Rajasthan, the
land of Kings and Warriors, is India at its exotic and colourful best with
its palaces of breathtaking grandeur, battled scarred forts and whimsical
charm, its riotous colours and even its romantic sense of pride and honour.
The State is diagonally divided into the hilly and rugged south-eastern
region and the barren north-western Thar Desert, which extends across the
border into Pakistan. There are plenty of historic cities, incredible
fortresses awash with legends and rare gems of impressionistic beauty, such
as Udaipur. There are also a number of centers that attract tourists from
far and wide such as Pushkar with its holy lake and the Desert City of
Jaisalmer, which resembles a fantasy from The Thousand & One Nights.
The State is the home of the Rajputs, a group of
warrior clans who have controlled this part of India for 1000 years.
According to a code of chivalry and honour akin to that of medieval European
knights. While temporary alliances and marriages of convenience were the
order of the day, pride and independence were always paramount. The Rajputs
were therefore, never able to present a united front against a common
aggressor. Much of their energy was spent squabbling among themselves and
the resultant weakness eventually led to their becoming vassal states of the
Mughal Empire. Nevertheless, their bravery and sense of honour was
unparalleled.
With the decline of the Mughal empire, the Rajputs
gradually clawed back their independence, through a series of spectacular
victories, but then a new force appeared on the scene in the form of the
British. As the Raj expanded, most Rajput states signed articles of alliance
with the British, which allowed them to continue as independent states, each
with its own Maharaja or similarly titled leader, subject to certain
political and economic constraints. These alliances proved to be the
beginning of the end for the Rajput rulers. At Independence, India's ruling
Congress Party was forced to make a deal with the nominally independent
Rajput states in order to secure their agreement to join the new India. The
rulers were allowed to keep their titles, their property holdings were
secured and they were paid an annual stipend commensurate with their status.
But this couldn't last forever, given India's socialist persuasion. The
crunch came in the early 1970's when Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime
Minister of the country abolished both the titles and the stipends and
severely sequestered their property rights. While some of the rulers have
survived this by converting their palaces into luxury hotels, many have
fallen by the wayside, unable to cope with the financial and managerial
demands of the late 20th century.
As castle, forts and country
estate are steadily being converted into hotels even Rajasthan's most
romantically inaccessible outposts are opening up. From the richly painted
havelis (mansions) of Shekhawati in the north to the magnificent Jain
temples of Mount Abu or Ranakpur in the south, the state's wealth of history
and art provides a unique opportunity to see something of a disappearing
world.
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