Who Rajasthan's royal families are today
Before 1947: the rulers of Rajputana governed their states under British protection, with their own courts, armies, coinage and nobles.
Joining India: after independence the states signed instruments of accession and then merged, in stages, into the new state of Rajasthan. Greater Rajasthan was formed on 30 March 1949, marked as Rajasthan Day (since 2025 on the Hindu new year).
- Princely states
- Over twenty, from Jaipur and Jodhpur to Bundi
- Under the British
- Rajputana, from 1818 onwards
- Joined India
- 1947 to 1949
- Rajasthan complete
- 1956, with Ajmer and Abu
- Privy purses ended
- 1971
- The privy purse: in return, rulers kept their private palaces and received an annual allowance from the government, called the privy purse.
- 1971: a constitutional amendment abolished the privy purses and ended official recognition of the rulers. Titles such as Maharaja and Rawal are now courtesy titles only.
- A choice to make: faced with vast palaces and no income, many families sold land, opened museums or turned their homes into hotels. Rajasthan's heritage hotel movement grew from that choice.
- Many roles: members of former ruling families today run hotels, museum trusts, schools and charities, play polo, serve in public life and work in business, like anyone else.
- Respect, not deference: in their old cities, many are still loved and respected, especially where they have cared for the heritage and the people. That respect is personal, not legal.
What meeting a royal family can really mean
Staying in a family-run fort or palace
Why it works: many noble families live in part of their fort or palace and run the rest as a heritage hotel. You are their guest, and conversation comes naturally.
- What it feels like: a family member may greet you, join guests for drinks in the evening or tell the story of a portrait on the stairs, when they are at home.
- Where: Rohet Garh, Deogarh Mahal, Samode Palace, Castle Mandawa, Rawla Narlai, Castle Bijaipur and Udai Bilas Palace are among the properties connected with their old families.
A palace through its own museum trust
Why it works: several great palaces are run as museums by trusts the families set up, with curators who know the collections intimately.
- What we arrange: private and specialist tours where available, such as the upper rooms of a palace or conservation projects, always on the trust's own terms.
- Where: Mehrangarh in Jodhpur, the City Palace in Jaipur and the City Palace in Udaipur are the finest examples.
A hosted evening
What it is: at some family-run properties, a member of the family occasionally hosts a dinner or tells the house's history to guests.
- What we promise: only what the family has offered. Their time is their own, plans change, and we never sell a meeting as a product.
- How to make it special: come curious, ask about the house rather than the family's private life, and you'll often be invited to see more.
A festival the family still leads
Why it works: some ceremonies are still performed in the old way, with the family taking part in public, in front of the whole city.
- Where: Gangaur and Teej processions leave the City Palace in Jaipur, and Mewar, Jodhpur and Kota keep old rituals at Holi, Dussehra and Gangaur.
- Our role: a good vantage point, a guide who explains each ritual and a respectful distance.
The great houses and where to find their story
Jaipur, the Kachwahas
The house: Kachwaha Rajputs, who ruled from Amer for centuries before Sawai Jai Singh II founded Jaipur in 1727.
- Where they live: the family still lives in the Chandra Mahal of the City Palace, and a flag flies when the head of the family is at home.
- Their story to see: the City Palace museum, with royal costume, arms and polo trophies, and Rambagh Palace, the residence of Man Singh II and Maharani Gayatri Devi, a hotel since 1957.
Jodhpur, the Rathores of Marwar
The house: Rathore Rajputs, who founded Jodhpur and Mehrangarh in 1459 under Rao Jodha.
- Today: Maharaja Gaj Singh II came to the title in 1952 as a four-year-old. In the early 1970s he set up the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, which runs the fort as one of India's finest museums.
- Where they live: the family lives in one wing of Umaid Bhawan Palace. Another wing has been a hotel since 1971, and a third is a museum.
Udaipur, the Sisodias of Mewar
The house: the Sisodias, the oldest of the great Rajput dynasties, who ruled from Chittor before Maharana Udai Singh II founded Udaipur in 1559.
- The custodian idea: the rulers saw themselves as regents of Shiva in his form as Eklingji, and the head of the family is still spoken of as the god's diwan.
- Today: the headship of the house has been disputed within the family since 2024 to 2025. We take no sides and simply show guests the palace, its museum and its history.
Bikaner, the Rathores of the north
The house: a junior Rathore line, founded when Rao Bika, a son of Rao Jodha, established Bikaner in 1488.
- The great moderniser: Maharaja Ganga Singh, who ruled from 1887 to 1943, built canals, railways and the Lalgarh Palace, and raised the Bikaner Camel Corps.
- Their story to see: Junagarh Fort, never taken by siege, and Lalgarh Palace.
Jaisalmer, the Bhatis
The house: Bhati Rajputs, who claim descent from the moon and founded Jaisalmer in 1156 under Rawal Jaisal.
- Their story to see: the palace inside Jaisalmer Fort, and the royal cenotaphs at Bada Bagh.
- Listen for it: the Manganiyar musicians of the Thar still sing the genealogies of their Rajput patrons at weddings and births.
