3 Best Sights in Rajasthan, India

This picturesque set of gardens and temples is just below the majestic Amber and Nahargarh forts and is nearly 300 years old. It was established by Jaipur maharaja Sawai Jai Singha. From here you can get a good look at the Jal Mahal Palace in Man Sagar Lake. The gardens also make a great picnic spot, especially on weekends if you like to people-watch. A few Bollywood films have been shot here, such as the famous romantic film Lamhe.

Within the old Marwar capital at Mandore (before the capital moved to Jodhpur), these gardens house the exquisitely sculpted red-sandstone, carefully looked-after davals (memorials or cenotaphs also called chhatris) to former rulers; the most impressive is the one dedicated to 18th-century maharaja Ajit Singh. The Hall of Heroes depicts 16 colorfully painted heroes and deities carved from a single piece of stone. The small museum on the grounds has sculptures from the 5th to the 9th centuries as well as ivory and lacquerwork. There are many monkeys here, and people seeking alms, and there is also a temple devoted to the 330 million Hindu gods. This is a tranquil place to visit except on weekends and holidays, when locals arrive for outings. It's worth a visit for the davals, but keep in mind that the gardens, while visually stunning, are not well maintained and are full of trash.

Udaipur's famous Garden of the Maidens was founded in the 18th century by Maharana Sangam Singh for the 48 young ladies-in-waiting who were sent to the royal house as dowry. Back then, men were forbidden entrance when the queens and their ladies-in-waiting came to relax (though the king and his buddies still found their way in). The garden, on the banks of Fateh Sagar Lake, is lush with exotic flowers, carved fountains, a famous lotus pool, and monolithic marble elephants. The fountains don't have pumps. Designed to take advantage of gravity, they run on water pressure from the lakes. If the fountains are not working, ask one of the attendants to turn them on.