There is magic in the golden sand dunes of Jaisalmer. Its unique landscape, wildlife, people and culture make for a fascinating travel destination. Towards the end of 12th century, a magnificent city grew on an ancient trade route passing through Thar desert. Even after eight hundred years of tumultuous history, that city lives on and thrives. Today, travellers visit Jaisalmer as much for its golden deserts as for its rich heritage. If you are also thinking of visiting Jaisalmer, you may like to know all the reasons to love Jaisalmer. So, let me share some travel tips with you from my experiences.
When someone asks me to choose between mountains and beaches, I ask them if they have ever visited a desert! Deserts can be very fascinating indeed. Shifting sand dunes making for lovely landscapes, unique flora and fauna, and interesting communities make deserts such an attractive proposition! And if we are talking about Jaisalmer, it’s not only the deserts, add to the package a rich history, heritage, architecture and culture. One cannot but just fall in love with this desert town in western Rajasthan.
{To explore more experiences from Rajasthan, check out Udaipur ||| Pink City Rickshaws, Jaipur}
My rendezvous with the desert city
I first visited Jaisalmer in the autumn of 2008. Nights were not yet too cold, and days not too hot; so, very enjoyable times. My first visit was a solo trip. I just wanted to experience the sandy desert, a landscape I had never seen before. And maybe I was not much aware of the city’s history and heritage back then. However, as I read more about Jaisalmer’s history and saw great pictures of its wonderful architecture, I decided to explore them on my next trip.
The second trip came 13 years later, in October 2021. This time I had a good company- my colleague friend, Rajendra. We travelled together from Barmer, experienced the desert safari, stayed in a tent in the desert, enjoyed quintessential desert culture and explored interesting places. So, this is how I collected all the reasons to love Jaisalmer.
All the reasons to love Jaisalmer
What does one expect to see in a desert? Lifeless barren stretch of land, lack of resources or livelihoods and minimalist standard of living, right? Jaisalmer, in the middle of Thar desert, is far from this imagination of a desert. A grand fort with palaces and ornate buildings, beautiful temples, a rich culture, colourful people and a thriving society; this is Jaisalmer, one of India’s most enigmatic places.
Among all the reasons to love Jaisalmer, my favorites are watching the sunset over sand dunes, the incredible architectural heritage and interesting Rajasthani culture. However, in recent times, I have noticed that a lot of adventure sports avenues have come up in the area. Though I’m not very fond these sports, they are quite popular among tourists.
{If you are planning a trip to Jaisalmer, check out: Jaisalmer Travel Guide}
Why deserts are so fascinating:
My first encounter with a desert (without sand dunes) was in Kutch, Gujarat. Reaching there at mid-day, I felt like I was in a furnace! As it was a work trip, I had to finish some official engagement before taking refuge in an air-conditioned room for the rest of the day. But later in the evening, when I got out of my room, the environment had completely changed! It was already pleasant with cool breeze blowing away, and was very enjoyable. Deserts are like this; an experience in many contrasts.
Deserts are very hot places during day time, but are cold at night. They look lifeless, but if you look closer, they are full of life, a unique ecosystem with very interesting bio-diversity! Deserts may seem to be boring places to ordinary souls, but are actually very interesting places to explore.
7 interesting facts about deserts:
- Deserts occupy 20% (30% if one includes partial deserts) of total landmass on earth, and support about 17% of world population!
- Deserts are growing each year! Gobi desert (China, Mangolia) is growing by over 1000 square miles every year! (though Sahara is actually shrinking)
- The largest dry desert is Sahara in Africa that spans 9 countries! And the largest cold desert is Antarctica.
- There are places in Atacama desert that has never received any rainfall! And yet, it’s home to a million people!
- Despite being one of the driest places, Antarctica conserves over 90% of earth’s fresh water in the form of frozen ice!
- On 18 February, 1979, it actually snowed in Sahara for about 30 minutes!
- In the summer months, the sun never sets over the arctic desert for about 60 days!
