I have been itching to share my journey to Jaisalmer which I could not do during the travelling. Jaisalmer is one of the many beautiful cities in the culturally rich land of Rajasthan. Like other great cities in Rajasthan, Jaisalmer is magnificently known for its forts, Havelis, lakes, stones and last but not the least desert. So here is my itinerary in this beautiful city:
Day 1 : Sand dunes
I started my journey towards Jaisalmer on Thursday 09/01/2014 at 17:30 from Delhi on Delhi-Jaisalmer Express with friends. I enjoy travelling in indian railways despite not having the best of the amenities for you meet new people, play games and enjoy your sojourn in the commotion amongst passengers. We reached Jaisalmer at around 11:30 on Friday and thanks to the sagacity of my friend who contacted one of his acquaintance in Indian forest department, we got forest guest house to stay and a car to pick us from station. Guest house was 10-12 km away from railway station. After having our lunch in the guest house, we drove for desert safari which was pre-arranged by the forest department person. Desert Safari is one of the main attractions for the tourists visiting Jaisalmer. One has to start for the safari at most by 16:00 from the city so that he can reach in the dunes which is 50 km away from the city before the sunset. We reached in the dunes at around 17:15 before making a stop at the Jain temple in the city. Do not confuse this with the Jain temple within the main fort. Having reached in the dunes, we rode on our camels to move deeper in the desert. Cold breeze touching our face, sun rays penetrating the sand covered domes, crest of sands and infinite gaze - it was pure joy to say the least. We rode on the back of the camel for a good 45 mins before getting down and settling for sunset and some cool pics. We spent an hour or so enjoying the panorama then rode back to reach our camp for the cultural program and overnight stay. While riding back, our guide engaged us in camel race which was adventurous though it put a toll on the lower side of our body. Having reached at the camp side, we were served tea and poha while the cultural event was about to start. There was open air theatre where bone fire was lighted and singers were sitting over an elevated platform while the guests were sitting on the mats and cushions on the ground. The event was kick started by singing Rajasthani folk song by local singers. then one after another local folk songs were sung while female artists displayed traditional dance and skills e.g. balancing multiple mud pots over their head or picking a ring from their eyebrow etc.
Then guests were invited to have dance around the bone fire. Dinner was served immediately afterwards and then we proceeded towards our tent to rest ending an eventful day in the hope of an even better day to come.
Tip: Camel guides ask for extra money to extend camel ride. In my view, do not get lured by their offer because most of the spots in the desert which they sell as unique are no different from what you have in your camp package.
Day 2: City, Border and Tanot temple
Next day. we got up early to visit the dunes in sunrise. Red sun rays filled the desert and changed the colour and texture of the scene. We spent an hour in the dunes and returned back to the camp. After the breakfast, we checked out from the camp and decided to visit India-Pakistan border and the famous Tanot devi temple. On our way, we stopped at Kuldhara village which is considered to be haunted by the curse of villagers residing in it at 18th century. The village was completely deserted and abandoned for more than 200 years. Dilapidated houses were giving it a very mysterious and ghostly look. After an hour, we resumed our drive towards main city from where we had planned to move towards border which is 150 km away from city. As soon as we reached the city, we covered one more tourist spot - Gadisar lake. In Gadisar lake, People can do boating and enjoy the scenery and calmness of the scene. The fare was modest and we did boat for half an hour to be at peace: listening the sound of birds and splash of water. Before leaving city for the border, we had traditional Rajasthani food in our lunch esp. Bajre ki roti and jaggery. We started for border at 14:30 and reached Tanot village at 17:00 which was 120 km away from city. For border visit, tourists have to take permission from BSF and they allow permission till 16:00. We were disappointed to have missed the deadline. Arti in Tanot temple starts at 18:00 so we had full one hour to waste. We met one BSF soldier in nearby canteen and conversed with him about the border and the daily routine of BSF soldiers. He told us that Tanot temple is managed by the BSF. In the 1971 war when Pakistani shell and bombs were fired towards the temple, it escaped miraculously and since then BSF soldiers had great respect for Tanot Devi. We observed the arti inside the temple which was attended by a large cohort of soldiers. Inside the temple compound, shells and mortars fired by the enemy were displayed for the visitors. After attending 1 hour arti we drove back to the city to our guest house. The day did not go as planned but we had great time on the road while driving. Next day was reserved for the locations within the city.
