Jaisalmer - a Rajasthan jewel

Jaisalmer rises from the sandy desert flats, a walled old town perched on a rocky outcrop. Within the fort walls lies houses, temples, and these days, souvenir stores. Floodlit at night, it made a beautiful sight.

Northern India is not for those with a pigeon phobia. At every landmark they are present in large numbers, and are contributing to the decline of many properties. This is the challenge that India faces - how to conserve its history, the basis of its tourist industry, when there are so many competing causes such as health and education. A demonstrated understanding of conservation values and practices is rare, and it is not unusual to see frescos and carved stone deteriorating under the pressure of so many visitors.

The havelis in Jaisalmer were evidence of this. Once the homes of merchants and wealthy families, with their central courtyards and balustraded balconies, they now host a daily procession of tourists who are free to clamber all over, and touch everything. And the pigeons...