1. Love Jaisalmer for the Desert Safari
Thar is the only desert in India with sand dunes. For me, sand dunes are the first of the reasons to love Jaisalmer. I still remember vividly the first desert safari I had in Jaisalmer. I booked a safari with the hotel I was staying in; they took me by a small tempo to the nearby Sam sand dunes. They had arranged for camels for the safari, and a cultural program with dinner.
{Love desert safaris? Further reading suggestion: Desert safari in Dubai}
Gorgeous sunsets and charming evenings:
The camel-man helped me ride his animal and we went quite far into the desert just before it was sunset. It was a bit too warm for the comfort, but I was excited about the prospect of a gorgeous sunset over the beautiful sand dunes. Indeed, the sunset didn’t disappoint. Watching the sun go down the horizon beyond an unending stretch of sand dunes amidst bright golden rays was absolutely fascinating!
The second time I visited Jaisalmer, I couldn’t have missed this opportunity. This time, I and Rajendra spent more time watching the sunset, almost a repeat of the first experience. In fact, as the sky hardly ever becomes cloudy, the sunsets are always against a clear sky, and they offer the same views each time. I still remember the sight of how the lights slowly came up from the hotels and resorts of Sam under the orange sky.
Camel, ship of the desert:
How fascinating are the camels! Absolutely peaceful animals, always at the service of mankind, and hardly ever demanding. In good old days, they were the only means of transport, especially for goods across vast desert regions from Africa to west Asia and right up to China (spanning the famous Silk Road). As horses were crucial for warfare, camels were important for goods transport. No surprise then that people refer the camel as ship of the desert.
Though in course of time, with advent of mechanized transport options, dependency on camel for transport has gone down significantly. However, they still play an important role in transport for locals, and take part in making the tourists happy.
It doesn’t appear to be an overtly intelligent animal, but it has certainly got high emotional quotient with human beings. I just love its demeanour. Camels are of course, one of the reasons to love Jaisalmer.
Use of camels for livelihoods:
We had a friendly chat with our camel-boy. Among other things, he talked about his livelihoods using the camels. For a lot of people in the desert areas, using camels for tourism is the only source of livelihood. These days, some people talk about avoiding/ discouraging camel rides (and other animal rides) in tourism. However, discussions like this with local communities over the years have convinced me that blanket banning/ discouraging use of animals in tourism is not such a great idea. As long as one can drink milk of any animal, or eat meat of any animal, use of animals in tourism should be allowed.
Yes, however, there is a need for ethical treatment of animals in tourism as much as in any other industry where animals contribute. The local communities using the animals should be educated, and the government should have some monitoring over ethical use of animals.
The child labour issue:
And if you noticed the boy engaged in the camel-tourism industry here; yes, it’s a common practice here. There are a lot of poor households in the desert-villages. They engage their children (along with everyone else in the family) to earn a bit more for the household. Child labour is banned in India; but definitely, the law is not enough. The economy needs to reach that stage when we can seriously implement the law.
2. Love Jaisalmer: A cultural oasis
If a place you are visiting has a two thousand years old history, you cannot just ignore making it part of the travel experience. Whenever I visit a place, I definitely look for its history and heritage value. Culture is intricately related to the history of a place. The older the history, the richer is the culture. Because culture evolves immensely over generations, and changes itself while keeping the essence of the earlier generation.
Rich culture of Jaisalmer is second of the reasons to love Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer’s culture and tradition are essentially Rajasthani in nature, and largely influenced by the neighboring Sindh province, now in Pakistan. The dominant colour of the region reflects the golden vistas of the desert landscape. However, the monotony is broken by the colourful dresses of its people. Women wear lovely bright colours like pink, red, black, and yellow with beautifully crafted silver jewelry. Though men generally wear whites, their turbans are colourful (tie-and-dye fabric).
My love for folk culture:
For me, the best part of Jaisalmer culture is their awe inspiring folk dance and music. Be it the traditional ghoomar dance or the kalbeliya form, each time I have just loved the performances of local artists. And the kathputli (puppet form) is icing on the cake!
While on the desert safari, we met a local musician playing flute and another similar instrument. Thanks to him, our evening became even more enjoyable.
