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Friday, August 5, 2016

Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer is named after Maharawal Jaisal Singh jee who founded this city. The word Jaisalmer means ‘The Hill Fort of Jaisal’.The city is fondly known as ‘The Golden City’ as almost everything in the city is made using yellow sand and yellow sandstone, surrounding it with a mesmerizing golden halo.

Places I visited:
      1. Jaisalmer Fort:
Jaisalmer is the only living fort in India and is situated on Meru hill. There is a nostalgic feel to the fort-hundreds of families have been living inside the fort since generations. The fort is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The main attractions inside the fort are the Royal palace i.e. Raj Mahal, various Jain temples and the Laxminath temple. The architecture is simply splendid.

2. Patwon Ki Haveli:
Patwon Ki Haveli is a cluster of 5 havelis located in a narrow lane quite near to the Patwa complex. These small havelis were built by Guman Chand Patwa, a rich merchant who built these havelis for his 5 sons. The Patwas were traders of gold and silver threads so these havelis are also known as ‘the mansion of brocade merchants’. The construction of these havelis spanned over 50 years. Each of these havelis is a magnificent display of craftsmanship. Like most other buildings of Jaisalmer, these havelis are also constructed using the yellow sandstone but the entrance is brown and the pillars are beautifully carved. The walls display some amazing mirror work and paintings.

3. Gadisagar Lake:
The Gadisagar Lake is located on the outskirts of the city and was built as a water reservoir in the 14th century to conserve rain water. The lake is surrounded by some temples. The highlight for me was the entrance to the lake- ‘Tilon Ka Pol’ or the ‘Gate of Tillon’ named after its builder. Tillon ka Pol is a gateway made of yellow sandstone that arches across the road to the lake and is very creatively carved. The lake in itself wasn’t much appealing to me. I wish it were cleaner.

4. Desert Visit and Camping:
We reached the desert in the afternoon where extremely disciplined camels were waiting for us and they took us further into the desert. It was a 2 hour camel safari to the sand dunes, a little too much for our bottoms J . We were glad to avoid the overcrowded sam dunes and arrive at a quiet area. We walked up the highest dune and simply gazed at the sun displaying vivid colors as it set beautifully. There was total silence all around and it was mesmerizing. We then proceeded to our camp location and enjoyed some yummy Rajasthani food. It was a just magical to look at the star lit sky in complete wilderness, I sat there for hours trying to cherish the moment. Our camps were clean and cozy. We woke up early to a beautiful sunrise, strolled around for some time .After we had breakfast, the camels dropped us back to the jeep and we came back to the hotel. The desert camping was no doubt the most memorable experience of my Rajasthan trip.

My 2 Cents:
1. Like all major cities of Rajasthan, Jaisalmer too has a decent transport system. If you’re on a budget trip like me, make use of the public transport. Take a rickshaw for the narrow lanes if you don’t prefer to walk and buses or autos to other places. It’s much cheaper and so much cooler.

2. A guide or an audio guide is a MUST for all the forts and palaces. There is always an interesting story associated with almost everything. Guides would spice up this experience as they narrate these stories with utmost excitement.

3. Carry a sunscreen for the desert safari. Prefer open footwear.

4. Do take out some time to explore Kuldhara , an abandoned village in Jaisalmer district that has some interesting history and is thought to be haunted. I did not visit Kuldhara and I really regret it. Will have to plan another trip to visit this place.

5.  Buy an item made up of yellow sandstone as a souvenir. 



2 comments:

  1. Jaisalmer has started sounding interesting after reading ur write up.

    Really thanks for the useful info , do's n dont's u have mentioned and looks like these are going to make my trip wonderful whenever I plan it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jaisalmer has started sounding interesting after reading ur write up.

    Really thanks for the useful info , do's n dont's u have mentioned and looks like these are going to make my trip wonderful whenever I plan it.

    ReplyDelete