Cycling Rajasthan: Forts, Palaces, Temples and Thorns follows a 1,000-kilometer bicycle journey from Udaipur to Karauli across southern and eastern Rajasthan—a route through the Aravalli Hills, historic fortress towns, pilgrimage centers, rural villages, and the seldom-visited countryside between them.
The sixteen-stage journey begins beside Lake Pichola in Udaipur and leads through Kumbhalgarh, Ranakpur, Deogarh, Chittorgarh, Menal and Bundi before continuing toward Ranthambore, Ramathra and Karauli.
Yet the great forts and palaces are only part of the story.
Traveling independently by bicycle brings Rajasthan down to human scale. A village market comes briefly to a standstill around the bicycle. Children ride alongside. A puncture repair attracts an audience. Pilgrims carry offerings to a temple. A road disappears into thorn scrub. Two strangers carry bicycle and panniers across the Banas River.
These unplanned encounters become as important as the destinations.
Lavishly illustrated with more than 270 photographs from the journey, the book presents Rajasthan as it unfolded from the road: its people, villages, landscapes, temples, forts, palaces, markets, rituals and everyday life. The photographs follow the stages of the ride and form a visual narrative alongside the written journey.
The book also includes GPS tracks for the route, practical reflections on cycling Rajasthan, seasonal considerations, the notorious thorns and punctures, and an updated perspective on how Rajasthan’s road infrastructure has changed since the original journey.
This is not a guide to racing across Rajasthan or conquering difficult stages. The bicycle is the means of entering the landscape slowly enough to notice what conventional travel so easily passes by.
The challenge of reaching the destination is secondary.
The reason to ride is everything that happens along the way.
Paperback version of the book is available on Amazon.
For a broader reflection on what makes traveling Rajasthan by bicycle so distinctive, read Cycling Rajasthan: When the Road Becomes the Journey.