Jaisalmer – A dream fulfilled
Ever since we saw Satyajit Ray’s Sonar Kella, we had always cherished a desire to visit Jaisalmer. On a couple of occasions, we had been near to Jaisalmer but could not make it to our cherished destination.
In November 2016, the 3 of us were finally able to fulfill our dream to set foot on Jaisalmer and see the Sonar Kella or Golden Fort with our own eyes. And we were absolutely enamored and bowled over by the lofty fort as its golden facade shone in the Sun. The fort was much more beautiful than anything that we had imagined and its first look took our breath away.
We landed at Jodhpur airport by the morning flight from Mumbai and took a car to cover the 275 km distance to Jaisalmer. The road was good though under construction and repair at many patches. Our driver could easily maintain an average speed of 80 kms per hour which took us around 5 hours to reach Jaisalmer. Lunch was at highway dhaba called Midway Thar at a place called Dechu. It was a nice vegetarian lunch with tava rotis smeared with butter. Pokharan, where India had conducted the nuclear tests was the only known place on the way. Windmills dotted the landscape, there were more than hundreds of them, but what struck us was that they were hardly rotating due to the very low wind speeds. I wondered whether they were able to generate the power that they had been designed for.
Just before entering Jaisalmer, our driver stopped at Jailsalmer War museum which was worth visiting and made our hearts swell with pride at the glorious feats of our brave soldiers. Jaisalmer is very close to the Pakistan border and hence has been involved in many wars. The great Indian victory at Longewala during the 1971 war is the most glorious of these. The war museum was immaculately maintained and spread over a large open area. Though we were quite tired after the long drive, we went around the museum enthusiastically. Any visitor to Jaisalmer should never miss this museum.
The setting sun greeted us as we neared Jaisalmer.
As we entered the town of Jaisalmer, the imposing Shonar kella became visible from close quarters and I could not take away my eyes from its magnificence.
By late evening we had checked into our hotel – the Hotel Imperial. It was a big letdown but we had no choice. The only good point was that it was not very far from Shonar Kella.
Next morning, fresh from a good night’s sleep and a simple breakfast, we set out to explore the Killa. It was just a short drive from our hotel and parking our car outside, we walked in through the gates. The shonar kella is India’s only living fort which means that people still live in it. Not royals, neither the rich but ordinary common people are its inhabitants. Some live in big sized houses while others in small dwellings. 2 wheelers sped past us from all directions. Small eateries and shops flourished everywhere selling dresses, hats, bed – sheets, rajasthani turbans and other local specialities. From certain designated view-points the city of Jaisalmer presented a grand panoramic view .
After having our fill of the fort and soaking in its grandeur, we did a bit of shopping and then moved on to the Patwaon ki haveli.
These 5 grand havelis belonged to the affluent Patwa family in olden times and today they are a source of income to the new- generation of Patwas who have moved on to more luxurious and modern abodes.
The havelis were narrow covering a low floor-space with tall structures. Rooms were smaller than our rooms and narrow passageways & stairs gave a claustrophobic feeling. Even natural light seemed to be in short supply. After exploring one such haveli, we departed for lunch. It was vegetarian lunch again as we sampled some rajasthani specialities like ker sangri and Gatte ki sabzi. Ker sangria is a preparation of flat dried desert beans and berry-like ker seeds. It was good but I guess you have to develop a taste for it, to swear by it.
After a brief rest at our hotel, we left for the abandoned city of Kuldhara and the sand dunes at Sam in the heart of the Thar & Gobi desert.
Kuldhara is an abandoned village in the Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, India. Established around 13th century, it was once a prosperous village inhabited by Paliwal Brahmins. It was abandoned by the early 19th century for unknown reasons, possibly because of dwindling water supply, or as a local legend claims, because of persecution by the Jaisalmer State's minister Salim Singh. According to this version, the lecherous minister Salim Singh was attracted to a beautiful girl from the village. He sent his guards to force the villagers to hand over the girl. The villagers asked the guards to return next morning, and abandoned the village overnight.[14] Another version claims that 83 other villages in the area were also abandoned overnight.
Walking through the ruins gives a creepy feeling and a sense of despair at the decline of a once prosperous village.
After Kuldhara, we drove further ahead to the Sam sand dunes and were in the midst of the vast rajasthani dessert. Cactuses and camels were all around. The desert safari on jeep turned out to be the most exciting event of our tour. Our Mahindra Thar four-wheel jeep drove deep inside the dunes through a narrow dirt track and then after instructing us to hold tight, our driver drove straight into the sands at break-neck speed. Our jeep raced up and down steep dunes, sharp turns and bends, sometimes even flying off the ground. An absolute roller-coaster of a ride. A short drive of few minutes seemed like an hour. Had I know what was in store, I would have never sat for the jeep safari. But looking back I was glad that I experienced something like this. This was the first time that we had seen the desert and it was as exciting as when we first saw snow at Manali.
The thrilling jeep ride was followed by a camel cart ride. You also have the option of riding on a camel back but we opted for the camel cart. The cart took us to the deep desert where we alighted at a vantage point to view the magnificent sun-set. After a wait for around half an hour, the sun set majestically amidst the sand dunes as we watched the spectacle. The desert ride complete, we enjoyed a local cultural song and dance performance and a rajasthani vegetarian buffet.
We reached back to our hotel at Jaisalmer after an hour long drive late at night through the spooky wilderness of the desert.
The next day, we set off for the Longewala border which was a long drive of 120 kms through a picturesque but barren landscape dotted with thorny shrubs, cactuses and windmills. Our first stop was the Tannot Mata temple, just 20kms ahead of the border. The temple has a very interesting legend behind it
As per the oldest Charan literature Tannot Mata is new clone of divine goddess Hinglaj Mata. It is very close to the battle site of Longewala of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, indeed some credit the temple for the outcome of the battle. The area is said to have oil and gas reserves. It is said that during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Pakistani Army dropped over 3000 bombs targeting the temple but not even one exploded! The Pakistani Tank regiment was stupefied and kept shelling but not one bomb exploded. After the war the temple management was handed over to Border Security Force of India on their request and to date the temple is maintained and manned by the BSF soldiers. The temple has a museum which has collections of the unexploded bombs that were shot by pakistani tanks. In 1971 again when Pakistan and India went to war this area was again targeted by the Pakistani Tanks for 4 days but again all the tanks were stuck in the sand and the Indian Air Force picked them out easily by bombing them where they stood as they were unable to move even one inch.
The temple itself is a very simple structure behind which is a area where devotees tie pieces of cloth while making a wish. From the temple, we drove on to the Longewala post, through a narrow and deserted road, barren on both sides. The Pakistani border is only another 10 kms from here.
The post is a memorial to the battle of Longewala and the heroes of the historic victory. From here we drove back on the long return journey back to Jaisalmer.
We were desperate for some non-veg food by now and we found a perfect spot for the same. The lal maas and chicken was excellent and cooked in traditional rajasthani style.
In the evening we visited the Gadisar Lake but avoided the boat ride
Later we roamed the local market outside the Sonar kella and purchased some sweets and savouries for home and friends. We had a last view of the majestic golden fort bathed in the golden glow of the night.
Dinner was at a heritage restaurant, named Atithi and decorated in rustic style, just a few yards from our hotel. We had laal maas again and chicken do-pyaaza both of which were cooked to perfection. Next morning after a freshly cooked breakfast at our hotel, we bid adieu to Jaisalmer driving past the Sonal kella and straining our necks for a last look of the lofty structure.
