The Golden City of Rajasthan ---Jaisalmer
The golden city of Rajasthan Jaisalmer is distinguished by its yellow sandstone architecture .This is an unexplored tourist destination . Generally the foreigners and even Indians just do the Jaipur , Udaipur and Fatehpur sikri but there are some hidden gems and Jaisalmer falls in that category .In my recent trip i did the off beat driving touching Jodhpur , Jaisalmer ,and Sam .In my last write up i have covered Sam .It is close to Pakistan border and is totally in North west of Rajasthan .
This Golden city is known for its Jaisalmer Fort ,Rajwadas, ravishing havelis , splendid and famous temples and finally the vibrant Bazaars .The Fort is the main attraction and takes a full half day . Important tip if you want to enjoy the fort it is better to take a local Guide as that really helps to make it more interesting .we had taken one for just Rs200.
It is among one of the very few living Forts of the world and about one fourth of the old city population still stays inside the fort .It has unique architect with 99 Bastions and fortified gates and you get to see the thar desert from top of the fort .Must see inside the fort are the Jain Temple ,Raj Mahal Palace and the laxminath temple .
There are many Havelis around dont miss the Patwon Ki Haveli which has museum in it now .It is famous for its mirror works , paintings and artistic arches and some of the antique artifacts are worth admiring .It is ideal place to find some antiquity. Specially in the fort area there are many quaint shops selling lot of antique stuff . You may not buy but seeing does not cost . Remember there is good scope of bargaining based on your skills you will be able to save a lot .
In this vast desert there is a beautiful lake called the Gadisar Lake also called the Gadaria Lake . This lake was built King Rawal Jaisal in 1156 AD when he founded the city of Jaisalmer .It is an artificial lake and is surrounded by temples and and ghats . Ideal for mediation and to spend some calm moments in one side of the lake . At the approach of the lake there are small shops selling cute handicrafts which will not be available in rest of Rajasthan so if you like something do not leave without taking it chances are it may not be available at other places .You can do boating here at very reasonable rate .This makes this area cool away from the sultry weather .This is the only source of water for the jaisalmer city .
Another important thing is that there are many good hotels and since most of the time we are out seeing the city it is better to take reasonable cheap hotel as we will come to sleep only .
Another important thing not to be missed out is the cuisine .it is famous for Onion Kachori ,Daal Baati Choorma ,Bhang Lassi and many more . Remember the food is quite spicy .
The trip was very enjoyable when combined with SAM desert village .
