Scenic Route In Thar #RememberRajasthan

There is no denying the fact that the Rajasthan is well-know for its sheer color, grandeur and breathtaking view to impress people across the Globe. There are very few experiences in life that are close to the thrill of driving across the Great Indian Desert, Thar. My idea to explore the Thar desert was to take the one-day brisk and invigorating road trip to Tanot Mata Mandir and Longewala War Memorial.

We headed out after a heavy breakfast when the sun was at its extreme. Tanot is located 120 kilometers from Jaisalmer, the golden city.

We headed to the last big city on the way to Tanot in Ramgarh. After that point, all mobile networks are out of range except for BSNL. The route is perhaps the most awe-inspiring desert path you'll ever take. Flanked by huge, rolling sand dunes, massive windmills and small villages on the way. The weather was very pleasant because of the Monsoon season and we didn't really felt the heat of the desert. At Ramgarh, we filled the tanks and started for Tanot again. The roads had a beautiful landscape of barren stenches covered with sand dunes, some thorny shrubs and the magnificent road was moving up and down like a roller-coaster ride.

We stopped at Gantiyali Mata Madir for a break and Tanot Mata was 5km ahead of us. We saw sheep, goats gazing in the semi-arid region, spotted wild camels, and saw a few villagers walking on the roads in colorful dresses.

The Tanot Mata Temple has miraculous power which remained unaffected even by the heavy shelling by Pakistan, during the Indo-Pak war of 1971. You can still witness the live bombs on display inside the temple that were fired by Pakistan's enemies. BSF people look after the Temple and perform rituals in the morning and evening. Within the temple, you can experience a sense of positive energy.

After that, we headed towards the Longewala War Memorial. We enjoyed the ride as the road crossed the desert, with beautiful sand dunes and desert animals. The entire road runs parallel to the border, approximately to the distance of 20 km. The roads were under construction for a few kilometers, and it took us around 1.5 hours to arrive at Longewala, and we stopped for several hours to enjoy and took photos.

The Longewala War Memorial is located right in the place where the battle was fought. The short film of Indo Pak War of 1971 shown by the BSF personals, is etched on my heart. Apart from that, there are many artifacts on display that were part of the war. This place altogether presents a new kind of experience the moment to step into it.

After eating some maggie near the museum we started our journey back. On our way back, the wind had intensified, which resulted in the dunes covering half of the road at some places. The sky was changing the colors from yellow to pink to purple and the lightning made crazy zigzags like a celestial painting. The scent of rain hung in the air and the colors faded away as night had fully arrived.

Every raindrop kissed us and we reached Jaisalmer by 8 pm. All in all this was a great road trip with the most scenic route.