STORY OF THE LIVING FORT AND SUNSET OVER SAND DUNES

 
Jaislmer is the story of an enchanting and exotic little fort-town of Rajasthan. It is a vivid story of the living fort, sunsets over sand dunes, desert festival in full moon light and a beautiful drive along the border. It is effortlessly beautiful and am going to write more J
 

It was a fine evening of February when I started the long awaited trip of the “Golden City” of India. It is a city of culture, food, ancient sand castle forts, stunning Jain temples, pigeons, sand dunes, sunset and camel! Jaisalmer is home to massive sandcastles standing tall, rising from the centre of the Thar Desert as a reminder of a glorious bygone era. The mysteries of a desert and trade route of camel trains can be best experienced perhaps only in Jaisalmer.
Its twisting lanes present an array of shops with most of them selling bright embroideries, the likes of which you may never see elsewhere under the sun. A walk to the narrow streets will make you experience Rajasthani folk melodies and obviously groups singing- पधारो म्हारे देश ||
 
 
What I especially loved was that it was so tiny that I could just walk around the whole city. Half of the city was actually inside the massive sandcastle fort of Jaisalmer! I was staying at Zostel which itself is site to behold and met some amazing co-travellers and it followed the saying- travel solo, make friends and travel with them :P
 

Jaisalmer Fort also called as Sonar Qila which looks majestic and very beautiful especially at night, the fort remains open for 24 hours. It intriguing that half of the population still resides inside the fort. Apart from the fort there are magnificent Havelis which are the life line of the Jaislmer. Namely they are Patwon ki Haveli which is largest of them, Salim Singh ki Havel and Nathuram ki Haveli. The city offers some unique architecture in the form of Gadisar Lake and Bada Bagh which exhibits magnificent culture. The sunset with backdrop of running windmills is overwhelming from both these places.

The most euphoric moment was the dunes. It was a mesmerizing experience entering the deserts on camel. We had loads and loads of fun and you should definitely try camel race it’s an amazing fun. The sunset was alluring, and it was dipping behind the horizon, but the daylight still lingered in the air as though, accidentally left behind.

 तेरा मेरा एक अफ़साना ऐसा भी :

कि रेगिस्तान की गर्मी से उलझती हुई तुम रेत सी

और सुकून देने के लिए मैं ढलता सूरज प्रिये ।। 

 

Full Moon Desert Festival

I was lucky to witness the cultural town during the desert festival, the otherwise sultry and mysterious Thar Desert comes alive every year in February for the annual desert festival.
Set against the backdrop of the magnificent Jaisalmer Fort, the Desert Festival at Jaisalmer is incredibly planned and well-executed by the state tourism department to bring to you some of the most amazing musical performances, fascinating competitions, unique beauty pageants and delicious local food for you to dig in along with an exquisite display of handicrafts that are hard to find anywhere else in the country. This visually appealing festival starts with a procession from the Jaisalmer Fort, announcing the start of the most awaited festival. On the first day, be prepared for an overdose of Rajasthani art, folk dance and music. And as the day progresses, visitors are entertained with competitions such as turban tying, longest mustache, fire dance and more such entertaining events. On the last day of the Desert Festival, you get the true feel of being in a desert. Camels are brought out and decked up in some of the finest and most cheerful Rajasthani costumes.

Drive along the Border:

The drive to Tanot & Longewala was an experience in itself. Often referred as the one of the instagrammable roads in India. The view of vast barren lands covered timid sand dunes, and smooth roads it was a delight for a photographer and driving enthusiast like me. The roller coaster ride of going up the steep inclines on the road and speeding down even steeper ones was so much fun. It was always like “Whooo” every now and then. It is even more beautiful to drive with rotating windmills alongside on a windy afternoon and the air was perfectly warm to give a peaceful feeling.
Longewala is a war memorial which has at display the Pakistani tanks and guns that were captured during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. There are a lot of inspirational quotes written everywhere. I also saw a short documentary on the war as it happened and how bravely our soldiers fought an army bigger than them. We felt so patriotic at that place. Longewala is indeed a place to visit and to feel the sacrifices our soldiers make to keep us safe. You can watch the video on my insta feed for this trip: https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_FltztpMuW/?igshid=17xijb78athmr

 

This touristy town, favourite of Indians and foreigners has some marvelous cafes, both with nicely brewed coffee and eye view. The best part of travelling is spending a good amount of time in these cafes and talk to the people there because those stories and conversations, make you fall in love with any place. Such calm is the environment there. To get one of the best coffee go to Kukko’s café, to get best view of the fort go to Café by Kaku and to enjoy a delicious dinner go to lively Swagat dhabha. Meanwhile don’t miss to munch the kachoris and dal pakwan for breakfast just outside the fort :D
 

Jaislmer is an obscure city, a few people accomplish such a great deal for you that the entire experience of visiting the spot turns into an exceptional one with a gratitude of खम्मा घनी!!

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