Rajasthan Tours

The golden city of "Jaisalmer" lies deep in the heart of Thar Desert bordering Pakistan in the west of Rajasthan. This enthralling city has been labeled as the "Golden City" because of the honey colour that bestowed on its stone bastion by the posing sun. The area is barren, undulating with its famous sand dunes and slopes towards the Indus valley and the Runn of Kutch. The soil here is grateful even to a little rain and turns lush green during mansoon. a very dry climate with very hot summer.

The havelis, built by merchants of the 19th century, are exquisitely carved from golden-yellow sandstone and are still in a beautiful condition. The fort built by Rawal Jaisal in the 12th century, stands on the 80 metre high Trikuta hill, with beautifully carved Jain temples

Thar Desert, the Jaisalmer city commands premiere position among the tourist attractions scattered all over the desert land of Rajasthan. The Jaisalmer city is revered both by Indians as well as foreign tourists.

There are historical monuments scattered all over the city but the Jaisalmer Fort will immediately command your attention. There are other monuments too, which are equally important because of their distinct and individual architecture. The amalgamation of ancient and the medieval era architecture will catch your fancy.

Jaisalmer is still the stuff of legend - as the night sky spreads thick across the scrubs and dunes of the Great Thar Desert, most travellers will find themselves happily trapped in this exotic trade route town. (The town hosts the Desert Festival in February.) Khezada, Bavla, Lora, Rohida, Van, Phog, Kumbhar, Jal, Neem, Babul and many other trees are to be found among sparse vegetation.

TOURISM ATTRACTIONS

» Jaisalmer Fort :
Built in 1156 by the Bhati Rajput ruler Jaisal, it is situated on Trikuta Hill and had been the scene of many battles. Its massive sandstone walls are a tawny lion color during the day, turning to a magical honey-gold as the sun sets. The famous Indian film director Satyajit Ray wrote a detective novel and later turned it into a film - Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress) which was based on this fort. This is a living fort and about a quarter of city's population still live inside the fort. The main attractions inside the fort are: Raj Mahal (Royal palace), Jain temples and the Laxminath temple.

» Salim Singh-ki-Haveli :
It was built by the scheming Prime Minister Salim Singh in 1815. It has a beautifully arched roof capped with blue cupolas and carved brackets in the form of peacocks.

» Patwon-ki-Haveli :
Built by Guman Chand Patwa (and later by his five sons), a wealthy merchant and banker who had over three hundred trading centres from Afghanistan to China. This ornate five-storey complex took fifty years to complete. This is the largest, the most magnificent, and the most elaborate of Jaisalmer havelis.

» Nathmalji-ki-Haveli :
Bult by a Prime Minister of princely state of Jaisalmer. Its facade is a riot of ornamentation: flowers, birds, elephants, soldiers, a bicycle and even a steam engine.

» Bara Bagh :
Bada Bagh is about halfway between Jaisalmer and Lodhruva in the state of Rajastan in India.A descendant of Jaisal and maharaja of Jaisalamer, Jai Singh II, commissioned a dam to create a water tank during his reign in the 18th century. This made the desert green in this area.