Rajasthan, the land of Kings and Warriors, is India at its exotic and colourful best with its palaces of breathtaking grandeur, battled scarred forts and whimsical charm, its riotous colours and even its romantic sense of pride and honour. The State is diagonally divided into the hilly and rugged south-eastern region and the barren north-western Thar Desert, which extends across the border into Pakistan. There are plenty of historic cities, incredible fortresses awash with legends and rare gems of impressionistic beauty, such as Udaipur. There are also a number of centers that attract tourists from far and wide such as Pushkar with its holy lake and the Desert City of Jaisalmer, which resembles a fantasy from The Thousand & One Nights.

The State is the home of the Rajputs, a group of warrior clans who have controlled this part of India for 1000 years according to a code of chivalry and honour akin to that of medieval European knights. While temporary alliances and marriages of convenience were the order of