Jaisalmer

Location: Western Rajasthan, close to Indo-Pak boarder.

Climate of Jaisalmer: Summer- 42° C to 25° C, Winter- 24° C to 7° C

Best time to visit: October to March

Attractions: Jaisalmer fort, Havelis, Gadsisar Lake, Jain temples etc

Language spoken: Rajasthani, Hindi and Urdu

Religions: Hinduism and Islam

STD Code: 02992

The History of Jaisalmer has a charm of its own. Like all other cities of Rajasthan, Jaisalmer too has its own glorious past to boast about. History of Jaisalmer draws heavily from the history of the Rajputana. The city is said to be founded by one Raja Rawal Jaisal, a Bhatti Rajput ruler, in approximately 1156 A D. Legends go by that he did it on the behest of a local hermit named Eesaal. The raja choose Trikut hill as the new site for his fort. This was because he thought that his previous abode at Luderwa (16 km from present Jaisalmer) was vulnerable towards possible enemy assault.

Unlike any other city, this desert fortress is one of Rajasthan's most exotic and unusual towns. Jaisalmer, an important ancient trading centre because of its strategic location on the camel trade routes, is often described as the 'golden city'. The havelis, built by merchants of the 19th century, are exquisitely carved from golden-yellow sandstone and are still in a beautiful condition. The fort built by Rawal Jaisal in the 12th century, stands on the 80 metre high Trikuta hill, with beautifully carved Jain temples.

Once a sleepy desert city, Jaisalmer has transformed itself into a major tourist destination of India. Situated amid picturesque Thar Desert, the Jaisalmer city commands premiere position among the tourist attractions scattered all over the desert land of Rajasthan. The Jaisalmer city is revered both by Indians as well as foreign tourists.

Like various other cities of Rajasthan, you will discover different facets of Jaisalmer as you explore this wonderful city with us. Tough there are historical monuments scattered all over the city but the Jaisalmer Fort will immediately command your attention. Made of sand stones and locally known as Sonar Quila, the Jaisalmer Fort is a dominating structure amidst sands. The Jaisalmer city is also known for its old mansions, better known as Havelis. Among many of them you will find Salim ji ki haveli and Nathmal ji ki haveli as the most striking. There are other monuments too, which are equally important because of their distinct and individual architecture. The amalgamation of ancient and the medieval era architecture will catch your fancy.

The Jaisalmer city is a prominent educational as well as cultural hub in the region and regularly showcases the vivid cultural aspects of Rajasthan. Among others, it includes folk dances as well as semi classical and folk music.

The city is easily accessible and people are warm and welcoming. In spite of harsh living conditions, Rajasthani people are known for their warm hospitality all over. So come to Jaisalmer and enjoy the traditional rhetoric of 'padharo mahare desh'


Desert Festival of Jaisalmer is a colorful festival held in February every year. You will get to see Cultural events, camel races, turban tying competitions etc. Not exciting enough! Attend the contests to judge the man with the best moustache. Everything is exotic in the Desert festival, amidst the golden sands of the Thar Desert. With a final musical performance by folk singers under the moonlit sky at the dunes in Sam, just outside Jaisalmer, the festival comes to its end. The rich culture of the region is on display during this three daylong extravaganza.

The desert festival in Jaisalmer was started to attract foreign tourists, who always wanted to explore as many facets of Rajasthan as they could in the possible crunch of time. The three-day event stresses more on local elements and heritage. For example, this no-nonsense festival will only showcase Rajasthani folk songs and dance. These are presented by some of the best professionals of the art. Similarly, local customs such as Turban tying etc have been added to make it more exotic and colorful in its outlook. 'The moustache competition' is very popular among foreigners. This is simply because of the surprise value attached to this event. Foreigners can be seen posing for pictures with the winners. This is truly a moment worth preserving.

You will never forget marvels like the famous Gair and Fire dancers that are the major attraction of the desert festival celebrations. Interesting contests including a tying competition and a Mr. Desert contest further enhance the fun of the occasion. A trip to the Sam sand dunes marks the grand finale, where you will enjoy camel rides and brilliant performance by the folk artist under the full moon against the backdrop of picturesque dunes.

The Rajasthan tourism organizes the Jaisalmer Desert fair/festival. There is tourist help cell to deal specially with the problems faced by foreign tourists. The arrangements are monitored by local administration and state of the art Medical vans, equipped with the best of medical amenities, are kept on alert. If you want to buy gifts or souvenirs for your dear ones, this is the place to be. For this place not only have items from and around Jaisalmer but of the whole Rajasthan. Mobile money exchangers are there in case you need to exchange currencies. And if you run out of cash, Guess what! Nearly all the kiosks have the facility to accept credit card.


Entertainment in Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer has a lot of options for entertainment. Because of its rich composite culture it boasts of various songs and dances. If you are not a culture vulture then you can opt for modern centers of entertainment such as Cinema theatre and discotheques.

Music
Rajasthani folk music has a long history. It is very soothing and earthy. Traditionally rulers had bards in their courts that sang tales of the heroic deeds of kings. Though the tradition is long dead nevertheless these ballads called "Rasos" can be heard even today. The legend of King Prithviraj Chauhan and his bard Chand Bardai who composed the Prithviraj Raso, a ballad, which details the brave deeds of Prithviiraj though exaggerated at times, is well known.

Dance
Rajasthani folk dances are an eye-catching sight. People of Rajasthan must be given the credit to save their heritage for this long. Lissome women wearing colorful clothes decorated with mirrors and embroidery, balancing a column of brass pots on their heads, sway in time to the music of a traditional melody. During your stay, you will notice that, Rajasthan is a place where every thing is very earthy and close to the masses. That is why folk culture here is very flourishing. Some of the popular folk dances in Rajasthan, which are a great source of entertainment are Bhavai, Chari, Ghair, Ghoomar, Kacchi Ghodi where a dancer wears a costume resembling a horse, Kalbeliya, performed by the women of the snake charmer community and Teerahtali, where women perform with 13 cymbals tied to their limbs.