Jaisalmer, India

Golden Fortress – Sonar Kella

Next morning (Day 3), we finally went inside the fabled fortress. The name – Sonar Kella – meaning Golden Fort in Bengali was given by the legendary Oscar-winning director Satyajit Ray, when he shot one of his movies here in 1974. Sonar Kella, one of UNESCO World Heritage sites, is the largest ‘living fort’ (people live within fort walls) in the world and is accessible only by foot through one single narrow path and across four strong gates. Inside the fort, you will be carried back to the times of the kings and queens, as you walk around the Palaces (there are three separate but interconnected Palaces inside the fort – Maharaja Mahal, Maharani Mahal and another Mahal for the princes and the princesses), the living quarters, the old Hindu and Jain temples and the locals living inside the fort, dressed in traditional clothing. You cannot help but notice the rich hues of the clothes, rugs, turbans and other accessories the people wear here. A view of the city from top confirms the name of Jaisalmer as the Golden City as all the houses below bore the same golden hue – being made of the abundant golden sand-stones.

The Havelis and Gadisar Lake

After coming down from the fort, we roamed around the city itself – checking out some of the old Havelis (mansions) of the kings’ rich subjects – mainly, the ministers of court and traders. It was surprising to see that some Havelies looked grander than the kings’ fortress from inside – especially the Patwa ki Haveli – whose owner, Patwa used to be a rich trader. Other notable Havelis were called Nathmalji ki Haveli and Salem Singh ki Haveli.

The Golden City…

I was back home in India during the post-monsoon part of the year – around September, 2013. During this visit, I had an incredible trip across the length of Rajasthan – The Royal State. This is the first in a series of three blogs I write about my journey across the sand-dunes and through fortified cities…

This trip was long time coming… a long awaited family trip to Rajasthan – the enduring land of colors that had eluded our ‘Visited’ list for so long! So, our journey started at New Delhi. To understand the changing vegetation type across the state, one must take the train. As our train sped across the state – from the eastern most part to the western most part, the gradual decrease in the greenery was unmistakable. Crossing through the cities of Jaipur and Jodhpur, and remote villages like Pokhran – famous as the Nuclear Detonation Test Site for the Indian Armed Forces – we reached Jaisalmer in the afternoon of Day 1.

Jaisalmer is on the edge of the Great Indian Desert – the Thar Desert. Moving west, it is the last big habitation in India before you reach Pakistan across 200 km. of Sand-dunes. Jaisalmer is the bastion of the Bhati people – an ancient clan that had built the city in 1156 AD under the leadership of Maharawal Jaisal Singh, a Rajput Bhati king. The city is famously known as The Golden City due to the abundance of golden sandstone in and around the area.

Sam Sand Dunes and Kuldhara Village

As we drove from the station towards our hotel, the Fort became more and more clear. A mesmerizing site! However, we postponed a detailed tour of the city for later and proceeded with our plan and drove to a Desert Camp on the outskirts of Jaisalmer. After about 40 km drive, crossing through a couple of tribal villages, the ‘typical’ desert features – wave-like sand-dunes – became visible. This place and its dunes are known as Sam Sand-Dunes. The main attraction, other than the miles and miles of pristine dunes, was a short Camel Ride across the dunes. Well, it was probably more exciting than I had imagined. Nevertheless, mounting and dismounting the camel was quite a bit of a scary experience. You might as well check this link on Camel Riding before you try it!

After a back-breaking camel ride, we proceeded towards our accommodation – a couple of earthen-huts, fashioned similar to the actual village houses. If you have never experienced village life in India, you must try this out. Not only was the set-up authentic, we were treated with tribal song and dance performances by the local villagers. Needless to say, it was a captivating experience to see the women dance in their multicolored ‘Ghagras‘ – long frock-like dresses – with long moustached and turbaned men singing and playing their rudimentary but melodic instruments.

Bada Bagh

Evening of Day 2, after some quick lunch, we left for the Bada Bagh – the Royal Crematorium having long parallel arrays of golden sandstone carved Chattris or Cenotaphs looking over a lake. These Cenotaphs was erected honoring the dead kings of past. Spending the evening there and watching sun set was truly magical! Bada Bagh is located close to Loduvra – the ancient capital of the erstwhile Jaisalmer state before the newly built Jaisalmer became the capital in 1156. Traveler’s tip: Since it is a bit outside the city, carry some water and food with you.