The day dawns at Bhainsrorgarh. We go down with one of the boys to the Chambal to take an early morning boat ride to go bird spotting. The gnarled boatman and his sidekick row us down the seemingly still river to a small island inhabited by bats and vultures, and various small birdies. Around the island we see numerous herons, cranes and kingfishers. Monkeys frolic on the bank and stop to watch us with curiosity. The early morning light slants through the trees and a light mist rises off the water. We return to the hotel and breakfast on the roof. We then decide just to enjoy the fort and spend an idle day reading and doing very little. Wednesday we set off early to Delwara. The road is rough and potholed until we meet the ... read more

Faded grandeur is an over-used term, but it is truly apposite in Jhalawar. First the grandeur. Gagron Fort towers over the confluence of two rivers, its massive rounded outer walls seemingly impregnable. From the outside, it would not be a surprise to find it on the Welsh border, forming part of the line of defences. Inside, the little that is left is plain and unadorned save for endless unwanted graffiti. But it has Unesco World Heritage status, and work is in hand to restore it to something approaching its former glory. We were the subject of much unabashed interest as one of the Maharajah’s guards showed us around. Women perched on a rooftop under repair, men mixing concrete and even a few donkeys turned to stare at us. But only the women asked for a photo. ... read more

While Bundi town lacked the charm we were expecting, the seventeenth century palace exceeded expectations. For a mere hundred rupees each (about £1) we were able to wander round virtually on our own. The palace was deserted for over forty years, during which time it fell into disrepair and was quite heavily vandalised, with visitors scratching their names into the delicate murals and stealing many of the fittings. There has been little attempt at renovation so far, though we were told that an English student from UL had spent the last year researching what materials the murals were painted in and how best to restore them. The building itself is severe from the outside, with high blank walls topped with battlements and just a few small balconies and windows. But inside, there are spacious halls and ... read more

We come down to breakfast to find the party of Canadian tourists unable to leave the hotel. The Maharajah explains that the Jats are causing “some agitation” back towards Bharatpur where we were a few days ago. Within the caste system, the Jats are a relatively high caste of farmers and they are complaining about the injustices (as they see them) of the quota system by which the lower castes, the dalits and the tribals get preferential treatment when applying for jobs, government positions, university places etc. The higher castes feel this positive discrimination has gone too far these days, and periodically these grievances spill over into agitation and worse. The Jat king had his seat at Bharatpur and so Bharatpur district is suffering some disruption, not least the blocking of the road to Agra. This ... read more

After treating ourselves to a lie-in, we were relieved to find the massive Japanese tour party had already left, and normal service had resumed in the restaurant. We set off on the next leg of our journey. First stop was Fatehpur Sikri, a new capital city built by Emperor Akbar in 1571 on the site of the retreat of a Chishti saint, a Sufi whose blessings Akbar believed had led the birth of his son and heir Salim, the future Emperor Jahangir. The entire city was abandoned in 1585, some believe as a result of a lack of water, but no one really knows why. It stands in all its 16th century glory, the royal palace built in red sandstone and looking like it has just been completed and is waiting for the interior decorators and ... read more