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Jaisalmer City
Tour Guide |
Jaisalmer is a region of southwestern Rajasthan
state in western India. It lies in the southern
part of Thar Desert. Region includes the
present-day Jaisalmer District. It is bounded on
the north by Jangladesh region, on the east by
Marwar region.
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Geography
Jaisalmer is almost entirely a sandy waste, forming
a part of the great Indian desert. The general
aspect of the area is that of an interminable sea of
sandhills, of all shapes and sizes, some rising to a
height of 150 ft.
Those in the west are covered with log bushes, those
in the east with tufts of long grass. Water is
scarce, and generally brackish; the average depth of
the wells is said to be about 250 ft. There are no
perennial streams, and only one small river, the
Kakni, which, after flowing a distance of 28 m.,
spreads over a large surface of flat ground, and
forms a lake orjhil called the Bhuj-Jhil. The
climate is dry and healthy. Throughout Jaisalmer
only raincrops, such as bajra, joar, motif, til,
etc., are grown; spring crops of wheat, barley,
etc., are very rare. Owing to the scant rainfall,
irrigation is almost unknown.
The majority of any inhabitants of Jaisalmer are
Bhati Rajputs, who take their name from an ancestor
named Bhatti, renowned as a warrior when the tribe
were located in the Punjab. Shortly after this the
clan was driven
southwards, and found a refuge in the Indian desert,
which was henceforth its home. The Maharajas of
Jaisalmer trace their lineage back to Jaitsimha, a
ruler of the Bhati Rajput clan. Deoraj, a famous
prince of the Bhati family, is esteemed the real
founder of the Jaisalmer dynasty, and with him the
title of rawal commenced. In 1156 Rawal Jaisal, the
sixth in succession from Deoraj, founded the fort
and city of Jaisalmer, and made it his capital as he
moved from his former capital at Lodhruva (which is
situated about 15 km to the south-east of Jaisalmer).
The major opponents of the Bhati Rajputs were the
powerful Rathor clans of Jodhpur and Bikaner. They
used to fight battles for the possession of forts,
waterholes or cattle. Jaisalmer was positioned
strategically and was a
halting point along a traditional trade route
traversed by the camel caravans of Indian and Asian
merchants. The route linked India to Central Asia,
Egypt, Arabia, Persia, Africa and the West.
During the Islamic invasion of India, Jaisalmer
escaped direct Muslim conquest due to its
geographical situation in the desert region. The
Rawals of Jaisalmer agreed to pay an annual tribute
to the Delhi Sultans. The first siege of Jaisalmer
occurred during the reign of Alauddin Khilji. It was
provoked by Bhatis' raid on a caravan filled with
reasure. According to local ballads, the Bhatis
defended the fort for seven years until the enemy
army forced beached the ramparts. In 1294, the
Bhatis so enraged the emperor Ala-ud-din Khilji that
his army captured and sacked the fort and city of
Jaisalmer, so that for some time it was quite
deserted. Bhatis, facing certain defeat, proclaimed
the rite of jauhar.
Later, Sultan Ferozshah also sieged Jaisalmer after
the rulers of Jaisalmer raided his camp at Anasagar
lake near Ajmer. The siege led to another jauhar.
Jaitsimha's son Duda perished in the attack. Duda's
descendants ruled over Jaisalmer for about two
centuries. Duda's descendant Lunakarna had a fight
with Humayun when the latter passed through
Jaisalmer en route to Ajmer. Mughal emperor Akbar
was married to one of the Jaisalmer princesses.
Later, Jaisalmer was ruled by a noble called Sahal
Singh, whose reign marks an epoch in Bhati history
in that he acknowledged the supremacy of the Mughal
emperor Shah Jahan. The Jaisalmer princes had now
arrived at the
height of their power, but from this time till the
accession of Rawal Mulraj in 1762 the fortunes of
the state rapidly declined, and most of its outlying
provinces were lost.
In 1818 Mulraj entered into political relations with
the British. Jaisalmer was one of the last states to
sign a treaty with the British. During the British
Raj, Jaisalmer was the seat of a princely state of
the same name,
ruled by the Bhati clan of rajputs. Maharawal
Salivahan, born in 1887, succeeded to the chiefship
in 1891.
The present descendant of the ancient dynasty is
Brijraj Singh. Though the country is under the
governance of the Government of India, a lot of
welfare work is carried out by him and his family.
The Royal Family still commands a lot of respect
from the people.
Origin of name
Jaisalmer is named after its founder Rawal Jaisal
(see History). "Jaisalmer" means "the Hill Fort of
Jaisal". Jaisalmer is also called as the Golden city
of India because the yellow sand gives a
yellowish-golden touch to the city & its surrounding
area.
Geography
Jaisalmer is located at 26.92° N 70.9° E.[1] It has
an average elevation of 229 metres (751 feet).
Jaisalmer is situated on the border of India and
Pakistan in West Rajasthan. The area of Jaisalmer is
5.1 km². The maximum summer temperature is around
41.6 °C while the minimum is 25 °C. The maximum
winter temperature is 23.6 °C while the minimum is
7.9 °C. The average rainfall is 150 mm. Jaisalmer is
almost entirely a sandy waste, forming a part of the
great Indian desert. The general aspect of the area
is that of an interminable sea of sandhills, of all
shapes and sizes, some rising to a height of 150 ft.
Those in the west are covered with log bushes, those
in the east with tufts of long grass. Water is
scarce, and generally brackish; the average depth of
the wells is said to be about 250 ft. There are no
perennial streams, and only one small river, the
Kakni, which, after flowing a distance of 28 m.,
spreads over a large surface of flat ground, and
forms a lake orjhil called
the Bhuj-Jhil. The climate is dry and healthy.
Throughout Jaisalmer only raincrops, such as bajra,
joar, motif, til, etc., are grown; spring crops of
wheat, barley, etc., are very rare. Owing to the
scant rainfall, irrigation
is almost unknown.
Tourism
While Jaisalmer may always have been remote, it is
filled with many artistic structures and monuments
of local historical importance. Jaisalmer's medieval
mud fortress and walled township make it a popular
tourist destination. The surrounding desolate
landscape evidences a stark, austere beauty. Camel
safaris through the nearby desert dunes are popular
with tourists; competition for business is fierce. A
few quiet days spent
wandering around the town and the surrounding desert
can be a wonderful way of unwinding from the chaos
of larger Indian cities.
Visitor 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.
Havelis
The main havelis in Jaisalmer are:
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.
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.
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.
Museums
Desert Culture Centre & Museum
Jaisalmer Folklore Museum
Government Museum
Other
Gadsisar Lake
Excavated in 1367 by Rawal Gadsi Singh, it is a
scenic rainwater lake surrounded by small temples
and shrines.
In neighbourhood
Bhattiani Sati Rani
Bada Bagh
Bada Bagh Panorama in the afternoon
Amar Sagar
Lodhruva
Mool Sagar
Kuldhara
Desert National Park
Sam sand dunes
Khuri village
Akal Wood fossil Park
Desert festival
This is held over three days in Jan/Feb every year.
This is the best time to visit Jaisalmer to witness
many performing arts like Kalbelia dances and folk
songs and music. |
