Travel guide Rajasthan

In Rajasthan, access to water has always been a challenge. Vast reservoirs were dug in or near villages, connected to a spring or designed to collect rainwater. Baoris are huge wells with staircases. They also had a social and religious function. The one in Jodhpur is a fine example.

The national drink concentrates the perfumes of spices (ginger, cardamom, pepper...), the sweetness of sugar, the bitterness of tea, the roundness of milk. At the inhabitant's house, in the stores, on the roadside, in the trains..., you can't escape it. In Rajasthan, it is often prepared with buffalo milk, the best.

This ornament is typical of Rajasthani architecture. It consists of a bell tower with 4 or more pillars, topped by an umbrella-shaped dome. It tops palaces, forts and temples built during or after the Mughal period. The chhatri can be a building in itself, as in the case of royal cenotaphs.

The camelid is the best friend of the Rajasthani farmer. This robust animal is able to carry or pull heavy loads, while enduring the heat. It was widely used to pull carts loaded with crops or to move in the desert. It is the subject of festivals and fairs, especially in Pushkar, Bikaner or Jaisalmer.

The term refers to a house arranged around one or more courtyards. They belonged to rich merchants or nobles. Rajasthan is dotted with these richly ornamented mansions, some of which have been left to decay. Bikaner and Shekhawati are the best places to appreciate the splendor and marvel at the finesse of the frescoes.

These screens chiseled in the stone are part of the architectural ornaments imported by the Muslim conquerors from Iran and Afghanistan. They had the virtue of letting the air through and filtering the burning light, projecting their patterns on the floors. They allowed women who were kept away from the world to observe without being seen.

This term illustrates the darkest hours of battles between Rajputs and Mughals. When a fortress fell into enemy hands, the wives of Rajput soldiers would commit suicide. The most famous jauhar in history is said to have led 13,000 women to throw themselves into the flames in the central square of the Chittor fort in 1535.

Typical of the medieval architecture of Rajasthan, this bay window allowed women to see without being seen, sheltered behind a shutter or a curtain. They also allowed archers to place themselves in ambush. From the inside, they form an alcove with a bed. Jaisalmer is famous for its finely crafted jharokhas.

The term refers to a Rajput prince, literally "a great king". His wife is given the title of maharani. The highest title is maharana, which means "king of kings". Only the ruler of Udaipur holds this title. Rajasthan has 18 kings who, although they no longer have legitimate power, perpetuate the transmission of the title.

If " namaste" is the most used formula to greet someone, " ram ram " is the one used in Rajasthan. Literally, it is to invoke Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu. If you come across a Krishna worshipper, you can greet him with a " hare hare ". The most polite way to greet someone is with " namaskar" .

First wife of Shiva, she gave herself death by burning herself on a pyre. She was reincarnated as Parvati. The term also refers to the Hindu custom of a widow immolating herself on the funeral pyre of her husband. The custom was banned in 1829 by the British and continued until 1987 and the sati of Roop Kanwar.

The tika is a vermilion dot applied in temples to the foreheads of devotees. If a man's forehead is crossed by 3 horizontal stripes, he is a Shivaite, and if the stripes are vertical, he is a Vishnuite. The tika should not be confused with the decorative bindi worn by women, which are small stickers.