JAISALMER, RAJASTHAN

A Destination for History Buffs, Admirers of Exquisite
Architecture and the Adventurous Alike

By Brandon Hawke

My grandparents (Linda and Bill,) being history buffs and admirers of exquisite architecture, and my young uncle (Trevor) and myself the adventurous ones of the group, visited Jaisalmer in western Rajasthan over the Independence Day (15 August 2009) weekend. The following is an account of our excursion.

We allocated Friday the 14th of August to the drive from New Delhi to Jaisalmer, a distance of 628 kilometres. Twelve hours after departure we pulled into the Hotel Jaisalgarh on the outskirts of town, our pre-reserved abode for the weekend. Incidentally, Kingfisher Airlines recently initiated flights between Delhi and Jaisalmer.

Jaisalmer, nicknamed ‘The Golden City’, stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort containing a palace and several Jain temples. Many of the houses and temples are finely sculptured from sandstone. Situated in the heart of the Thar Desert, Jaisalmer has a population of about 78 thousand and is named after its founder Rao Jaisal. The name ‘Jaisalmer’ literally means ‘the Hill Fort of Jaisal’.

On Saturday morning, being Independence Day, we assembled on the upper terrace of the hotel at 8AM along with the staff, other guests and a few local dignitaries for the ceremonial hoisting of the Indian tri-colour – the National Flag. Those who knew the words sang the National Anthem.

Our first stop after setting out for the day was Gadsidar Lake, which is not a natural lake, but once a water reservoir for the city, that was built in or around 1400AD. A variety of shrines and temples surround the lake. The beautiful Tilon Ki Pol (Tilon Gate) over the entrance was built towards the end of the 19th century – very impressive indeed.

Carrying on, our next stop was Jaisalmer Fort, one of the largest desert forts in the world. We took advantage of audio headset mechanisms that can be rented on the site. With those affixed and by pushing numbers corresponding to the numbers at various points of interest, we learned that the fort is surrounded by three defensive walls. The lower wall is constructed of solid stone blocks and reinforces the loose rubble of the hill. The middle wall snakes around the fort. Rajput warriors used to hurl boiling oil and water, and massive round rocks as missiles on their enemies from the inner most wall when they got trapped between the second and the third walls. The defensive mechanism of the fort is even more enhanced by the 99 bastions.

The main attractions inside the fort include: the Raj Mahal (Royal Palace); the Jain temples; the Laxminath temple; four massive gateways; and the merchant havelis. These havelis are elaborately carved from golden sandstone. Some are still inhabited by the descendents of the families that built them, but most still have sections open to the general public.

After touring the attractions of the fort we wandered through the narrow lanes within the walls, encountering several locals all decked out in fancy dress thus hoping to be given a tip for being photographed. Talented musicians also graced the narrow lanes. Ten rupees satisfied those whose photos I snapped. We had lunch at the Trio Restaurant situated between the first and second walls. This was a treat; I recommend the spaghetti bolognaise; it was possibly the best I’ve ever tasted. We then went back to the hotel for an afternoon nap and in the evening visited some of the havelis situated outside of the Fort. They were just as splendid as those inside.

We had a relaxing evening back at the hotel and the next day (Sunday) we went back to the fort and just wandered around admiring the architecture while stopping occasionally to do a little shopping. By the way; the local people of the region make beautiful patchwork quilts and cushion covers (more on these later). We had lunch at one of the few hotels within the fort complex.

That evening we ventured into the desert to a town called Khuri, at a distance of 45 kilometres. We passed scores of wind turbines along the way. (I later read that a Suzlon Energy Ltd project supplies 400 MW of electricity to the region.) Upon arrival at Khuri, we mounted handsome camels that would take us to the sand dunes to view the sunset, with a stop at the village along the way in order (we thought) to experience the lifestyles of desert people. The village stop, however, was quite disappointing.

The village headman met us and only showed us an old truck tyre sitting flat on an axle, explaining that it was their communal potters’ wheel. Then he escorted us straight to a showroom (quilts and pillow cases) where the sales pitch began – that was, of course, the purpose of the stop at the village. I must admit, however, the quality was just as good and the prices were much lower than those sold inside the fort. I’d advise any of my readers interested in obtaining such products to at least view them in the fort, but to wait until the village trip to make purchases. You’ll save a bundle!

We departed the village with the sun low on the horizon. The sand dunes were just a short distance away and we arrived at the top of one ten minutes before sunset. There were several clouds in the sky which added to the beauty of the panorama before us. About 75 other spectacle-viewers were on the dune at the same time, including about 25 foreign tourists. On completion we rode back to the Khuri Guest House where we and about 40 others were treated to an evening of Rajasthani music and dance followed by a buffet dinner. Despite the disappointment of the village stop, the evening was delightful.

The next morning (Monday) we set out for home – two full days being quite adequate for the Jaisalmer experience.