Jaisalmer

On the roughly triangular shaped Trikuta Hill, the fort stands 76 meters above the town, enclosed by a 9 km wall and 99 bastions. The outer gate has bands of decoration which imitate local textile designs. Often called the Golden Fort due to the sandstone color….it dominates the town.

A walk through the narrow streets within the fort often blocked by the odd goat and cow, even today about a 1,000 of the town’s people live in the tiny houses within the fort………… A caution………… it is easy to get lost as most of these houses have carvings and on the doors and balconies and look similar.

Sunset Point- north of the fort is best for the view of Jaisalmer.

The entire palace has been recently renovated, interesting displays have been established including the sculpture, weapon, paintings besides a well presented cultural information.

The view from the roof is exquisite- highest point inside the fort, The Zenana block (Female block) has false jail work as opposed to the mardana block(Men’s block) that has highly detailed murals and mirror decoration.

Whilst the Rajputs were devout Hindus, they permitted Jainism to be practiced. The Parsvanatha, Rishabnatha, Shantinatha, Ashtapadi, Mahavir temple , The Sambhavanatha – tell their own distinctive story, each built at a different time, by different ruler and the architecture worth a thousand praises.

There are many exceptional havelis (Mansions of rich merchants) both in the fort and the walled town. Many have beautifully carved facades, jail screens, the ground floor is raised above the dusty streets and each has an inner courtyard surrounded by richly decorated apartments.

Not to be missed are the Badal Mahal, Salim Singh Ki haveli, Nathumal Ki Haveli and Patwon Ki Haveli which stand very different from one another due to their own architecture and decorative style.

A village established around 13 century by Paliwal Brahmins later abandoned in totality for unknown reasons in the 19th century. Over years Kuldhara acquired reputation as a haunted site later the government developed this as a tourist spot in 2010.

Situated Southeast of the the city walls, this was the oasis which led Prince Jaisal to settle here. Now connected by the Indira Gandhi canal, it has water all year.It attracts migratory birds and has many small shrines around it – well worth visiting, especially in the late afternoon. Boats are available for trips around the lake.