30 PICTURES AND PEN-PICTURES

operation of Akbar's reign". It was the end of
Chitorgarh.

TJdai Singh founded Udaipur, the city to which the
"Rajput chiefs came when they abandoned Chifcorgarh.
It is, today, the premier capital of Eajpatana; a city of
beautiful lakes and sfcafcely buildings and palaces, whose
rulers claim direct descent from the ^un himself.

From Jaipur fco Jaisahnor, from Udaipur to Bik^uir,
arteries of steel, the railways, ran across fchis desert of
India, linking historical capitals; while fcho airport of
Jodhpur links Rajputana to the capitals of lands outside
India.

The mile-long caravan leaves in its wake a whirl o '
dust; the people of Bikanir—Eajpufc^ and Miiblims—
are returning from the yearly fair of Nala. Homeward
they come in bullock carts, on horseback, on camels, and
in camel carts; neither the dust, the sand, nor the heat
affects them, for they are children of the desert.

Bikanir is one of the imporfcant Statoo of Eajpatana,
its capital was founded, long ago, by Bao Bikaji/ In the
old city fort hang the relics and panoplies that recall
historical battles, and. the insig'aia presented by the
Mughals emperors to the Eajas of Bikanir in recognition
of their chivalry. Filigree windows and sfcono fretwork
over the walls lend charm to the solid architecture o[
this ancient palace, now no longer inhabited. Today,
there are many palaces iu Bikanir, with scrcena of
scented roots over the windows that keep the desert heat
from reaching the Eajas, and with apartments furnished
in European sfcyle—even the style of Louis XIV is not
foreign to the places of Bikanir. None the loas, the old
Fort with its memories of heroism and trophies of war,