my favourite pieces was a miniature model of the palace as it is the only way to actually see the extensive size of the property. The collection of the artefacts consists of antique clocks, luxury furniture, Chinese vases, and stuffed animals. As an engineer, I love how the clocks work and in this museum’s collection was amazing. The building hosting the museum had an amazing interior courtyard connecting all the rooms of the museum.
After the Umaid Bhawan Palace, we decided to visit the Mehrangarh Fort Museum. The Mehrangarh Fort is one of the largest forts in India and was built around 1459 by Rao Jodha for the Jodhpur Royal Family with red sandstone. The Mehrangarh Fort consists of several palaces with intricate carving, exposing courtyards and seven gates built commemorating military achievements of Maharaja Man Singh.
The Mehrangarh Fort hostess a museum which is one of the most well-stocked museums in Rajasthan. The museum has a gallery for elephant’s howdahs (riding seats), palanquins (travel cars power by humans), treasures from Mughal period, armoury, paintings and a turban gallery. The architecture of this building is very intricate with outstanding balconies filled with archs and stairs; however, my favourite place was the Phool Mahal (Flower Palace), as is the room filled with mirrored dance hall embellished with gold. After exiting the museum, we were able to have an amazing panoramic view of the city.
After the Mehrangarh Fort, we stopped at the Jaswant Thada. The Jaswant Thada is a cenotaph (empty tomb) and was built in 1899 with white marble by Maharaja Sardar Singh to honour his father’s memory.
The Jaswant Thada is a mausoleum complex contained smaller cenotaphs honouring the rulers that followed, gardens, gazebos and a small lake. The complex is sacred ground you are not allowed to use shoes inside the complex, however, as it is made of marble it is very cold walking on it, so take some socks just in case since it is worth entering the grounds.
After the Jaswant Thada, we decided to explore the market which was near as it is the best place to buy souvenirs, however, be careful as they tend to take advantage of foreigners with rise prices so it is recommended to haggle. In my experience, if you are not used to haggle and you are travelling with guide, arrange your guide to haggle on your behalf.
After an amazing day of exploring and shopping, we returned to have dinner at the hotel and made plans for the following day.
On day 9, after an amazing breakfast we made arrangements to depart and continued our adventure to Jaisalmer. The trip is around five-hour drive, however, after many days on the road we decided to take this leg with calm and therefore we enjoyed the ride and explored the landscape by taking lots of photographs.
After arriving to Jaisalmer, we went to the hotel to settle down and then we went to enjoy a nice dinner. After dinner, we returned to the hotel to make preparations for the following day.
On day 10, after an amazing breakfast, we decided to start our exploration of Jaisalmer city, also known as the Golden City. We started our tour with Jaisalmer Fort.
The Jaisalmer Fort is considered one of the few living forts in the world, as almost 25% of the population of the city lives inside its boundaries. The Jaisalmer Fort was built in 1156 by Rawal Jaisal with yellow sandstones which changes colour during the day. The Jaisalmer Fort was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013, as part of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan.
The Jaisalmer Fort consists of four fortified gates from the town side, the Raj Mahal Palace (former residence of Maharawal of Jaisalmer), seven Jain temples, a Laxminath temple, and various merchant havelis (mansions).
Since the Jaisalmer Fort is a city, we decided that we needed to start with the Raj Mahal (Fort Palace Museum). However, we there was no car access so we had to park outside the fort and hike all the way to the museum and enjoyed of the lifestyle of a living fort. Although the collection is limited, the best parts were the regal furniture and amazing building that hostess them as the rooms are decorated with tile, mirror-work, some wall paintings and stained glass.
After visiting the museum, we decided to explore the havelis which are open-air mansions. Their common façade created an amazing coherent landscape of urban living with different tones of stone. Inside, there is a variety of artefacts including furniture, vases, musical instruments, and the walls with arched stone and latticed windows.
