Jodhpur

The wall came out of the rock itself, and the join between them cannot be picked out. Cannon marks from an old battle remain in the gate.

Below the fort the lanes carry walls painted indigo. The practice is said to have carried on because the colour keeps insects away.

White marble was cut thin enough that sunlight passes through the walls. It sits on a rise beside the fort with a small lake in front.

Dug in the eighteenth century, it had filled with earth and was excavated again. The steps drop through several levels and water still stands at the bottom.

It was built over fifteen years to give work during a drought. The family lives in one part, another is a hotel and the rest is a museum.

Spice and cloth shops ring the clock tower at the centre. Narrow lanes here are shared by motorbikes and cattle.

Where the old capital stood, royal cremation memorials were raised in the shape of temples. Monkeys are many and nothing edible should be held in the open.

People here follow a rule against harming trees or animals. Deer come right into the village and nobody drives them off.

Desert plants were restored to the volcanic rock below the fort. Introduced species were cleared and only what grew here before was kept.

Eighth century temples stand half buried in sand out in the desert. The drive runs an hour and a camel carries visitors on to the dunes.

A reservoir Pratap Singh dug in 1872 over former palaces and gardens, set among rocky hills west of town. At sundown the embankment fills with people watching the sun sink past the far shore. In winter migratory birds settle on the surface.

A reservoir dug in 1159 to supply Mandore; the royals later raised a red sandstone summer palace on its shore. The palace is now a hotel, though the lakeside gardens and dam path remain walkable. Mandore lies beyond it on one road, so both fit a single outing.

Built in 1812 by Maharaja Man Singh for his Nath gurus and walled in like a small township. The main hall rests on 84 carved pillars. Inside, wall paintings still show yoga postures.

A village south of Jodhpur where cotton and wool dhurrie rugs are woven on pit looms dug into the floor. Households open their workshops, so you watch the weaving and buy on the spot. Large pieces can be folded and shipped.

Landscaped terraces on a southern hill of the city, crowned by an equestrian statue of the Marwar general Durgadas. It faces Mehrangarh head-on, so the whole fort fills the view. Locals come up for an evening walk.

An 18th-century Rajput garden restored at the very foot of Mehrangarh's ramparts. It is planted with flowers and herbs long grown in the desert region. After touring the fort, it is a shaded spot beneath the walls to rest.