Must-see attractions in Rajasthan

  • Mehrangarh Fort.

    Mehrangarh

    Jodhpur

    Rising perpendicular and impregnable from a rocky hill that itself stands 120m above Jodhpur’s skyline, Mehrangarh is one of the most magnificent forts in…

  • City Palace architecture

    City Palace

    Jaipur

    A complex of courtyards, gardens and buildings, the impressive City Palace is right in the centre of the Old City. The outer wall was built by Jai Singh…

  • India, Rajasthan, Jaipur, Amber Fort

    Amber Fort

    Eastern Rajasthan

    This magnificent fort comprises an extensive palace complex, built from pale yellow and pink sandstone, and white marble, and is divided into four main…

  • Hawa Mahal palace, Jaipur

    Hawa Mahal

    Jaipur

    Jaipur’s most-distinctive landmark, the Hawa Mahal is an extraordinary pink-painted, delicately honeycombed hive that rises a dizzying five storeys. It…

  • Samrat Yantra (Giant sundial), Jantar Mantar, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

    Jantar Mantar

    Jaipur

    Adjacent to the City Palace is Jantar Mantar, an observatory begun by Jai Singh II in 1728 that resembles a collection of bizarre giant sculptures. Built…

  • Keoladeo National Park

    Bharatpur

    This tremendous bird sanctuary and national park has long been recognised as one of the world’s most important bird breeding and feeding grounds. In a…

  • City Palace viewed from Lake Pichola, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

    City Palace

    Udaipur

    Surmounted by balconies, towers and cupolas towering over the lake, the imposing City Palace is Rajasthan’s largest palace, with a facade 244m long and 30…

  • Mehrangarh Museum

    Jodhpur

    The fort's museum encompasses its former palace, and is a superb example of Rajput architecture. The network of courtyards and halls features stone…

  • Junagarh

    Bikaner

    This most impressive fort was constructed between 1589 and 1593 by Raja Rai Singh, ruler of Bikaner and a general in the army of the Mughal emperor Akbar…

  • 500px Photo ID: 71843661 - Jaisalmer is a unique place, with the majority of the population of the dusty desert town still residing inside the centuries old fort. Making it the Living Fort. Cars, bikes can be driven inside the narrow lanes of the fort. At one point one gets to see an old ruin and  standing tall next to it is a Harley Davidson at the entrance of one of the many Fort restaurants.

    Jaisalmer Fort

    Jaisalmer

    Jaisalmer’s fort is a living urban centre, with about 3000 people residing within its walls. It is honeycombed with narrow winding lanes, lined with…

  • Fort Palace Museum

    Jaisalmer

    Towering over the fort’s main square, and partly built on top of the Hawa Pol (the fourth fort gate), is the former rulers’ elegant seven-storey palace…

  • Bhandasar Temple

    Bikaner

    Of Bikaner’s two Jain temples, Bhandasar is particularly beautiful, with yellow-stone carving and vibrant paintings. The interior of the temple is…

  • Chitrasala

    Bundi

    Within the Bundi Palace complex is the Chitrasala, a small 18th-century palace built by Rao Ummed Singh. To find it, exit through the palace’s Hathi Pol …

  • Patwa-ki-Haveli

    Jaisalmer

    The biggest fish in the haveli (traditional, ornately decorated residence) pond is Patwa-ki-Haveli, which towers over a narrow lane, its intricate…

  • Ranthambhore National Park

    Eastern Rajasthan

    This national park contains 1334 sq km of wild jungle scrub hemmed in by rocky ridges, and is the best place to spot wild tigers in Rajasthan. At its…

  • Kothari’s Patwa-ki-Haveli Museum

    Jaisalmer

    The first of the five sections of Patwa-ki-Haveli is opened as the privately owned Kothari’s Patwa Haveli Museum, which richly evokes 19th-century life.

  • Gaumukh reservoir at Chittor Fort in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan state, India

    Chittorgarh

    Chittorgarh (Chittor)

    A zigzag ascent of more than 1km starts at Padal Pol and leads through six gateways to the main gate on the western side, the Ram Pol (the former back…

  • Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

    City Palace Museum

    Udaipur

    The main part of the City Palace is open as the City Palace Museum, with rooms extravagantly decorated with mirrors, tiles and paintings, and housing a…

  • Lake Pichola

    Udaipur

    Limpid and large, Lake Pichola reflects the grey-blue mountains on its mirror-like surface. It was enlarged by Maharana Udai Singh II, following his…

  • Alwar Museum

    Eastern Rajasthan

    Hidden within the City Palace is the excellent Alwar Museum. Its eclectic exhibits evoke the extravagance of the lifestyle of the maharajas: stunning…

