Enchanting Jaisalmer with its magnificent fort maybe one of Rajasthan’s more remote destinations but it certainly isn’t the least loved. We spent two days exploring this fabulous city! This is a post about our experience in the city and the many things to do in Jaisalmer.
i.
Not that I am obsessed with food but the fort, suspended in the polished darkness, surely appears like an extravagant cake. A gilded cake resplendent with lights, a cake fit for the royalty of Rajasthan who, once upon a time, downed glasses of ghee instead of water and slept in rooms decorated with leaves of beaten gold. The halogens that saturate the honeyed gold of the local rocks weren’t there when Ray arrived with cameras and tents and bedrolls to shoot his epic, Sonar Kella. He must have pottered around in the smudged darkness of
Urbanization has pushed the desert farther and the fort now forms the southern edge of the desert city of Jaisalmer. Structures, all built of the same golden rock, have mushroomed with a freakish eagerness. Since their eviction from the fort, cows and bulls now compete with motorbikes for the most traffic violation awards in the maze of gullies. Western tourists in desi pants and loose kurtas wander about seeking a touch of royalty and spirituality. A variety of languages adorn the cacophony. From the roof of
Also read: Explore the old city of Hyderabad on a walking tour: Here is a guide for you: Charminar to Badshahi Ashurkhana, Hyderabad.
ii.
Morning is the colour of peach. Cold. The expansive blue is fractured with streaks of ruby. My lips are parched. There’s dust in the air, in my hair, in the cracks of my lips. A coven of guides descend on us at the entrance of the fort and realizing we are Bengali tourists, try to sell us
We enter through the 60 ft tall gate carved of Indian rosewood and zigzag up the steep slope through Hawa Pol, Ganesh Pol, Rang Pol, and Jawahar Pol– the walls around each scalloped gateway carved with chariot wheels, elephants, fruits, and other Rajput motifs– and reach Dashera Chowk.
Also read: Explore Varanasi with our series of photos from Varanasi.
iii.
Jaisalmer fort is a living entity and visiting it is one of the main things to do in Jaisalmer. The twisting lanes are filled with curio shops, restaurants, and guesthouses. Shops selling souvenirs, Rajasthani outfits, paintings, and jewellery jostle for space. Especially sought after are glasses made of fossil sandstone. Locals claim that drinking from it can heal numerous ailments! Of the roughly two thousand inhabitants, 70% are Brahmins; the rest, Rajputs. At the Maharawal’s Palace, there’s lace everywhere. Fine lace carved from the golden rock that is this desert city’s heart. Intricate masonry adorns every inch of the five-storied palace. An ornate marble throne from where the king addressed the monarchy stands to the left. A silver coronation throne stands proudly in one of the rooms decorated with photographs of the royal family. The museum houses a collection of stamps, sculptures, utensils, clothes, and furniture. A maze of narrow passageways and staircases connect the rooms in the haveli. The doors are surprisingly low. We wonder how the 7 ft tall Rawal squeezed through them! The stairs are so narrow they are suffocating but once on the rooftop, an unrivalled view of the royal city of Jaisalmer with pigeons scurrying golden rooftops over greets us. Within the fort, stands the Laxminath Fort which dates back to 1494 and an impressive complex of seven Jain temples. Built of white and yellow marbles, the temples exhibit exquisite masonry. Carved motifs and sculptures adorn every square inch of walls, ceilings, and pillars.
When Rawal Jaisal built his fort on Trikuta Hill, he didn’t consider the possibility of climate change. Roofs were built with thick layers of mud so that the houses remained cool during the scorching summers. But with rainfall becoming a yearly fixture, the foundations of the fort are weakening and the mud structures collapsing but our guide doesn’t utter the word vulnerable even once. I wonder if he knows that the fort has been classified as endangered by archaeological societies around the world. Its ingenious drainage system has fallen prey to rapid construction. An increased influx of tourists who pay no heed to their water usage has worsened the problem.
Also read: Considering a trip to Udaipur? Check out our guide: In Udaipur, Rajasthan | Things to Do.
iv.
Not an inch of the Patwa Haveli has been left unadorned. So ornate are the buildings, they leave me overwhelmed. I am confused as to which section to praise, to peruse first. I run from wall to wall, from window to window like an overeager child. I cannot have enough. Built in the early 19th century by five brothers who were bankers and opium traders, these
Also read: Explore a heritage town in West Bengal: On a heritage trail in Serampore.
v.
The landscape is seething with the fervour of a wintry
Things To Do In Jaisalmer: Top Tips
Here are our favourite things to do in Jaisalmer:
- Start your day with a cup of Kesari Chai at Gadisar Lake. Feed the pigeons or don’t. Take photographs or don’t. But watch the first light of the day perfume the chhatris and shrines that surround it. Maybe rent a shikara. In winter, migratory birds from Bharatpur sometimes come here.
- Explore Jaisalmer Fort aka Sonar Kella. If you take a guide, keep in mind that they will rush you through the entire place in a little less than 2 hrs. The fort deserves at least half a day. I’d say an entire day! Come early before the sun gets overbearing. Or, in the evening to watch the colours of dusk enliven the old rocks. To enjoy the sunset, sit at one of the many rooftop restaurants.
- Don’t stop at the Patwa Haveli. Visit Nathmalji ki Haveli and Salim Singh ki Haveli too.
- Pick a rooftop restaurant outside the fort for dinner. Nothing can beat the experience of watching the moon rise over the lit fort with local music in the backdrop.
- Spend an evening at Bada Bagh, the royal cemetery where the chhatris have gracefully endured the desert’s moodiness.
- Try Rajasthani food: Go for Rajasthani staples like Gatte ki Sabji, Dal
baati choorma , Pyaaz Kachori, and Ker Sangri. For dessert, try aghewar or aghotua laddoo. Note that non-vegetarian food is not easily available in Jaisalmer. - Spend a night in a tent in the Thar. Most camps at the Sam Sand Dunes offer camel safaris. Ask for a jeep instead because most of the animals seemed unhappy and emaciated. The sunset from the dunes is a glorious affair and a must-experience/see. For a few hundred rupees more, you can go further into more isolated stretches of the desert. The Desert National Park is nearby.
What are your favourite things to do in Jaisalmer?
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