The Golden City: Jaisalmer

With hundreds of kilometers of Thar all around, in a corner of India, there lies the small old town of Jaisalmer. The history of the place starts off around somewhere in the 1100's.

Once, it used to be an important center for trade, for it lies on the link through which stuff was moved to Karachi port. After the separation, the trade stopped, and Jaisalmer lost its importance.

Toady, Jaisalmer has emerged as a tourist location, as well as a place of strategic importance for it is one of the places that saw action during the '71 war. Though the enemy forces never came at Jaisalmer, our soldiers were able to stop them early, still in its periphery lies important military bases and posts.

Jaisalmer is a small town.

One can imagine it since the locals say that the whole length of the town is roughly 4-5 kilometers. And yes one can certainly tread his way on foot all the way round the city. The little town offers some surprises compared to its location like a big lake where you can boat in the middle of the desert!

The heart of Jaisalmer lies at its majestic fort- sonar killa as the locals call it. For modern times, it is a very well preserved fort and is competent with most of the historic forts across the world. Perhaps it is because the fort isn't dead. I mean to say that the for still serves as a residence for about 1/4th of the population of Jaisalmer. Yes, one finds markets selling daily living things inside the fort, along with washed clothes hanging on wires basking in the sun!

 

The Journey

There is one single railway track leading to Jaisalmer. The railway station is situated just out of the town and you find a lot of tour guides waiting for you outside. Some even get on the train at a previous station and show you prospectuses of their hotels. It is a good idea to check 3-4 hotels before finally lodging in.

Though not a costly time at all, the prices in the peak time can go upto smashing 40 thousands in hotels. The really big ones, like luxury resorts...

To see all of the Jaisalmer, you don’t need more than 3 days. The sightseeing can be comfortably completed within this period.

My visit

I went there along with my family on 31^th December, 2011, perhaps the highest season you can get there.

We boarded a Rajdhani from Delhi bound to Jaisalmer, it takes an overnight’s journey to reach there. Typical of Indian Railways, the train was a bit late in the morning and there were no emergency meals on it! We were literally starving for a breakfast and a cup of tea. So we sat waiting for a station to arrive. And Pokharan(the nuclear test town) happened. It was like the whole train rushed out in search for food! There was a small tea shop strategically located like a bunker selling tea, pakoda with chilies larger than your “fingers” in them and the tastiest of all- special kachori. Here in Delhi we are accustomed to hard and crunchy type, but they were different. Filled with mashed potatoes and having a soft yet crunchy skin, in that hour they easily got into my list of “try again” stuff.

Then when the train started to move, we met a man who offered us lodging. They mean business. We made a deal with him. The train stopped at the Jaisalmer station and a small happy town feeling welcomed me. The architecture they use is the old Rajputana style things- arches, sandstone etc. but it is beautiful.

Outside, we joined other families whom that train guy had struck deals with. We were to get in cars and go to hotels. It took us not more than 10-15 min. once we started driving. We went to a place called “kalakar colony”. The place he showed us wasn’t to our taste. The rooms were very small and without windows! So we said we want a better place. He showed us a nearby hotel (which was a lot better). They had hung a picture showing Bobby Deol. Evidently he had visited that place. J

It is an innocent city. Their best room was not the way you expect here but was very acceptable. The same guy talked to us and we settled a tour for 2 days for Rs. 8000, which, to our horror were a huge amount we gave. He covered up his loss due to the different hotel! Next day when we searched for him, it turned out that he used a wrong name and was out of the town! But he kept his promise as he had arranged all our touring throughout the day.

Before that, we visited a Jain temple there, which falls in the way of sand dunes site called Sam. Not the English Sam, but pronounced like sum. There is one more site which is on opposite side of the town called Khuri. But Sam attracts more tourists. This was on day one and we were arranged to see the temple, take a camel ride in the sands, enjoy a sunset in the Thar and then proceed for a cultural show around a bonfire on the 31^st night along with the dinner.

Cutting it all short, the temple was surely beautiful.

I had a little trouble getting on the hump of camel in my jeans! And sure camels give you a ride of your life! They take off like if some very sophisticated machine or amusement park ride is starting! The escort guys told us that if we give them more money, then they will get us across the dunes on camels Evidently, we were booked for riding camels from the road to the start of the dunes. But we didn’t take the deal, watched a really beautiful sunset and later on took a camel cart to go around the place. Mind you it is quite fast because the camel is creature of the desert and is built for it. And let me warn you- never stand adjacent to a camel’s mouth. They will burp any time. And you don’t want to accidently breathe in that!

Then we were taken to the resort where we were to spend the rest of the evening. More than a 100 people sat around a roughly 10 meter diameter circle, with a bonfire in the middle. The program started slowly and gained speed afterwards. There was a local folk band singing “kesaria balam padharo mahro des” and “nimbuda nimbuda” and many others in the original style. There were rounds of shayari. There were two female Kalbelia dancers also. Kalbelia is a native tribe who are basically snake charmers. I don’t know about the snakes but the girls were surely charmers! Beautiful maidens, dressed very decently in their traditional black ghhagra choli  thing, they did their kalbelia dance which involves snake like arm moments on the beats of the live folk band. There were certain stunts also like dancing with 7 water pots on head, lifting a ring with eye brows while bending backwards(yes you heard it right; I saw it with my own eyes), dancing of steel glasses, on a plank full of nails! Then a guy who had a thing for pyrotechnics, showed one of the best fire show I have ever seen. I have seen African dancers and acrobats in Goan clubs, and I tell you this one was better. He even dared to spray the spirit directly into the bonfire!

