The Raj Bagh Ruins are the skeletal remains of a royal summer pavilion, now standing half-drowned in the shallows of Padam Talao. Banyan trees have taken over the walls, their roots embracing the stonework in a decades-long slow demolition. Crocodiles sun themselves on the flooded steps; tigers have been photographed walking through the broken doorways.
It is one of the most photographed settings in Ranthambore — the combination of crumbling Mughal-era architecture, encroaching jungle, and the ever-present possibility of a tiger in the frame is hard to beat anywhere in India. The ruins are best seen from a safari vehicle along the lake edge, particularly in the golden hour before noon when the light comes across the water.