Bundi, Kota and the south
Bundi and Kota: the Hada Chauhans ruled Bundi from the fourteenth century, and Kota became a separate state in 1631.
- Dungarpur: the Ahara Guhilots, elder branch of the Mewar line, founded Dungarpur, traditionally in 1282.
- Their story to see: the Chitrashala murals of Bundi, the Garh Palace in Kota and the Juna Mahal in Dungarpur.
Thikanas, rawlas and the noble families
How it worked: a ruler granted a thikana, an estate, to a noble in return for loyalty and soldiers in war. Many thikanas stayed in one family for centuries.
Rohet: the family of Thakur Dalpat Singh has held Rohet since 1622 and opened its fort as a hotel in 1990. The estate is known for Marwari horses and nearby Bishnoi villages.
- Thikana
- A noble's estate, held from the ruler
- Rawla
- A noble's residence in a village or town
- Garh
- A fort, large or small
- Titles
- Thakur, Rawat, Rao, Rawal and others
- Samode: the Nathawats, a branch of the Kachwahas, turned their sixteenth-century fort into a painted palace in the early 1800s. Samode Palace has been a family-run hotel since 1987.
- Deogarh: the Chundawat Sisodias, Rawats of Deogarh, were among the great nobles of Mewar, and their palace is famous for its school of miniature painting.
- Mandawa: Thakur Nawal Singh built the castle at Mandawa in 1755 to guard a caravan post. It is now Castle Mandawa.
- Khimsar and Alsisar: Khimsar Fort was built in 1523 by Rao Karamsji, a son of Jodhpur's founder, and the fort at Alsisar was restored as a hotel in 2006.
- Narlai: Rawla Narlai, a hunting lodge below a granite hill in Godwar, is linked to the family of Ajit Bhawan in Jodhpur, one of the pioneers of heritage hotels.
Etiquette, the way our grandmother taught it
Greet with khamma ghani: the Rajasthani greeting, said with hands folded or a slight bow. It means, roughly, a great many good wishes, and it is used for everyone.
Hukum: you'll hear staff and older people address members of old families as Hukum, roughly my lord or sir. Guests needn't use it, but it is gracious to recognise it.
- Titles: a polite Your Highness, or Maharaja Sahib or Rani Sahiba, is always safe for former rulers. Many family members will tell you how they prefer to be addressed. Follow their lead.
- Stand when they arrive: if an elder of the family enters a room or a courtyard, stand. It's what everyone else will do.
- Dress with care: for a dinner or a visit, dress as you would for a good friend's family celebration. Shoulders covered and long skirts or trousers are always right in a family shrine.
- Shoes off at shrines: every fort has a family temple. Remove your shoes, don't photograph the deity without permission and don't touch offerings.
- Gifts: not expected, but a small, thoughtful gift from your home town is warmly received. Avoid alcohol unless you know the family well.
- Punctuality: arrive on time for anything arranged with a family. They are hosts, not hotel staff, and their time is generously given.
What to talk about, and what to leave alone
Ask about the house: who built it, which rooms were the women's quarters, what the paintings show, how the restoration was done. Families love these questions.
Ask about the land: the village, the crops, the lake, the wildlife, the horses. Many noble families are deeply involved in conservation and local schools.
- Ask about the craft: the cooks, the painters, the musicians the family has supported for generations. Many will introduce you.
- Leave money alone: don't ask what a palace is worth, what the hotel earns or what the family lost in 1971.
- Leave disputes alone: some families have inheritance or property disputes, sometimes in the newspapers. They are private matters, and we never discuss them with guests.
- Leave politics alone: several family members have served in public life. Unless they raise it, don't ask.
- Photographs: don't photograph family members without asking, and never post photographs of their private rooms or children.
- Listen: the stories of the old court, the hunts, the weddings and the famines are often told best when nobody interrupts.
The palaces their trusts keep open
Mehrangarh, Jodhpur
The trust: the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, set up by Maharaja Gaj Singh II in the early 1970s, which made the fort one of the first in India to be cared for as a serious museum.
- See: the Phool Mahal, the palanquins, the arms and the painted rooms, and the conservation work in progress.
- Also: the trust cares for Jaswant Thada, the royal cenotaph below the fort.
City Palace, Jaipur
What's open: the museum galleries, the Mubarak Mahal, the Diwan-i-Khas and the painted gates of Pritam Niwas Chowk.
- With more time: private tours of parts of the Chandra Mahal, the family's seven-storeyed residence, are offered at times. We arrange them when available.
- Best hour: opening time, before the groups arrive.
City Palace, Udaipur
What's open: the palace museum, the courtyards, the Mor Chowk with its glass peacocks and the views over Lake Pichola.
- Stay inside: Shiv Niwas Palace and Fateh Prakash Palace are palace hotels within the complex.
- Across the water: the Taj Lake Palace, made a hotel by Maharana Bhagwat Singh in the 1960s and managed by Taj since 1971.
Umaid Bhawan, Jodhpur
What's open: a museum wing with the palace's art deco interiors, photographs, clocks and the family's story.
