Jaisalmer - "The Golden City" - II

 Visitor attractions

Jaisalmer Fort

Built in A.D.1156 by the Bhatti Rajput ruler Jaisal, Jaisalmer Fort is situated on Trikuta Hill and had been the scene of many battles. Its massive sandstone walls are a tawny lion colour during the day, turning to a magical honey-gold as the sun sets. The famous Indian film director Satyajit Ray wrote a detective novel and later turned it into a film – Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress) which was based on this fort. This is a living fort and about a quarter of city's population still live inside the fort. The main attractions inside the fort are: Raj Mahal (Royal palace), Jain temples and the Laxminath temple.

 Havelis

The main havelis in Jaisalmer are:

• Patwon-ki-Haveli: Guman Chand Patwa (and later by his five sons), a wealthy merchant belonging to powerful Oswal Jain community and banker who had over three hundred trading centres from Afghanistan to China. This ornate five-storey complex took fifty years to complete. This is the largest, the most magnificent, and the most elaborate of Jaisalmer havelis.

• Salam Singh-ki-Haveli: It was built by the scheming Prime Minister Salam Singh in A.D.1815. It has a beautifully arched roof capped with blue cupolas and carved brackets in the form of peacocks.

• Nathmalji-ki-Haveli: Built by a Prime Minister of princely state of Jaisalmer. Its facade is a riot of ornamentation: flowers, birds, elephants, soldiers, a bicycle and even a steam engine.

• Haveli Shreenath : The Vyas family built this lovely haveli Shreenath Palace - Hotel in Jaisalmer in the 15th Century, and descendants of this family live here today. Shreenath Palace - Hotel in Jaisalmer was once inhabited by the Prime Minister of Jaisalmer, and guest are invited to stay in these rooms – there are only five available for the hotel – and join the Vyas family in enjoying this architectural treasure, and feel like a Maharaja for a few days. Some of the doors and ceilings are wonderful examples of old carved wood from many hundreds of years ago. Some of the doors have brass or iron fittings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jain heritage of Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer city has been enriched by its Jain community which has adorned the city with beautiful Jain temples most notably the temples dedicated to 16th Tirthankar Lord Shantinath and 23rd Tirthankar Lord Parshvanath. Jaisalmer boasts some of the oldest libraries of India which contain rarest of the manuscripts & artefacts of Jain tradition. There are many Jain pilgrimage centres around Jaisalmer like Lodarva, Amarsagar, Brahmsar and Pokharan.

 

 

Museums

• Desert Culture Centre & Museum
• Jaisalmer Folklore Museum
• Government Museum

Other  Attractions

• Gadsisar Lake - Excavated in A.D.1367 by Rawal Gadsi Singh, it is a scenic rainwater lake surrounded by small temples and shrines.

 

In the neighbourhood

• Bhattiani Sati Rani
• Bada Bagh
• Amar Sagar
• Lodhruva
• Mool Sagar
• Kuldhara
• Desert National Park
• Sam sand dunes
• Khuri village
• Akal Wood fossil Park
• Bhaniyana
• Gadisagar Lake

Desert festival

This is held over three days in January/February every year. This is the best time to visit Jaisalmer to witness performing arts like Kalbelia dances and folk songs and music.

Once a sleepy desert city, Jaisalmer has transformed itself into a major tourist destination of India. Situated amid picturesque Thar Desert, the Jaisalmer city commands premiere position among the tourist attractions scattered all over the desert land of Rajasthan. The city is revered both by Indians as well as foreign tourists.

  Like various other cities of Rajasthan, you will discover different facets of Jaisalmer as you explore this wonderful city. Though there are historical monuments scattered all over the city but the Jaisalmer Fort will immediately command your attention. Made of sand stones and locally known as Sonar Quila, the Jaisalmer Fort is a dominating structure amidst sands. The city is also known for its old mansions, better known as Havelis. Among many of them you will find Salim ji ki haveli and Nathmal ji ki haveli as the most striking. There are other monuments too, which are equally important because of their distinct and individual architecture. The amalgamation of ancient and the medieval era architecture will catch your fancy. 

 

 

Jaisalmer is a prominent educational as well as cultural hub in the region and regularly showcases the vivid cultural aspects of Rajasthan. Among others, it includes folk dances as well as semi classical and folk music.

The city is easily accessible and people are warm and welcoming. In spite of harsh living conditions, Rajasthani people are known for their warm hospitality all over. So come to Jaisalmer and enjoy the traditional rhetoric of 'padharo mahare desh' (welcome to our land).

