Desert – Jaisalmer

The Jaisalmer Fort (Sonar Kella) is a majesticyellow sand stone fort or castle built on a 250 feet high sprawling hill top citadel buttressed by 99 bastions with three ringed defence system and thirty feet high walls. Behind those massive walls is a city with in a city spread across 5 square Kilometres, with Maharaja’s palace- Rajmahal, now converted into a museum, seven Jain temples, houses, souvenir shops, shops selling and exhibiting puppet shows, handicrafts, jewellery and fabric stores with colourful displays and even restaurants. It is the oldest living fort in India. Soak into the ambiance as you enter through the first gate at Gopa Chowk, onto the winding stone-paved alley with massive stone towers all around. After passing through the Hawaprol, the last ofthe gates, you reach the central square,Dussehra Chowk, below the Rajmahal, from where the lanes with touristy shops and restaurants wind up in different directions inside the fort. The Rajmahalis a seven storey palace with intricate stone carvings and it was the palace of the rulers, now converted to the Jaisalmer Fort Palace Museum and Heritage Centre. Do climb to the roof top, the highest point in the vicinity to have a bird’s eye view of the area. Do not miss the roof top restaurant too for a splendid view and good food. Out of the seven Jain Temples, the Parsvanath Temple, dedicated to the 23rd Tirthankara, is the largest and the most impressive with the marvellous art work and stone carvings of Dilwara style. Do not miss the ceiling of the temple. Chandraprabhu Temple is the first temple that you have to enter and the rest are Rishabdev temple, Shitalnath Temple, Kunthanath Temple, and Shantinath Temple.These temples also store numerous rare and ancient manuscripts. Patwon-ki-Haveli, an ornate residence built by five merchant brothers in the early 19th Century is the largest haveli. It is grand and comprises of five buildings, built of yellow sand stone, adorned with elaborate façade and intricate jails. Some of the rooms still have the remnants of exquisite paintings on their walls. The Nathmal-ki-Haveli, famous for its exquisite detailing in curving and architecture, is very close to Patwonki Haveli. Another beautiful haveli is Salim Sing-ki-Haveli with noticeable upper storeys and their balconies which appear like an impressive pavilion floating on the building. Gadisar Lake, an artificial lake built in 14th Century to serve as a water tank, is a beautiful breezy spot where you can enjoy boating in the lake with the splendid view of the mighty Fort, glistening in the sun. The lake is surrounded by different small temples and shrines. There are a few even standing on the lake. Sunrise and/or sunset from here looks gorgeous. BadaBagh is renowned for the architecture and historical significance. It is a garden amidst the arid lands with royal cenotaphs in the centre. It was a crematoria of the Regal Rajput Maharajas. Jaisalmer is meant for an offbeat desert experience which is out of the world. Visit the Sam Sand dunes (42kms from Jaisalmer)and/orKhuri(40kms from Jaisalmer). From the base of the dunes a bumpy camel ride takes you to the dunes. The splendour of observing the vast expanse of the desert sands at the dunes is amazing. At the base of the dunes you can indulge in parasailing and quad biking. Staying in the comfortable tents at Sam or thatched mud huts in Khuriand spending the evening star gazing with bon fire, folk music and dance is an experience of a life time. The dunes in Khuri are even higher than that of Sam. At Khuri do hike around the village and the see the beautiful mandana art(paintngs of birds, animals and flowers using lime paste and mud) on the walls of the thatched village huts and enjoy the feel of authentic life style of the desert folks.