Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer Fort

Jaisalmer Fort is a monument worth visiting and worth retaining in your conscious mind. Like various other cities of Rajasthan, in Jaisalmer too you will find different facets of its own glorious heritage. Though you can find historical monuments scattered all over the city, the Jaisalmer Fort will immediately command your attention. Made of sand stones and locally known as Sonar Quila, the Jaisalmer Fort is a dominating structure amidst sands.The city is said to be founded by one Raja Rawal Jaisal, a Bhatti Rajput ruler, in approximately 1156 A D. Legends go by that he did it on the behest of a local hermit named Eesaal. The raja choose Trikuta hill as the new site for his fort as his earlier adobe at Luderwa(16 k.m from present Jaisalmer) was too vulnerable to his comfort. But it should always be kept in mind that these legends are most of the time product of conscious minds that are very vulnerable to the oriental exaggeration.

Tanot Mata Temple

Tanot is a place located at a distance of 120 Km from Jaisalmer and name Tanot is named on goddess Tanot. Praisee is said to be ncar nation of Goddess Hinglaz now located in Lasvela Distt of Bluchistan. Bhati Rajput King Tanu Rao made Tanot as their capital. In AC 847 foundation of Goddess Tanot was kept and idol was installed. Temple is revered by generations of Bhati Rajput and people of Jaisalmer and surrounding areas. Later on with the advent of time, Bhati Rajput brought their capital to Jaisalmer but temple remained located at Tanot. Before 1965 this temple was maintained by personnel of RAC and when BSF was formed, responsibility of maintaining this temple was shifted to BSF. It is a great source of inspiration for troops of BSF as well as of army due to miracle happened during 1965 Indo Pak war. It is said that in the month of Oct 1965 Pak Army had advanced from two flanks i.e. from Kishangarh and Sadewala side to deep inside Indian territory but area in between where this temple is located could not be overrun despite heavy pounding by Arty and fierce fighting.

Jain Temples

Jain Temples situated in the Jaisalmer Fort are a must visit site in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. You will find these temples to be very old and high pilgrimage as well as archeological value attached to them. These are a group of Jain temples dating back 12th and 15th centuries and are dedicated to various Jain Tirthankars (Hermits). On the walls of the temples, you can find animal & human figures, carved in famous Dilwara style. These temples are built in the Dilwara style that is famous all over the world for its architecture. The style got its name from the famous 'Dilwara Temples' situated on Mount Abu, a famous Hill station and pilgrimage destination in Rajasthan. The Jain temples in the Jaisalmer Fort are dedicated to Rikhabdevji and Shambhavdev Ji, the famous Jain hermits known as 'Tirthankars'. Like all other structures in Jaisalmer, these temples are craved of yellow sandstones. The beautifully carves decorations on the wall will give you divine peace.

Pokhran Fort

Fort Pokaran; the 14th century citadel also known as “Balagarh” stands as a paragon amidst the Thar Desert. This monument is the premier fort of The Chief of Mighty Champawats (the clan of Rathores) has to its erstwhile aristocratic title attached the prestigious honour ‘Pradhan’ ( The Premier Noble ) to recognize every Thakur of Pokaran as of the first honour in The Darbar (the court) of the state Marwar- Jodhpur. Surrounded with rocky, sandy and five salt ranges, POKARAN means “the place of five mirages”.Fort Pokaran stands on ancient trade route that carried salt, silk and spices to Persia and beyond. Instead of winding caravans of the past, it now has trains, buses and cars. The fort now attracts travellers to stay betwixt the glorious history where each stone speaks out volumes of the past.

Amar Sagar Lake

Amar Sagar is a small and beautiful lake cum Oasis and is adjacent to a 17th Century palace called the Amar Singh Palace. Maharawal Akhai Singh built this palace in honor of one of his predecessors Amar Singh. Next to the palace are pavilions with a large stairs leading down to the Amar Sagar Lake. This haveli has been constructed in the pattern of apartments. The Amar Sagar is a five story high haveli and is famous for its murals. Wherever you go in this haveli, you will notice beautiful murals painted with delicate efforts. You can find many of wells and ponds in the surrounding which have a royal air about them. There is an old Shiva temple in the complex itself. Amar Singh built this because he was supposed to be an ardent follower of Lord Shiva, a Hindu God related to destruction.

