Jaisalmer Fort Located in the desert of the Thar (meaning adobe of the dead), it is the second oldest Fort of Rajasthan. It can be reached from Jaisalmer by road. Cabs and tourist buses are easily available to take you to the Fort. * It has been listed in the New York Based World Monuments Watch List of the 100 endangered sites worldwide

Flashback

Built by the Rajput ruler Jaisala, it was the main focus of a number of battles between the Bhattis, the Mughals of Delhi and the Rathores of Jodhpur. Constructed by Raja Jaisal, who was searching for a new capital as the earlier one Lodurva was too vulnerable to invasions, he built the fort and the city surrounding it, thus fulfilling Lord Krishna's prophecy in the Mahabharata The uniquness of the fort lies in the fact that the craftsmen used were mainly Muslims to craft the SONAR QUILA - Rising from the sand!

The Fort

The uniqueness of the fort lies in the fact that 25% of the population of the old city resides within the walls of the fort. There are a number of forbidding gates at the entrance itself, leading to the courtyard. Inside its a whole world with people, shops and kids playing around. However the vehicles cannot go beyond the courtyard. Near the courtyard is the palace of the former King which has its elegant seven stories. The main attraction of the fort is the sculpted walls and the balcony. The doorways connecting the rooms of the fort are quite low - unique to the fort - made so to force those who walked the corridors to the room to maintain a low stature in front of the King and his Queens.

In and Around

» Diwan-i-Khas: This Hall of Private audience is inside the fort. Today it has a collection of old stamps . This room gives a god view of the fort and the the town spread beneath.

» Diwan-i-Am :Just near the Hall of Private audience there is this Hall of Public Audience. It has lower walls with porcelain tiles over them.

» Jain Temples : Just attached to the walls of the fort are the Jain Temples - seven of them, lined to give a maze like look made of yellow sandstone. * Leather items have to be removed before entering the temples and the time of visiting the temples keeps on changing.

» Gadi Sagar :Once the source of water supply of the city, it was built in 1367 by King Gadsi Singh and hence its name

» Museums :There are a number of museums here around the fort like the Desert Culture Center and Museum, Jaisalmer Folklore museum and the Government museum. Watch out for exclusive folk programmes and puppet shows held from time to time.

Not to be Missed

» Camel Safaris : Jaisalmer Camel Safaris are not to be missed out. Trekking Jaisalmer on the back of the Camel is a exciting adventure to do.