25-December-2013
After a day in Sand Dunes, it was time to visit the magnificent fort of the city. We called up our hotel in the city and they informed that they will be ready for check-in only by 12 PM. So we decided to take it little easy.
10:55 AM Left for Jaisalmer city. The drive, as I mentioned earlier, is nice. It is a narrow road but surface quality is good.
11:40 AM We were in city. We had booked hotel 1st Gate which is just opposite the fort and we straight-away reached the hotel and checked in.
Here is my review of Hotel 1st Gate.
3:00 PM We left for the fort. We got one guide at the gate, he took us around the fort. The Jaisalmer fort is really fantastic primarily because unlike most of the other forts in India, it is a living fort and there is most hustle and bustle once you are inside.
Jaisalmer fort was built in 1156 AD by the Bhati Rajput ruler Rao Jaisal, from where it derives it name. As guide explains Jaisal was the name of the King and mer (मेरु) means hill. So Jaisalmer is the fort of Jaisal on a hill.
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| First Gate of the fort |
The gates and walkways are designed in a fashion that one can not get clear view very far. You can't see one gate from the other.
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| Fort Walkway (driveway) |
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| Second gate |
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| Walkways |
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| Central area of the fort with many shops |
One of the most impressive sights within the fort is the complex of temples. Most magnificent of these are Jain temples with-in the complex. People who intend to visit these should note that these close by noon. We were lucky and the temples were still open when we reach at afternoon. These temples are old and hence have both pilgrimage and archaeological value to them. The temples date back to 12th to 15th century AD. The style seems very similar to Dilwara style of temples in Mount Abu. This temple, unlike most of the others, allow you to take the camera with you at a fees of Rs. 100/-.
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| Jain temples in Jaisalmer Fort |
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| Jain temples in Jaisalmer Fort |
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| Jain Temples |
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| Interior of palace with-in the temple |
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| Artifacts in the museum |
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| Artifacts in the museum |
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| View of the city |
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| View of the city |
Once you are done with the fort, there are few havelis which are also magnificent. We visited two of them.
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| Patwa Haveli |
We were back to the hotel around 7:30PM. By the time we reached back, the fort was brightly lit with flood lights.
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| Flood lit Jaisalmer Fort |
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