Rajasthan is the largest state of India was formed on 30 March 1949 with Jaipur as the state capital. Once known as the 'Land of the Kings', the state still retains the glory and richness of those times with its marvelous monuments, colourful traditions and customs. It covers most of the area of the Great Indian desert (Thar Desert) with one edge paralleling the Sutlej - Indus river valley along with its border with Pakistan. It borders Pakistan to the west, the Indian state of Gujarat to the southwest, Madhya Pradesh to the southeast, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to the northeast and Punjab to the north.Rajasthani and Hindi are the widely used languages in the state.

Rajasthan is the largest state in the Indian Union. Geographically, the land of Rajasthan is more varied than any other region. It is a region of lofty rocks, rolling sand dunes, of burning heat and freezing cold, of fertile plains and deep wild glens and jungles. The Aravalli range, which is the oldest folded range in the world, divides the area into two natural divisions-North-West and South-East. North-West area is a sandy and ill watered tract emerging gradually from a mere desert in the west and North-West to comparatively fertile land towards the East and North-East in the neighborhood of the Aravallis and the track bordering Haryana. The South-Eastern division which is more elevated and fertile than the North-West, has a very diversified character with extensive hill ranges, pockets of woodland, several large rivers, fertile tablelands and stretches of excellent soil. The Arid high plateau of South-Western Rajasthan is broken by wild cliffs and hill ranges. Irrigation dams or deep wells are the source of water for the fields in the oases lying within the Valleys.

Cliffs form the backdrop of Jodhpur, disappear into the endless barren plain from which the medieval fort of Nagaur rises as a landmark. Beyond this is the Thar desert which is a part of the great Indian desert-Burning like a furnace even in early March, it is the 'Maru-kantar', the region of death. Aravalli range starts from the borders of Delhi and becomes well defined before Alwar. The forests of Alwar, Bharatpur and Sawai- Madhopur are the home of the tiger, the panther, the wild boar, the blue bull and the more graceful and agile animals of the deer family.


Rajasthan is thickly populated in Bharatpur area in the east and sparsely populated tracts with a density as low as about four people per square kilometer in Jaisalmer in the extreme west.

Rajasthan is the region of the proud Rajputs who are generally regarded as the personification of Chivalry and whose exploits and bravery in battle are legendary. Rajputs are Scythian descent- a stock which moved out from the Caucasus in Central Asia towards the Indus Valley on the one side and the Germanic parts of Europe on the other.
Rajasthan has an unending cycle of fairs and festivals throughout the year. They are perhaps the most colourful and spectacular in the whole of India. Besides the festivals born out of age old traditions, there are others which celebrate seasons, cattle marts which turn out to be enthralling fairs, craft fairs that highlights the crafts of the different regions and so on. Rajasthani festivals give an insight to the colourful life style of the Rajasthani people and are mesmerizing with their folk dances, music, drama and animal races. Some of the main Fairs and festivals are Teej, Gangaur and the Pushkar Fair, Desert festival, Elephant Festival and the Camel festival which are now known worldwide.