A city that has come back almost from the dead in the past half-century, Jaisalmer may be remote but it’s certainly not forgotten – indeed it’s one of Rajasthan’s biggest tourist destinations, and few people come here without climbing onto a camel in the surrounding Thar Desert. My association with Jaisalmer started from the day when I read "Sonar Kella" (or The Golden Fort) by Satyajit Ray. Along with Feluda and team, I also explored the fort and took a camel safari in the desert. The movie completed my visualization of this beautiful city and the longing to be physically present kept alive my passion for the city.
During my recent tour of Rajasthan, Jaisalmer was the first city from where we started our journey. We started from Jaipur early morning and reached the city by early evening (almost 10 hours journey through Ajmer, Pokran, Bikaner and Jodhpur). The first sight that greeted us just outside the outskirts of the main city was a hoard of camels passing by confirming the nearness to the desert and the main attraction of this city.
After reaching the city, we first checked into our hotel (Hotel Tokyo Palace) - The location was excellent- less than 5 min walk from the bus station and just behind the fort, yet away from the hustle and bustle of the markets/town. The hotel has really charming rooms with all the inspiring atmosphere of the "Arabian nights" tale. We stayed only one night, we wish we could have stayed the 1000 others! From the rooftop restaurant, we could the see the fort lighted up in the night. The fort of Jaisalmer is a breathtaking sight: a massive sandcastle rising from the sandy plains like a mirage from a bygone era. No place better evokes exotic camel-train trade routes and desert mystery. We went to bed early tonight after our long journey.
Next morning after breakfast, we went to visit the fort. We entered the fort from its east side and passed through four massive gates on the zigzagging route to the upper part. The fourth gate opens into a large square, Dashera Chowk, where Jaisalmer Fort’s uniqueness becomes apparent: this is a living fort, with about 3000 people residing within its walls. It’s honeycombed with narrow, winding lanes, all of them paved in stone and lined with houses and temples – along with a large number of handicraft shops, guesthouses, restaurants and massage/beauty parlors, just to remind you that you are in the age of 21st-century tourism, not the middle ages. The carvings on the jharokhas on some of the rich merchant's houses were beautiful. Rajasthan is colorful, vibrant and absolutely artistic - a tour inside the fort confirms the same.
There are 7 beautifully carved temples inside the fort walls built in between from 12th century to 15th century. We visited the very first temple which is dedicated to Chandraprabhu, who is the eighth Tirthankar (Jain God). The painting on the ceiling was still colorful and the temple authorities had covered it with a net protecting from birds.
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While walking through the lanes, I also came across various shops which sells miniature paintings and artists working on the same. The intricate workmanship actually left me spellbound and I sat for sometime watching the artist in action.
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No tour in Jaisalmer is complete without seeing the havelis of the rich merchants. Among all the havelis, we decided to visit the more famous Patwa-ki-haveli which towers over a narrow lane, its intricate stonework like honey-coloured lace. It's a collection of five houses, each one for the son of a wealthy trader who made money lending to the government. One of the havelis (closest to the street) has been restored and turned into a government museum. The carvings with show of glitz inside the houses were put together to showcase the owner's status and wealth. We spent an hour going through the massive rooms and its awe inspiring display.
As we are just spending one day, we skipped Gadisar Lake and the Desert Museum. It was time for us to have lunch and leave for Sam Sand Dunes which is 45 km towards the west of the Jaisalmer city. It is a barren yet beautiful shifting sand dunes adjoining the village Sam. Our destination was Winds Desert Camp (our accommodation for the night within the desert). We had quite a lot of anticipation about the place as we were not sure what to expect. What greeted us was 20 beautifully and elegantly decorated tents covering center room with wooden furniture, veranda covered with mosquito nets and attached bathroom with modern amenities. The air-cool tents made our stay extremely comfortable.
We quickly freshened up and then the camp jeep took us to the starting point of the camel safari. Sam has a truly magnificent stretch of sweeping dunes, with sparse or no vegetation. The best way to get here, of course, is on camel back along the breathtaking crests and troughs in the hearts of the Thar Desert. I had quite a lot of experience in riding camels during my one and half year stay in Jaipur. However, actually riding one and travelling more than 1 km in the desert is an entirely different experience - something that cannot be described in words. It was a memorable ride and we enjoyed our time at the dunes duly entertained by local folk singers and dancers while watching the sun setting in the horizon. The experience is truly mesmerizing and you really would not want to leave!!
After the sunset, we had no other choice but to return to our camp. We were given a warm welcome with aarti & tika and the staff served tea, coffee and cookies. We were then escorted to the show area. We enjoyed wonderful Rajasthani folk performance - talented singers and dancers put up quite a show for almost 3 hours.
