Bookmark These Top 8 Spots In The Golden City Of Jaisalmer For Your Autumn Vacation
Visit the mesmerising city of Jaisalmer, the golden city of Rajasthan, in this autumn break. Here is list of top 8 places to visit in the city.
Visit the Golden City, Jaisalmer this autumn break. Here is a list of top 8 places to visit in Jaisalmer. PC: jaisalmer.traveller/instagram
Jaisalmer, The Golden City: Wondering which travel destination you should head to next? One option is to cover one of the gems of Rajasthan, the Golden City of Jaisalmer. Guard to the western frontier of the State of Rajasthan and the country Jaisalmer, also known as the 'Golden City', is located close to the Pakistan border and in close proximity to the Thar Desert. The city's most prominent landmark is the Jaisalmer Fort, also called Sonar Qila (Golden Fort). Unlike most other forts in India, Jaisalmer Fort is not just a tourist attraction. It houses shops, hotels and ancient havelis (homes) where generations continue to live. The fort and the city itself traces its history back to the 12th century.
Rawal Jaisal, the eldest heir of the Rawal of Deoraj, was passed over for the throne of Lodurva and a younger half-brother was crowned king. Rawal Jaisal went looking for a new location to set up his capital when he came across sage Eesul. The sage told him about Krishna's prophecy which said that a descendant of his Yaduvanshi clan would found a new kingdom at this same spot. It was in 1156 that Rawal Jaisal constructed a mud fort, named it Jaisalmer after himself and declared it his capital.
At present, besides the fort, the city is known for its havelis such as Nathmal ji ki Haveli, Salim Singh, Patwon Haveli, geological sites such as The Wood Fossil Park or Aakal, lakes like Gadisar Lake, Amar Sagar Lake, museums like war museum and government museum and many other exciting destinations.
In a recent development, the state is planning to revamp the city's railway station at a budget of Rs 148 crore under which it will get a heritage look and will be installed with airport-like facilities. In just about two years, the Jaisalmer Railway station will be three-storeyed, have food courts, well-equipped waiting rooms, lifts, escalators, AC and non-AC rest rooms and modern machines for cleaning. The new building will use yellow stone, in alignment with its identity as "Golden City" and architecture will include carved jharokhas, jaalis, decorative beds, chhatris, stone fencing etc.
HERE IS A LIST OF TOP 8 PLACES YOU MUST VISIT IN JAISALMER:
LIGHT & SOUND SHOW AT GADISAR LAKE
Laser Water Show at Gadisar Lake is one of the first and largest Laser Water Show having water screen projection mapping using 3-chip DLP projectors of 25,000 lumens. Show depicts story of founders of Jaisalmer city, Jaisalmer fort, attacks of invaders on the fort & sacrifice of brave Rajput to save their land, glimpses of other tourist locations in Jaisalmer region e.g. Tanot Mata Temple, Lodruva Temple, Laxminarayan Temple, Longowala war scenes, etc.
JAISALMER FORT
The Jaisalmer Fort also goes by the name Sonar Quila (Golden Fort) as it rises from the desert itself and seems to become one with the golden hues of the sand. The setting sun adds its own magic and shrouds the fort with mystique. The fort is constructed in the classic style of the royals by local craftsmen. This fort is a world heritage site and forms an important plot point in one of Satyajit Ray's famous Feluda stories and corresponding movie, Sonar Kela (The Golden Fortress).
NATHMAL JI KI HAVELI
Two architect brothers built Nathmal Ji Ki Haveli in the 19th century. They worked on the haveli from two sides and the outcome is a beautiful blend of the symmetrical construction. Miniature style paintings and mighty tuskers carved out of yellow sandstone are used for decoration.
PATWON KI HAVELI
Among the largest and the most elaborately carved havelis in Jaisalmer, this five-storey structure sits proudly in a narrow street. While the haveli has lost some of its early glory, a few paintings and mirror work art can still be seen on the inside walls.
JAIN TEMPLES OF JAISALMER
The Jain Temples located inside the Jaisalmer Fort date back to the 12th and 15th centuries. The temples are dedicated to Rikhabdevji and Shambhavdevji, famous Jain hermits known as 'Tirthankars'. Like all other structures in Jaisalmer, the temples are carved out of yellow sandstone. They have been built in the famed Dilwara style which is known for its beautiful architecture.
BADA BAGH
About 6 kilometres to the north of Jaisalmer lies Bada Bagh, also called Barabagh (literally Big Garden). This garden complex houses chhatris or royal cenotaphs of the Maharajas of Jaisalmer state, including that of Jai Singh II. The location of the garden is such that it offers wonderful sunset vistas to tourists.
KULDHARA
The underlying history of Kuldhara has piqued the curiosity of a visitor too many, and makes it one of the most enigmatic destinations to visit in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Located about 18 km from the city of Jaisalmer is this old town that was abandoned by its villagers in the 1800s. It was like the entire town vanished in the course of a single night. With about 85 villages full of people, it remains a mystery as to how no one saw them leave; in fact, even to this date, no one knows where all of them went. The village remains uninhabited to the day, in the same state that the villagers had left it, hundreds of years ago. The location has become a major tourist destination as people from all over the world travel here to revel in the mysteries of the past.
TANOT MATA TEMPLE
Some 120 kilometres away from Jaisalmer is the Tanot Mata Temple. Tanot Mata is considered to be a reincarnation of Goddess Hinglaj. There are many stories of how during the 1965 India-Pakistan war, Tanot was under heavy attack and shelling. However, none of the shells or bombs fired at the temple exploded. Post the war, the Border Security Force (BSF) rebuilt the temple and today, the temple is managed by a BSF Trust.
With each of these places presenting a different story, a different perspective while aligning itself under the overarching theme of Rajasthani culture, it is just not acceptable to miss this city from your travel plans!
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest India News on India.com.