Rajasthan's desert edge: Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur

Most journeys through Rajasthan follow the same well-worn route: Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, perhaps Udaipur. Further west, beyond the Aravalli hills, the land becomes drier and sandier, until it merges into the Thar, the Great Indian Desert, which stretches into Pakistan. Three cities stand on its edge: Bikaner in the north, Jaisalmer in the far west, and Jodhpur between them. For centuries they were the capitals of Rajput kingdoms, and they grew wealthy on the camel caravans that crossed the desert, carrying spices, silk and opium between India, Persia and Central Asia.

Bikaner

Bikaner was founded in the late fifteenth century by Rao Bika, a son of the ruler of Jodhpur, and it lies in the north of the desert. Its great fort, Junagarh, is unusual among Rajasthan's forts for standing on flat ground rather than a hill. It was never taken by force, and inside its walls the palaces are among the most richly decorated in the state, with painted ceilings, mirrored rooms and gold-leaf work.

The city is also known for its camels. The government has a camel breeding farm nearby, and Bikaner holds a camel festival in January. And just south of the city, at Deshnoke, is one of the strangest sights in India: the Karni Mata temple, home to thousands of rats, which are revered as sacred and fed by the priests and pilgrims. Seeing a white rat among them is considered especially lucky. Visitors, as in all temples, go barefoot.

Jaisalmer, the golden city

Jaisalmer is the most remote of the three, deep in the desert near the border with Pakistan, and the most romantic. It was founded in the twelfth century, and its fort, built of the local yellow sandstone, rises from a ridge above the plain like something out of a story, its walls and ninety-nine bastions glowing gold at sunset. Unlike most of India's forts, it is still lived in: a few thousand people live within its walls, in houses, temples and guesthouses among narrow lanes.

The city below the fort is famous for its havelis, the mansions of its merchants, built in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when the caravan trade made them rich. Their facades are carved in astonishing detail, the sandstone worked like lace, with balconies, screens and arches. Patwon ki Haveli, a group of five, is the most elaborate.

Outside the city, the dunes of the Thar are the setting for camel rides and nights under the desert stars.

Jodhpur, the blue city

Jodhpur, the largest of the three, lies on the eastern edge of the desert. It is dominated by Mehrangarh, one of the largest and most impressive forts in India, which rises from a sheer outcrop of rock high above the city. Its walls are immense, and its palaces, reached through a series of gates, hold a fine museum of arms, palanquins, howdahs and miniature paintings.

From the ramparts, the view takes in the old city spread out below, its houses painted in shades of blue. The colour is said to have been the mark of the city's Brahmins, or to keep the houses cool, or to keep away insects; nobody seems quite sure. The effect is extraordinary. Jodhpur also gave its name to the riding breeches, made popular in Britain in the late nineteenth century by the polo-playing princes of the city.

The tours

G Adventures' Rajasthan & Varanasi: Ancient Temples & the Taj Mahal, nineteen nights, travels the full circuit. From Delhi it goes to Deshnoke, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur, then Udaipur, Pushkar, Tordi Garh and Jaipur, and on to Agra and Varanasi. It departs in December.

G Adventures' Rajasthan Adventure, fourteen nights, takes a shorter route through Mandawa and Jodhpur to Ranthambore National Park, Udaipur, Jaipur and Agra, from October to December. Its Rajasthan: Laneways & Local Villages, fourteen nights, visits Mandawa, Jodhpur, Ranakpur, Udaipur, Pushkar, Tordi Garh and Jaipur.

The desert is at its best from October to March, when the days are warm and sunny and the nights can be cold. In summer, temperatures in the Thar are among the highest in India. The cities are rich enough in sights that the long distances between them seem short by comparison.