Days 226 – 227: Jaisalmer
We had a good 6+ hour drive to the desert outside Jaisalmer, where we had a sunset camel ride scheduled for the evening. Our driver broke up the long drive with a few roadside curiosities along the way. First we visited a desert oasis which is a wintertime nesting ground for a couple thousand Siberian Cranes. Next, we visited a Jain Temple decorated in glass, “like something you have never seen before!” Avinash assured us.
A large population of Siberian Cranes migrates to India during the winter
Visiting the “Glass Temple” – a Jain Temple decked out floor to ceiling with colored glass, mirrors and painted tiles
The glass-covered dome within the temple glitters in the light, and scenes from Jain religious teachings decorate the outer hallways
Since Rajasthan was a stopover on the Silk Road, many temples and palaces in the area incorporate decorations imported from Europe – the Jain Glass Temple features colored glass from England and hand painted tiles from Belgium
We stop in a curio shop after the temple. Normally we get annoyed when brought to the obligatory souvenir shop at the end of a tour, but the huge collection of antiques and oddities made the shop feel more like a museum! In general, the guys doesn’t like people to take pictures of his stuff, but he did let us snap pics of the restored wooden doors and the colorful wooden tubes used to protect documents sent between Europe and the Far East during the days of the Silk Road (Desert E-Mail!)
Cows! Cows everywhere! Apparently their owners just let them wander the streets for food all day – sadly, there’s not much greenery for them to eat, and we see many cows chopping down on trash. This hungry fellow found a soiled piece of cardboard…a few seconds later another bull comes by and takes it away!
We reach the desert outside Jaisalmer just before sunset – we quickly jump on our camels and ride out into the dunes
Sunset camel ride in Jaisalmer – we are less than 100KM from the boarder with Pakistan (a 5 day journey by camel if we are interested, our guide tells us)
A desert dinner show! Sadly, we didn’t notice our camera battery was dying when we started the camel ride, so we only had Igor’s cellphone to record the firelight festivities
We watch a traditional Rajasthani dancer twirl around the fire pit. After a fantastic performance, Lindsay is horrified when she starts pulling audience members up to dancer with her! Igor gleefully videotaped the whole, embarrassing spectacle
The next day, we tour the ancient city of Jaisalmer. Nicknamed “the Golden City” due to the honey-colored sandstone used for the fort and surrounding city, Jaisalmer is one of the oldest settlements we visited in Rajasthan. It was established in the mid-1100s by Rawal Jaisal. We learn that the names of most of these cities follow a pattern: the founding king always names the city after himself (it’s good to be the king!) and the suffix “-mer” means “city” if the king was Hindu (if he was Muslim, the sufflix “-pur” was used instead).
Jaisalmer was a Rajput territory – belonging to the “warrior caste” of northern India. The Rajputs had a “death over dishonor” mentality, and no prisoner was ever taken alive. There were 3 times during the fort’s history when the kingdom was under siege for so long their supplies ran out. In those cases, the women and children of the aristocracy performed jauhar (mass suicide) before the soldiers rode out to die in battle.
The Jaisalmer Fort – it looks like a giant sandcastle rising out of the desert!
The Jaisalmer Fort is a “living fort” – dozens of families still live inside the ancient city, and tons of havelis have been converted into hotels. As such, motorcycles, tuktuks and cows join the crowds of tourists trying walk through the gates
The Fort Palace, inside the Jaisalmer Fort. In the doorway to the palace, we see about a dozen red-stained handprints – these are memorials left by aristocratic women who performed sati (widow suicide) after their husbands died
Our admission ticket includes an audio guide, so we explore the palace alone while our local guide waits for us at the exit
Dozens of kings have lived in the Jaisalmer Fort Palace since it was built, over 800 years ago. Playing up their “divine right” to rule, the rajas claim they can trace their family tree back to the Hindu god, Krishna
Admiring the view of the Golden City from the top of the Fort Palace
Jaisalmer – The Golden City of Rajasthan
The famous collection of Rajput stamps and a sword are absent from the tour – we want a refund! At least we got to see the king’s work-out equipment in the form of two wooden “dumbbells” by the royal bed. Dude must have been ripped
After touring the fort, we had a quick stop for lunch before continuing on foot to visit some of the stone-carved havelis in the old city. Unlike the havelis we saw in Mandawa, these are not known for frescos, but for the intricately carved jali screened windows, elaborate doorways and tiered balconies.
So, cannibis is legal in India (guess we don’t need to rush back to California! LOL!) – we see Governemnt “Bhang” shops outside the fort on our way to lunch, advertising milk shakes and lassis – apparently bhang (an edible mix of marijuana buds and leaves) mixed with milk, mangos and spices is the Hindu alternative to alcohol (which is forbidden for many Hindu casts). Thanks, but no thanks for us – Igor orders an intoxicant-free pineapple juice to go with our chana masala – YUM!
A sweet puppy naps outside the Nathmal-ki Haveli – one of the many sandstone mansions that populate the city. This haveli was built by two brothers – each brother designed one half of the home, competing to out-do the other. As a result, the left and right sides of the building are ever-so-slightly different from each other
Inlaid mirrors and gold leaf paintings decorate the interior of the Nathmal-ki Haveli, which was once the home of the Prime Minister of India
The granddaddy of all havelis – the Patwa-ki Haveli
The Padwa-ki Haveli is made up of five sections, built by five brothers between 1800-1860
The inside of the Padwa-ki Haveli is pretty bling – mirrors and colored glass create colorful floor to ceiling mosaics. A set of stone carving tools like those used to build the haveli are on display in the museum
3 days after the 500/1000 rupee ban – some ATMs have finally been restocked with small 100 rupee bills, however machines can only hold a maximum of Rs. 880,000 (8,800 x 100 notes). Even with a 2000 rupee withdrawal limit (about USD $25) per transaction, the ATMs were running out of cash within a few hours
In addition to all the cows and stray dogs wandering in the streets, we see wild pigs and piglets rooting through the trash
Enjoying the rooftop view of the Jaisalmer Fort and the cozy alcove at our swanky hotel, the Fifu Haveli