Lonely Planet Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra

Lindsay Brown, Joe Bindloss, Bradley Mayhew, Daniel McCrohan, Sarina Singh

Description

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet's Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Take in the intricate floral designs on the Taj Mahal, marvel at the splendour of Old Delhi's remnants of former empires and spot a magnificent tiger in the wild at Ranthambore National Park - all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet's Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra: Full-colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights provide a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, art, food, drink, sport, politics Covers Delhi, Agra, the Taj Mahal, Rajasthan and more The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet's Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra is our most comprehensive guide to Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra, and is perfect for discovering both popular and off-the-beaten-path experiences. Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's India for an in-depth guide to the country. About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, video, 14 languages, nine international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)

Sujets

• India
• Rajasthan

Informations

• Publié par: Lonely Planet
• Date de parution: 01 octobre 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781788687416
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 43 Mo

Extrait

Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra

Contents

PLAN YOUR TRIP

Welcome to Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra
Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra’s Top 12
Need to Know
First Time
If You Like…
Month by Month
Itineraries
Travel with Children
Wildlife Watching
Regions at a Glance

ON THE ROAD

RAJASTHAN
Eastern Rajasthan
Jaipur
Bharatpur
Alwar
Sariska Tiger Reserve & National Park
Patan
Ajmer
Pushkar
Ranthambhore National Park
Karauli
Udaipur & Southern Rajasthan
Bundi
Kota
Jhalawar
Chittorgarh (Chittor)
Udaipur
Mt Abu
Northern Rajasthan (Shekhawati)
Nawalgarh
Jhunjhunu
Fatehpur
Mandawa
Jaisalmer, Jodhpur & Western Rajasthan
Jodhpur
Kichan & Phalodi
Nagaur
Jaisalmer
Bikaner
Jaipur Lazy Days
Forts of Rajasthan
Rajasthan’s Coloured Cities
DELHI
Sights
Activities & Courses
Tours
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
AGRA & THE TAJ MAHAL
Sights
Activities & Tours
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Shopping
Fatehpur Sikri

UNDERSTAND

Understand Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra
Rajasthan Today
History
Rajasthani Way of Life
Sacred India
Arts, Crafts & Architecture
Rajasthani Colour
Rajasthani Food
Naturally Rajasthan

SURVIVAL GUIDE

Scams
Women & Solo Travellers
Directory A–Z
Accessible Travel
Accommodation
Customs Regulations
Electricity
Embassies & Consulates
Food & Drink
Insurance
Internet Access
Legal Matters
LGBT+ Travellers
Money
Opening Hours
Photography
Post
Public Holidays
Safe Travel
Telephone
Time
Toilets
Tourist Information
Visas
Volunteering
Transport
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
Health
Language
Behind the Scenes
Our Writers
Welcome to Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra

Here is India’s quintessential land of maharajas and medieval forts, palaces and tigers, and kaleidoscopic festivals. Rajasthan really is the jewel in India’s crown.

The Golden Triangle
The Golden Triangle is a traveller’s survey of Indian icons. It usually kicks off at the daunting mega-metropolis of Delhi, with its majestic Mughal heritage. It then angles to Agra, where one of the world’s most famous tombs, the Taj Mahal, defines the city with its exquisite proportions. The triangle is completed at Jaipur – a city painted pink with some of the most colourful bazaars in India. Jaipur is the capital and gateway to Rajasthan, and once you’ve slept in a palace, explored a medieval fort or swayed on a camel, you’ll want to experience more.

Fortified Opulence
Rajasthan’s big-ticket attractions are its magnificent forts and palaces. Powerful forts with battle-scarred ramparts loom from mountain tops. Spiked doors that once held war elephants at bay open onto the twisting approaches to the palaces within. Austere and practical give way to opulence once safely inside. Carved marble and stone, fountains and coloured glass decorate the halls of business and rooms of pleasure. All across Rajasthan there are numerous forgotten forts and lovingly restored palaces, including Jaisalmer’s fairy-tale desert outpost, Amber’s honey-hued fort-palace and Jodhpur’s imposing Mehrangarh to name just a few.

Land of Kings
Rajasthan is literally the Land of the Kings. It is home to the chivalrous Rajputs, and its heritage is ingrained with pride and tradition. The upper echelons of this medieval society built magnificent palaces and forts, many of which are now sumptuous hotels and impressive museums. In addition, stunning handicrafts and fine arts were developed through patronage by the maharajas. Village life remains steeped in tradition but, just like the rest of India, the pace of change is accelerating. Turbaned men still barter for decorated camels – they just relay the successful deal home via a smartphone.

Celebration of Colour
The intensity and spectrum of colour in Rajasthan is impossible to ignore. The rainbow of fire-engine red turbans and emerald green and canary yellow saris is simply dazzling. Little wonder so many fashion designers find their inspiration and raw materials in this state. The lucky visitor might even see a flash of orange while tiger-spotting in Ranthambhore National Park. Easier to catch on a camera are the bright hues of Rajasthan’s many festivals: from garishly decorated camels in Pushkar, or painted elephants in Jaipur, to the rainbow explosions of Diwali and Holi, celebrated across the region.

