Jaisalmer Tourism

Jaisalmer Tourism holds a major place in the tourism landscape of Rajasthan. Located in the northwestern part of the Indian State, it is popularly called as the golden city because of its bounteous golden sand dunes and castles built with golden honey sandstones.
The city is adorned with a number of lagoons, ornamental Jain places of worship, and lavish havelis. This is however one side of the coin. Jaisalmer is also known for its offbeat desert safari experience. The city offers pleasant stays in the middle of the vast spread Thar desert and loads of adventure activities to give you a completely unforgettable experience. The city is also packed with colorful handicraft marketplaces that will take you back in the timeline to offer you an experience of Indian culture and heritage.

History
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.

In medieval times, Jaisalmer continued to be on the focus of the masses because of its location. It falls in the way of one of the two routes, which connected India from Persia, Egypt, Africa and the west. The Bhatti Rajput rulers were still in line. They were the sole guardian of the city and thus mustered enough wealth through taxes levied on the passing caravans, of which there was no scarcity.

For many years Jaisalmer remained out of bound from the foreign rulers partly because of its location and partly because of its relief. In the mid Thirteenth century, Ala-ud-din Khilji, the Turk-Afghan ruler of Delhi laid the siege over the city. He was apparently upset with the Bhatti Rajput rulers because they stopped and looted one of his caravans containing royal coffer which was on its way to Sind. The siege lasted for around 9 long years and when the fall seemed eminent the Rajput womenfolk of the city committed Jauhar (self Immolation to avoid disgrace).

It is said that Duda, the son of Raja Jaisimha,fought vehemently in the battle but was overpowered after the fierce hand to hand combat. He died fighting. His descendants continued to rule the city. Though they had a cordial relation with the Mughal rulers in Delhi, they fought unsuccessfully with Emperor Humayun. Emperor Shah Jahan gave the right of governance to Sabala Simha, who had the royal patronage and had shown remarkable valor to win the Battle of Peshawar.

In the modern era, Jaisalmer was still a tough nut to crack and was the last among the Rajputana royals to sign the 'Instrument of Agreement' with the British establishment. Even that was achieved after long hours on the negotiation table and after much cajoling from the British establishment in India. In the year 1947, royals signed the agreement to remain in just independent India. Since then it has developed itself into a major tourist destination as well as a cultural hub of the western India.

About
The golden city of Rajasthan, known for its Havelis and sand stone made palaces, Jaisalmer is one of the greatest tourism destinations in the country.
The beautiful city lies within the great Thar Desert. The geographical location of the city falls between North Latitude 26º01' and East Longitude 69º03'.
Basically a desert city, Jaisalmer witnesses extreme climatic conditions. The summers are extremely hot but the winters are equally cold.
The maximum temperature rises above the 42º in summer Centigrade mark and in winter, the temperature comes down to 7º to 6º Centigrade. All throughout the year, the days are very warm but in the evenings the temperature drops quite a few degrees.
Jaisalmer has an excellent transportation system with wonderful rail and road networks. To reach Jaisalmer by air, one has to land at the nearest Jodhpur Airport and resume his journey towards the city by road or train.
The local auto-rickshaws and bicycles are the best way of transportation to move within Jaisalmer City.
The people of Jaisalmer are friendly and have a rich culture of their own. They generally speak Rajasthani or Hindi but some people are also fluent in English and Urdu.

Things to Do
There are myriad issues to complete in Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer also known as the Golden city has become crucial in history because of its strategic location. This historic metropolis was formed in 1156 once the Bhatti Rajput ruler Jaisala moved his money right here. The tourist would get a lot of issues to see in Jaisalmer. The wealth that came towards the city enabled the merchants as well as the townspeople to build wonderful homes and mansions carved from wood and golden yellow sand stone. The sightseeing in Jaisalmer includes the famous Jaisalmer Fort (1156) constructed by Bhatti Rajput ruler Jaisala.

Some say this the planets only dwelling fort with 1000's of people nonetheless occupying the homes and mansions inside the fort. Rajmahal is apart of the palace and is a museum. Within the fort you will find seven well-carved Jain Temples (12 th to 15 th century). You will discover a number of havelis in Jaiselmer built by rich merchants and are in a good condition. Gadi Sagar as soon as supplied h2o to the city. Temples and shrines surround this tank. The other sightseeing in Jaisalmer consists of the museums, which offers information in regards to the culture of Rajasthan.
The other attractions contain the desert festivals and camps exactly where the nearby communities give live musical and dance performances. The nightlife in Jaisalmer is restricted to some hotels and bars. Around the other hand one can enjoy the cultural evenings in the type of reside reveals, dances, music and puppet reveals. As regards purchasing in Jaiselmer, right here 1 embroidery, Rajasthani mirror function, rugs, blankets, stonework are quite well-liked. For those enthusiastic about heritage tours to India , Jaisalmer could be a place filled with excitement and fun. In your Rajasthan India tours do not miss out this Golden Metropolis where the fort, temples, desert camps along with the beautiful cuisine are distinctive.

How to Reach
Jaisalmer is situated in the very heart of Rajasthan and a popular tourist destination therefore it is well connected to the rest of India and Rajasthan with airways, railways as well as roadways.

Airways
Though Jaisalmer is not directly connected to Airways as such, Jodhpur airport is 300 Km away. Jodhpur is connected to all the major metros of India by government owned as well as private airlines. From Jodhpur you can hire Cabs or take a train journey according to your wish and preference.

Railways
Jaisalmer is connected to major cities of India through broad gauge as well as meter gauge railway tracks. Direct trains from Jaisalmer are available to Jodhpur as well as Delhi. Jaisalmer is connected through both 'Broad gauge' as well as 'Meter gauge' tracks. You can also travel to Jaisalmer by Palace on Wheels.

Roadways
Jaisalmer is well connected to the rest of state by well-maintained roads. Due to its proximity to Indo-Pak boarder, special emphasis is given on its maintenance.
Deluxe & Ordinary buses of Rajasthan Roadways & Private companies operate form Jaisalmer to Jodhpur, Jaipur, Bikaner, Barmer, Mount Abu, Jalore, Ahemdabad etc, Roadways main bus stand opposite Railway station & Golden bus terminal near State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, Shiv road, Jaisalmer are the two major bus stands.

Local transportation
General transportation in Jaisalmer consists of auto rickshaw and bicycles because these are good means to get around. Auto rickshaw is a cheap mode of transportation but drivers might not be friendly all the times. It is recommended to take rickshaw when you take congested roads in order to avoid bottlenecks.