Introduction
The 'Golden City of Jaisalmer was founded in the year 1156 by a Bhatti Rajput prime Jaisala named the city from the vulnerable former capital of Lodhruva, 15 km to the southeast. The succession of Maharajas of Jaisalmer traces their lineage back to the ruler of Bhatti Rajput Clan Jailasimha. It was in fulfillment of Lord Krishna's prophecy that a distant scion of his Yadav clan would build a kingdom here. There was water on the hill, a miracle performed by Krishna to quench the thirst of Arjuna. The hilltop offered the safest fort location, dominating and surveying the desert for miles. The Lunar clan of Bhattis is Krishna's descendant, valiant and most feared of the dessert marauders, perennially locked in territorial skirmishes with Jodhpur and Bikaner. One Bhatti scion-Gaj Singh had founded the city of Ghazni in Afghanistan but ultimately lost it to forces from Khorasan. One of his grandsons reclaimed Ghazni, embraced Islam, and came to be called Chagattas (Mughals). They later plundered the land of their ancestors between 1000 and 1025 A.D. Again, led by Babar they came to found the Mughal Empire in India. Today, tourism will soon rival military bases as the pillar of the city's economy. The military bases hardly impinge at all on the life of the old city and only the occasional sound of warplanes landing or taking off in the distance ever disturbs the tranquillity of this desert gem. It's not always been so peaceful, of course, since fortresses have rarely been constructed for aesthetic reasons and medieval desert chieftains were not known for their pacific temperaments. Chivalric rivalry and ferocity between the various Rajput clans were the order of the day and the Bhatti Rajputs of Jaisalmer were regarded as a formidable force throughout the region. While Jaisalmer largely escaped direct conquest by the Muslim rulers of Delhi, it did experience its share of sieges and sackings with the inevitable Jauhar being declared in the face of inevitable defeat. There is perhaps no Rajasthani city in which you can more easily conjure up the spirit of those times.
Historical Importance
Jaisalmer, nicknamed "The Golden city", is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, located 575 kilometers (357 mi) west of the state capital Jaipur. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone and is crowned by the ancient Jaisalmer Fort. This fort contains a royal palace and several ornate Jain temples. Many of the houses and temples of both the fort and of the town below are built of finely sculptured sandstone. The town lies in the heart of the Thar Desert (the Great Indian Desert) and has a population, including the residents of the fort, of about 78,000. It is the administrative headquarters of Jaisalmer District. Jaisalmer was once the capital of Jaisalmer State.
Best time to visit
Since Jaisalmer’s temperature is high most of the time throughout the year. It is advisable to visit Jaislamer during November to March period. However, you can visit in summer too if you want to know the culture in the deserted region.
Climate(12 months)
Jaisalmer weather
The closest domestic airport here is Jodhpur Airport, which is the best way to reach Jaisalmer by air. There are regular flights to Jodhpur from cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Udaipur. From the airport, it will take you around 5 to 6 hours to reach Jaisalmer. Most people hire prepaid taxis or private taxis to reach Jaisalmer from Jodhpur Airport. However, these also tend to be a little expensive. Another option would be to fly to Delhi Airport, which is an international airport and is connected to numerous countries across the world. From Delhi, you would have to take the road or train to reach Jaisalmer.
If you want to enjoy the empty roads of Jaisalmer drive down from Delhi via Jaipur, Ajmer, and Bikaner this way you can spend some time at these places too.
From Delhi, there are Trains regularly run to Jaisalmer and one Luxury Train “Palace of Wheel” stops every Sunday to Jaisalmer.
Staying and food
Staying depends upon the budget from luxurious suite to simple dorm everything is available here. For the budget traveler, you can rent out a dorm in front of Jaisalmer fort which gives the best scenic view of the fort at night.
Food also not very costly here in Jaisalmer. You can have your lunch for under 100INR.
Couple friendly
This place welcomes every person and ensures the safety of the women. You can see most of the tourist here are from other countries and
Things to Do
For weekend tourist who has a couple of days to explore Jaisalmer can spend their time visiting the old city which is inside the fort. And the next day they can enjoy a desert safari, desert camping, camel safari, and sunset in the sand dunes of Jaisalmer. We have a complete package including all the activities for 2-3 days. Desert Camping with Rajsthani fold music and dance is one of the most famous activities in Jaisalmer.
Near Jaisalmer, the Longewala war memorial is a must-visit that will remind you of the movie Border and you will get to know the actual story of our brave soldier.
Things to be taken care of
Beware of the Bargainers if possible, book your things prior to visit. As soon as you reach Jaisalmer you will encounter tour guides who promise to provide you good hotels and good packages however they don’t ask for the right money. You have to bargain before taking any service.
Author's Experience
The day before leaving for Jaisalmer we all had to gather at our flat in Gurgaon. We were a group of 8-10 people and it was being planned for a long. We had a long session of planning over a WhatsApp group call. Perhaps we used to connect daily after a hectic workday in the night but for this trip, we had a lot of expectation and enthusiasm and Everyone was so excited. We were spread in all directions and Everyone was supposed to come the night before the start a few of them were coming a day before and the plan was to have a small party there itself before we leave for Jaisalmer. Anyway three of us were already there and we bought all the stuff to be taken along with and packed our bag. Had few drinks and slept early because the next day Everyone was coming.
And the party begins the next day when I woke up the next morning, all the half-empty bottles were gone. Mr. Pathak, one of our wittiest friends has shown up next door. Seconds after I understood the reason behind the finished bottles. We greet and he said where is the party? “party Kahan hai? Maal Kahan hai? Baki log Kahan hai?”. LOL, What the heck man “Etna subah subah” I said. Anyway from that very moment, it begins and it lasted for the next 4 days until we came back all exhausted and with lifetime memories.
Once we started our car from there each moment is fun and if I express all of those here this post will fall sort so let’s focus on what is helpful for you and what is informational just like other posts in this category.
Media(vlogs and photos) youtube links
Visit the gallery section to find out some interesting pictures of this amazing trip.