Insight Guides Pocket Rajasthan (Travel Guide eBook)

By Insight Guides

Insight Pocket Guides: ideal itineraries and top travel tips in a pocket-sized package.

Plan your trip, plan perfect days and discover how to get around - this pocket-sized guide is a convenient, quick-reference companion to discovering what to do and see in Rajasthan, from top attractions like Jaipur and Udaipur, to hidden gems, including Chand Baoli Step-Well. 

- Compact, concise, and packed with essential information about Where to Go and What to Do, this is an ideal on-the-move companion when you're exploring Rajasthan
- Covers Top Ten Attractions, including Ranthambore National Park and Jodhpur's Meherangarh Fort and Perfect Day itinerary suggestions
- Offers an insightful overview of landscape, history and culture
- Contains an invaluable pull-out map, and essential practical information on everything from Eating Out to Getting Around
- Inspirational colour photography throughout
- Sharp design and colour-coded sections make for an engaging reading experience

About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps, as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Insight Guides
• Release date: Jul 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781789199147

Insight Guides

Pictorial travel guide to Arizona & the Grand Canyon with a free eBook provides all you need for every step of your journey. With in-depth features on culture and history, stunning colour photography and handy maps, it’s perfect for inspiration and finding out when to go to Arizona & the Grand Canyon and what to see in Arizona & the Grand Canyon. 

Book preview

How To Use This E-Book

Getting Around the e-Book

This Pocket Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration and planning advice for your visit to Rajasthan, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.

The guide begins with our selection of Top 10 Attractions, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan unmissable experiences. The Introduction and History chapters paint a vivid cultural portrait of Rajasthan, and the Where to Go chapter gives a complete guide to all the sights worth visiting. You will find ideas for activities in the What to Do section, while the Eating Out chapter describes the local cuisine and gives listings of the best restaurants. The Travel Tips offer practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, there are carefully selected hotel listings.

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights in Rajasthan are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Rajasthan. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.

About Insight Guides

Insight Guides have more than 40 years’ experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce 400 full-colour titles, in both print and digital form, covering more than 200 destinations across the globe, in a variety of formats to meet your different needs.

Insight Guides are written by local authors, whose expertise is evident in the extensive historical and cultural background features. Each destination is carefully researched by regional experts to ensure our guides provide the very latest information. All the reviews in Insight Guides are independent; we strive to maintain an impartial view. Our reviews are carefully selected to guide you to the best places to eat, go out and shop, so you can be confident that when we say a place is special, we really mean it.

© 2019 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents

Rajasthan’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

Top Attraction #2

Top Attraction #3

Top Attraction #4

Top Attraction #5

Top Attraction #6

Top Attraction #7

Top Attraction #8

Top Attraction #9

Top Attraction #10

A Perfect Tour of Rajasthan

Introduction

Lie of the land

Rajasthan urban and pastoral

Pilgrims and festivals

A Brief History

Prehistory

Rajputs and Sultans

The Mughals

The Arrival of the British

Independent India

Contemporary Rajasthan

Historical Landmarks

Where To Go

Jaipur

Around Jaipur

Amber Fort

Shekhawati

Mandawa and around

Nawalgarh and around

Jhunjhunu

Fatehpur and around

Northeastern Rajasthan

Alwar

Sariska Tiger Reserve

Bharatpur

Keoladeo National Park

Deeg

Southeastern Rajasthan

Ranthambore

Bundi

Kota

Chittorgarh

Ajmer and Pushkar

Ajmer

The Dargah Sharif

Around the Dargah

Pushkar

Jodhpur

Umaid Bhawan Palace

Mandore

The Bishnoi villages

Bikaner

Around Bikaner

Karni Mata Temple

Jaisalmer

Around Jaisalmer

The Thar Desert

Udaipur and Southern Rajasthan

Lake Pichola

The City Palace

The old city

Around Udaipur

North of Udaipur

Kumbhalgarh

Ranakpur

Mount Abu

What To Do

Nightlife and drinking

Music, dance and puppetry

Shopping

Jaipur

Jodhpur

Jaisalmer

Udaipur

Camel trekking

Trekking

Horse riding

Cycling

Wildlife and birdwatching

Yoga, meditation and astrology

Ayurveda and massage

Children’s activities

Calendar of events

Eating Out

Where to eat

Drinks

Reading the Menu

To help you order…

And read the menu….

