Live like a Maharaja in India

AFTER chatting to the Maharaja of Jodhpur, it struck me that he could give our Queen a few credit-crunching tips.

His solution to the phenomenal cost of living in a palace was to move himself and his family into one wing of the glorious Umaid Bhawan Palace and lease out the rest as a Taj Hotel.

What a great idea-B&B at Buckingham Palace with the Queen as Britain's No1 landlady.

She and Prince Philip and the corgis could stay put in their quarters-with, like the Maharaja, a few servants around to fetch and carry-and rent out the rest of the rooms for at least £350 a night.

And why stop there, what about Sandringham and Balmoral?

The Maharaja, Gaj Singh II, is among a number of India's royals who handed over their residences to be used commercially after the late Indira Gandhi took away their titles and privy purses in 1971.

Fortunately, the palaces landed in the hands of the Taj hotel group which lovingly keeps them in all their original majestic glory. Think luscious marble and teak-not Formica and plywood!

You can't help but marvel at the Umaid Bhawan Palace, made of yellow stone and marble. It was commissioned by Umaid Singh, grandfather of the present Maharaja, in 1929.

He wanted to find jobs for his people so paid 11 million rupees (that's only £150,000 today) for 3,000 workers to toil for 15 years.

British star Liz Hurley thinks it was worth every single rupee-it's where she rode an elephant across the lawns of the 26-acre gardens to a flower-strewn gazebo to marry businessman Arun Nayar two years ago.

And you should see the fab art deco suite she slept in, once used by Umaid Singh's Maharani. There's a mural of the Goddess Kali etched on shining black glass behind the bed. That's our Liz for you, she does think she's a goddess.

So if you're getting married, you know where to treat yourself, if only for a night. With a double room costing around £500, you'd need to be a Slumdog Millionaire to stay there for very long.

Jodhpur in Rajasthan is famous for giving riding breeches their name.

The Maharaja will tell you the story of how his grandfather's younger brother, Sir Pratap Singh, went to London to attend Queen Victoria's golden jubilee in 1887. He lost his luggage so had a tailor make him up some new trousers, and the design later found its way into the hunting and shooting fraternity.

Meherangarh Fort on a 410ft hill towers over Jodhpur, a city that resembles a multitude of square Lego blocks painted blue. It was traditionally the colour of a Hindu caste but now people think it repels insects.

Colour is significant too in neighbouring Jaipur-five hours away by train and halfway between Delhi and Jodhpur. It was painted pink to welcome the Prince of Wales in 1876.

Both cities have a blast of colour from red turbans and shirts, glittering saris and the market stalls that are overflowing with vivid fabrics, vegetables, fruit, corn and spices.

The streets are a melting pot of everyday life. Tooting cars, motorbikes and rickshaws fight to move among wandering cows, pigs and children playing along the maze of narrow alleyways. Cross the road at your peril!

There's a whiff of something in the air all the time and never better than when it's the smell of a homemade curry in one of the millions of restaurants and cafes. If you're vegetarian you'll be in cuisine heaven because the Indians really know what to do with rice, lentils and beans.

My whistlestop tour of Rajasthan started after flying with Virgin Atlantic into Delhi. It helped that I'd been before while visiting my favourite place in the world, the Taj Mahal at Agra, two hours south on a train.

So I could miss out tourist attractions such as India Gate and the Red Fort, and head for Central Cottage Industries Emporium to pick up a 5ft x 8ft hand-woven carpet for £60. I love this shoppers' paradise. It's like an Aladdin's cave-floors of pashminas, jewellery, fabrics, brass and more.

On to Jaipur, lunch at Rambagh Palace and shopping at Anokhi where you can buy gorgeous block-printed clothes made by workers who enjoy better working conditions than those in cheap-labour factories.

I took a six-hour road trip to Udaipur, at the very bottom of the region, passing through land where farmers still use oxen to pull a waterwheel. If you're ever travelling through India, take pens and sweets for the kids you meet along the way. Their smiles will melt your heart.

Udaipur is a beautiful city surrounded by the Aravalli Hills, and the famous Lake Palace Hotel (used in the Bond film Octopussy) stands like a sculptured piece of royal icing in the middle of Pichola Lake. Now this is a wedding venue and a half!

You cross from the jetty on boats or, if there hasn't been a monsoon, you drive or walk.

It is a truly romantic place with courtyards, lotus ponds and a terrace where you can enjoy dinner under the stars.

You can escape the noisy chaos of India in Udaipur by going trekking, horseriding or relaxing with a yoga or painting class. Or make some noise yourself by learning how to play the sitar.

All our Queen needs to do is to get Prince Charles to learn how to play the guitar and she'll be quids in!

Getting there

VIRGIN Atlantic flies from Heathrow to Delhi and Mumbai daily. Fares from £449 including taxes. See www.virgin atlantic.com (08705 747 747).

Taj Hotels offer a range of accommodation throughout India. A double room at the Rambagh Palace, Jaipur, costs from £417, or £481 at the Lake Palace Hotel, Udaipur, and £555 at the Umaid Bhawan Palace. See www.taj hotels.com and for Taj Air jets see www.tajaironline.com Natural Mystics South Asia offers tailor -made journeys within India. Visit www.natmystic.com

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