Lakshman Sagar has been featured in UK – The Independent

As with my initial egress from Delhi airport, arriving at Lakshman Sagar was quite an encounter. Where had the noise gone? Perhaps the journey there should have offered a clue. The motorway from Jodhpur had become increasingly bereft of motors, replaced at one point only by a 100-strong herd of water buffalo heading in the direction of would-be oncoming traffic. After a hectic tour of Rajasthan's bustling cities and sacred sites, the tempo was definitely beginning to slow down.

Given that almost two-thirds of Indians live in villages, it's anomalous that most tourists in Rajasthan stick to the city circuit: Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Pushkar ... colours, cacophony, hustle and bustle.

In Jodhpur, the one-man travel agents advertise "village safaris" alongside the standard camel and tiger varieties. Yet even this is a well-trodden route for off-the-beaten-track tourists wanting a glimpse of rural Rajasthan – the road to Pali offers a flavour of local traditions, but in a stage-managed fashion of look, snap, lunch, return.Read more