The settlement of Ranakpur has its origins in some rather unlikely roots. Legend has it that a local hermit had a dream of building a magnificent temple, unparallelled in its beauty and at a very particular location. The hermit went to the Rana of Mewar, upon who's land he planned the temple. The Rana agreed, but on condition that the place be named after him in some way...and hence Ranak-pur.

Ranakpur is without a doubt one of our favorite places in Rajasthan. Or should I say our favourite areas, as Ranakpur itself is not even really a village or a town – just a stop off point along the main road running between Jodhpur and Udaipur. It's a blink and you've missed it sort of place, and apart from the world-famous Jain temple complex (which is an important pilgrimage site) you might be forgiven for thinking it wasn't up to much.

We happened to mention to Mr Singh, the owner of Deogarh Mahal our mission to explore the region further, heading in the direction of Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur. By the time we left, we had in our possession a detailed hand-drawn map of all the places that we simply should not miss along the way. It turned out to be one very important piece of paper!

Chittorgarh is mostly known for its immense Fort – and if we put 'immense' in to numbers, we're talking 700 hectares! In fact the complex is so large and sprawling, you have to drive around it, from one building or monument to the next. The fort is also known as the 'Water Fort' due to the fact that, despite the high altitude it had enough wells, step wells and reserves to provide water for an army of 50,000 men... for four years.

On the way back to Bijaipur, we drove past Bassi, denoted by the signs depicting a leopard. It's not the first time we have seen such signs, but that is not to say that we've actually seen any leopard in our time in Rajasthan. Perhaps, we thought, that might change...

Being back in Bundi seems strangely like being somewhere you've known all your life. Not that I can claim to have been here more than once prior to this visit, but still. Last time we were here we fell in love with the palace. This time, it's the Taragarh Fort. Perched along a ridge, high above the palace, it's lit up at night and from the pool of our hotel was already looking inviting last night. Even though we'd promised ourselves a lie-in and some quality pool time, after lunch we'd already committed to seeing at least the fort before sundown.