Continuing onward through the series of imposing gates and smooth pavement stones of the fort, I hurried past the souvenir vendors and headed to the Rajmahal, the former maharaja’s seven-storey palace. The included audio tour provided additional information as I made my way through the open courtyard, mirrored and painted rooms, blue tiles, short doorways (so people would adopt a humble pose), throne, stone-carved lattice windows, up the unevenly spaced narrow stairs and to the rooftop. From here I had a panoramic view of the fort, including its myriad of shops and temples of the Jain and Hindu varieties. Pigeons flew by, landing on the bangaldar eaves and other overhangs. Round rocks that looked like cannonballs were perched on top of some battlements, appearing ready for approaching invaders. Past the walls of the fort built in 1156 lay the city down below and beyond that the barren landscape of the Great Thar Desert.
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