Fun things to do in State of Rajasthan

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Bala Quila (Fort):- This huge fort with its ramparts stretching 5 kms from North to south and 1.6 kms from east to west stands 304 meters above the city and 595 meters above the sea level.
It is belived to have been constructed by Hasan Khan Mewati in 1492.It then passed into the Jats and Mughals.A fortress built by Alaghu Rai in 1049 A.D. is also located here.
Babar had spend a night of this fort and took away the hidden treasures to gift to his son Humayun.Akbar's son Jhangir also stayed here for some time during his exile.The place where he stayed is called Salim Mahal.
The fort was finally annexed by Maharaja Pratap Singh from Jaipur in 1775 A.D.
It is a forbidding structure with 15 large and 51 small towers and 446 openings for musketry, alongwith 8 huge towers encompassing it.
The fort has several gates-jai pol, suraj pol, laxman pol, chand pol, kishan pol and Andheri gate.Also there are remains of Jal Mahal, Nikumbh Mahal, Salim Sagar, suraj kund and many temples.

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Moosi Maharani ki Chhatri is the royal cenotaph of Maharaja Bakhtawar Singh and his Queen Rani Moosi. This striking monument is placed out side the main palace building. Based on a pillared sand stone, this double storied structure was built by Vinay Singh, which presents an eye catching spectacle to the viewer with its elephant structural design.
The upper story is build up of marble stones and it houses rounded roofs and striking bends. Highly ornamented interiors with marvelous wall paintings are worn out by lack of proper maintenance. Besides an architectural grandeur, this chhatri is placed in a picturesque location that is full of lush foliage and thriving flowers.

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Sagar Lake located just behind the City Palace, Sagar lake was constructed in 1815 AD by Maharaja Vinay Singh. Formerly used as a holy bathing ghat, Sagar lake has been able to withstand the beatings of time. Over centuries, people has been following the sacred tradition of feeding the pigeons. It is this lovely pond that separates the City Palace from the surrounding pebbly hills. The local belief is that water in the pond is bestowed with some therapeutic tendencies.
This beautiful lake houses some marvelous shrines and an array of gorgeous cenotaphs on its banks. These monuments along with the glittering waters of the lake present a rejuvenating environment to the spectator

Most alluring attraction in this palace complex is the exquisitely carved Durbar hall, which welcomes the visitors to this former citadel of Alwar kings.Divided in to three sections, the City Palace Museum displays royal treasures of the erstwhile Alwar rulers. This encompasses one of the superb compilations of Rajput and Mughal paintings and objects made from ivory, jade, and silver. These artifacts are the true testimonials of the prosperity of Alwar kings.
The objects on display includes a silver dining table with lion’s legs and ivory, Brass and pottery sections presents finest artistic talents from Multan, Srilanka, Jaipur and Bengal. Armory collections in the museum exhibit some of the precious artifacts like the sword of Akbar, Sultan Mohammad Ghori and Aurangzeb. Superb assortment of Rajput weapons is another attraction in the Museum.
Besides the arms and ammunition sections, this museum displays a peacock shaped sitar, ancient manuscripts and sculptures. Among the various objects on display, the Mahabharata description on a huge scroll and the manuscript of Shahnama and Gulistan needs special rendering.
Public can have the glimpse of the artifacts in the museum on all days except on Monday and holidays from 10 am to 5 pm.

Since they both are Jain temples with high marble craftsmanship, not too far from each other, and completed around the same time more than 500 years ago, it will be good to know how they both differ.

Delwara at Mount Abu
5 temples. Most have very high intricacy on white marble that looks only 20 years old. Quite visited (crowded) with high security and surveillance cameras. You can easily spend hours noticing the details. [More in Mt. Abu post.]

Ranakpur near Falna or Udaipur
1 gigantic 3 story temple (you can visit each floor). Less relative intricacy on yellowish pink marble which looks rustic. Not very visited. Has 1444 pillars and around 330 statues of Jain deities of which each gets full ablutions and adornment every morning. Less visitors and less security. You can easily lose yourself in the scale of the craftsmanship.

The Pushkar Camel Fair is one of the largest in India and the only one of its kind in the entire world. During the fair, Lakhs of people from rural India flock to Pushkar, along with Camel and Cattle for several days of live stock trading, horse dealing, pilgrimage and religious festival.
This small town, becomes a cultural phenomenon when colourfully dressed devotees, musicians, acrobats, folk dancers, traders, comedians, sadhus and tourists reach here during Pushkar fair. According to Hindu chronology, it takes place in the month of Kartika (October or November) beginning on ashtmi 8th day of Lunar Calendar and continues till full moon (Poornima). The Camel and Cattle trading is at its peak during the first half of festival period. During the later half, religious activities dominate the scenario. Devotees take dips in the holy "Sarovar" lake, as the sacred water is known to bestow salvation.

This small town is transformed into a spectacular fair ground, as rows of make shift stalls display an entire range of objects of art to daily utility stuff. Decoration items for Cattle, Camel and women, everything is sold together. Small handicraft items are the best bargain for buying souvenir. The Camel and Horse races have crowds to cheer. Camel judging competitions are Quite popular with animal lovers. Each evening brings different folk dances and music of Rajasthan, performers delivering live shows to the roaring and applauding crowds.

This eight days fair held every year during the month of Jan-Feb, is popularly known as the Cattle fair and is the second largest in Rajasthan. Nagaur Town is the most picturesque of Rajput townships. Nagaur is a sea of animals, trading over 70,000 bullocks, camels and horses every year. The bullocks are known for their fleetness. Not only are the animals lavishly decorated, even their owners flaunt wearing colourful turbans and long moustaches.
Shearing sheep, handsome marwari horses to spices all compiled in one fair. Attractions include the mirchi bazaar (largest red-chilly market of India), wooden items, iron-crafts and camel leather accessories.
Sports like tug-of-war, camel races, bullock races and cock fights; jugglers; puppeteers, story-tellers; and exciting campfire evenings are held to entertain the tourists. Folk music of the Jodhpur variation echoes the tranquil desert sand.

Rajasthan only has one Hill-station, but I was very grateful of it's existence during a particularly swealtering July some years ago.

Rajasthan is course 'Tourist central' when it comes to exporing the sub-continent, but this laid-back collection of lakes, hotels and temples means you can plan a break into your schedule. Not only is it a few degrees cooler, but the tourist frenzy of the big cities of the Golden Triangle can also be left to stew for a few days.

The transport around the small town is one of the charmingly eccentric features of the place. The 'baba gaadi' is a kind of adult pram with bicycle wheels. They operate like rickshaws - so be sure to negotiate on the short distances involved. The last time that I was in a pram I seem to remember that involved a bonnet, a dummy and some old bat saying 'isn't he a coochie, coo ?". You will still look ridiculously silly - but what the hell.

I also remember watching the sunset from a point just out from the town was one of the finest I have ever seen, as most of Rajasthan is desert plain it looks all the dramatic.

The temples may well have been fine creations, but I was all 'templed out' by then to bother investigating further.