As the night soared, I started thanking that I was wearing a sweatshirt with a hoodie and warm jacket! Its all true that the desert turns very cold in the night. Even when we were sitting round a big fire I had to keep my hands tucked in my pockets.

The food was horrible. There were all the traditional dishes, which I know are good from my experience in Mount Abu, but the preparation was bad enough to lose your appetite.

When we got back to the bonfire place, it was a shock. There were cabaret dancers, not one or two, but four! With a family, you can’t watch that kind of thing! And a small outlet giving out pegs also opened so we thought we better get going.

This place is some 40 km from the main city.

Day 2

Started in the morning, had a very nice breakfast of our traditional pranthas. The hotel’s gas was out so they had to make the tea on an ancient style wood fired chullah. That made the tea burn holes in my oesophagus deep down!

HAVELI

Jaisalmer is also famed for its architecture and you get to see a lot of it when you visit one of the five havelis which belonged to different counsel men. The most famous is called Patwaon ki haveli. And you get a taste, a feeling of how things were at that merry time in this part of the country some 200 years ago. This haveli or living complex as to put it, is the best specimen of architecture you can see. A complex of five buildings it is carved inch by inch from outside. From inside,  ceiling are decorated with mirrors. Ya you have to be beware of some dark passages and stairs where  you may occasionally bump your head with someone called Mr. Bat dangling from the ceiling!

There is another, called Nathumal ki haveli, just a few blocks away. And it is inhabited. They even rent out a single room, if you have guts enough to spend a night in a 200 year old haveli! They have some puppets kept there, again good architecture work, distinct from Mr. Patwa! And there is a tradition in Jaisalmer; if there is a wedding in the house, they kind of advertise it by painting the details on the outside adjacent to the main door (it’s a good thing…).

THE LAKE

So from there, we went to a surprise place- a lake in the middle of the desert! Its called gadsi-sar. Gadsi- some Mr. Gadsi, who was a minister in olden times in the court of the king, sar means sarovar. While boating there, we enjoyed the temple structures made right inside of the lake and the groups of ducks was just adorable! This lake is manmade and was used to supply water in olden times. Now Jaisalmer faces no crises of water after building of a canal nearby. They are irrigating and farming there!

FORT

Then it was the fort time!

I must admit, it was the most beautiful and strongest fort I have ever seen. I have seen the might of Hydrabad’s Golkunda(mostly ruins) and the seat of power in later medieval India- the lal quila or the famous Red Fort of my city, this fort called sonar killa or the golden fort, is alive. A fourth of the total Jaisalmer’s population lives inside it happily. You can take a ride in an auto up the fort. It has a three layered wall system to fend the enemy and is really steep. The gates are magnificent. And the towers and turrets are as strong and impregnable as they seem. This fort has never been plundered!

It is really big also. On the world level I mean. There is that familiar “raja-rani mahal” or the royal palace inside that has been converted into an impressive museum now with charges on all sorts of things like mobile phones and yourself! There you will find a map carved out on stone like a strategy table depicting the Jaisalmer. You will see the beddings and dresses that the Maharajas and Maharanis wore and will read many interesting trivia. On the top of the fort, you get to know why they call it as the golden city. You can also see the windmills in the suburbs.

MARKET

Leaving the fort one can walk down the big market and do shopping. If you have women at your side, be prepared! There are shops selling very beautiful clothing, traditional bedsheets, sarees etc. of a very good quality. And yes they are run by merry people. You will find shops selling sweets. We had been told by our driver about the traditional sweet there- don’t laugh at the name- ghontua. It is basically kind of motichur laddu we have here only finer and with a lot of ghee and sugar. But it is a good eat.

You may also try for camel milk if you happen to go to a village. Its said to be very strong and energy giving thing.

Day 3

A rendezvous with the neighbor

I mean Pakistan. There is a border post you can visit. This strictly applies to Indian nationals only since the 100 km road itself is out of bound for foreigners. It’s a highway that takes you there. The post is called Tanot post, that shot to fame in the ’71 battle. Guarded by not only the force but also by their devi- Tanot mata, it received missiles and shelling, but the temple was untouched. They have these unexploded missiles from that time kept here (won’t explode, probably they were fused by the army afterwards). Due to national security, I won’t give further details.

Prior to the base, there are other places of interest. Like the army town of Ramgarh. Then there is a temple devoted to Ghantiyli mata. Again the place showed miracles when the Pakistani army tried to disgrace the place. That’s the legend.

One thing made me particularly happy. There is a small village in between called Ranau. Located in the sands. We stopped there because it was the shooting site for the famous movie “Border”. And yes it is picturesque. On one side of the jet black road, this is this sandy plane with this village some 100 meters, on the other side you see a steep loft of sand stretching both sides of your range of vision. Big sand dunes. There, a small boy came to us and spoke very decently. On asking his name he replied: "mera naam (I don't rem. the name) hai shreeman!" I was impressed on hearing this. This indicated good education. And sure ahead we saw a govt. run school also.

Back from there, we dropped by the station, and returned, with desert sand in my shoes!

GHOSTLY STUFF

There is a myth about a ghost town called kuldhara. They say that at night you can hear ghosts howling there! And they say it with confidense! Its nearby Jaisalmer...