THE ROYAL CENOTAPHS OF RAJASTHAN
AROUND 10 KILOMETRES from the city of Bikaner stands a sprawling compound. Enclosed by a low, white boundary and surrounded by a barren desert, the compound is home to dozens of domes of various sizes. The structures wear hand-painted frescoes inside and hand-carved motifs outside. A small shrine of a local deity stands nearby, as if protecting the structures from the vagaries of nature. But this is no palace or castle. These are cenotaphs of the royal family of Bikaner.
Traditionally erected to honour the memory of a person or a group of people, cenotaphs literally translate to empty tombs. While they are seen throughout the world, in India they are mostly found in the central and western states, with the largest and most ornate ones spread around Rajasthan. Every major town that has been a seat of power— Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Bundi, Bikaner—is home to cenotaphs, or as they are called in
