Both the box and rulebook mention that Maharaja is a clever game. Now normally such a statement would tend to put me off, but I ignored it and looked at how the game worked. After looking at all of its components and mechanics I learned that this is an interesting cleverly designed game. What appears below is my first attempt at a game review. It may also be useful for teaching the game.

CONCEPT
The Maharaja has decided to set out on a tour of all the cities that make up his realm. He will grant gold to those Rajas who beautify these seven metropolises. The first Raja to build seven palaces within them gains acclaim throughout the kingdom (and wins the game).

THE MAP
The game-board consists of a map of Rajastan, with a Starting Location (this is supposed to represent the Maharaja’s city), 7 Cities, and 30 Villages. It also includes the Governor Track.

The Villages link the Cities via roadways and can be used to generate income. They allow your Architect to travel between connected Cities. To be connected 2 Cities must have at least one House in each of the Villages that link them. A Village can have up to 2 Houses built in it. When an Architect travels from City to City via these connected Villages he needs to pay 1 Gold to each of the owners of the Houses within that Village if he does not have one of his own Houses within it (if which case he pays nothing). [To clarify, only Houses [1 Gold each] can be built within a Village.]

The Cities are used to score points: impress the Maharaja, who then provides Gold to each player who has any Houses and/or Palaces in that City. To build anything within a City a player’s Architect must be in that location as the structure is being built. Both Palaces [12 Gold each] and Houses [1 Gold each] can be built within a City.

The Governor Track is used to determine the order in which the Maharaja will visit each city. Each Governor tile represents 1 City on the board.

CHARACTER CARDS
The Character Cards represent important individuals who can aid you in your endeavors. They are used to set the Turn Order precedence and each has a special ability associated with it. A player does not usually change his Character Card with others, and it is possible to keep the same one for the duration of the game. An additional function of the cards is to break ties; the lower the priority number on the card, the stronger a player’s chance to win ties. [NOTE: the higher a priority number, generally, the better its special ability.]

Mogul (1): he goes first (going first is a huge advantage, because no one else’s Actions can affect you). He also wins all ties.
Merchant (2): he gets 1 Gold each turn.
Sadhu (3): he scores all Outer Palaces as 2 Points instead of only 1.
Wandering Monk (4): he allows your Architect to travel between connected Cities for free. His traveling costs are paid for by Bank (i.e., the Maharaja).
Builder (5): he builds an additional House from his Pool for free.
Artisan (6): he can build a Palace for 9 Gold instead of 12.

ACTIONS
Each player gets 2 Actions per turn, in addition to any provided to him by the Character Cards. Also, he can move his Architect between as many connected Cities as the player can afford as a free action(s). Actions are secretly selected and will be carried out in Character Card precedence.

Quarry: places 2 Houses into your Pool.
Move 1 House: move 1 House already on the board to another location (if this is to a City then your Architect must be there).
Build 1 House: 1 Gold.
Build 2 Houses: 2 Gold (one of these must be built in a City).
Build 1 Palace: 12 Gold.
Build 1 House and 1 Palace: 13 Gold.
Gold: take 2 Gold from the Bank.
Change Character Card: exchange your card either with the Bank or another player (they have no choice in the matter and must give you their Character Card). Doing this may allow you to benefit from the special abilities of both cards.
Change the Governor Track: move 1 Governor down 2 Spaces on the Governor Track (closer to the front of the queue).
[NOTE: the last 2 Actions above can throw off other players’ carefully laid plans.]

SETUP
The Maharaja and the Architects are placed on the Starting Location.
Each player selects 1 Character Card and is given 4 Houses of his color.
The players, in Character Card priority order, each place 1 House in a Village. Repeat this until all 4 of their Houses have been placed.
Give each player 15 Gold and 6 Houses to act as their starting Pool.
Shuffle the Governor tiles and place them on the Governor Track. This is the order that the Maharaja plans to visit each city; it is his initial itinerary.

GAMEPLAY
1. Move the Maharaja piece to the City represented by the first Governor. Move that Governor to the back of the Governor Track.
2. Each player secretly selects 2 Actions (or the same one twice).
3. The players resolve their Actions in the order set by their Character Cards. In other words, the first player carries out all of his Actions in any order he chooses. Then the next one does so, until every player has carried out his Actions.
4. Once all the Actions are resolved, the City where the Maharaja is located is scored. The Inner Palace is worth 3 Points, while building any of the six Outer Palaces is worth 1. Each House in that City scores 1 Point, as does having your Architect there. The player with the highest Point Total receives the top monetary reward given by the Maharaja, followed by the next player receiving the next reward, proceeding this way until every player with something within that City getting Gold. Ties are, of course, broken by the priority of the Character Cards. [NOTE: if you can succeed in being the only one to score in a City, you gain an additional 5 Gold.]

WINNING/GAME END
The game ends either on the turn that 7 Palaces are built or after the 10th Turn, as determined by the Governor Track. The winner is the player with the most Palaces, with ties broken by the priority of the Character Cards.