Material Beauty 
Now according to Hindu scriptures, one must bathe in 68 holy places around India. Every land, every culture has its places of pilgrimage – the physical process of the journey mirroring the spiritual process.
But as I travel from palace to palace, lake view to fort view around the regal Rajasthan, I am not treading the path of the seeker, the ‘saddhu,’ I am tapping into my inner ‘Maharani,’ the princess in me.
This is a land rich in culture, in architecture, in humanity – the manifestation of the spirit. Is there a purpose to this kind of travel? Seeing beautiful things for the sake of seeing beautiful things?
So much spiritual travel is about austerity, living basically but I do feel there is space in my life to honour the material, the luxuries of life. And Rajasthan with its’ bustling markets, swirling saris, amazing tribal jewellery, stunning architecture and majestic forts is the material at its’ best.
Rajasthan shows the human potential for creativity with its intricate archways and desert sand broken up by the women walking past in colorful fabrics, heavy ankle chains and carrying pots upon their heads.
Palaces And Forts
I find myself in exquisite buildings in Rajasthan. The Hawa Mahal in Jaipur – also known as the ‘Palace of the Winds’ is the stuff of storybooks. Intricately carved archways and curves in pink sandstone are designed to let the air (hawa) circulate through the building and keep the women living inside cool. This was a place for women to watch processions from – now catch it at the right time and it is a meditation on beauty.
Cross some bustling Jaipur streets where you see every scene of life going on around you and you come across the Jantar Mantar, an observatory created in the 1700s – literally meaning ‘instruments for measuring the harmony of the heavens’.
Astronomy and astrology are at the heart of Hinduism – a key part of plotting our path through fate and destiny. Marriages are determined by the lay of the stars.
The observatory is a mix of sunken steps, sun dials and sandstone mathematical instruments. The Jantar Mantar was a way of charting the celestial bodies and tapping into the rhythm of the universe.
Rajasthan is defined by its forts. Meherangarh, Bundi, Chittaugahr, Amber, Jaisalmer – such works of art. Naturally the purpose of a fort is to keep the enemy out but as the tourist steps inside, they are impressed by the awe-inspiring art, stained glass windows, stone jali screens, overhanging balconies and intricate mirrorwork at every turn.
Meherangarh towers above the blue city of Jodhpur and probably ranks as the most imposing and stunning of the Rajasthan forts. Birds of prey swirl around the walls of the fort – they are fed every day at one pm as they are believed to be auspicious.
Tumble down the hill from Meherangarh and you find yourself in the sprawling and atmospheric blue city – most of the buildings are painted blue (to deter termites). Spice markets and labyrinthine lanes spiral out from the base of the fort.
Jaisalmer
Travel five hours through desert highway and find yourself in Jaisalmer – a fairytale fort like a sandcastle emerging from the Thar desert. Unlike the other fort cities of Rajasthan, which are monuments to another era, the fort of Jaisalmer bustles with life – people still live within the walls.
The people live, breathe, love and trade on the streets here. Tiny havelis line the narrow streets which are often only just cow-width wide with views across the desert plain or over the Jain temple.
Step inside the havelis of Jodhpur and many of the other Rajasthani cities and you discover rooms fit for a princess. Many have been converted into hotels and this is where I start to tap into my inner princess. Shady courtyards, peacock mosaics, four poster beds, fading original paintings hugging the walls, beautiful mirrorwork – you can surrender to the beauty of your surroundings, knowing that you are worth it!
Honoring Myself
Each small haveli, each four poster bed, takes you on a journey to another time. A time of the Maharani. I like to think of Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, once voted one of the most beautiful women in the world by Vogue gazing from her window at Rambagh Palace which is now a sumptuous hotel in the north of Jaipur. Her palace converted into a hotel, so that we can all honour ourselves as a Maharani.
Perched above Lake Pichola in Udaipur, raising a glass to the lowering sun and watching as each palace lights up like a fairytale, my trip through Rajasthan has been a time to honour beauty and to see the depth of the human spirit.
These places are not just rich in spiritual pursuit, but highlight the extent of human creativity, the richness of architecture, the possibilities of art and imagination – mirrored by the rhythm of the universe, the blessing of the stars, our fates and destinies.