The Golden City of Jaisalmer, the heart of the Thar Desert is an integral part of any traveller’s bucket list. If you haven’t experienced the Thar then you haven’t truly travelled is what all the travel bloggers tweet. Let us then make an attempt to quickly design a capsule trip to Jaisalmer - a city in a day.
Here you go, with our take on the tour of the city so beautiful. We will skip the day excursions to Tannot (open only for Indian nationals), War Museum near Pokharan and Kuldhara - the abandoned village. During the first trip let us just focus on the essence of Jaisalmer - the beautifully sculpted sandstone monuments and the vast expanse of the indomitable Thar desert. The museums and the monuments that we will miss visiting during the first trip will be covered in our consecutive trips as and when they happen.
Desert cities experience this peculiar phenomenon of warm days and cooler mornings and evenings. You wake up to a cool beautiful sunrise which you may choose to witness in a camp on the Sam Sand Dunes or from the roof top of one of the intricately carved boutique hotels in the city. We recommend the camp so that you may rise before the sun rises and on a camel back ride upto a point where you can witness the alluring sun emerge from the sea of sand changing the hues of the sky and the sand from peach to pink to orange to yellow to a final bright gold at which point you will need your shades to look the sun in the eye! A camel ride can really work up an appetite so once back in your camp you must dig into the scrumptious breakfast laid out for you with some hot tea or coffee to give a boost to your day’s plans.
We start our sight seeing tour a bit early, say around 07:00 am with a quick trip to the Gadisar / Gadsisar Lake. The water reservoir not only attracts tourists in large numbers but also is a halt and siesta venue for many species of birds. The man-made Lake was constructed by Maharawal Gadi Singh Ji, the first ruler of Jaisalmer and was decorated with intricately carved Temples, Chhatris, Shrines and Ghats all around. A beautiful resting place for a traveller that gave respite from the heat and thirst, the lake till date is in immaculate condition and is a hotspot for many a filmmakers and photographers.
From here we head to the world famous mansions called The Patwaon Ki Haveli. This is a cluster of five mansions which were built by five rich Jain trader brothers. The havelis have extremely minutely and intricately carved facades. The detailing is to be seen to be believed. Built in soft golden sand stone the havelis attract millions of visitors per year. There is a museum, a temple and a small craft bazaar within the enclosure of these havelis. The havelis are built too close to each other and it gets a little difficult to truly admire the carvings, keeping this in mind the Govt cleared some sections in the lane and created space to make it easier to be able to look up and take in the beauty of the magnificent Patwaon Ki Havelis. Shoppers delight are the kiosks around this area that sell skirts, pants, scarves and tee shirts in eclectic and traditional prints. But shopping has to wait because The Jain Temples in the Fort remain open till 1:00 pm only.
Our next stop is the World Famous Jaisalmer Fort also known as The Sonar Qila because of the Golden Glow of the sand stone that it is built of. The uniqueness of the fort is that it is still inhabited by the people of Jaisalmer making it an “alive fort”. The fort is built on the Trikuta Hill and the whole populace of Jaisalmer resided within the Fort walls in olden times. As the need for more space was felt over the years, a temple was first built outside the Fort where the present city centre lies. Around this temple was built a palace for the then Maharawal of Jaisalmer and the Palace was thus named The Mandir Palace which now is a luxurious heritage hotel. There also is a museum by the same name, a visit to which will have to wait for the next trip to Jaisalmer.
A winding pathway leads up to the Fort and the main entrance is flanked by temples - those of Baba Ramdev Ji (a deity from deserts of Rajasthan) and Ranchhod Ji (an avatar of Lord Krishna). The pathway is lined with a colourful display of handicrafts and bed spreads, statues and wearables, magnets and bags too. Our suggestion : don’t yet get distracted by the shopping so early, finish the tour and during your return spend as much time as you want scouring for the most suitable gift or a souvenir.
The main highlights of the Fort are the Jain Temples and the cannon point where a cannon still sits overlooking the new city of Jaisalmer. The Jain Temples are made in marble, very intricately and elaborately engraved and are multiple storied. You have to leave all the leather items like your belt and wallet outside before you ascend the steps of the temples. Photography is allowed here as long as you do not disturb any of the devotees. The features that take your breath away in the temples are the eyes of the deities which are made of a very sparkly stone and looks almost real as if the God is looking at you with all the love and affection and blessings. Another is the vast temperature difference between the outside and the inside of the temple. The insides are much cooler than the outsides owing to the Marble and the architecture of the temples.
Next we walk up to the most photographed location in the fort - the cannon point. The path is all uphill getting very steep just before the cannon point. The view of the city is totally breathtaking from here. Ideal spot for a few fabulous shots. Now is the time for a leisurely walk back to where you parked your vehicle. Spend as much time as you want and take a look at the vibrant fare the shopkeepers lure you with. Silver jewellery buffs, this is the place to add a little something that looks traditional yet antique to your existing cache of silver jewellery. Brass and copper idols, statues, artefacts, camel leather bags and wallets and belts and even diaries bound in leather covers, clothes in brightest of bright colours (we love the fuchsias, oranges, pinks, reds, greens and blues in their brightest hues in Rajasthan), wooden toys and items of decoration and utility, gem stones, readymade turbans, the list is endless for you to indulge in.
Time for a sumptuous lunch and then we head to the Kuchha homes of the natives of the Khuri Sand Dunes region. People in Rajasthan are humble and hospitable and warmly welcome tourists into their homes and their lives. We meet the potters here who will let you get a feel of the wet clay and even shape out a pot on your own. The women cover their faces in veils and will only uncover them for women guests. Lady guests can enter the homes and see the skilled women busy with their fine needlework patiently embroidering their blouses or cushion covers. The children will gather around for pictures. The people here are simple and have adapted to the harshness of summers and winters well to move their daily lives unhindered.
A small mud hut in a corner can be seen which is usually used for storing food grains and firewood. As we leave the home of the village natives and move further towards the sand dunes, we will cross some wells where we will encounter women filling water in pots which they will then balance one over the other on their heads and another one on a hip and walk all the way back to their homes in the village. The arid region faces water scarcity in the summer months and hence people here are highly conservative and careful about the water usage.
Witness the Khuri Desert - call it the younger version of the Sam Sand Dunes which are the actual Thar Desert - the unending, vast, expansive, sandy, shifting dunes, getting lost kind of the desert. The shrubbery around here is the Ker Sangri and Bor that are the dry vegetables and fruits of the region and are greatly relished.
From here you drive straight to your hotel / camp site. Enjoy the cultural show that most of the hotels arrange for their guests during dinner and sleep well after your tiring yet exciting day in the World Heritage Site of Jaisalmer.
