City Palace

Rajasthan! The very name conjures up images of princely states and fabled forts, of Maharajas and city palaces, of gemstones, silken fabrics, camels and elephants. And, indeed, all of those were on full view in the cities we visited: Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodphur and, way out near the Pakistan border, Jaisalmer.

We began our journey though, in Punjab, driving from Delhi to Agra, which historically alternated with Delhi as the capital of the Mughal Empire. Here, we joined the millions of other visitors who pour annually through a handsome red sandstone gateway, and come face to face with one of the world’s great monuments, the Taj Mahal, standing since 1652 on the banks of the Yamuna River…