Day 3: Forts, Havelis and fossil museum
After having good sleep, we enjoyed the morning in the forest guest house which was located 10 kms away from the city. There was lot of open space and greenery in it. Local labour was hired in it for horticultural work. After having breakfast, we moved to the city in car. Our first stopover was Jaisalmer fort. It was splendid as we entered in it from the main gate. It has its own stories but two stories which made me interesting in it was: It is the only fort in India where people live inside and it is called Sonar kella from the movie of the same name from the genius Satyajit Ray which brought international fame to it. Inside the fort the main attraction was King's Palace, Queen Palace, big cannon mounted at the highest point from where one can see the entire city and the most beautiful of them all: Jain Temple. There was museum inside the King's palace. There were different Rajasthani stones, predominantly yellow stone, which were used in its making. Fossil stone was also widespread inside Jain temple. The palace is built using interlocking of stone without cement or any other adhesive. Jain temple inside the fort is one of the key shrine for Jain community. It was built by the rich merchants from the community in 15th century. Stone work on the walls and roof of the temple is one of the highlights. One can find the stone image of all the 24 hermits of Jains in this temple. Inside the fort, one can also find local artisan shops where camel leather footwear and other local designs can be bought. After shopping from the fort, we went to visit Mandir palace. From mandir palace we went to visit Akal wood fossil park. In this park, fossilized woods were put under conservation which were millions of years old. From the park, we drove to railway station to catch our train.
Overall it was very enjoyable trip and we all had great time exploring this great city. 2-3 days is sufficient to enjoy the locations but our planning was bit faulty that is why we had to rush in the end. We could not cover Havelis for lack of available time hence there will be another trip to cover Jaisalmer along with Jodhpur... :)
I am sharing few pics for reference
Jaisalmer trip pics
Day 1 : Sand dunes
I started my journey towards Jaisalmer on Thursday 09/01/2014 at 17:30 from Delhi on Delhi-Jaisalmer Express with friends. I enjoy travelling in indian railways despite not having the best of the amenities for you meet new people, play games and enjoy your sojourn in the commotion amongst passengers. We reached Jaisalmer at around 11:30 on Friday and thanks to the sagacity of my friend who contacted one of his acquaintance in Indian forest department, we got forest guest house to stay and a car to pick us from station. Guest house was 10-12 km away from railway station. After having our lunch in the guest house, we drove for desert safari which was pre-arranged by the forest department person. Desert Safari is one of the main attractions for the tourists visiting Jaisalmer. One has to start for the safari at most by 16:00 from the city so that he can reach in the dunes which is 50 km away from the city before the sunset. We reached in the dunes at around 17:15 before making a stop at the Jain temple in the city. Do not confuse this with the Jain temple within the main fort. Having reached in the dunes, we rode on our camels to move deeper in the desert. Cold breeze touching our face, sun rays penetrating the sand covered domes, crest of sands and infinite gaze - it was pure joy to say the least. We rode on the back of the camel for a good 45 mins before getting down and settling for sunset and some cool pics. We spent an hour or so enjoying the panorama then rode back to reach our camp for the cultural program and overnight stay. While riding back, our guide engaged us in camel race which was adventurous though it put a toll on the lower side of our body. Having reached at the camp side, we were served tea and poha while the cultural event was about to start. There was open air theatre where bone fire was lighted and singers were sitting over an elevated platform while the guests were sitting on the mats and cushions on the ground. The event was kick started by singing Rajasthani folk song by local singers. then one after another local folk songs were sung while female artists displayed traditional dance and skills e.g. balancing multiple mud pots over their head or picking a ring from their eyebrow etc.
Then guests were invited to have dance around the bone fire. Dinner was served immediately afterwards and then we proceeded towards our tent to rest ending an eventful day in the hope of an even better day to come.