  • Museum

    Bharatpur

    One of the Lohagarh palaces, centred on a tranquil courtyard, houses this museum, which has royal artefacts, including weaponry, miniature paintings,…

  • Suraj Mahl’s Palace

    Eastern Rajasthan

    At the centre of Deeg – a small, rarely visited, dusty tumult of a town about 35km north of Bharatpur – stands the incongruously glorious Suraj Mahl’s…

  • Delwara Temples

    Mt Abu

    These remarkable Jain temples are Mt Abu’s most remarkable attraction and feature some of India’s finest temple decoration. They predate the town of Mt…

  • Jain Temples

    Jaisalmer

    Within the fort walls is a maze-like, interconnecting treasure trove of seven beautiful yellow sandstone Jain temples, dating from the 15th and 16th…

  • The view from Iswari Minar Swarga Sal Minaret in Jaipur, India; Shutterstock ID 293086646; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: Digital Content/Sights

    Isarlat

    Jaipur

    Piercing the skyline near the City Palace is this unusual minaret, erected in the 1740s by Jai Singh II’s son and successor Iswari. The entrance is around…

  • Bundi Palace

    Bundi

    This extraordinary, partly decaying edifice – described by Rudyard Kipling as ‘the work of goblins rather than of men’ – almost seems to grow out of the…

  • Le Prince Haveli

    Rajasthan

    This 1802 haveli (traditional, ornately decorated residence) has been stunningly restored by French artist Nadine Le Prince and is one of the most…

  • Old City

    Bikaner

    Still with a faint medieval feel despite the fume-belching motorbikes and autorickshaws, this labyrinth of narrow, winding streets conceals a number of…

  • Central Museum

    Jaipur

    This museum is housed in the spectacularly florid Albert Hall, south of the Old City. The building was designed by Sir Swinton Jacob, and combines…

  • Maharaja Sawai Mansingh II Museum

    Jaipur

    The Maharaja Sawai Mansingh II Museum comprises several buildings and courtyards within Jaipur's City Palace complex. The Mubarak Mahal (Welcome Palace)…

  • Royal Gaitor

    Jaipur

    The royal cenotaphs, just outside the city walls, beneath Nahargarh, feel remarkably undiscovered and are an appropriately restful place to visit. The…

  • Tower of Fame

    Chittorgarh (Chittor)

    The 24m-high Tower of Fame dates from 1301. Built by a Jain merchant, it is dedicated to Adinath, the first tirthankar (great Jain teacher) and is…

  • Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing

    Eastern Rajasthan

    This interesting museum in a restored haveli (traditional, ornately decorated residence) documents the art of hand-block printing, from old traditions to…

  • Sariska Tiger Reserve & National Park

    Eastern Rajasthan

    The Sariska Tiger Reserve and National Park covers 866 sq km (including a core area of 498 sq km). Private car access, as opposed to the gypsy and canter…

  • [UNVERIFIED CONTENT] The grand pillared Durbar Hall of Khilwat Mubarak, Chowmahalla Palace (or Chowmahallat), Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. The Hall features the marble platform on which the Takht-e-Nishan or the royal seat was laid and 19 spectacular crystal chandeliers. Chowmahalla Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

    Durbar Hall

    Udaipur

    The restored Durbar Hall (royal reception hall) in the City Palace is one of India’s most impressive, with some of the country’s biggest chandeliers. The…

  • India, Rajasthan. The Monsoon Palace, Udaipur.

    Sajjan Garh

    Udaipur

    Perched on top of a distant hill like a fairy-tale castle, this melancholy, neglected late-19th-century palace was constructed by Maharana Sajjan Singh…

  • Jagmandir Island with the palace built by Maharana Karan Singh in 1620. India

    Jagmandir Island

    Udaipur

    The palace on Jagmandir Island, about 800m south of Jagniwas, was built by Maharana Karan Singh II in 1620, added to by his successor Maharana Jagat Singh…

  • Dargah of Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti

    Ajmer

    This is the tomb of Sufi saint Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti, who came to Ajmer from Persia in 1192 and died here in 1236. The tomb gained its significance…

  • Jaigarh

    Eastern Rajasthan

    A scrubby green hill rises above Amber and is topped by the imposing Jaigarh, built in 1726 by Jai Singh. The stern fort, punctuated by whimsical-hatted…

  • Roof top of Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. (Photo by: IndiaPictures/UIG via Getty Images)

    Nahargarh

    Jaipur

    Built in 1734 and extended in 1868, this sturdy fort overlooks the city from a sheer ridge to the north. The story goes that the fort was named after…

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