Along the way we saw hundreds of pilgrims - families, groups of young men, sadhus - walking to the temple of Kaila Devi (one of the important religious places of Rajasthan and India) which was about 160 km away not far from Karauli. There were special pavilions erected along the way for them to rest, eat and pray.

The major tourist sites in India seem well organised with designated parking areas for buses and tourists cars/vans. Shuttle buses transport you to the site itself - much less chaos!!

Our guide met us on site and we embarked on a tour of this lovely palace complex. Founded by Akbar the Great (3rd Mughal Emperor) he built the complex between 1571 - 1585 when he moved his capital to Agra. It was abandoned shortly after his death due to a lack of available water. It is one of the best preserved collection of Mughal architecture in India.

Then on to our hotel at Karauli, Bhanwar Vilas Palace, which is also the residence of the current Maharaja of Karauli. This palace was built in 1938 when the Maharaja moved his residence from the City Palace (in the old town). Karauli was officially founded in 1348.

Our hotel is a sprawling palace and is decorated with great mementoes of the past. Photos of previous Maharajas line the walls usually in formal or hunting poses. The area was once a large hunting one, deer heads adorn the walls and there is a stuffed man eating tiger in the lobby which was shot in 1962. The hotel was slightly Faulty Towerish when we first arrived but by the second day it grew on you. It was helped by the fact that there were only 7 guests (including us) on the 2nd night compared to a large tour group on the 1st, which I suspect contributed to the large number of power cuts the 1st night.

I had to change rooms as the air conditioner in the 1st one was blowing out warm air - my 2nd suite was a large affair with an adjoining sitting room as well with the bathroom located at the very end of both rooms. There was a power cut whilst I was at the far bathroom end and I had to stand very still, in pitch black, for a minute or two until the standby generator kicked in.