By Karina Malik

I have faded memories of my official first trip as a child with my family; in true words, that was my first trip, of which I hardly remember anything. However, my fully conscious trip of which I have plenty of memories, in fact, photos too, to refresh them every time I go down the memory lane, is of Rajasthan.

So, I consider my first trip, the one I went on with my friends was Rajasthan, as a school trip. Rajasthan, a place of culture and authenticity. The moment I stepped out of the bus, I knew I never wanted to go back unless I have seen every inch of Rajasthan, from the desert to the cultural uniqueness, the cuisines; I wanted to experience everything.

The trip started at midnight when I boarded the bus from the school campus with five of my friends. We were too excited to hold our enthusiasm and excitement back and could not sleep the entire way. We reached Jaisalmer in the morning to the desired location, had breakfast, and performed the morning rituals. Then with our teachers and tourist guide, we left to see the beauties of Jaisalmer.

Jaisalmer is also known as “golden city”, situated in the western part of Rajasthan. Jaisalmer is full of historical monuments and beautiful temples. Apart from these, we also visited the famous “folklore museum”, which was built in 1984, and full of paintings, fossils, historical photographs, coins, camel ornaments, and old manuscripts. Jaisalmer is definitely a beautiful place to visit. 

The next stop was the blue city, Jodhpur, the second largest city of India's largest state and one of the most popular and attractive tourist destinations. The city surrounds the historical Mehrangarh Fort. The city also has a thick Rajput culture and is situated on-shore of the Thar desert. During our trip, some of the places we visited were Mehrangarh Fort, Jodha Desert rock park, Mandore Garden, and Balasamand Lake. Jodhpur is also famous for its food culture, traditional attire, and antique items.

The third destination on the trip was Ajmer Sharif. Ajmer is a popular and most famous pilgrimage of the Muslim Community. Therefore, this place gets crowds from all over the world. We went to Ajmer Sharif Dargah in the morning. Around the Dargah, many shops sell religious items like Chadar, flowers, threads and other stuff require for worshipping. The Dargah was massive, and we got to experience the Muslim culture closely, and it was indeed a beautiful experience.

The market area was rushed with foreigners; they were just as eager to know about the culture of the land as we were. Jaipur city also has three forts, and luckily we were able to see two of them, namely, Amer or Amber Fort, Nahargarh Fort.

Amer Fort is the most popular of all the forts located 11km outside Jaipur. It was built by Raja Man Singh; the fort is a true heritage of Rajput culture.

Our next stoppage was City Palace, the most important place in Pink city. The City Palace was constructed between 1729-1732 and is a terrific blend of Mughal, European, and Rajputana architecture. Indeed, the palace truly depicts a picture of the richness and royalty of Indian history. It is so mesmerizing that it looks like it came straight out of some Bollywood movie.

Travelling to Rajasthan and getting to understand the Indian culture closely, and see how Rajas and Maharajas lived in the past is an experience worth talking and sharing about. Moreover, to make the tour even more unforgettable, I shared these memories with my best of friends, which I will cherish forever. Also, I would recommend whatever you do in your life, do visit Rajasthan.