In dusty Nagaur, intoxicating bazaars envelop the enormous and evocatively named Ahhichatragarh (mehrangarh.org; ₹200) – literally, the "Fort of the Hooded Cobra." With Nagaur's off-the-beaten-path location, you might be the only visitor, adding to the magic of wandering its empty palaces.
Part of a two-decade-long restoration project by Jodhpur's Mehrangarh Museum Trust, this 12th-century fort features an elaborate cooling system, with rainwater tanks and ingenious vents on the rooftops feeding cool air and water into the chambers below.
The most impressive of the fort’s fountain-ringed palaces is the Abha Mahal, containing the bathhouse of Maharaja Amar Singh (r 1634–44). The finest frescoes, depicting female courtly life, are in the Hadi Rani Mahal. You can see the ladies brushing their hair in mirrors, swimming in one of the palace’s pools and sitting on a garden swing.
Slowly being restored, the murals and mirror mosaics in the Sheesh Mahal were painted over by Indian Army soldiers during the 1965 and 1971 India-Pakistan wars. A small exhibition space near the Hadi Rani Mahal tells the story of the fort's impressive restoration. The rear of the fort is given over to Ranvas, a luxury heritage hotel set in the former zenana (women's quarters).
Nagaur also has strong links to Akbar, and to Sufism, thanks to the 14th-century Tarkin-ki Dargah (donations appropriate), containing the tomb of the Sufi saint Hamiduddin Nagori. In February, the fort often hosts concerts as part of Jodhpur's Sacred Spirit Festival (worldsacredspiritfestival.org).
As you approach Nagaur on the road from Jodhpur, look out for some of India's biggest gaushalas – charitable hospitals for stray cows – hosting thousands of rescued cattle.
