The Western Desert 

The land to the west of the Aravalli Hills, in Rajasthan, is rocky and sandy. This is the Great Indian Desert, Also known as Thar Desert. It stretches from the Rann of Kachchh in Gujarat through Rajasthan to the borders of Haryana.

The land 

The Thar Desert is covered with a thick sheet of loose sand. At some places, there are small hills of sand called sand dunes. Sometimes strong winds blow here carry a large amount of sand with them. They can shift the sand dunes. There are very few streams in the Thar Desert. They mostly remain dry. Luni is the most important river. At some places, oases are found. The land around oasis is fertile. People grow crops here. Thus, Most villages are situated around an oasis.

Climate

The Thar Desert hot and dry throughout the year. There is very little amount of rainfall or no rainfall. In summer, days are very hot and nights are cool. In winter, days are warm and nights are very cold.

Natural vegetation 

At hot and dry climate means that mostly scattered bushes and thorny shrubs grow here. The khejri, kikar and babul trees grow in eastern part of the desert. Animals such as camels, blackbucks, chinkaras and great Indian bustards are found in this regoin. 

Water supply

There is always very little amount of water. Village women walk long distance to fetch water. The state government is tying to provide water for domestic use and irrigation. Water from the River Satluj has been brought to the desert through the Indira Gandhi Canal . Farmers can thus grow wheat, mustard and cotton.

Houses 

Most houses have a flat roof and a few small windows. The walls are thick to keep the heat out so that the houses remain cool. Some houses have underground tanks to store rainwater. Such tanks are called taankas.

Lifestyle

Women in villages wear ghaghra, choli and odhni. Men wear dhoti, kurta and turban. people love to eat dal-baati-choorma. They celebrate Gangaur and Teej. Ghoomar and Kalbeliya are popular folk dances.

Occupations 

People mostly rear sheep, goat, camel and cattle. Some of them are farmers. They grow bajra, jowar, maize, sesame and groundnuts. Some people also travel from one place to another in search of food for themselves and their animals. Such people are called banjaras. Life in the Thar Desert is thus very hard. 

Major Cities

Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner are some big cities. Jaipur is called the Pink City. It is famous for blue pottery. A large number of tourists from all over the world visit Rajasthan every year.