Let us resume the journey that we have started in my last blog.......
We have reached Jaisalmer from Jodphur which is a smooth 5-hour journey with breathtaking scenery of hundreds of windmills in the midst of sand dunes, dozens of traditional villages with mud thatched huts having beautiful and colorful paintings on their wall and hundreds of camels. When you reach Pokhran which is in midway, you will wonder is this is the place where the nuclear test was performed first in 1974 and then in 1998? The reality is different from your perceptions, it is typical Rajasthani town with vibrant bazaars, beautifully carved temples and Havelis, and at least an awesome fort or palace. After Pokhran, we paused at thatiyat which is home to one and only Jaisalmer War museum which houses the war tanks, artillery, warplanes, and all sorts of arms and ammunition of Indian armed forces and captured by the Indian army during the war with Pakistan in 1972. The war museum also hosts the amazing light and show at 6:00-7:00 PM every day but we are unable to see as we are getting late for Jaisalmer.
The war museum
2. jalis at the desert cultural museum
We reached Jaisalmer in the evening and I have love at first sight with Jaisalmer, with floodlights lit on the golden sandstone buildings to the beautiful sunset over beautiful Gadsisar lake the sight is worth to behold. On the way to our hotel, we also stopped at the amazing Desert cultural center and folklore museum which showcases collection by Mr.NK Sharma which encompasses local costumes, paintings, coins, fossils, and exhibitions showcasing history, art, the culture of the whole Rajputana. The museum also hosts the must-see puppet show at 1000,1800 and 1900 hours with traditional music and puppet dance narrated by the NK Sharma. The puppet show is one of the bests I have witnessed .....the puppets literally come to life, they were running, playing, dancing.......and doing everything beyond amazement!!!! After the amazing show, we took a short tour of the museum and explored the tiny but amazing gift shop which has a vast collection ranging from puppets and keyrings to books, calendars, and traditional costumes. After a short break at the hotel, we went to awesome Nachna haveli which has The Trio the best rooftop restaurant in the city which have amazing views of, tazia tower, Badal Vilas Palace and the most amazing was the view of the majestic sonar Kila flooded by the golden yellow floodlights it looks a golden necklace on the golden city of Jaisalmer. We tried traditional Rajasthani dishes like Gatte-ki-Sabji, Ker sangria, moongbadi, traditional pickle etc....they were really delicious..... I will personally suggest you have at least one dinner at such a great place not only due to its delicious food but also for its ambiance. It is situated in a royal haveli that is built 500 years ago!!!! it has a wonderful reception area where you can spend time on a royal swing and exploring the royal exhibits, it has a dining section in two sections-one is an open-air restaurant below the sky full stars and wonderful rooftop view and the other is inside a royal tent ....please ensure you have a reservation in advance for open-air section, The traditional music is performed by local folk singers that are really soothing and relaxing. The managers who belong to royal descent are superb and very friendly, they suggested going to 4 the floor to see the view of the city, and I bet you will not regret the 150 step journey as you will get the most amazing and charming views you would ever have in your lifetime!!
3.Night view of the Sonar kila from the Trio's rooftop......
4.View of Jharokhas from Hawa pol......
On the very next day, we went to the old city to try some street food at breakfast. The street food of Jaisalmer is one of the best I ever tried(this is a personal opinion)the dal kachori, Kesar jalebi, Emirati, made up of pure cow ghee were really mouth-watering and the kulhad milk tea completed our breakfast. Any guess what is the next thing we have done in the Golden city??? Yes, obviously we visited the majestic Sonar Kila popularly known as Jaisalmer Fort also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is not only the second oldest fort built by Bhatti Rajputs around 1100 years ago but also one and only living fort of the world. It encompasses the palace area which consists of Raja ka Mahal and Rani ka mahal,12 beautifully carved Jain temple which is one of the finest specimens of Gurjara temple architecture, intricately carved sandstone Havelis, shops selling beautiful textiles, embroideries, colorful puppets and souvenirs and also rooftop cafes. We took a guided tour from the main gate of the fort which started from Akshay pol, passed Suraj pol, Beri-sal-pol, and finally hawapol which opens into the dushera Chowk. Partly built on Hawa pol the Fort palace is an elegant seven-story palace with beautifully carved sandstone jharokhas, rang Mahal, sheesh Mahal, sculpture gallery, arms gallery, stamp collections, and miniature paintings. The next attraction is Baa-RI-haveli which showcases artifacts from all aspects of forts life and also has a viewpoint with a panoramic view of the fort, Jain temples,bada bagh the royal cenotaphs, and the golden city where you can click photos by wearing colorful traditional turbans. After taking some great photographs we proceeded for the Jain temples. The Jain temples are a group of 12 interconnected temples with intensely sculpted pillars, torans and intricate carvings showcasing one of the best temples of India built in gurjara pratyahara architecture. The intricate carving on sandstone even rivals the carvings at marble Jain temples of Mount Abu and has an extraordinary quality soft and warm sandstone. After the end of the guided tour, we tried the famous masala chach which was so amazing I bet you can drink at least 10 glasses in your one breath!!
5. The museum galleries at the fort.
In the early morning at 5 am, we woke up so that we can go to the famous Tanot Mata temple. After 40 min of the serene drive, we reached the temple, but unfortunately, the temple was closed for weekly maintenance but by hook or crook we somewhat managed a darshan of the goddess. The temple got famous after the Indo -Pak war of 1971 when the bombs denoted by Pakistani rangers automatically defused.
TO BE CONTINUED...................................................
HAPPY WORLD HERITAGE DAY!!!!!
It was nice to read Soham