DAY 5 & 6 – JAISALMER
Our next stop was #Jaisalmer, which was a five hour drive from #Jodhpur. On our way, we
crossed #Pokaran. Yes, the same place where nuclear tests were done.
I was very excited about the 'Desert
City' having heard so much about the ‘living’ fort, its havelis and off course
about the sand dunes.
On our way to Jaisalmer from Jodhpur we saw a caravan of around 200 camels. It was a sight to watch. we were able to take few pictures of the same after tipping the camel owner generously.
I noticed that as we reach a new city, a new
colour awaits us. We started with pink proceeded to blue in Jodhpur and now we
reach the golden colour in Jaisalmer.
While
planning the trip and researching on internet, I came to know that there are two
deserts – #Sam and #Khuri. Sam is more popular and thus more crowded and
touristy. So I opted for Khuri. Khuri is a village 40 kms from Jaisalmer.
As we were late and the sun was
setting at a fast pace, we directly went to see the sand dunes at Khuri. On our
drive to Khuri we could see so many windmills – Huge and gigantic.
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| Windmills |
The
car cannot go till the sand dunes. You have to take a ride either on a camel or
take a camel cart to reach the dunes. As we had a one and a half year old kid
with us, we decided to take a camel cart which can accommodate all of us. Charged
we headed towards Khuri sand dunes which were 3 kms away. There were already a
couple of tourists waiting for the sunset. We bypassed all of them and reached
the far end of the desert where there was no other soul.
I
got the actual being in the ’desert’ feeling when I was standing in the dunes.
It was the golden sand which left no footprints and beautiful ripples on the
dunes that must be making even God proud of its creation.
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| Sand dunes |
Then came the best part – the
sunset. I have seen sunset from the beach, from tall buildings, from hill top
and now it was time to see a sunset from the desert.
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| Sunset |
After the sunset we proceeded back to the camp from where we have rented the camel cart.
We entered Jaisalmer at night
and it was a sight to watch the gigantic fort all lit up with lights. It looked
like a crown made of gold studded with diamonds.
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| At the entrance of Jaisalmer |
We had already booked our stay
at #Star Haveli a small charming hotel at the base of the fort with wonderful
view of the fort from the room and the terrace.
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| View from our Hotel's terrace |
The view from the terrace was
remarkable. We could see the fort from the fort and it was majestic. Jaisalmer
is rightly called the #Golden City.
During our stay in Jaisalmer, we got a chance to witness a part of a Rajasthani Wedding. A Rajasthani wedding takes the experience to a whole new level.
A Rajasthani groom was getting his bride to his house (which was near our hotel) after the wedding ceremony been completed at the bride's place.
The groom's female family members were eagerly waiting for the newly married couple.
The rich vibrant colour of their ethnic lehengas, the beautifully crafted jewellery and accessories. their customs left us spell bound.
One strange custom that we noticed in Jaisalmer was the details of the wedding in the family is painted on the main entrance of their house.
We could see many houses freshly painted with the names of the couple and the date of the wedding.
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| My friend's daughter Tarushi :) |
We started our day 6 with the
pride of the city – #Jaisalmer Fort. It is also known as the ‘Sonar Kella’ taken
from Satyajit Ray’s movie with the same name. Just like Jaipur and Jodhpur, the
Jaisalmer Fort is also perched on top of a hill.
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| Artists playing instruments at the entrance of the Fort |
When we entered the fort, it was
buzzing with activity. It is a living fort – it has temples, shops, internet
café, hotels, restaurants, houses inside. It is a fort where 5000 people approx still live,
people still go everyday to the temple.
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| Entrance of Jaisalmer Fort |
We took a guide with us and he
explained us the facts and history of the fort. One very important aspect of
the fort that he explained is that the entire fort is made by special
interlocking stones and no adhesive has been used to keep the structure
together.
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| Museum inside the Fort |
There are seven #Jain temples
inside the fort. The Jain temples are made of golden sandstone has complex
carvings and is stunning. The temple is opened till 1:00 pm and is therefore
recommended to be seen first.
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| Entrance of Jain Temple |
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| Intricate carvings at Jain Temple |
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| Jain Temple inside the Fort |
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| Roof of the Jain Temple |
After the Jain Temple, the guide
took us to a point in the fort which houses a cannon. The point is at a height
and gives a bird eye view of Jaisalmer City.
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| Panoramic view of Jaisalmer City |
The fort is full of narrow
lanes with shops selling varied items. One specialty being the volcano stone
which the shopkeeper claimed to turn milk into delicious curd.
The fort is a crazy fun place
to explore and sightsee – almost every single pillar, wall, stairs, windows
were lovingly sculptured.
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| House inside the Fort |
After the fort, we headed to
the havelis which are walking distance from the fort.
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| One of the Havelis |
Jaisalmer is full of havelis
and mansions but there are three havelis which are very famous – #Patwa ki
Haveli, #Salim Singh ki Haveli and #Nathmal ji ki Haveli. These havelis are
extravagant and lavish. They give you a glimpse of the royal era.
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| Patwa Ki Haveli |
Patwa ki Haveli is a cluster of
five havelis. Adorned with beautiful glass work these havelis portray the
luxurious lifestyle of the merchants who ones lived there. There is a turban
gallery displaying different kind of turbans worn by different section of
society.
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| Intricate Carving at Windows |
After
the lunch, we were casually strolling in the markets of Jaisalmer. The market
is lively and colourful. One can shop for bandini dupatta, patchwork quilts,
block print bed sheets, camel leather accessories…. the list is endless.
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| Shops inside the Fort |
We
shopped for wrap around skirts and kurtas having rajasthani prints.
As
evening was setting in we headed to #Gadisagar Lake which is a man-made lake.
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| Gadisagar Lake |
We
did not go for a boat ride which was available there. Instead we sat beside the
lake on the ghats to relax and admired the structure made in the center of the
lake.
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| Gadisagar Lake |
We
then headed to #‘Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan’ which is a great place to pick up Khadi
fabric. We ended up buying few more kurtas. While heading towards our hotel we
came across #‘Rajasthali’, a handicraft emporium run by Rajasthan Government. We
picked few leheriya sarees. One unique item bought from here was vintage bangles
made from camel bones.
Post
lot of shopping and sightseeing we headed to our hotel for dinner.
Of all the places I visited in
Rajasthan, Jaisalmer is my favourite. Keeping myself warm in the shawl on the
roof top restaurant of #Shahi Palace. On a cold evening, I looked at the fort with a smile.
The fort is spectacular in every sense. The beauty of Jaisalmer cannot be put
into words. It is an experience that has to be felt and cherished.