How to experience Jaisalmer culture:
The best way to experience culture of a place is to live with the community as the way they live, and experience their slow pace of life. However, it’s not always possible for tourists. The next best option is a tour operator. Most tourists pick a local tour operator for a desert safari. The package generally includes cultural shows by local artists.
Besides, every camp site/ resort in the desert has its own local cultural groups to perform for the guests in the evening. Tip: better resorts provide better cultural experiences.
And do not forget to look for local folk/ instrumental musicians wandering around the desert. It’s a win-win; they earn a little, and you are treated to some authentic local cultural experience for peanuts.
If you are visiting Jaisalmer in February, look for the Desert Festival. The festival showcases the best of Jaisalmer culture- food, dance, music, craft, etc.
3. Love Jaisalmer for its Architectural Heritage
Rulers of Jaisalmer kingdom over the years built magnificent palaces, temples and other beautiful buildings both inside and around the Jaisalmer fort. These architectural masterpieces are third of the reasons to love Jaisalmer. It takes at least two days to explore all the wonderful architectural heritage of Jaisalmer, especially Jaisalmer Fort area. The striking golden-yellow sandstone in which the fort is built looks so gorgeous! In fact, the UNESCO has declared it as a World heritage Site as part of Hill Forts of Rajasthan.
{For referring another UNESCO world heritage hillfort in Rajasthan, check out: Gagron fort}
All the wonderful buildings in the fort complex:
Perhaps the most wonderful building in the fort complex is the Raja ka Mahal (King’s palace), or the Maharwal Palace. The 1500 ft long and 750 ft wide fort has four impressive gateways- the Hawa pol, Ganesh pol, Akshay pol and Suraj pol. A part of this palace is called Rani ka Mahal (Queen’s palace). Some of the other beautiful buildings within Raja ka Mahal are Gaj vilas, Akhai Vilas and Sarvottam vilas.
{If you like architectural heritage, read more: Hampi |||| Stepwells of India |||| Khajuraho- Orchha}
Jain and Hindu Temples:
There are 7 Jain temples of which Parshwanath temple is the most popular, and a number of Hindu temples of which the Lakshminath temple is the most popular. These temples have such wonderful architecture and intricate carvings that I wish they stood not in the corners of crowded streets but in spacious lush green campuses. While taking a walk around these Jain temples, I thought to myself, “how come all Jain temples across Rajasthan and Gujarat have such outstanding designs/ carvings”!
{If you are interested in more Jain heritage shrines, check out: Shravanabelagola}
4. Adventure and desert sports in Jaisalmer
If you are an adventure seeker or at least love to try your hands at some adventure sports, Jaisalmer has quite a few to offer: Parasailing | Quad-biking | Jeep safari | Dune-bashing | Zip-lining | Paramotoring. Of late, I heard that someone has started a hot-air ballooning experience; I have not seen this though.
Honestly, I have never liked the concept of adventure as sports, or sports as adventure. Plus, they cost a bomb! But yes, everyone is not me! So, if you like it, look for professional agencies online, rather than finding them on the spot, because you never know if they would provide the best experience.
Jaisalmer : A concluding remark
History and cultural heritage of very few deserts is as rich as Jaisalmer’s. In fact, it was not far from the ancient Indus valley civilization. Though there is no archeological evidence, it is possible that it was very much part of the civilization. Or, maybe it has ancestral lineage to the people from the erstwhile civilization.
Visiting Jaisalmer has been a very unique experience for me. If one asks me which part of the experience I love the most, I would perhaps not be able to differentiate. The deserts are as fascinating as the culture of the place, and the architectural heritage is equally outstanding. So, you may pick up your interest area and enjoy the experience.
Hope you liked my all the reasons to love Jaisalmer. Have you already been there? Please share your all the reasons to love Jaisalmer. Want to know more? Do write to us.
Jayvanti Einjen
Beautifully described. I will visit with parina and you.lovely photographs
stampedmoments
Certainly, we will visit together some day 🙂
Thank you!
