Rajasthan

Rajasthan is the largest state in India by area, a land of deserts, palaces and forts in the northwest, bordering Pakistan. Its capital is Jaipur, the Pink City. Renowned for its royal heritage, vivid colours and the Thar Desert, it is one of India's most popular tourist destinations.

Rajasthan is dominated by the arid Thar Desert in the west and the Aravalli mountain range running diagonally across it, with lakes, scrubland and a few fertile pockets. The climate is hot and dry, with scorching summers and cool winters.

Rajasthani culture is famous for its grandeur, with magnificent palaces and hilltop forts, colourful turbans and textiles, folk music and dance, and a proud Rajput martial heritage. Festivals, camels and desert lore are central to its identity.

Ruled for centuries by Rajput kingdoms whose forts and palaces still dominate cities like Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur, the princely states of Rajputana merged into India after independence to form Rajasthan in 1949 and 1956.