Villages to Visit in Rural Rajasthan

There are many villages in Rajasthan which can be visited. Some of these villages are located in the Shekhawati region, around Jaisalmer, Udaipur and Bikaner. The villages of Rajasthan are a classic way of exploring the arduous life of Rajasthani folks who lives on the stubborn pulse of nature. These people live happily on the rugged terrains and enjoy a unique lifestyle that surely adds colour to the village lifestyle. Wrinkled tree thickets, beautifully painted kitchen walls, drooping camels chewing light green fodder lazily is what gives Rajasthani villages an extra edge for rural tourism. Come and experience a lifestyle still untouched by the hands of modernity. If you want to experience the true essence of Rajasthani village life and that too from a close quarter, then you can stay in the rugged huts of the village people. You can also enjoy the delicious village cuisine, served hot from the rugged kitchen of the household. Enjoy your meals with chunks of fresh butter and 'lassi' (buttermilk) that adds a superb taste to the rural meals. 

Nathdwara, a small village town is situated about 48 km north of Udaipur. It houses the most sacred shrine of Vaishnavites build in the 18th century. Inside the temple of faith there you can see a black stone Vishnu image, that was brought here from Mathura in 1669 to protect it from the Aurangzeb demolition. The devotes treat the image like a dainty child, wake him up in the morning, washing it, putting his cloths on, offering it special meals and prayers, and putting it down to a sleep. Thousands of pilgrims visit this shrine during Diwali, Holi and Janmashtami. Nathdawara is also famous for its Pichwai Painting, which was practiced after the Vishu image was brought here. These bright paintings, with their rather static images were usually done with the hand-spun-fabrics. The village peoples fabricate these paintings since generation and now the Pichwai paintings have turned into a lucrative trade business. Another attraction of the town is Shrinatji Temple. Hundreds of devotes throng to seek the special blessings of Shrinathji (Lord Vishnu). The special arrangements are made for pilgrims to catch the glimpse of Shrinathji, for which the doors open eight times a day. Rest of the day the temple seems to be crowd free. The interiors of the temple are impressive enough to reflect the real Rajasthani style. Some of the ornaments of Lord Vishnu belong to Mughal India. The antique silver and gold jewellery is embellished over the statue of Shrinathji. The temple door is decorated with drawings of elephant, horses and beautiful maidens. Temple servants still wore those old costumes that belong to bygone era, the pankhwalas still run those big fans manually so as to keep the interior cool, the formal prayers are offered with diya (lighted earthen pots), flowers and fruits. From Nathdwara, you can also buy the crafted idols of gods and goddess in terracotta, stone and metal, Enameled and silver jewellery, wooden toys, cloth lanterns, colorful puppets, terracotta crafts, handmade paper crafts.
 

Kumbhalgarh

Kumbhalgarh is known as one of the old village, where basically two communities resided in its olden days. Kumbhalgarh is famous for its colossal fort located 84 km north of Udaipur. The Kumbhalgarh Fort is an important landmark of Mewar after Chittorgarh. The fort was originally build by Maharana Khumbha in 15 century to protect Royal Rajputana in the time of danger. The Kumbhalgarh remained unconquered due to its 1100 m high location on the hill top of Aravalli ranges. The fort has thick wall stretches of about 36 km that made it a dream for its rivals to conquer this periphery. The fort also houses an ancient temple, palaces, gardens, water storage facilities and big courtyards that make it again a self-sufficient dwelling. The mesmerizing beauty of fort depicts the influence of Mughal, British and Rajasthani architecture. However as you forward your foot to reach for the door ways, there you can see miniature paintings of wildlife and carved motifs that displays the true mughal learnings. Here the tourist can also explore the excellent camel safaris on the sand dunes, rural lifestyle of Rajasthani villages and the wild life sanctuaries in the walking distance of the village.

Ranakpur is a village which is situated near Sadri town in Pali district of Rajasthan, about 48 km from Kumbhalgarh and 90 km from Udaipur. Ranakpur is known for most beautiful and biggest Jain Temples in India. These ancient temples houses the statue of Mahavira and other Jain saint. The main temple is Chaumukha Temple also known as Four Faced Temple, build in 1439 with superbly crafted and well kept marbles. This temple is dedicated to Adinath, the first Trithankar. The 29 halls are supported by 1444 pillars inside the temple premises. Within the complex there are two more Jain Temples of Neminath and Parasnath. Sun Temple and Amba Mata Temple are also located not far from the complex. The villages are well painted with the sketches of peacocks, elephants, horses and human figures. The tourists can walk through the village and can experience the villagers lifestyle. The colourful lifestyles of the people of Ranakpur is depicted by most of the Jain followers in the village.

Ghanerao is a small village that is situated in the district of Pali in Rajasthan, about 18 km from Ranakpur. This royal village was built in the 15th century. It is a major center of attraction for tourists due to the Ghanerao Royal Castle. Beside this, the Ghanerao also houses the castle of great worshipper Meera Bai, a poetess and a great devotee of Lord Krishana. It is considered to be the childhood town of Meera Bai, where she worshipped Lord Krishna throughout her life. The Ghanerao Royal Castle is build up of sandstone and is now converted into a heritage hotel. The highlight of this castle is the pavilion in the central court. Near the castle there are cenotaphs of former legends, Jain Temple and the Mahavir Temple.
 

Jaisamand

The Jaisamand Lake is one of the largest artificial lake in Asia, covering an area of 36 square km. This lake was constructed by Maharana Jai Singh in the 1685 A.D., fortunately created by damming of Gomti River. This shallow lake is located nearly 48 km in the southeast of Udaipur. Today it is considered to be 14 km long and 9 km wide. It is the most tourist populated spot during summers. Beside this there are number of attractive marble chhatris (cenotaphs) around the lakeside, each of them with an elephant in the front. The summer palace of Maharani of Udaipur is located near the Jaisamand Lake which provided refreshing moods to the women of Royal Rajathan in its olden days. Around the lake, there is long forest zone that was once the hunting grounds of Maharanas of Mewar. It is now converted into a sanctuary which has wide verity of flora and fauna. There are about seven islands on Jaisamand Lake. The nearby area and the low lake site are inhabited by the tribes of Bhils and Minas.

Jhalawar was the princely state of the Jhalas. Jhalawar was created in 1838 A.D., after being separated from Kota by the British. Jhalawar is sitauted in the south-eastern region of Rajasthan at the edge of the Malwa plateau. Jhalawar has rocky and water-laden verdant landscape. With some exquisite pre-historic cave paintings, massive forts, thickly wooded forests and exotic wildlife variety, Jhalawar boasts of rich historic as well as natural wealth. The main attractions of this place are the Jhakawar Fort, Government museum, Bhawani Natya Shala and the Buddhist caves. The ancient Buddhist caves of Kolvi, Vinayaka and Hathyagod are situated in the Bhawanimandi in Jhalawar in the form of a triangle at a distance of about 6 to 8 kms. from each other. A colossal figure of Buddha and the carved stupas are the most impressive structures in the caves. Certain unique trees were found near the monasteries and caves in the Buddhist times. The nearest railway station to reach the caves is from Bhawanimandi.