Soumen
Just rightly said the Rich culture of Jaisalmer is the reason to love Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer’s culture and tradition are essentially Rajasthani in nature, and largely influenced by the neighboring Sindh province, now in Pakistan. The dominant color of the region reflects the golden vistas of the desert landscape. However, the monotony is broken by the colorful dresses of its people. Women wear lovely bright colors like pink, red, black, and yellow with beautifully crafted silver jewelry.
Jaisalmer has really an Architectural Heritage. How one can forget Satyajit Ray, the Oscar-winning filmmaker who called it the Golden Fort (Sonar Qilla) and made a movie out of it. The golden fort and the surrounding golden sand desert prompt people to nickname Jaisalmer as the ‘golden city’.
The most wonderful building in the fort complex is the Raja ka Mahal (King’s palace), or the Maharwal Palace, The 1500 ft long and 750 ft wide fort has four impressive gateways- the Hawa pol, Ganesh pol, Akshay pol, and Suraj pol. A part of this palace is called Rani ka Mahal (Queen’s palace). Some of the other beautiful buildings within Raja ka Mahal are Gaj Vilas, Akhai Vilas, and Sarvottam Vilas. All these are really worth watching.
Some other notable buildings in the fort complex are several merchant havelis, Baa Ri haveli, Nathmal ki haveli, Tazia tower, 7 Jain temples, and a few Hindu temples.
The narrow streets and bazaars are quite beautifully explained and yes it’s really worthwhile while roaming in the streets.
There are also other monuments and Havelis which have nicely curved rich architecture. How we can forget the famous Gadisar lake, it’s really a nice time to spend during the evening.
Kuldhara, the ‘haunted’ village, doesn’t look scary during the daytime as the architecture is again so beautiful.
There are a lot of adventure sports that have come up during these days for the tourist. There are even craft villages in the middle of the desert that attract tourists. The sand dunes and camel safari is the main tourist attraction
I had the opportunity to visit Jaselmer during my internship with KIIT School of Rural Management Bhubaneswar, where I spend along with my college friend and a friend from Germany David Wickman with whom we met at Seva Mandir Udaipur. We spend 1 night in the desert enjoying the cool night and slipping under the sky gave us a wonderful experience. By reading the blog I went back to my memory lane in the year 2009.
Its really fascinating and wonderful read exploring the culturally rich Jaisalmer.
stampedmoments
Oh good to know that you have already been there.
It’s such a unique experience!
Thanks for the feedback.
Sarita Rout
I haven’t been to Jaisalmer. This piece is really helpful to plan my trip sometime.
stampedmoments
Maybe, we will go together one day! haha
Ramesh Patel
Wah,wah….wah bhai wah…Suvendu ji.. One question to you is..How you are managing such time to be spared from the current professional engagement??.. You are roaming and enjoying unique places in India at the very right age too.. Congratulations for such planning, thoughtful sight hunting, precious documenting, and sharing with a wider audience. It was pleasant experience for me to travel in your Jaisalmer document and feel the sense of it. Thanks for sharing the same.. Sandy salute from Ramesh Patel.
stampedmoments
Ramesh bhai! Such a pleasure to hear from you!
Thanks a lot for all the compliments, and reading the blog.
Yeah, I am trying follow a passion- of travelling and writing.
Let’s see if I do good 🙂
Please remain connected all the time.
Sara Hevia
Fascinating place and fantastic description and photography
I had note to visit someday
stampedmoments
Hi Sara!
Good to hear from you after long! Thanks a lot for the lovely feedback.
Yup, visit someday, and let me know 🙂
SHRIKANT BANSOD
When I was in Barmer, I missed the opportunity to go there. I look forward to travelling to Jaisalmer someday and listening to Ravanahatha live.
Thank you for this. This is really helpful.
stampedmoments
Absolutely, you should have visited Jaisalmer then.
But never too late, you are so young!
It’s such a unique place with a wonderful culture!
Do share your experience whenever you are there.
Thank you!
Shrusti
I love the opening line, I found myself thinking along these very lines on a recent holiday. What a great piece, it covers so much detail and I particularly love the little segue into camels!
stampedmoments
Yeah, deserts are very fascinating places.
I do echo your thoughts.
Thanks a lot for the appreciation.