RAJASTHAN MONUMENTS Location: Rajasthan Famous Forts: Amber Fort, Kumbhalgarh Fort, Jaisalmer Fort Famous Palaces: Lake Palace, Umaid Bhawan Palace, City Palace Other Attractions: Jantar Mantar, Birla Temple

City Palace, Udaipur

Amber Fort Hawa Mahal Jaigarh Fort Lalgarh Palace Nahargarh Fort Jaisalmer Havelis

City Palace - Udaipur Junagarh Fort Jaisalmer Fort Jantar Mantar Lake Palace Museums

City Palace - Jaipur Jal Mahal Kumbhalgarh Fort Mehrangarh Fort Umaid Bhawan Palace Havelis of Jaisalmer

Monumental Heritage of Rajasthan

The magical land set amidst the acheronian desert beauty...the land synonymous with romance and chivalry...immensely rich in culture, history, monuments architecture and natural beauty. That's Rajasthan, the Land of Royalty. Always teeming with color, bliss and conviviality that's unique to this part of the country. Take a famous monumental heritage tours of Rajasthan, where everything about Rajasthan fascinates- from miles of golden stretches of sand to the kaleidoscope of magnificent forts, opulent palaces and prodigious havelis, each a splendid architectural creation having a legend of its own. Its imperial forts and august palaces dotting the sandscape remind one of the mondaine lifestyles of the maharajahs and their flamboyant courts. From the lifelike frescoes and murals in the citadels to the impetuous festivity in the streets, the savor of royalty can be felt at every corner of the state.

Rajput Architecture - Reminder of Romance And Royalty

Kumbalgarh Fort

Rajasthan monuments are an epitome of the Rajputs' highly evolved code of valiance and honor akin to that of the medieval European knights. They were inexorably liberated and renowned for their valor and pride, preferring, when defeat was imminent in battle, to die an honorable death rather than to commit to the enemy. Fiercely defending their motherland to death, the rajputs anchored themselves in this desolate desert land, building colossal forts such as those at Chittorgarh, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer- the last words in the poetry of opulence. The indomitable pride of Chittaur, the fort, a colossal structure with many gateways, eulogizes the legend of junoesque Padmini who immolated herself on a huge funeral pyre, instead of relenting in to the hands of Alauddin Khilji. The Amer fort in Jaipur, is a perfect amalgamation of Rajput and Mughal architecture; with its intricately carved Jali screens, delicate mirror and stucco work, emerges dramatically from the placid waters of the Maotha Lake. Rising from the heart of the Thar Desert like a golden mirage is the amber-hued Jaisalmer fort. Even the sun flirts with the yellow sandstone of the fort, redressing it in honey yellow at dawn, camel yellow in the morning and adding a tint of sand yellow during dusk. Take a monument tour of Rajasthan to see the famous monumental heritage as well as the architecture of these historical monuments.

Religious architecture is no less inspiring than secular architecture as is evident in the intricately carved temples monuments in Rajasthan. A chronic hallmark of these temples is a single shikhara or spire, and a sculpted mandapa or outer chamber, in front of the inner sanctum. Mordern architecture also engraves some majestic works of art on the sands of time; the most inspiring is the Birla Temple at Jaipur, which has a exquisitely sculpted frieze and a multi-tiered spire. Rajasthan also boasts of varied scientific architectures like the stone observatory, Jantar Mantar at Jaipur. Its labyrinthine instruments, whose settings and shape are scientifically designed, represent the acme of medieval Indian astronomy.

Architectural Conservation

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is an autonomous organization that works to consecrate and restore Rajasthan's historic monuments. Visitors can help the trust by appreciating its initiatives and writing to the Rajasthan state government, chalking out the sectors which leaves a scope of improvement.

The monumental tour of Rajasthan is an holiday idea that enthralls its visitors with every little discovery that is made, because the more one discovers, the more is the appetite to stay on or come back.