Dining inside a 15th century Fort

Flanked by the barren hills of the ancient Aravali range, Neemrana Fort Palace is one of the ancient monuments of Alwar. Built in the year 1464 AD in the village of Neemrana in Rajasthan, the fort was the abode of the direct descendants of Prithviraj Chauhan III. He was the last independent Hindu king to sit upon the throne of Delhi ruling the twin capitals of both Delhi and Ajmer. After his defeat in 1193, Delhi came under the direct rule of Muslim rulers.

I lived in this magnificent fort for about 3 days, within it's many rooms, gardens and magnificent doorways. In the mornings I would walk into the village located at the bottom of the fort....even in the month of April the heat was tremendous.

Life
seems to stop
in the afternoon hours
and creeps back
when the sun goes down.
In these villages
lost in time
with the sun beating down
upon everything
with
all it's strength.
You see bright splashes of color.
Blues and pinks,
orange and yellows
amidst the barren dessert dunes.

The evenings are magnificent, the sand and the sun meet as one- a long reddish gold line. And a soft wind blows into the lush gardens of the Fort
it's
water fountains
lotus blossoms
and many swings.