 India even today is permeated with the buildings reflecting the grandeur of the past, the palaces with splendid architecture, the rugged fortresses on barren hills. But the best place housing all these architectural marvels is Rajasthan. Most of the cities of Rajasthan have their shares of forts and palaces. Set forth for the forts and Palaces tour to discover the wealth and heritage of the past.
The City Palace, Jaipur
The City Palace lies in the heart of Jaipur. The Palace has numerous gardens, palatial structures and buildings. The palace has been converted into a museum. On display are a large collection of arts, crafts, antiques, arms and weaponry, even miniatures. There are many works in the museum featuring calligraphy, which are sheer works of beauty.
There is a museum on costumes of the kings and queens also. The costumes have been laboriously and elaborately designed for the queens keeping in mind the occasion
Hawa Mahal, Jaipur
The Hawa Mahal is one of the most beautifully designed monuments with numerous windows. The palace is made in pink and red sandstone and overlooks the streets. The palace was constructed so that the women could know about the ongoings on the street.
It is a five-storied building. The Hawa Mahal also houses an archaeological Museum.
Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur
The huge scape of this fort is awe-inspiring. This Fort is situated atop a hill. The sheer skillfulness with which it has been designed and the clever planning that went into making of this Fort invincible makes you wonder in awe. One of the interesting nuggets about the Fort is that the holes in the walls were just enough, that soldiers could fire their guns from, but the holes never revealed about what went inside the Forts protecting the inhabitants of the Fort.
The Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur
The Fort is situated at an altitude of about 125 meters. Climbing atop this Fort you get a beautiful bird's eye view of the historic city of Jodhpur. This Fort has seven gates. It is also home to several palaces, speaking of the past splendour.
City Palace, Udaipur
The City Palace in Udaipur stands along the shores of the beautiful Lake Pichola. The Palace has splendid architecture dotted with beautiful courtyards and gardens. The Palace also houses many of the exquisite works from Europe and Asia. In the Chini Chatrashala the tiles used are Dutch and Chinese. The other famous palaces nearby are the Lake Palace and the Jag Mandir Palace.
 Jaisalmer Fort, Jaisalmer
This Fort is also known as Golden Fort. It overlooks the city of Jaisalmer. The Fort was built in 1156 and it still stands tall and majestic housing many shops, temples and homes.
The Fort also has wells, which form the source of water supply.
The other Forts and palaces worth visiting on a trip to Rajasthan are Taragarh Fort in Kota, Chittorgarh Fort in Chittorgarh, Junagadh Fort in Bikaner, Amber Fort in Near Jaipur and Amer Palace in Jaipur.
| 
