Rajasthan is the land of royal houses, glorious architecture, valiant history, spicy delectable and arid landscapes. If there is one place which encapsulates everything that Rajasthan connotes, it is the golden city of Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer is the last town in the western part of India after which the landscape loses its way into the dreary Thar desert and finally to the Radcliffe Line.
Jaisalmer was a long overdue trip, a place that always made it to the shortlist but not the final cut. There were many reasons, the most important being, Jaisalmer has limited air connectivity and few direct flights. This year we moved to Delhi which has made the trip more convenient. We choose to travel by train; the train route passes through the hinterlands of Rajasthan marked by arid landscapes and desert vegetation which makes the journey unique. It’s a long 17-hour journey but since we travelled in the AC 1st class, it was manageable, and we could still save a few bucks vis-à-vis the flight. We reached around 11 PM. The resplendent golden palace of Jaisalmer lit up against the dark sky was the visible from the platform. The station was devout from the usual hustle of Indian railway stations. Few auto rickshaws outside were perhaps waiting for this last train of the night. We went in the Christmas week, the holiday season for Jaisalmer during which it witnesses maximum footfall. The summer months are scalding hot and doesn’t bring many visitors while the temperature remains over 40 deg Celsius for most part of the year. While the Christmas – New Year period appears livelier with influx of tourists, it burns a hole in the pocket. Hotel rents, desert camping, activities, bike rentals, everything triples in these 10 days. In other days, Jaisalmer is a rather affordable destination with economical accommodations and adventures. Perhaps the best time to explore Jaisalmer is the end of November or towards the end of January when the temperature is low, but with few tourists.
We chose an accommodation (Hotel Neeraj) which was very close to the western ramparts of the fort. We usually prefer to book hotels on spot but due to the festive season and the fact that the train was supposed to reach late in the evening, we thought it would be rather wise to have some accommodation booked beforehand. It turned out to be a good decision as we later found out almost all the hotels were sold out and visitors were literally scrambling across the streets in search of a room. The only regret is that we left it too late, by the time we booked the hotels almost all good hotels were sold out and the remaining ones were highly overpriced.
The golden canon
After a good night of sleep following a tiring journey (although we spent most part of it sleeping 😛 :P), we visited the fort early in the morning. I have been to many forts in India, but this fort is like no other. Situated atop the Trikuta hills, the Jaisalmer Fort is the largest living fort in the world. Unlike most forts which are abandoned today, the Jaisalmer fort is still thriving with about 5000 people residing inside the fort supported by flourishing hotel, restaurant, and crafts businesses. Many traditions of the bygone era are still observed here marking a continuity with its vibrant past. The fort was strategically designed with high fortifications, towering gateways, inclined pathways and bending by lanes to deter enemy forces and withstand long siege. In the absence of water to support any large-scale construction using limestone pastes, the fort was constructed using yellow sandstone by carefully interlocking large stones pieces. We hired a guide (Mr. Harry), a knowledgeable and wonderful person who showed us around. He explained us the history and architecture of the fort and the beautiful Jain temples inside it. He also gave us good recommendations on restaurants and shopping places. In our 3 days stay in Jaisalmer, we visited the fort 6 times – daytime, evening, sunrise, late night; it was mesmerizing.
Beautiful jharokhas inside the Golden Fort
Closer to the entrance, are the king and queen palaces. The king chambers are discernable from the large open balconies and beautiful carvings. The queen’s chambers are rather modest and in accordance with the ghungat tradition of Rajasthan where women folk covered their faces with a veil, these chambers are designed so that no one can peek inside the rooms. There are small openings through which the queens could view the ceremonies conducted in the open courtyard below.
The King’s Palace
Inside the fort there are beautiful Hindu and Jain temples. Jaisalmer fort has 7 beautiful Jain temples which were constructed around the 15th century. The Parshvanatha temple is the oldest and the most beautiful temple in the complex. The entrance of the temple has exquisitely carved torans (archways) and pillars. Inside the temple, the roof is adorned with a chandelier like structure carved from a single stone. Another beautiful temple inside the fort complex is dedicated to Sambhavanath (the 3rd Jain tirthankara). It also has an underground chamber called the Gyan Bhandar where old Jain manuscripts written using palm leaves are stored. The Parshvanatha idol (identified from the serpent hood) is carved from white marble while the Sambhavanath idol is carved from yellow sandstone. These temples were built by the wealthy Jain merchants who earned their fortunes by controlling the flourishing trade that passed through the famed silk route which passed through Jaisalmer. While the merchants themselves lived outside the fort in beautiful havelis (mansions), to protect the ancient manuscripts and idols from the invaders, they built the temples inside the fort which was considered impregnable.
Apart from the fort, there are a few other points of attraction in Jaisalmer. The Bada Bagh, where the royals are cremated, has beautiful cenotaphs which is a good place to visit during sunset. Its an ideal place for those interested in photography. Another beautiful place to witness the sunset is the Gadisar Lake. This beautiful lake constructed by Maharaja Rawal Jaiswal was once the only source of water in Jaisalmer.
Golden Fort in its full glory on a moonlit night
The Gadisar Lake
Cenotaphs at Bada Bagh
The Sam Sand Dunes
The Sam sand dunes are located about 45 km from the Jaisalmer town. Jaisalmer trip is incomplete without visiting these famed sand dunes which have over the years have become highly commercialized. We rented a bike and went to the Sam sand dunes with a one day package that included accommodation in luxury camps, desert jeep safari, camel ride through the sand dunes, dinner and evening cultural programs. The jeep safari through the sand dunes was a thrilling experience – a bumpy ride in an open jeep. We also enjoyed the camel ride in the sun set and clicked some cool pictures. However, on reaching we realized that there was really no need for availing the overpriced package as everything was available at much lesser price on spot bookings. After the evening cultural program and dinner, we decided against spending our night in the desert camp. The camps were not appealing, they were just tents staked up on a leveled ground far from the desert camping experience we initially imagined. Also, we thought moving back to Jaisalmer would allow us to catch the early morning bus to our next destination – Bikaner. Since it was a busy season, we struggled to find any reasonably priced accommodation and after about an hour of wondering about we managed to put up for the night at a guesthouse close to the fort.
My two cents for those reading this post and are planning to visit Jaisalmer:
- Stay inside the fort – there are water supply issues and cramped rooms but couple of days of trouble is worth the lifetime of memories
- Night camping at Sam is not worth it. You can do the activities – camel safari, jeep safari at a quarter of the cost and return
- Try accommodating a day for Tanot and Longewala in your itinerary
- Avoid the new-year rush as everything is very costly in those 10 days
- Directly reach Sam sand dunes and do the bookings on spot. There are many camps and you will get good discounts on spot booking.
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Jolly Miles 
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