The day spent in the city of Jaisalmer was truly amazing in every sense. The historic fort, the camel ride in the dunes and finally the folk performance gave us a real taste of this historic city - a memory that is unforgettable!!
During my recent tour of Rajasthan, Jaisalmer was the first city from where we started our journey. We started from Jaipur early morning and reached the city by early evening (almost 10 hours journey through Ajmer, Pokran, Bikaner and Jodhpur). The first sight that greeted us just outside the outskirts of the main city was a hoard of camels passing by confirming the nearness to the desert and the main attraction of this city.
After reaching the city, we first checked into our hotel (Hotel Tokyo Palace) - The location was excellent- less than 5 min walk from the bus station and just behind the fort, yet away from the hustle and bustle of the markets/town. The hotel has really charming rooms with all the inspiring atmosphere of the "Arabian nights" tale. We stayed only one night, we wish we could have stayed the 1000 others! From the rooftop restaurant, we could the see the fort lighted up in the night. The fort of Jaisalmer is a breathtaking sight: a massive sandcastle rising from the sandy plains like a mirage from a bygone era. No place better evokes exotic camel-train trade routes and desert mystery. We went to bed early tonight after our long journey.
Next morning after breakfast, we went to visit the fort. We entered the fort from its east side and passed through four massive gates on the zigzagging route to the upper part. The fourth gate opens into a large square, Dashera Chowk, where Jaisalmer Fort’s uniqueness becomes apparent: this is a living fort, with about 3000 people residing within its walls. It’s honeycombed with narrow, winding lanes, all of them paved in stone and lined with houses and temples – along with a large number of handicraft shops, guesthouses, restaurants and massage/beauty parlors, just to remind you that you are in the age of 21st-century tourism, not the middle ages. The carvings on the jharokhas on some of the rich merchant's houses were beautiful. Rajasthan is colorful, vibrant and absolutely artistic - a tour inside the fort confirms the same.
There are 7 beautifully carved temples inside the fort walls built in between from 12th century to 15th century. We visited the very first temple which is dedicated to Chandraprabhu, who is the eighth Tirthankar (Jain God). The painting on the ceiling was still colorful and the temple authorities had covered it with a net protecting from birds.
While walking through the lanes, I also came across various shops which sells miniature paintings and artists working on the same. The intricate workmanship actually left me spellbound and I sat for sometime watching the artist in action.
No tour in Jaisalmer is complete without seeing the havelis of the rich merchants. Among all the havelis, we decided to visit the more famous Patwa-ki-haveli which towers over a narrow lane, its intricate stonework like honey-coloured lace. It's a collection of five houses, each one for the son of a wealthy trader who made money lending to the government. One of the havelis (closest to the street) has been restored and turned into a government museum. The carvings with show of glitz inside the houses were put together to showcase the owner's status and wealth. We spent an hour going through the massive rooms and its awe inspiring display.
As we are just spending one day, we skipped Gadisar Lake and the Desert Museum. It was time for us to have lunch and leave for Sam Sand Dunes which is 45 km towards the west of the Jaisalmer city. It is a barren yet beautiful shifting sand dunes adjoining the village Sam. Our destination was Winds Desert Camp (our accommodation for the night within the desert). We had quite a lot of anticipation about the place as we were not sure what to expect. What greeted us was 20 beautifully and elegantly decorated tents covering center room with wooden furniture, veranda covered with mosquito nets and attached bathroom with modern amenities. The air-cool tents made our stay extremely comfortable.
We quickly freshened up and then the camp jeep took us to the starting point of the camel safari. Sam has a truly magnificent stretch of sweeping dunes, with sparse or no vegetation. The best way to get here, of course, is on camel back along the breathtaking crests and troughs in the hearts of the Thar Desert. I had quite a lot of experience in riding camels during my one and half year stay in Jaipur. However, actually riding one and travelling more than 1 km in the desert is an entirely different experience - something that cannot be described in words. It was a memorable ride and we enjoyed our time at the dunes duly entertained by local folk singers and dancers while watching the sun setting in the horizon. The experience is truly mesmerizing and you really would not want to leave!!
After the sunset, we had no other choice but to return to our camp. We were given a warm welcome with aarti & tika and the staff served tea, coffee and cookies. We were then escorted to the show area. We enjoyed wonderful Rajasthani folk performance - talented singers and dancers put up quite a show for almost 3 hours.
The day spent in the city of Jaisalmer was truly amazing in every sense. The historic fort, the camel ride in the dunes and finally the folk performance gave us a real taste of this historic city - a memory that is unforgettable!!
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