Local specialities

Restaurants

Ajmer

Bharatpur

Bikaner

Bundi

Jaipur

Jaisalmer

Jodhpur

Kota

Mount Abu

Pushkar

Shekhawati

Udaipur

A–Z Travel Tips

A

Accommodation

Admission charges

Airports

B

Begging

Budgeting for your trip

C

Climate

Clothing

Crime and safety

Customs

D

Disabled travellers

Driving and car hire

E

Electricity

Embassies, consulates and high commissions

Emergencies

Etiquette

F

Festivals

G

Guides and Tours

H

Health and medical care

L

LGBTQ Travellers

M

Maps

Media

Money

O

Opening times

P

Photography

Post

Public holidays

Public Transport

R

Religious services

S

Smoking

T

Telephones

Time Zone

Tipping

Toilets

Tourist information

V

Visas and passports

W

Websites and internet access

Recommended Hotels

Ajmer

Bharatpur

Bikaner

Bundi

Chittaurgarh

Jaipur

Jaisalmer

Jodhpur

Mount Abu

Pushkar

Ranthambore

Samode

Shekhawati

Udaipur

Rajasthan’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

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Pink City, Jaipur

Jaipur’s old city is filled with stately palaces, time-warped temples and bustling bazaars. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #2

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Udaipur

Fairy-tale palaces and havelis clustered around Lake Pichola. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #3

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Ranthambore National Park

This is one of the best places on the planet to see wild tigers in their natural environment. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #4

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Pushkar Camel Fair

The peaceful town of Pushkar sees a spectacular annual camel fair. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #5

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Ranakpur Temples

Exquisite cluster of Jain temples hidden deep in the wooded hills of southern Rajasthan. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #6

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Jaisalmer

Deep in the Thar desert, this citadel is a magical sight. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #7

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Shekhawati’s painted havelis

Hundreds of grandiose havelis dot Shekhawati’s dusty towns. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #8

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Chittaurgarh Fort

The rugged fort of Chittaurgarh saw some of the most celebrated and most terrible events in Rajasthan’s history. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #9

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Meherangarh Fort, Jodhpur

Majestic fort overlooking the old city of Jodhpur, filled with beautifully decorated palace apartments. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #10

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Bundi

Home to a remarkable collection of traditional paintings. For more information, click here.

A Perfect Tour of Rajasthan

Day 1

Jaipur

Start in Jaipur, which is easily reached from Delhi by express train. Spend a day in the Pink City, exploring the magnificent City Palace, Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar in the morning, followed by an afternoon exploring the city’s marvellous bazaars.

Days 2 and 3

Pushkar

Take the train to Ajmer then hop in a bus or taxi to reach the nearby temple town of Pushkar, one of Rajasthan’s most idyllic destinations. If you have time, it’s well worth exploring Ajmer itself and its vibrant shrine to the great Sufi saint Muin-ud-din Chishti.

Days 3 and 4

Jodhpur

Continue to Jodhpur and spend time exploring the city’s majestic Meherangarh Fort and the fascinating back alleys and busy bazaars of its historic old city.

Days 5 and 6

Jaisalmer

Take the train to Jaisalmer and spend a day exploring the magical desert citadel of Jaisalmer, followed by a camel trek into the sands.

Days 7 to 9

Udaipur

From here, you’ll need to retrace your steps to Jodhpur (where you might prefer to break your journey overnight), then head down to southern Rajasthan and the picture-perfect lakeside city of Udaipur. The sprawling fort at Kumbulgarh and the exquisite Jain temples of Rankapur can also be visited in a day-trip from the city.

Day 10

Chittaurgarh

From Udaipur, it’s a relatively short journey east to the vast hilltop fort of Chittaurgarh, for centuries the most powerful city in Rajasthan, now hauntingly deserted.

Days 11 and 12

Bundi

Another relatively short journey east brings you to Bundi, home to one of the state’s smaller but most beautiful palaces and a great place to rest and recharge.

Days 13 and 14

Ranthambore

Continue north to Ranthambore and end your tour with a tiger safari in the world-famous Ranthambore National Park. From here, it’s a straightforward train journey back to Jaipur, and on to Delhi.

Introduction

Rajasthan is India at its most Indian: a dazzling kaleidoscope of colour and culture, and a feast for the senses and the imagination. Rugged citadels and fortresses dot the arid landscape, concealing exquisitely decorated palaces and temples within. Bazaars overflow with gorgeously tie-dyed and embroidered textiles, patrolled by crowds of extravagantly turbaned men and jewellery-laden women in glittering saris. Regal opulence, religious fervour and consummate craftsmanship characterize the towns and cities, while strutting camels and prowling tigers roam the state’s forests and dunes. All of which adds up to one of the world’s most beguiling travel destinations, offering glimpses of a place into which the modern world often seems barely to intrude.

Rajasthan is, above all, a land of contrasts. Large parts of the state are arid semi-desert; a sere, sand-covered expanse against which the region’s vibrantly dressed inhabitants stand out all the more vividly. Colour saturates every surface, as if to compensate for the monochrome landscape, from the Pink City of Jaipur and the pale blue streets of Jodhpur, through to the honey-coloured havelis (traditional mansions) of Jaisalmer and the snowy-white palaces of Udaipur. Delicate apartments of marble and mirrorwork sit hidden behind forbidding fortifications, silent witnesses to some of the subcontinent’s bloodiest battles. Palaces of fabulous opulence and extravagance provide a living memento of the days of the all-powerful Rajput maharajas, while mud-walled villages dot the desert, lit by fires of animal dung.

Two Rajputs warriors

Shutterstock

Historically, too, Rajasthan is a land of extremes, long-dominated by the chivalric Rajput clans, whose all-encompassing code of military honour led its menfolk to