View from the top

The desert palette of Indian rooftops belies the color that lies beneath and below. Photos by Mark Ray / China Daily

A pretty pair of children on a shopping street decorated by a lone cow having a conversation with a visiting bird.

An elderly woman and her dogs share some warm morning sun in a quiet backstreet in the sacred town of Pushkar as the ubiquitous cow looks on.

Mark Ray's passage to India was unusual to say the least. For one, he chose to see India from a very different perspective.

One of the best ways to see India is from its rooftops. No crowds, just a quiet, comfortable space from which to watch that amazing world go by.

In Rajasthan, the large desert state in the far northwest of the country, many guest houses and boutique hotels feature bars and restaurants on the roof. Also, many people use their flat rooftops for play, relaxation, drying clothes or simply looking.

The three most memorable things I saw on a recent trip to Rajasthan were viewed from rooftops.

One was watching a group of about 20 monkeys of various ages having too much fun early one morning on the roofs of the houses next to our guesthouse in the sacred Hindu town of Pushkar.

Another was enjoying a beer one evening in Udaipur, as the setting sun cast a pink glow over the "floating" Lake Palace Hotel, which completely covers a rocky island in the middle of Lake Pichola, the body of water that makes the city one of the most beautiful in India.

Udaipur and its spectacular lake hotel featured in the James Bond film Octopussy. Being able to enjoy such a view from the roof of a modestly priced hotel on a mild Indian winter evening without the aid of Britain's master spy seemed too good to be true.

However, the most impressive rooftop view was from our guesthouse in Jodhpur, which is known as the Blue City because of the many blue buildings in the old part of town.

After we had checked in and climbed the narrow stairs that wound through the building we came out on a landing facing our room and the giant Mehrangarh Fort that has dominated the city since 1459.

When we turned around the view left us speechless. Across the way was a jumble of houses that rose steeply to the opposite ridge along which ran the fort wall which marked the boundaries of the old city. The steep rise distorted the perspective, bringing everything very close.

It was late afternoon and the setting sun gave the buildings a golden tint. As I took it in, I could see life going on all over that scene - a few men chatting on one rooftop, a woman folding dried clothes on another, a bright red sari hanging over a ledge, a boy staring off into the distance and, way up on the highest roofs, the outline of a few large monkeys keeping an eye on things.

From any rooftop in India, you only have to listen or look down to be reminded that the nation's energetic and always entertaining street life never ceases. Car horns and dogs provide the soundtrack while the ceaseless flow of people - smiling, working, shopping or just hanging around - fill out the scene with faces that tell a billion stories.

Rajasthan is India's largest state by area and is steeped in the history of the Rajput kings, a history that is ever present because of the area's many impressive forts. It is used to tourists and has good facilities for visitors. The roads are fine, and the trains and buses good fun in an Indian sort of way.

The best time to visit is from October to March, when the days are mild and the nights cool.

From Jaipur, the Pink City, you can head to Pushkar, Jodhpur and Udaipur. It's worth making time to go further west to Jaisalmer, which is five hours by train from Jodhpur. It's the most western city in India, small, friendly and dominated by a beautiful fort built out of the most plentiful local material - sand.

You may contact the writer at sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn.

A puppeteer takes a rest in-between performances in Jasalmer.