Tip: Camel guides ask for extra money to extend camel ride. In my view, do not get lured by their offer because most of the spots in the desert which they sell as unique are no different from what you have in your camp package.
Day 2: City, Border and Tanot temple
Next day. we got up early to visit the dunes in sunrise. Red sun rays filled the desert and changed the colour and texture of the scene. We spent an hour in the dunes and returned back to the camp. After the breakfast, we checked out from the camp and decided to visit India-Pakistan border and the famous Tanot devi temple. On our way, we stopped at Kuldhara village which is considered to be haunted by the curse of villagers residing in it at 18th century. The village was completely deserted and abandoned for more than 200 years. Dilapidated houses were giving it a very mysterious and ghostly look. After an hour, we resumed our drive towards main city from where we had planned to move towards border which is 150 km away from city. As soon as we reached the city, we covered one more tourist spot - Gadisar lake. In Gadisar lake, People can do boating and enjoy the scenery and calmness of the scene. The fare was modest and we did boat for half an hour to be at peace: listening the sound of birds and splash of water. Before leaving city for the border, we had traditional Rajasthani food in our lunch esp. Bajre ki roti and jaggery. We started for border at 14:30 and reached Tanot village at 17:00 which was 120 km away from city. For border visit, tourists have to take permission from BSF and they allow permission till 16:00. We were disappointed to have missed the deadline. Arti in Tanot temple starts at 18:00 so we had full one hour to waste. We met one BSF soldier in nearby canteen and conversed with him about the border and the daily routine of BSF soldiers. He told us that Tanot temple is managed by the BSF. In the 1971 war when Pakistani shell and bombs were fired towards the temple, it escaped miraculously and since then BSF soldiers had great respect for Tanot Devi. We observed the arti inside the temple which was attended by a large cohort of soldiers. Inside the temple compound, shells and mortars fired by the enemy were displayed for the visitors. After attending 1 hour arti we drove back to the city to our guest house. The day did not go as planned but we had great time on the road while driving. Next day was reserved for the locations within the city.
Day 3: Forts, Havelis and fossil museum
After having good sleep, we enjoyed the morning in the forest guest house which was located 10 kms away from the city. There was lot of open space and greenery in it. Local labour was hired in it for horticultural work. After having breakfast, we moved to the city in car. Our first stopover was Jaisalmer fort. It was splendid as we entered in it from the main gate. It has its own stories but two stories which made me interesting in it was: It is the only fort in India where people live inside and it is called Sonar kella from the movie of the same name from the genius Satyajit Ray which brought international fame to it. Inside the fort the main attraction was King's Palace, Queen Palace, big cannon mounted at the highest point from where one can see the entire city and the most beautiful of them all: Jain Temple. There was museum inside the King's palace. There were different Rajasthani stones, predominantly yellow stone, which were used in its making. Fossil stone was also widespread inside Jain temple. The palace is built using interlocking of stone without cement or any other adhesive. Jain temple inside the fort is one of the key shrine for Jain community. It was built by the rich merchants from the community in 15th century. Stone work on the walls and roof of the temple is one of the highlights. One can find the stone image of all the 24 hermits of Jains in this temple. Inside the fort, one can also find local artisan shops where camel leather footwear and other local designs can be bought. After shopping from the fort, we went to visit Mandir palace. From mandir palace we went to visit Akal wood fossil park. In this park, fossilized woods were put under conservation which were millions of years old. From the park, we drove to railway station to catch our train.
Overall it was very enjoyable trip and we all had great time exploring this great city. 2-3 days is sufficient to enjoy the locations but our planning was bit faulty that is why we had to rush in the end. We could not cover Havelis for lack of available time hence there will be another trip to cover Jaisalmer along with Jodhpur... :)
I am sharing few pics for reference
Jaisalmer trip pics
Good to know that you enjoyed yourselves.. :)
ReplyDeleteI now understand the Border movie scene where they say "Mandir ko kuch nahin hua"..
I liked your post so much. Its very nicely described. Embraced in the vast and mighty desert, Jaisalmer depicts the grandeur of the royal medieval era and holds great historic value. Check out best places to visit in Jaisalmer also.
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ReplyDeleteJaisalmer Desert Camps