- Why it matters: it shows the last age of princely India, the 1930s and 1940s, with polo, aeroplanes and art deco.
- Read more: our Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum guide.
Festivals with royal traditions
Gangaur in Jaipur: the goddess is carried in procession from the Zenani Deorhi of the City Palace through Tripolia Gate, with women in their finest leheriya lining the route.
Gangaur in Udaipur: processions of women carry images of the goddess to the lake at Gangaur Ghat, and boats come out onto Pichola.
- Gangaur
- March or April, Jaipur and Udaipur
- Teej
- July or August, Jaipur and Bundi
- Dussehra
- September or October, Kota and beyond
- Dates
- Lunar, so we confirm them each year
- Teej: the monsoon festival of married women, with processions in Jaipur and the great Kajli Teej fair in Bundi.
- Kota Dussehra: one of Rajasthan's biggest Dussehra fairs, on the banks of the Chambal.
- Holi in the palaces: several royal houses still light the Holika bonfire with old ceremony on the eve of Holi.
- The polo season: in Jaipur the winter polo season keeps alive the sport the city's royal family made famous.
What we never do
We never promise a meeting: families' plans change, and their time is their own. We say what is likely, and we're delighted when it happens.
We never stage royalty: no actors in turbans, no costumed thrones, no invented titles.
- We never repeat gossip: about marriages, inheritance, disputes or private lives, past or present. Our guides are briefed on this.
- We never claim connections we don't have: we work with families who welcome guests, and we are honest about how well we know them.
- We pay fairly: hotels, trusts, guides and musicians are paid properly, and family hospitality is never treated as free.
- We respect privacy: no photographs of private rooms or children, nothing posted without permission.
A week among the old families, the way we plan it
Days one and two, Jaipur
Morning: the City Palace at opening time, with a private tour of the Chandra Mahal if it is being offered.
- Afternoon: the polo trophies and portraits in the museum, then tea on the lawns of Rambagh Palace, where Man Singh II and Gayatri Devi lived.
- Day two: Amber Fort at first light, the old Kachwaha capital, and the stepwell of Panna Meena ka Kund.
Day three, Samode
Drive: an hour north into the Aravalli hills.
- Stay: Samode Palace, the Nathawat family's painted palace, a hotel since 1987.
- Evening: the Durbar Hall and Sheesh Mahal by lamplight, and a walk through the village below.
Days four and five, Jodhpur and Rohet
Mehrangarh: a morning with the museum trust's guides, then Jaswant Thada in the late light.
- Umaid Bhawan: the museum wing, with its art deco rooms and family photographs.
- Rohet: two nights at Rohet Garh, a family estate since 1622, with Marwari horses at dawn and Bishnoi villages nearby.
Days six and seven, Deogarh and Udaipur
- Deogarh: a night at Deogarh Mahal, the Chundawat palace above its market town, with its painting tradition.
- Udaipur: the City Palace museum, a boat to Jag Mandir and a last night in a palace hotel by the lake.
Where to stay to meet the old families
Grand palaces: Rambagh Palace in Jaipur and Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, both royal residences turned hotels, for history on a grand scale.
Palace hotels inside a City Palace: Shiv Niwas Palace and Fateh Prakash Palace in Udaipur.
- Family-run forts: Rohet Garh, Chandelao Garh, Khimsar Fort and Deogarh Mahal, for the most personal welcome.
- Painted palaces: Samode Palace and Samode Haveli near and in Jaipur.
- Lakes and hills: Udai Bilas Palace in Dungarpur and Castle Bijaipur near Chittorgarh.
- Our guide: palace hotels explains the difference between grand palace hotels and family-run heritage homes.
Before you go
Read a little first: our guides to the Rajput dynasties and a short history of Rajasthan give you the names and dates that make conversations flow.
Pack one smart outfit: many family-run hotels hold drinks before dinner, and guests tend to dress for them.
- Best season
- October to March
- Allow
- Two nights in each family-run fort
- Dress
- Smart, modest, layers for cool evenings
- Bring
- A small gift from home, if you wish
- Allow for slowness: heritage homes run on family time. Meals, stories and walks take as long as they take.
- Expect quirks: old forts have steep stairs, uneven floors and rooms of very different sizes. Tell us about mobility needs, and we'll choose the right house and room.
- Ask us about festivals: if a family festival or a public procession falls during your stay, we'll tell you how to watch it respectfully.
- Bring curiosity, not a checklist: the best encounters are the unplanned ones, a story on the stairs or an invitation to see the stables.
Who will love it
History lovers: hearing a family tell the story of its own house, under the portraits of the people in it, is history in the first person.
Slow travellers: two nights in a family-run fort give time for the conversations that make this special.
- Families with children: heritage homes are relaxed and welcoming, with gardens, horses and stories of hunts and battles.
- Couples: a family-run palace has an intimacy that a large hotel can't match.
- Not for you if: you want a guaranteed photograph with a maharaja. We'd rather you met the families as they are. Our Village Rajasthan and Royal Rajputana journeys are built around these stays.