Rajasthan has long been regarded as the real home of the traditional Maharajas. Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer have become some of India's most popular tourist destinations. However, as castles, forts and country estates are steadily being converted into hotels even Rajasthan's most remotely inaccessible outposts are opening up. From the richly painted havelis of Shekawati in the north to the magnificent Jain temples of Mount Abu or Ranakpur in the south, the state's wealth of history and art provides a unique opportunity to see something of a disappearing world.