Jaisalmer – The Golden City

This picturesque ancient fort is present at Jaisalmer. It is coined as The Golden City due to the vast spread desert present there. This beautiful town is surrounded by yellowish sand which is crowned by a fort. This fort contains several Jain temples. The fine architectural style is shown by the houses and temples which are beautifully sculptured.

This city is named after the great ruler Maharaj Jaisal Singh. Jaisalmer means the hill fort of jaisal. It is the largest district of Rajasthan and is the heart of the great Indian desert-Thar.

The Major Attractions Of Jaisalmer are:-

Jaisalmer fort

This massive fort is constructed using Rajasthani architecture. This is a 5 storied structure. It was beautifully portrayed by Satyajit Ray in the novel which later was turned into a movie- Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress). This was basically built in 1156 by king jaisal (The founder). This fort is situated on meru hills. This is a live fort with about one fourth of the population under it. The main attractions inside the fort are Jain temples, Raj Mahal (Royal palace), and the Laxminath temple.

The construction pattern involves many layers of walls as this fort has seen many battles hence to fortify it.Basically the walls are divided into 3 layers, outermost layer is made up of solid stone blocks.The second layer surrounds the fort.The third layer creates inward partition which was used by warriors during a battle for hurling boiled water, oils etc .

Gadisar Lake

This beautiful lake is located near Tillion ki gate in Jaisalmer. This lake is a major tourist attraction in Jaisalmer. This is a water conservation tank in general which was made around 14^th century but many of them consider it as an oasis.During 14^th century this was a reservoir that controlled the entire water supply to city.

Many of them consider Gadsisar lake as a symbol of peace and prosperity. This place was selected as it could retain water easily in rainy season.

The best time to visit this place is in winter -where you can see a flock of migratory birds due to its close proximity to Bharatpur. Carrying a pair of binoculars and a DSLR is a must to capture its eternal mesmerising beauty.

Apart from birds this place boasts of temples and shrines around it which makes it ideal for pilgrimage. The gate which is the entry to the lake named- Tillon Ki prol (Gate of Tillon) was built by royal courtesan Tillion in early 19^th century .

Jain Temples

This beautifully constructed temple is of rajasthani architecture. It is a Jain temple which is located inside the fort. This is a must visit as it offers rich architectural craftsmanship and art is just awe inspiring. This Jain temple holds the idol of great Parshvanath which was built from black stones.

There are many more jain temples in and around the forts which dates back to 12^th to 15^th century. These temples were mostly dedicated to jain hermits. The style of sculpting and carving is of dilwara style. You may find many animal and human figures sculpted throught these temples.

This dilwara style of architecture is famous around the world. As the fort, the temples were made from yellow sandstones which were available abundantly in Jaisalmer. But the drawback is its timing which is from earl morning to noon. So you have no choice to wake up early and get there!

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