Jaisalmer - The city that sparkles!

Jaisalmer is effortlessly beautiful. Though I rest my case here :) but am going to write more ;)

Jaisalmer, also called the “Golden City” of India, is an enchanting and exotic little fort-town of Rajasthan. It is a city of culture, food, ancient sand castle forts, stunning Jain temples, pigeons, sand dunes, sun and camel!

What I especially loved was that it was so tiny that I could just walk around the whole city. Half of the city was actually inside the massive sandcastle fort of Jaisalmer!

We arrived in Jaisalmer late evening on 27th Dec, after a 5 hour long bus journey from Jodhpur. We reached quite tired after a rather rock ‘n’ roll bus ride & wished to retire in our hotel.

As soon as we de-boarded the bus the autowallahs literally jumped on us! We were suddenly surrounded by hundreds of them (I don’t know where they all came from … From inside the bus the bus junction looked quite deserted!). We were treated like celebrities, & I felt grateful for that, only that I did not enjoy the attention so much! One of the autowallahs actually picked up our bag & rushed with it towards his auto! We ran after him, with the rest of the autowallahs running behind us! It was bizarre! I haven’t described the scene too well I know, but it was a moment when I wanted to cry & also laugh!

So, anyways … we were practically ‘forced’ to sit in his auto. The driver told us that our hotel was only about 5 minutes away from the bus junction which made me very happy, only to realize later that everything in Jaisalmer was about 5 minutes away from wherever we were!

Our hotel – ‘Nirmal Haveli’ – was lovely. It actually looked like a haveli! & our room was beautifully lit up in colorful lights & the sunrays coming through the curtains gave varied colors to the room & its sandstone walls. We loved it – highly recommended to all travelers.

Next day, after our complimentary delectable breakfast at the hotel we set out to explore the city & the first place we destined towards was the ever famous Golden fort of Jaisalmer – the living fort!

The beautiful yellow-golden colored Jaisalmer fort is a wonder in itself.

After appreciating the fort’s splendor for almost half the day, we walked over to – Salim Singh-ki-Haveli and Patwa-ki-Haveli. Salim Singh-ki-Haveli is famous for its sophisticated etched architecture and Patwa-ki-Haveli has this fascinating honey-colored lace stone work all over it.

We then visited the museum in the in Patwa-ki-Haveli in which history spoke for itself. The first floor of the palace was lined up with incredibly engaging paintings which we were told were painted using 1.5 kilograms of gold!

India sure was rich – once upon a time!!

After a lively day we went to the quite of our own private haveli (hotel, I mean!) ;). We wrapped up the day with the most simple yet most amazing dinner (“fired” daal – roti, literally!) on the rooftop overlooking the alluring golden fort!

While the days sparkled with bright & warm sunlight, the evenings were cool & angelic glittering under the silver moonlight.

Our dinners were long and slow. Post dinner we would watch the pigeons doze off to sleep in the alcoves of the haveli – head down – neck pulled back – feet tucked under. On hearing our footfalls some of them would occasionally tremor and lift their heads, their soft feathery necks heaving up and down – breathing! However, lost in themselves, they would doze back again.

This was one of the best experiences I have ever had!

Next day, after yet another delightful breakfast, we walked over to Gadisar Lake – the scenic rainwater lake surrounded by the small temples & shrines of Amar Sagar. For a long time, we were told, this lake was the only source of water for the inhabitants of Jaisalmer.

There were so many pigeons at the lake - & hence in the introduction I had called Jaisalmer also a city of pigeons! I have never seen so many pigeons together at one time! It was amazing & also a little scary!! Humans were suddenly in minority.

They would keep swirling around us as if trying to scare us away for having intruded in their space!

We finally reached the most awaited – Sam sand dunes of the Thar.

This was the city’s soul. Everything came to life when the rays of the sun danced in the sand hills giving it a sparkling golden glow.

Kuldhara – the abandoned village – was established around the 13th century & was once a flourishing village inhabited by Paliwal Brahmins. It was abandoned by the early 19th century for unknown reasons. However locals claim several reasons for the abandonment like – dwindling water supply, hostility and ill-treatment by the Jaisalmer State's minister Salim Singh, among others. Gradually it acquired the reputation of a haunted site.

However, to me, there was nothing haunted about that place – it was interesting though. Most of the houses were still half-made and gave a hint of the once prosperous clan that lived here!

Right outside the main entrance to the village, there was movable shop selling flavored soda water for only 10 bucks. It was a warm day & that drink was icy cold & tasted like heaven! I think we had like 10 glasses. That was the main attraction for me at the haunted village!! ;)

Our next stop was Bada Bagh - royal cenotaphs.

Bada Bagh, also called Barabagh (big garden) is a garden complex containing royal cenotaphs or ‘chhatris’ of Maharaja’s of Jaisalmer. Made of the famous golden stone of Jaisalmer these cenotaphs were built in memory of the city’s rulers.