Patwaon-Ki-Haveli

The Patwon Ji ki Haveli is an interesting piece of Architecture and is the most important among the havelis in Jaisalmer. This is precisely because of two things, first that it was the first haveli erected in Jaisalmer and second, that it is not a single haveli but a cluster of 5 small havelis. The first among these havelis was commissioned and constructed in the year 1805 by Guman Chand Patwa and is the biggest and the most ostentatious. It is believed that Patwa was a rich man and was a renowned trader of his time. He could afford and thus ordered the construction of separate stories for each of his 5 sons. These were completed in the span of 50 years. All five houses were constructed in the first 60 years of the 19th century. The havelis are also known as the 'mansion of brocade merchants'. This name has been given probably because the family dealt in threads of gold and silver used in embroidering dresses.

Gadsisar Sagar Lake

Gadsisar Lake is one of the major tourist attractions of Jaisalmer. Just leave the madding crowd behind and venture towards the outskirts and you will find yourself next to the famous Gadsisar Lake. Contrary to the popular belief, it is not an oasis but a water conservation tank made around 1400 A.D. by the then maharaja of Jaisalmer, Maharwal Gadsi Singh. Can you believe this structure just outside the city walls once acted as a reservoir that controlled the entire supply of water to the arid city! This place was selected because it had a certain amount of declivity already and it automatically retained some of the rainwater. If you are lucky and venture out in winters, you might get to see a variety of migratory birds. Due to its proximity to Bharatpur, some of the birds get attracted to this place also. Don't miss to carry a good pair of binoculars and SLR camera with a wide-angle lens if you want to take away some really mesmerizing snaps.

Desert Nation Park

The Desert National Park is situated in the Indian state of Rajasthan near Jaisalmer. The Desert National Park is a protected sanctuary. The park is considered not only the largest in the state of Rajasthan but among the largest in India. The catchments area of the Desert National Park is around 3100 sq. km. The desert is a harsh place to sustain life and thus most of the fauna and flora live on the edge. Nevertheless this place attracts large hoard of migratory birds due to its close proximity to Bharatpur. The great Indian Bustard is a magnificent bird and can be seen in considerably good numbers. It migrates locally in different seasons. The region is a heaven for migratory and resident birds of the desert. One can see many Eagles, Harriers, Falcons, Buzzards, Kestrel and Vultures. Short- toed Eagles, Tawny Eagles, Spotted Eagles, Laager Falcons and Kestrels are the most common among these.

Kuldhara Abandoned Village

Kuldhara is an extremely intriguing village which has been abandoned since early 1800s and is believed to carry a curse of the residents who migrated elsewhere. Salim Singh, the minister of the state, once visiting this village fell for this young beautiful girl and wanted to get married to her. The girl was the daughter of the chieftain and belonged to the clan of Paliwal Brahmins. The minister threatened the villagers that if they did not marry the girl to him, he would levy huge taxes. The chief of the village with those of other 84 adjoining villages decided to abandon and migrate elsewhere as against marrying the girl to Salim Singh. Apparently, this cause one of the most intriguing migrations of mankind and no one has any clue where all these people from 84 villages went to.

Maharaja's Palace

The Main Chowk of Jaisalmer Fort is where tourists will find the former palace of the maharaja, a five storied building of meticulously carved stone balconies and window arches. It’s official name Jaisalmer Fort Palace Museum & Heritage Center is a whopper to spit out so locals and tour guides commonly refer to it only as “the palace”. Open at 9 A.M. in the winter/tourist season, visitors are smart to get an early jump ahead of the large, slow moving tour groups which choke the modest sized Main Chowk. As tour leaders struggle to organize their groups who lazily snap photos while dogging scooters, cows and local guides, independent travelers can easily slip past and up the stairs of the humble palace entrance. Situated within the Jaisalmer Fort, the Maharaja’s Palace is a small yet fascinating structure with plenty to see. The intricate details and architectural grandeur of the palace is very impressive. The best part of this five-storeyed structure is the rooftop which offers the most gorgeous view of the city and the desert.

Longewala War Memorial

The Longewala battle ground, famous for Indo-Pak war of 1971, came alive on Thursday morning when the army opened a war memorial built just 15 kilometres away from the border pillar number 638. In this war memorial, the Longewala battle has been displayed as it was fought here. The acts of major Chandpuri, bunkers, demolished Pak vehicles and tanks, Indian Army celebrating the victory, the place where they danced, RCL guns and weapons have been put on display. Lieutenant colonel Manish Ojha said the Indian Army has set up 'Longewala Yudhsthal' in Longewala, Jaisalmer. This Yudhsthal, which is first-of-its-kind, traces the evolution of Indian Army and covers in detail its inspiring contribution in world famous Longewala battle of Indo-Pak war in 1971. The Longewala is located two hours from Jaisalmer.