Gadi Sagar , Jaisalmer | TANARCH / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Why I Love Rajasthan
By Lindsay Brown, Writer
India’s largest state is also one of its most connected, with a network of railways between all the major cities. Train travel is the ideal way to step out of the tourist bubble and immerse yourself in the world of everyday Rajasthan. Here new technologies race ahead but old technologies linger. Camel carts still thread the chaotic streets now dominated by combustion engines. Wandering the old alleys and bazaars, you still come across tea and spice dealers, with ancient weighing scales being the only obvious technology in sight. (Oh sure, there’s a smartphone tucked away somewhere.)
For more, see Our Writers
Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra’s Top 12

Taj Mahal, Agra
Perhaps the single most famous building on the planet, the Taj Mahal is as much a monument to love as it is to death. The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan constructed this magnificent mausoleum to honour his beloved third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died tragically in childbirth. Clad in pearlescent white marble, and intricately inlaid with calligraphy, semiprecious stones and intricate floral designs representing the eternal paradise, the Taj is the pinnacle of Mughal creativity, and one of the most perfectly proportioned buildings ever constructed, anywhere, ever.

OLENA TUR / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences
Jaipur
The capital of Rajasthan is a city of mystery and romance, of desert fortresses and palaces where ladies of court moved behind hidden screens. In the Pink City of Jaipur , you can dip into the extravagant lifestyle of the Rajput maharajas, while the surrounding bazaars teem with the comings and goings of ordinary citizens. No visit to Rajasthan would be complete without a stop in this fabulous and frenetic city to explore the wealth of architecture, sample the restaurants, and peruse the craft and jewellery shops.

Nahargarh | UMANG SHRESTHA / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences
Historic Delhi
India’s captivating capital bears the scars of a string of former empires, from tombs and fortresses left behind by sultans and warlords to the broad streets laid out by British colonials. Delhi may be chaotic today, but it rewards visitors with an abundance of riches: fabulous food and culture; Mughal relics and maze-like markets; New Delhi, with its political monuments and museums; the ancient forts of Tughlaqabad and Purana Qila; and ruined wonders at the Qutab Minar (pictured below) and Mehrauli. Come and be mesmerised by 3000 years of history.

EMAD ALJUMAH / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences
Jaisalmer Fort
The 12th-century Jaisalmer Fort defiantly rises from the flat desert lands, a vision from childhood memories of tales such as ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’. The reality is no less romantic. Castellated golden-stone bastions and elephant-size doors protect a warren of narrow bazaars and Jain and Hindu temples, all bustling with life and commerce – almost a quarter of the city’s population lives inside the fort. Overseeing the bazaars is the former maharaja’s seven-storey palace, now a fascinating museum.

KAILASH.K.SONI / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences
Amber Fort, Jaipur
Before moving to Jaipur, the fort palace of Amber was the capital of the Kachwaha clan. The honey-coloured citadel rises gradually along a sloping ridge surrounded by even higher ridges capped with other battlements and watchtowers. From the beautiful geometric gardens and Maota Lake, you can roam up to the main square, Jaleb Chowk. From here, wander freely through the palace grounds, halls of audience, the magnificent three-storey Ganesh Pol, the once-taboo zenana (women’s quarters) and the still-glittering Jai Mandir.

SHOTA TOKUDA / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences
Jodhpur
The ancient capital of the kingdom of the Marwar, Jodhpur rewards the traveller with Rajasthan’s most spectacular fort and, from its ramparts, one of India’s iconic views. Mehrangarh seems to emerge organically from its rocky pedestal to protect the Blue City. From this elevated fortress, the old city of Jodhpur, a sea of blue-block houses, hums and jostles like a seething ocean. Beyond the teeming city, jeep safaris explore the home of the desert-dwelling Bishnoi, a people who have been protecting the natural environment for aeons.

NILA NEWSOM / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences
Riding Camels in the Thar Desert
For a quintessential Rajasthani experience, hop aboard a ship of the desert for an extended safari or simple overnight jaunt into the windswept dunes of the Great Thar Desert. From a camel’s back, you can see herds of gazelles and meet desert-dwelling villagers. At the end of the day, you can make chapatis over an open fire, witness a cultural performance and fall blissfully asleep under a Persian carpet of glittering stars. You can organise a camel safari in Jaisalmer, as well as Bikaner and Osian.

DMITRY RUKHLENKO / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences
Ranthambhore National Park
There are only a handful of places left where you can see the magnificent tiger in the wild. Ranthambhore National Park is one such place and your chances of spotting a tiger are very good. This former hunting reserve is a majestic setting for a tiger safari. There are lush ravines, crocodile-infested lakes and a crumbling fort straight out of The Jungle Book. Spotted deer graze in the dappled light of an open wood, their eyes, nostrils and ears twitching for the sight, smell or sound of a striped predator.

WANPHEN CHA