Jaisalmer - The Golden city

- April 28, 2018

Jaisalmer is named after the maharawal, Jaisal Singh, a Yadav king who founded the city in 1156 AD."Jaisalmer" means "the Hill Fort of Jaisal". Jaisalmer is sometimes called the "Golden City of India" because the yellow sandstone used throughout the architecture of both the fort and the town below, imbues both with a certain golden-yellow light.

Jaisalmer is world heritage site and very beautiful city between the desert.

The tourist place in Jaisalmer state are:-

Jaisalmer Fort

Jaisalmer Fort is the second oldest fort in Rajasthan, built in 1156 AD by the Rajput Rawal (ruler) Jaisal from whom it derives its name, and stood at the crossroads of important trade routes (including the ancient Silk road).

Jaisalmer fort is also known as Sonar Ka Quila because of it's golden colour.

Patwo Ki Haveli

The Patwon Ji ki Haveli is an interesting piece of Architecture and is the most important among the havelis in Jaisalmer. This is precisely because of two things, first that it was the first haveli erected in Jaisalmer and second, that it is not a single haveli but a cluster of 5 small havelis.

The first among these havelis was commissioned and constructed in the year 1805 by Guman Chand Patwa and is the biggest and the most ostentatious.

It is believed that Patwa was a rich man and was a renowned trader of his time. He could afford and thus ordered the construction of separate stories for each of his 5 sons. These were completed in the span of 50 years. All five houses were constructed in the first 60 years of the 19th century.

Gadsisar Sagar Lake

The Gadsisar Lake is one of the most famous tourist places in Jaisalmer which was built by Raja Rawal Jaisal, the first ruler of Jaisalmer.

In the later years Maharaja Garisisar Singh rebuilt and revamped the lake. This historic lake is located towards the south of Jaisalmer city and the entrance to the lake is through Tilon-Ki-Pol, a magnificent and artistically carved yellow sandstone archway .

The Tilon Ki Pol is adorned with an idol of the Hindu deity Vishnu, installed in the year 1908.

Jain Temples

Within the vicinity of The Jaisalmer fort lie 7 Jain temples which are an embodiment of beautiful structural designs. Right from ceilings to tombs to gateways, each and every part of this temple is decorated with mirrors, frescoes, carvings, etc.

These temples were built way back in the12th and 15th century, and are dedicated to various Jain Tirthankars (Hermits). On the walls of the temples, you can find animal & human figures, carved in famous Dilwara temple style.

The Jain temple has a Gyan Bhandar, a library, which interest many tourists.

Bada Bagh

A descendant of Maharawal Jaisal Singh, the founder of the state and Maharaja of Jaisalmer State, Jai singh (1688–1743), commissioned a dam to create a water tank during his reign in the 16th century. This made the desert green in this area.

Amar Sagar lake

Amar Sagar is a small and beautiful lake cum Oasis and is adjacent to a 17th Century palace called the Amar Singh Palace. Maharawal Akhai Singh built this palace in honor of one of his predecessors Amar Singh.

Next to the palace are pavilions with a large stairs leading down to the Amar Sagar Lake. This haveli has been constructed in the pattern of apartments. The Amar Sagar is a five story high haveli and is famous for its murals. Wherever you go in this haveli, you will notice beautiful murals painted with delicate efforts.

You can find many of wells and ponds in the surrounding which have a royal air about them. There is an old Shiva temple in the complex itself. Amar Singh built this because he was supposed to be an ardent follower of Lord Shiva, a Hindu God related to destruction.

Khaba Fort

Khaba Fort dates back to the 13th century and was once an important part of Kuldhara, a village inhabited by Paliwal Brahmins. Sometime during the 1800s the residents fled the village and left behind a ghost town.

War Memorial

The Jaisalmer War Museum was conceived by Lieutenant General Bobby Mathews, AVSM, VSM, General Officer Commanding, Desert Corps and constructed by the Desert Corps of the Indian Army.

It was dedicated to the Nation by Lieutenant General Ashok Singh, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, Indian Army, on 24 August 2015. The Museum displays war exhibits which include vehicles and equipment captured during the course of operations in 1965 and 1971. The Jaisalmer War Museum, popularly known as JWM, has an Honour Wall engraved with the names of the Param Vir chakra and Maha Vir Chakra gallantry award winners, two large Information Display Halls - Indian Army Hall and Laungewala, an Audio Visual Room, a souvenir shop and a cafeteria. A Hunter Aircraft of the Indian Air Force, which destroyed enemy tank columns during the Battle of Laungewala is also displayed.

Pokran Fort

Pokhran is a city of municipality a f located in the Jaisalmer. It is a remote location in the Thar desert and served as the test site for India's first underground nuclear weapon detonation .