The marvelous fort, the splendid havelis and the rich culture of Jaisalmer is bound to make you fall in love with the city. One thing is for sure, you will not regret your travel to Jaisalmer by the luxury train ‘Palace on Wheels’. Given below is more information about Jaisalmer travel by Palace on Wheels…

Schedule of Jaisalmer Luxury Train Travel:

The first stoppage in the city of Jaisalmer will be made at the massive Jaisalmer fort. The second largest fort in Rajasthan, it is adorned with exquisite architecture and provides an awe-inspiring view of the vast desert below. Next on the itinerary will be a tour of the magnificent havelis (mansions) of Rajasthan, particularly Nathmalji-ki-haveli, Patwon-ki-haveli and Salim Singh-ki-haveli. All of them display the exquisite craftsmanship of the stone carvers of the old times. There is a Government-run emporium if Jaisalmer also, where one can buy silver jewelry, pattu shawls, wooden boxes, embroidered articles, trinkets, beautiful mirror work and other knick knacks. In the afternoon, the tourists shall have lunch, followed by a camel ride on the amazing Sam sand dunes. Dinner and a cultural program at a Jaisalmer hotel will bring the itinerary in the city to culmination. At night, the train will leave for Jodhpur.

Geographical Limits

JAISALMER District, a part of the Great Indian Thar Desert, is a sandy, dry and scorched. The terrain around, within a radius of about 60 kms is stony and rocky. The area is barren, undulating with its famous sand dunes and slopes towards the Indus valley and the Rann of Kutch. The soil here is grateful even to a little rain and turns lush green during monsoons. There is no perennial river in the district. The underground water level is very low. Geographically this district is spread over in 38,401 sq. kms which is one of the largest district and almost equal to the state of Kerala. Joined together, the district of Barmer and Jaisalmer is the Largest Parliamentary constituency in India.

  

Flora & Fauna

Khezada, Bavla, Lora, Rohida, Van, Phog, Kumbhar, Jal, Neem, Babul and many other trees are to be found among sparse vegetation. Orchards are luxury and can be seen occasionally in a very rare sport. Grass-beds or lawns are never seen anywhere. Animals perforce have to move from one place to another in search of fodder and water. Sheep, cow, goat, camel, chinkara and wild boar and jackals from the fauna here. Poisonous snakes are common in the desert. The birds of various kinds commonly found in the area are peacock, parrot, pigeon, crow and specially the white Palam birds make the surroundings lively and interesting. The number of great Indian bustards, which were once in abundance in Thar Desert, began to decline fast. In addition to these cocks and hens are domestic birds.

  

Climate

JAISALMER has a very dry climate with very hot summer; a cold winter and sparse rains. The climate is extremely hot during summer with maximum temperature reaching up to 49.2 degree Celsius and extremely cold during winder with minimum temp. in the range of 1 degree Celsius. The variation in temperature from morning to noon and the late midnight is a sudden phenomenon. The average rainfall is only 16.4 cms as against the state average of 57.51 cms.

FACTS & FIGURES

Area	5.1 sq. km
Language	Marwari, Rajasthani and Hindi
Best time to visit	November to February

  The golden city of Jaisalmer, which lies courageously as the western sentinel of India, is a place worth visiting. The golden ray of the setting sun draws a heavenly picture on the sands of Jaisalmer. The magnificent wood- and stone-carved mansions and buildings display the love of the Rajputs towards the fine arts.

Jaisalmer is situated in the westernmost part of the state of Rajasthan, the heart of the great Thar Desert. It has neighboring Pakistan on its western side. On its south, there is the beautiful city of Bikaner. The eastern part of the place is bordered by Jodhpur, another city of color and tradition. The climate of this city is of typical desert character. Population of this city is quite low compared to the other parts of the state. The best time to visit this desert city is the winter season (November to February) when the heat becomes comparatively low. The desert festival held during the last winter months of January and February is the most opportune time for the people to visit Jaisalmer.

Desert National Park is another place that preserves the natural ecosystem of the desert land. Cactus, thorny trees and shrubs could be seen growing easily without being taken care of. It has some vegetation that survives in the dry and arid soil. It also has few animal species like the monitor lizard, desert foxes, porcupines and black bucks, etc.

FAIRS & FESTIVALS

·         The most famous of the local festivals is the camel fair that is held during the winter season of the year. Camel dances, camel races, folk dance, and music are some of the major attractions of this place. It is also known as the desert festival.

HOW TO REACH

Jaisalmer is well connected to the nearby towns and cities. The nearest city is Jodhpur. To visit this place by air, one has to take the flight operated by Indian Airlines and Kingfisher Airlines between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. To get there by train there is a meter-gauge train that connects this place with the rest of the small and big places. We would provide you all India tourist permit vehicles for the local transportations and also for the intercity drives too.