After visiting the havelis, we made our way to the desert as my husband planned a camel safari for us to enjoy. We arrived there just before the sunset, as the plan was to see the sunset up the dunes. Therefore, the first thing was to get on top of the camel. This is an unusual experience, as you get on top of the camel when it is laying on the floor, however, the camel has to stand and to do this first they stand their front legs and then the back of the camel goes backwards, once you are on top the ride is amazing. On the way to the dunes, we saw a lot of peacocks and I realized that they sleep on top of a tree.
Once we arrived on top of the dunes, we left the camels and for going down the front legs bent forward and then it felt like a roller-coaster. We waited for sunset to arrive and it was beautiful and unique. After the amazing sunset and photographic session, we returned to the restaurant where we had an amazing dinner and a traditional show with dance and music. After an amazing bonfire, we returned to the hotel to rest and planned the next day.
On day 11, after an amazing breakfast at the hotel we decided to continue our adventure towards Bikaner, which is a five-hour drive to Lalgarh Palace.
The Lalgarh Palace is a palace and a heritage hotel, built between 1902 and 1926 for Maharaja Ganga Singh in an Indo-Saracenic style with red sandstone. The Lalgarh Palace is part living palace, luxury hotels and a museum. The Sri Sadul Museum focuses on the lives of three of their most beloved rulers of the House of Bikaner’s containing from personal artefacts including electric items, to furniture and even a collection of airplanes.
The Lalgarh Palace, in my opinion, has the best architecture of all the palaces that I saw in Rajasthan, as the engraving of the walls and the details are amazing, including the colour combination of the interior courtyards. Although, it was raining we had an amazing day as the tour was indoor.
After the Lalgarh Palace, we decided to go to the Camel Research Centre to see more camels. We were able to see camels in their age group to see their behaviour. We were also able to see a three-hour baby camel with his mother. After visiting the camels, we had tea and ice cream made of camel milk, and while there we were serenated by many Indian parrots.
After an amazing day and an amazing trip visiting an exciting new place and discovering new flavours, we decided to have our last dinner at Rajasthan in a traditional restaurant. After dinner, we returned to the hotel to make arrangement for returning to Jaipur.
On day 12, after an amazing breakfast, we made arrangement to return to Jaipur in order to take the flight to Kolkata, where we had to finish our family commitments and then made arrangement a flight back to London via Delhi.
We had an amazing trip; I was able to explore a little more of India and I discovered that there is more to see than just the Taj Mahal. In this trip, I was able to explore the desert, the amazing forts, but overall fall in love with the Mughal architecture which is full of amazing details of animals and flower. I was able to explore further the Indian cuisine and discovered that even people like myself, unable to handle any kind of chilies and mild spices, is able to eat and enjoy as Indian food is full of flavour and it is not just vegetarian, as many states of the north eat animal proteins like seafood, fish, mutton and lamb.
Therefore, I suggest to leave your fears behind and try to travel to India an explore its culture, cuisine and architecture as there is nothing in the world like this. The markets are full of colours and fresh produce, and the people are friendly so allow yourself to be amazed.
My suggestions for a successful trip to India are:
Update all your vaccinations and start taking a course of malaria tablets. Malaria is a big problem due to the mosquitos which breed in stagnate water, which tends to puddle a lot specially during monsoon season.
Decide what part of India you want to explore, as it is a very large country and you will not be able to cover it all in one adventure.
Rent a car with a driver to explore the landscapes in between cities where you are able to take lots of photographs of wild animals and any other beautiful landscape.
Arrange with your driver to haggle on your behalf so that you could get the best price for all your market shopping, as they always charge you more than twice as much.
Drink lots of bottle water as it is a very hot country in any season, in comparison to Europe.
Try to explore the real Indian cuisine and if you are unable to eat as hot and spicy just then order something off menu as it will be cook to your specification as per order.
Talk to people as English is a national language, and explore the culture.
Enjoy yourself, as it is a trip of a lifetime and unless you have family like myself, is going to be the only trip you do to India and it is an amazing country no to enjoy it.
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