Frequently Asked Questions
| Where the heck is Rajasthan and what is it like? |
Bordering Pakistan on the west, Rajasthan is the north-western state of India and has an area of 0.342 million sq. kms. The Aravalli range runs from south-west to north-east and divides Rajasthan into two different regions. The western part is the Great Indian Desert "Thar" and the eastern comprises semi-arid as well as fertile green plains. The principal languages are Rajasthani and Hindi, but English is widely understood. |
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| What's the climate like and when's the best time to visit? |
| Extremes. Very hot during summers (May to July) and cool to chilly in winters (November to February), with brief monsoonal rains during July and August. Typical of the desert, even during summers the nights are quite cool. |
| The best time to visit is between October and April. |
| However, of late, tourist arrivals have also increased in summers primarily because the off-season discounts are substantial. Moreover, since the hotel rooms, tourist buses & cars are air-conditioned, one feels the sun's glare only while sightseeing or shopping. But then who doesn't mind a good tan on the move! |
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| What should I carry? |
Cool cottons for daywear, Light woolens for the evenings (a warm jacket if you plan to spend a night on the sand dunes), a couple of pairs of shoes, shorts, sunglasses, anti sun tanning lotion, camera and... lots of time and film rolls. |
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| So Rajasthan is attractive. But what about its access? |
| Rajasthan is easily accessible in India. Well connected by air, rail and road, the capital city of Jaipur is only 258 kms. from New Delhi, India’s capital. New Delhi has an International Airport served by important airlines of the world and the embassies of almost all nations are located here. Rajasthan has four domestic airports at Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Jaisalmer. A good network of Roads and Rails make Rajasthan highly accessible. Jaipur and other cities are also well connected with Mumbai by rail and air. |
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| I’m very particular about my kind of food. I think I’ll face such problems. |
| Rajasthan is a tourism-oriented state. At almost all places there are good restaurants serving Indian, Continental and Chinese cuisine. |
| Italian, French and Mexican dishes are easy to find. |
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| Rajasthan is famous for its palaces of ultimate luxury. Can I stay there like a Maharaja? |
| Perhaps, Rajasthan has the maximum number of palaces converted into Hotels where a guest can find the luxuries only a Maharaja (King ) could boast of. There are a few palace hotels which are internationally renowned for their splendor and opulence like the sprawling Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, the majestic Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jaodhpur and the beautiful Lake Palace in Udaipur. The Palaces are equipped with acres of Gardens, Swimming pools, Receration centres, Billiards, Golf courses, Polo grounds, Luxury suites, Royal courtyards, Royal welcome, Elephants, Camels, Horses and a lot of other Royal Comforts. There is even a luxury train, Palace on Wheels for the tourists! |
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| Can I stay in the desert and explore on my own like in a safari? |
| Rajasthan is famous for its desert safaris on Camels, Elephants, Horses and Jeeps. There is no definite routine in a safari. The tourists are allowed to explore on their own. Of course, there are a lot of things to explore. The tourists may find on the way ruined fortresses and temples, isolated tiny desert villages, herds of animals, water source, sand dunes, solitary bastions and castles and a lot of other things. Very good arrangements are done for the stay in the desert in tents where one can experience the cool pleasure of night over the sands. |
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| Why do the men wear turbans in Rajasthan? |
| There are climatic and social reasons for this factor. Rajasthan remains hot during the days especially from May to September. People working out during the day under the sun wear turbans to protect themselves from heatstrokes. |
| The people consider turban as a symbol of prestige and pride. Anything which is kept over the head holds in itself a lot of sanctity. The colour, size and style of a person’s turban convey a lot about his social ranking. |
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| A lot of fairs & festivals (hundreds in numbers) are held in Rajasthan. Any particular reason? |
| The culture in Rajasthan is predominantly medieval. Fairs and Festivals act as important mode of socializing, meeting, trading, travelling and entertainment. People from far off places come alongwith their cattle to attend such fairs. The Fairs are generally held at some pilgrimage place to mark some holy & auspicious day. |
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| The Havelis and mansions in Rajasthan have a lot of Jharokhas (balconies), Trellis, and very small windows. Why? |
| The sun is overcast all through the year in Rajasthan. Jharokhas are made to let the people sit in there and have the cool breeze inside. Intricately carved stone trellis are put to obstruct the sunrays and at the same time keep the free flow of cool air. Big windows bring a lot of heat inside, hence they are avoided. |
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