Our final Rajasthan stop was in the desert city, the golden city, of Jaisalmer. Like the other cities we visited, Jaisalmer was ruled over by a raj who had a fort palace. Much like in Jodhpur, Jaisalmer’s is perched atop a rocky butte. However, unlike the others, Jaisalmer Fort is a fully walled city on top of the butte not just a fort palace.
The color moniker comes from the stone choice, a yellow sandstone. More than any of the other colored cities, which had been painted, this stone really does make the city and fort golden, especially at dusk. Surrounding the fort-crowned butte, Jaisalmer is made of winding, narrow lanes that are pocked with mansions built by traders that rival the royal palaces in decoration and craftsmanship.
Jaisalmer Fort
This ancient city fort could be explored for hours with all of its meandering paths and corridors. There are beautiful Hindu and Jain temples. The wall with its numerous bastions surrounds the quaint, walled town. The highlight, of course, is the palace itself. It is more rustic and appropriate to the desert it towers over than the other palace forts we visited. This fort is part of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan UNESCO World Heritage site.
Camels
All through our journey in India, we saw camels pulling carts. The closer we got to the desert, we started seeing camels gallivanting on the side of the road. We got excited since we were going to visit the sand dunes and ride camels in Jaisalmer. It was a lovely little excursion on camels that were nearly twice as tall as our Dunhuang camel trek. We rode into the dunes and watched the sunset before going back to town.
Royal Cremation Monuments
Jaisalmer also has its collection of royal monuments. However, these seem to have been made and forgotten about as many are in disrepair, and the place is littered with garbage.
Mandir Palace
Down from the fort in the expanded town near the main square, we found the Mandir Palace. Part of this complex is hotel, part is current royal residence, and part is museum. We had a bit of spare time and decided to check out this museum. It is small, but nice featuring some artifacts from the royal family. Also, in the courtyard outside the building you’ll see the royal horses and milk cows.
The Trio
After we had both gotten sick, we were more careful of where we ate. If it looked in the slightest questionable, we didn’t eat there. So, when our hotel’s kitchen had a rat run across the floor, dirty dishes, and wasn’t very busy, we decided to find another place to get some grub. We found a really good restaurant right in the heart of town called The Trio. We liked it so much we went our second night in Jaisalmer too.
