Jaisalmer - The Golden City

As I stepped out of the railway station, I stared at the massive streches of land - all which appeared golden in color. It was a mix of yellow and gold hues marked by little patches of green - then I knew I had stepped into a city which was "defining and preserving the heritage". 

My first impressions...WOW!


Our first visit was to the Jaisalmer Fort - from outside it was a serene, rugged, old-fashioned fort which talked about the foregone years...it was built in 1150 AD! I wondered behind the history of this fort and thought of kings and the kingdom that passed by through the years. Little did I know, I was to get the biggest surprise of my life time.

From the outside, I saw this:


I went in to look inside - the fort was transformed into a "URBAN HEART PULSE". I stood transfixed. There were (and are!) more than 3000 people residing in the fort and it had havelis or ancient mansions, temples, restaurants, gift and souvenir shops. I went through winding lanes, cross-roads, and saw the simple folks drinking their sip of tea, women selling at shops, doing the laundry, the priests doing their puja at the temple, the shopkeepers busy with tourists overloading from all ends. It was mesmerizing.


I still remember the interiors and exteriors of the fort and to this day it continues sheltering people, businesses, tourists, localities recreating history again and again - An unforgettable experience. 

Our next trip was to the Thar desert and again this was my first trip to the desert. A car from the hotel took us through the tombs of kings and queens from the yesteryears and then we slowly entered the Thar desert. 


Walking in the Thar Desert just before sunset was amazing. The long drawn sand dunes reminded me why city was called as the golden city and the camels with baggages and passengers seemed to be content trudging slowly along the dunes. There are amazing views to be seen from atop of the sand dunes and the design in the sand seemed as if you were drawing architectural lines from far away.

We stayed at the Fifu hotel in Jaisalmer and I cannot say anything more but that it was an "awesome experience". The hotel had a terrace with seaters, reclining beds where you could spend hours reading books, sipping hot cups of masala chai and eating some yummy indian snack items. The staff were very friendly and ready to accommodate. We also arranged the desert trip with one of the affliated drivers taking us to the middle of the desert in the jeep. We followed the serene evening with folk dances and songs while sitting amidst the desert camp.


I still have some more places to talk about Jaisalmer. More to come in my second blog of Jaisalmer. Bye for now. 

India - the land where one can see and experience different cultures, different traditions, different heritage has so so many interesting places to explore. My dreams started coming true when I started venturing out to different states and got an inkling of the beautiful cities, towns and villages that lay in abundance to be explored. I still have many places on my "wish list", but I do want to give a perspective of traditional and modern India, the urban and the rural India and how it all blends together as a nation.

In my first post, I will talk about one of the magnificent states in Northern India - Rajasthan. 

Rajasthan - The land of kings and queens of the era, the reign of the supreme monarchs, the splendour and wealth of the heritage, the symbol of ethnicity. 

Our journey to this royal state started with Jaipur - also known as the pink city. We started our journey with the glorious Amer Fort. 



Jaipur Palace, the city palace is a charming visit with a glimpse of how the Maharaja's used to live in the earlier days. The immense smaller palaces within the big arena, the courtyard, gardens, temples all glorify the days past gone by. The gateways are decorated very well and you can view the intricate architecture in many places. The astonishing thing is the well-maintained gardens which have flourished in the upper floors. Do watch out for the peacock gates, which bring out the essence of colors very well. Inside the palace, there are various artifacts of the king and the queen, the golden throne, the marble-floored tiles, the exotic chandeliers, the hall of beauty or Chandra Mahal which is decorated with mirrors. 

There is a platform now where puppet shows are held and you can listen to a sample of the folk music and the instruments which are now demonstrated by the localites. 



We also visited the Aditya Birla temple, which was calm and serene - especially during sunset time. We also visited Chowki Dhaani - a popular resort for experiencing the village houses of Rajasthan, the traditional paintings, the folk lores, the popular dance and gymnastic performances. While this is just an experience, I would recommend all of you to walk via several streets, especially Johri Bazaar, Nehru Bazaar, etc where there are small street boutique shops and some offer really exuberant variety at reasonable prices. 

Women: Do beware of treading alone - best to go with a partner of a family member while you are visiting streets of Jaipur and anywhere in Rajasthan!


Soon, I will talk about adventures in Udaipur and Jailsalmer! Cya