General Information About Rajasthan

The Land of Kings

Rajasthan is a beautiful state in the northwest of India. It is the largest state in India and covers 10.4% of area of India. Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan and is the largest city in the state.

Rajasthan literally means the "land of kings." It was formed on 30-March-1949. Rajasthan enjoys a long history going back to the Indus Valley civilisation. The Rajputs, Rajpurohits, Charans' Jats, Meenas, Bhils, Gurjars, and Bishnois, and other tribes contributed in building the state of Rajasthan. All these tribes have taken great efforts to protect their land and culture.

Geography of Rajasthan

The Aravalli Range runs from southwest to northeast for almost 850 kms. The northwestern Rajasthan is sandy and dry and most part of it is covered by the Thar Desert. The Thar Desert is thinly populated.

Rajasthan is surrounded by Pakistan on the west, Gujarat on the southwest, Madhya Pradesh to the southeast, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to the northeast, and Punjab on the north.

Rajasthan has only one hill station, Mount Abu, that lies in the southwestern range end of the Aravalli range. The southwestern region is the wettest in Rajasthan and has dense forestation.

Rajasthan has various regions such as the Kathiabar-Gir region in east and southeast, Vagad region in south Rajasthan, Mewar just above the Vagad region. Mewar boasts of the famous cities of Udaipur and Chittorgarh. On the southeast lies the Hadoti region. North of Hadoti and Mewar is the Dhundhar region that has Jaipur. Mewat is the easternmost region of Rajasthan.

Climate in Rajasthan

Rajasthan has a wide range of climatic variations with extremes of hot and cold in the desert areas, and relatively moderate climate in the hilly areas of the south. In peak summer in May, June and July, on an average day temperatures can reach a high of 44° - 46° C (111-114° F). The evenings are cooler and there is a palpable drop in night temperatures. Similarly, the winter temperatures can go lower than 0° C. 

Best Time to Visit Rajasthan

The best time is the winter season in India, between October to February. This is the time when the sun is mild enough even in the desert for you to enjoy the harsh, arid landscapes. Even during the day, you can feel the chill, and may make you wear light warm clothes. Nights are pretty cold with a biting nip in the air. You should pack good warm clothes for the night.

What to Eat?

Good hotels on national and state highways provide Punjabi food, and Gujarati and Rajasthani thalis. The thalis usually consist of numerous vegetable preparations (sabjis) and lentil curries, along with a sweet, rotis, and rice. If you do not want the whole thali, you can also choose from Rajasthani vegetable preparations, and rotis. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food is available. Mostly, chicken and eggs are preferred to any other non-vegetarian items.

What to See?

There are so many places in Rajasthan: Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Ajmer, Ranakpur, Kumbhalgad, Mount Abu, Bharatpur, Ranthambore, Pushkar, Chittorgarh. You can research about these and choose your own places.

Get Going

For more information, you can just google for Rajasthan and you'll get plenty of information. So, what are you waiting for, get set, and start planning your next trip to Rajasthan, the Land of Kings.