Mighty Mehrangarh

High above the blue city stands the red sandstone fort that was, for half a millennium, the seat of the Rathore rulers. On the audioguide, the voice of His Highness the Maharaja Gaj Singh II is explaining that Mehrangarh remains a 'very strong symbol' of his family, 'a place for clan ceremonies, religious festivals', and the physical repository of Rathore heritage.

It was in the coronation courtyard of the fort that His Highness was anointed in 1952, aged four, in what was to be the last Raj Tilak ceremony at Mehrangarh. 'The ceremony itself,' explains the audioguide, 'is simple and moving. Prayers are chanted and cannons boom. The Thakur nicks his thumb on his sword and anoints the ruler's forehead with his blood. The nobles then present traditional offerings and swear allegiance to their new king.'

'For a young boy of four,' explains His Highness, 'I knew that something major had happened, but I wasn't aware that my father had died – I was just told that I had to assume greater responsibility. It was the first time for me to be thrust in the world of men. I saw in front of me this vast array of moustachioed men in orange turbans, and I was really awestruck by the occasion. I met a variety of people who came forward and presented nazir in the traditional form, which is by way of offering token rupees, coins or notes.'

The story is recounted of how, as the more elegantly-dressed nobles gave way to his more humble subjects, the young ruler acted with 'unusual spontaneity': 'What he received from one, he gave to the next; what he received from him, to the next; and so on, to the very end.' 'This act,' observed a commentator, 'this very royal gesture, convinced all of us that this young innocent child would one day grow up to be a true maharaja, and he has.'