Colours of a Desert Land : Rajasthan

Contents: 1. The magnificent Rajputs. 2. Forts and palaces. 3. A desert land and its people. 4. Fairs and festivals. 5. Temples of Rajasthan. 6. Handicrafts. 7. Rajput paintings.

"Enchanting Rajasthan, land of the proud Rajput warriors and extravagantly colourful lively people has been a favourite destination for travellers to India. The stories of honour, valour and chivalry, the magnificent pageantry of Maharajas, splendidly chiselled temples and the grandeur and opulence of the palaces has attracted visitors from all over the world. Its fairs and festivals are a riot of colour and its scintillating music and dance dazzle the onlooker. This book with over 150 stunning photographs from more than twenty of India’s best photographers, discovers and presents all this and much more." (jacket)

From the introduction: "The present book is not a history of Rajasthan. It is only a modest attempt at introducing the reader to the glorious cultural and architectural heritage of this splendid state of India. Rajasthan is a large state divided by the Aravalli Ranges, believed to be geologically the world’s oldest fold mountains. On the east lies the green, fertile and forest area watered by rivers and lakes. On the west lies the Thar desert guarded on the borders by the forts at Jaisalmer and Bikaner. Rajasthan has undergone tremendous cataclysmic geological shifts. The Thar is a reminder of a time, millions and millions years ago, when the land lay covered by the sea.

The Rajputs, legendary warriors appeared on the scene in the medieval period and, though small in number, carved out small but strong kingdoms for themselves on the sandy and hilly regions. They created a distinctive romantic aura about their class by their unflinching adherence to a code of honour, valour and chivalry. Their fiercest battles were fought with the Delhi Sultans and the Mughal Emperors."