The Desert Trail -2019

Why Did I choose to Visit Jaisalmer ??

I have always been fond of having a desire to stay in the desert , visit heritage places and I love to know about history . Jaisalmer , The also know as the golden city because of the magnificent Jaisalmer Fort also know as the sonar qila because of the huge yellow sandstone block used to make the qila which gives an image that the fort is made out of gold.

Here you can immerse yourself in the art that is found in everything – from the places of worship to the buildings, streets, local products and of course the fort which houses an entire eco-system within itself, making it more than just a tourist monument.

As you read my blog you will have an idea of why I choose to Visit Jaisalmer .

My stay in Jaisalmer :-

The Most amazing part about my stay in Jaisalmer is , I just got a room in a backpackers hostel :- The Nomadic hostel , Jaisalmer at a cost of ₹80 per day with breakfast . What more is needed for a solo backpacker . The owner of the hostel Mr Hanif was a quite humble person and he organised the camel safari and the stay at sam sand dunes at a cost of ₹1500 . Do check out my pics and videos of the tour .

Places I visited in Jaisalmer :-

A] The Jaisalmer fort ( The golden fort) :- Jaisalmer Fort is the second oldest fort in Rajasthan, built in 1156 AD by the Rajput Rawal (ruler) Jaisal. The fort’s massive yellow sandstone walls are a tawny lion colour during the day, fading to honey-gold as the sun sets, thereby camouflaging the fort in the yellow desert. For this reason it is also known as the Sonar Quila or Golden Fort.

B] Gadsisar lake :- The Gadsisar lake is one of the most famous tourist places in Jaisalmer which was built by Raja Rawal Jaisal, the first ruler of Jaisalmer. In the later years Maharaja Garisisar Singh rebuilt and revamped the lake. This historic lake is located towards the south of Jaisalmer city and the entrance to the lake is through Tilon-Ki-Pol, a magnificent and artistically carved yellow sandstone archway . The Tilon Ki Pol is adorned with an idol of the Hindu deity Vishnu, installed in the year 1908.

The festival of colour in Jaisalmer , It’s Holi ! :-

- When you visit Jaisalmer and its Holi , it’s a perfect blend of Celebrations , Excitements & lots of unexpected exciting incidents.

Holi in Jaisalmer is celebrated in a good traditional way ! From small chirps to elders ,the Excitement and the enthusiasm doesnt fade away and the enjoyment is up to the fullest ! The way the guest are welcomed into the fort is very different . From the Royal family to an individual , everyone celebrates Holi in the most craziest way they can . People from all over the world specially visit the city to enjoy the festival of Holi .

Visiting Jaisalmer at the time of Holi was one of the best decision I could have ever made .

Night stay in the Sam Sand Dunes:- What more better can it get after celebrating Holi , you decide to stay overnight at the Sam Sand Dunes along with few other fellow mates whom you meet along your journey .

A camel ride of 2 hours to reach the sand dunes and the first thing you get there is a chilled beer , what more perfect can it get. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had .The most exciting thing happened the next morning was when few children living in the nearby village had come and all of them were asking for pen pen pen , we asked them why ? To them they replied cause they wanted to study and they wanted pen for them .

Kuldhara village also know as the Ghost Village :-

Oh that’s spooky , when we hear the name Kuldhara village , the first thing that strikes the mind is that it’s land of ghost . While going to Sam dunes for the desert safari , we visited this spooky village .

Why is Kuldhara village know as the ghost village ??-> According to the legend, the evil eyes of Salim Singh, the powerful and debauched prime minister of the state, fell on the daughter of the village head and he desired to marry her by force. He threatened the village with grave consequences if they did not adhere to his wish. Instead of submitting to the order of the tyrant, the Paliwals held a council and people of 85 villages left their ancestral homes and vanished.

But this was not all; before leaving, they put a curse on Kuldhara that no one will ever be able to settle in their village thereafter. To this date, the village remains barren; left almost the same as its inhabitants had left it centuries ago. It is also said that people who have tried to stay there at night have been chased away by strange paranormal phenomenon.

The post of Longewala:-

“Woh kehte hai subah ka khana Jaisalmer mein karenge, dopahar ka khana jodhpur mein karenge or raat ka khana delhi mein karenge; lekin aaj hum unka naashta karenge. Guru maharaj ne kaha hai ek khalsa sawa lakh ke barabar hota hai aaj unki baat sach kar dikhane ka waqt aa gaya hai”.

I am sure we all remember this famous dialogue by Sunny Deol (who played the character of Maj. Kuldip Singh Chandpuri) from the epic movie Border (1997). This movie was based on the Battle of Longewala which took place in 60’s in the Thar Desert of the Rajasthan state of India

Being an Indian , if I am in Jaisalmer and I don’t visit Longewala It would be considered as a point of shame for me.

One could see endless sand dunes with hardly any vegetation. Once you get closer to the border area (civilians cannot go beyond the Longewala check post) you can see couple of tanks, and other war vehicles that were used in the war.

Another interesting story that is related to the war is about the famous Tanot Mata temple. It was said that during the war, Pakistani army fired nearly 3000 bombs out of which 450 bombs fell into the temple premises. Not even a singly bomb exploded which fell in the premises. Even today, few bombs are kept in the temple for display. Isn’t it something unbelievable?

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