Unforgettable Jaisalmer

The Bus journey from Jaipur to Jaisalmer was very tiring. A straight 12 hours, out of which the last few hours was through barren sandy lands, sand dunes and intermittent hamlets. I was quite excited to be in Jaisalmer where Satyajit Ray shot his famous Bengali film"Sonar Kella" (Golden Fort). In my Childhood, I have lived with each of the characters of this novel and walked through the narrow lanes of Jaisalmer (albeit in dreams).

The City of Jaisalmer

Truly enough, the sand and stones used in the architecture all around Jaisalmer have Golden tint from which the name of the novel was derived.

After a brief check out into RTDC hotel I started off for my shoot. First destination... the famous Havelis of Jaisalmer.

Patwon-Ki-Haveli

This magnificent Haveli, the largest, most elaborate & magnificent Haveli was made by Gunman Chand Patwa (and later by his five sons) who belonged to the powerful Oswal Jain family and was a banker and had three hundred trading centres from Afghanistan to China. This ornate five storey complex took fifty years to complete. I also went to the other Havelis around the city but none of them were as attractive.

Next was Gadsisar Lake. A Natural water lake which supplies water to the city.

Gadsisar Lake

It is surrounded by temples and shrines. This lake was built by Maharawal Gadsi in 14th century. In the evening this becomes a hub of activities with all the tourists thronging the place, hawkers selling food items, makeshift stalls selling handicrafts and musicians playing their handmade violins.

This lake has one more speciality. From the high grounds of the side of this lake one can see the Fort of Jaisalmer in its real "Sonar Kella" avatar when the first rays of morning Sun falls on it.

Sonar Kella

For that I had to wait till the next morning. But the picture I liked most, came on my way to Gadsisar lake. It was quite early in the morning; I came out of my hotel and was walking down the road looking for auto rickshaw when I noticed this play of  colours in the sky. I was thrilled and awestruck. With the Fort as a silhouette I made this frame.

Before the Sunrise @Jaisalmer

During my stay in Jaisalmer, many times I went inside the Fort. It was quite an experience. This Fort was built by Bhati Rajput ruler Jaisal in the year of 1156 on Trikuta Hills and have witnessed many battles since then.
  
The Fort houses many shrines, hotels, restaurants and almost a full township. The Jain temple particularly has very elaborate carvings.

Until a few years back the entire population of Jaisalmer used to live inside the Fort. What I loved best in the Fort was the Sadhus and Tribal folks. The Sadhus, fully decked up were available in plenty and a few of them were ready to pose against charges. They were the instant hits among foreign tourists.

A Sadhu in the Fort

The beautiful entrance of the Fort is made more colourful by the brightly dressed tribal women who were selling their silver wares. These are nicely crafted jewellery sold at a bargain.

Beautiful Triabal Woman

Historically Jaisalmer used to flourish from the taxes imposed on caravans as it is located on a vantage position on the trading route linking India to Central Asia, Egypt, Arabia, persia, Africa & the West. When the land route was replaced by sea route and Bombay emerged as the major port town, Jaisalmer started to lose its position and glamour. Again with the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, Jaisalmer further lost its importance except as Indian base station on the Western Frontier.

Colours of Jaisalmer

A trip to Sand dunes is a must while in Jaisalmer. So I went..... to Sam sand dunes. I enjoyed the couple of hours spent but it increased my cravings for being there again.



The Caravan

A couple of sand dunes, a 30min. Camel ride..these are not even a drop of Desert.

It was late afternoon, the Desert came alive with tourists and the hooves of camels.

The setting Sun created a amazing spell with magical colours everywhere; in the sky, on the sand and on all else.



At one point of time, the colours were changing every minute. I tried to capture a few moments of this Natural drama.


Colours of Sunset @ Sam Sand dunes

After allowing some time for every one to enjoy the drama, the Sun finally gone down the horizon.

It was end of another day in the desert;  and for me it was the end of a memorable day because until now I had never been to any desert.

Although I was alone, from Jaisalmer I went to Sam in a package which included a cultural evening followed by Rajasthani Dinner, in a resort in Sam.


More than what I enjoyed in my trip to Sam, I returned to Jaisalmer with a Craving to be in Desert again at least to spend some more time and go inside where it will be the real Desert.

A long way to go

My next destination was Pushkar Cattle fair which was the prime mover for my entire Rajasthan trip.