AN OASIS OF PEACE

Perched on the edge of the Great Thar Desert in the heart of virgin India lies a unique 16th Century fort. Rao Karamsi-the eighth prince of Rao Jodha-the founding Maharaja of Jodhpur-successfully launched the royal dynasty at Khimsar. Currently, the 18th, 19th and 20th generations of the royal lineage still reside in this historic fort.This fort architecture offers great heterogeneity. Originally, the fort walls, turrets and stables were built solely for war, and were constructed around the beginning of the 16th Century. Subsequently, by mid 18th century, the royal family moved in, and a new 'zenana' or ladies' residence was erected with finely carved windows in stone that provided 'purdah' or veil for ladies in waiting. Thankur Onkar Singh, the present chief and the 17th direct desendant of Rao Karamsi built himself a regal additional wing in the 1940's. Today, this fort ranks amongst the premier classified Heritage Hotels of India. PAST On the highway from Jodhpur to Bikaner, an hour out of the Rathore stronghold, past the medieval temples of Osian with their stunning stone carvings, is the small township of Khimsar. Established by a scion of the house of Jodhpur, Khimsar was once a small kingdom. And though Jodhpur royalty claim it was never independent, the Thakurs of Khimsar claim that not only was it an individual entity, but that one of the visitors to their ancestral fort was Emperor Aurangzeb himself. The construction of the fort initially began in 1523 but the family moved in to the fort only during the 18th century after a new zenana or ladies wing was constructed. Thakur Onkar Singh, the present occupant of the fort, built a regal wing for himself in 1940s. The pride of Khimsar today is still that fort, 450 years old and currently home to the 18th, 19th, and 20th generations of the Khimsar thakurs. Ajmer situated in the green oasis wrapped in the barren hills has been a witness to an interesting past. The city as founded by Raja Ajai Pal Chauhan in the 7th Century AD and continued to be a major center of the Chauhan power till 1193 AD when Prithviraj Chaunhan lost it to Mohammed Ghauri. Since then, Ajmer became home to many dynasties, which came and left-leaving behind indelible marks of their c fa ulture and traditions on the city's history, converting it to an amalgam of various cultures and a blend of Hindustan and Islam.

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