WESTERN RAJASTHAN 299 Deshnok Bikaner Jodhpur © Lonely Planet Publications Planet Lonely © Osiyan Khichan Jaisalmer Khuri

( p348 ) in camel safari ( p324 ) – ( p304 ), above Jodhpur’s blue Jodhpur’s blue ), above p304 ( Jaisalmer Fort Karni Temple Mata ( p318 ) flying in for a free feed ) flying in for a free p318 ( Mehrangarh ( p326 ) – delicate yet powerful) – delicate symbols of wealth p326 ( the world’s biggest sand castle demoiselle cranes from Jaisalmer ( p330 ), Khuri ( p336 ), Bikaner p336 ), Khuri ( p330 from Jaisalmer ( ) – the best way to p317 ) and Osiyan ( p343 ( experience the desert, and you get to sleep under the stars Havelis magnificent rodents run riot, gnawing sweets, Deshnok where your feet slurping milk and scampering over building blocks

Khichan Watch the skies for the graceful over rat at Spot a white Jump on a camel and embark on a stone carving Marvel the overworked at of Jaisalmer’s lavish the ancient Explore from the soaring ramparts to a city’s secrets of Listen

HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS The west is where you can ride a camel over a sand dune and into the sunset, camp you can ride a camel over is where west The The vast desert, extending into Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat, and into Pakistan, is not all into Pakistan, Haryana and Gujarat, and vast desert,The into Punjab, extending

caravans has been preserved in the desertcaravans has been preserved air. under a desert sky and meet villagers in radiant robes. It’s as if the romance of the great under a desert It’s as if the romance of the great in radiant robes. sky and meet villagers the colourful centre of handicraft production with treasures galore for adventurous shoppers. for adventurous galore the colourful of handicraft production with treasures centre fort, the far southwest, is Barmer, in Junagarh, has some of Rajasthan’s most opulent interiors. enormous sand castle. Bikaner, bazaars, and its colour, has narrow medieval enormous sand castle. with no allotted sive proportions. Jaisalmer, the Golden City, arises f rom the drifting sands of the Thar like proportions. an City, arises f rom the drifting sands of the Thar Jaisalmer, the Golden sive spreads out like an inland sea from beneath the glare of mighty Mehrangarh – a fort out like the glare an inland sea from beneath impres- of spreads of Rajasthan’s allure. The towns of this region are powerfully the Blue City, Jodhpur, are evocative. towns of this region The of Rajasthan’s allure. down-to-earth villages to the majestic forts, and such a vital ingredient is vibrant and resilient, barren and sandy. In fact it’s the world’s most populous arid zone. Desert from the and sandy. In fact most populous arid zone. it’s the world’s culture, barren and Jaisalmer. represented today by the Thar Desert, by the Thar today the romantic citadels of Jodhpur which embraces represented He fired the arrow into the northwest, creating the parched arid lands of western Rajasthan, the arrow into the northwest, arid lands of western the parched He fired creating ever, in the nick of time, the sea god appeased the irate god, and Rama switched his aim. sea god appeased the irate in the nick of time, the ever, between India and Lanka (Sri Lanka), resolved to fire a destructive arrow into the sea. How- arrow into the sea. a destructive between India and Lanka to fire (Sri Lanka), resolved Rama,hero of the Ramayana, policed the straits rage at the sea god who fuming with Western Rajasthan Rajasthan Western WESTERN RAJASTHAN 3rd century BC. Theindigenous inhabit- 3rd centuryBC. on top. This is when the state ofon top.This iswhenthe state Marwar Pradesh, cameoutin present-day Uttar whohailed fromKannauj Rajputs, Rathore abitofcenturies saw passtheparceluntil at present-day Patna, inBihar. Subsequent ing acrossnorthernIndiafromits capital Maurya’s empire cametopower,spread- Chandragupta In231BC 1500 and200BC. their invasionof northernIndiabetween ants were subjugated bytheAryansduring India, after Kashmir and Hyderabad. andthethirdlargestkingdom inRajputana in the ancientkingdomof Marwar, thelargest The districtof Jodhpurwasfora long time 300 History WESTERN RAJASTHAN

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Wildlife se JODHPUR r BIKANER t Osiyan Abu Mt Khichan Agolai To Ahmedabad Sirohi Jalor subdued thelocalHindu chief, Ajayaraja. of Sind,erected afortthere in1122,having at Nagaur. the governor Mohammed Bahlim, on aninternational trade route. century tothe18thcentury,whenit was astop iod, Jaisalmer enjoyedaheyday fromthe16th experiencing great unrest per- inthemedieval destroyedbyMohammed ofbeen Ghori.After had after atLodharva theBhati capital Rajput Jodhpur. of about 9kmtothesouthandfoundedcity leader,movedJodha, theRathore thecapital shifting toMandore in1381.In1459Rao at Pali, southeastof present-day Jodhpur, emerged. originallysettled TheRathores Gajner SIROHI (142km) Sanctuary Kolayat Road Wildlife Gajner Abu Bhenswara Jaisalmer wasfounded inthe12thcentury, Meanwhile, theMuslims were entrenched Jodhpur Rohet Luni Mandore

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