Valentine’s Day dawned with a beautiful sunrise which was visible from the roof of a low building on the camp. In the arena area we had occupied the previous night a peacock displayed his wonderful tail feathers in pursuit of a peahen who seemed to be disinterested in this wonderful display and dance. Notwithstanding her disinterest, the display was perfect for us humans. The early morning was very chilly but as the sun rose it soon warmed up.
We breakfasted in the restaurant at 8 a.m. and left for Jaisalmer soon after wards after checking out and bidding our hosts farewell. Jaislamer is known as the ‘Pink City’ , rather appropriate for Valentine’s Day!! We packed into the jeeps again, our luggage following along n the top of a third vehicle. Our first stop was at the camp office where our bags were stored. Then we met our guide whose name was , conveniently, Pankaj. He led us to the huge fort which dominates the town. The enormous sandstone fort was both palace for the king and home for local residents who were separated by a wall between the Brahmins who are vegetarians and the rajputs who are meat-eaters. It may seem to be strange to separate two communities on the basis of diet but the King, it seems, felt that community harmony would best be preserved by separating the two groups. Perhaps there was more to it than that??? The fort which is entered by alternately angled gates to confuse the elephants of the enemy and which is provided with large stone balls on the ramparts to shower the enemy with, was well defended. We entered and the narrow cobbled streets of the fort are teeming with people, motor cycles, cows and carts of merchandise. There are many shops selling trinkets and crafts and a number of hotels. Here is some information about the fort:
Quote
Jaisalmer Fort is a World Heritage Site declared UNESCO under the group Hill Forts of Rajasthan situated in the city of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, India. Fort was built by the Rajput ruler Rawal Jaisal in 1156 AD, from whom it derives its name. (Rawal Jaisal’s son was Shalivahan II; Manj and Bhati Rajputs are descended from him.) Jaisalmer fort stands amidst the sandy expanse of the great Thar Desert, on Trikuta Hill, and has been the scene of many battles. Its massive yellow sandstone walls are a tawny lion color during the day, fading to honey-gold as the sun sets, thereby camouflaging the fort in the yellow desert. For this reason, it is also known as the Sonar Quila or Golden Fort.
Jaisalmer fort is 1,500 ft (460 m) long and 750 ft (230 m) wide and is built on a hill that rises above a height of 250 ft (76 m) above the surrounding countryside. The basement of the fort has a 15 ft (4.6 m) tall wall forming a double line of defense. The bastions of the fort forms a chain about 30 ft (9.1 m). The fort has four entrances to the downside, one of which used to be guarded by cannon.
There is an individual device hoisted on the crest of the fort’s walls, and was used to assume the weather. The delicate blend of Islamic and Rajput architectural style will definitely catch the fancy of the eyeballs which looks stunning during the night. The Fort of Jaisalmer survived several attacks by the Muslim rulers like Ala-Uddin-Khilji and Mughal Emperor Humayun. Inside the fort complex tourists can find several architectural buildings which include palaces, houses and temples made up of soft yellow sandstone which looks as the Fort is made up of Gold and its beauty rises with the sunset when it gleam like melting gold. Jaisalmer fort has narrow winding pathways which interlock several parts of the fort. The complex of Jaisalmer fort is so expansive that almost one-quarter of the town’s population located in this fort itself.
The most famous splendid structures such as the Maharawals located in front of the Chauhata Square. The foremost attraction of this place is Maharawal’s marble throne which is placed over a flight of marble steps. An added famous tourist attraction of this place is a five-storied Tazia tower located head-to-head to the Maharawals palace. This tower was constructed by Muslim craftsmen and is made with decorative Bengali styled roofs.
The one more beauty section in the palace is the Jawahar Palace is among the other tourist attractions of Jaisalmer fort which was the residence of a royal family. This place is famous for its beautiful construction and ornate design which captivate tourist’s attention during their visit to this palace. Ganesh Pol, Rang Pol, Bhoota Pol and Hava Pol are the entrance gates of this fort which is known for sculptured beauty and beautiful design. Some havelis are many hundreds of years old. In Jaisalmer, there are many elaborate havelis carved from yellow sandstone. Some of these have many floors and countless rooms, with decorated windows, archways, doors, and balconies.
The most visited places of this fort are the Raj Mahal, The Jain and the Laxmikanth Temples and several other temples and gateways.
Unquote
We stopped to visit a suite of Jain Temples with their intricately carved sandstone (the normal marble could not be used by order of the King). Due to the risks of their being intercepted, the idols for the temple which had been buried and hidden for some time before the temple was built, had to be moved by means of a 16 km tunnel into the fort. What a monumental exercise.
After leaving the fort we walked through the streets of the old city and came upon the Patwon Ji Ki Havelis some five intricately carved houses which were the residences of wealthy merchants. One of these has been well restored and we toured its many rooms which have been restored and furnished much as they would have been when the residents lived there. We climbed to the roof which gave us a panoramic view of the city.
On our way back to the jeeps, we called at a beautiful tapestry shop where wonderful rugs, bed and table covers and other items were laid out before us. Some bought, some just looked in wonder at the beautifully worked fabrics.
Then it was off to the airport for our Spicejet flight back to Jaipur. The small Bombardier plane arrived and turned around in record time. I was thwarted in my usual race to the plane by Darshana who managed to get in front of me and beat me to the plane’s steps. Obviously I have a lot to learn about the Indian way of embarkation!!
The flight back was uneventful and we were soon in Jaipur. Our trip to the hotel took quite a time and involved the usual hair-raising trip through the city traffic which seems somehow to meld together without rancor despite the near-misses and random movements of many of the vehicles. The hotel, the Trident is very nice and after a short hiatus because the rooms had twin beds and not king-size we got to it room and changed for the trip to the Great Kabab Factory at the Radisson Hotel, for our Valentine’s Night dinner.
The restaurant was decked out with red, heart balloons and we dined on either vegetarian or meat kababs and then on curries and dahl and several breads which were all delicious. A number of desserts were served including a type of lollipop made of betel leaves.
We presented Darshana with a Valentine’s card signed by all of us and I think she was quite moved.
After a great meal, we returned to the bus for the journey back to the hotel, pretty tired by this time and well-ready for bed.
We breakfasted in the restaurant at 8 a.m. and left for Jaisalmer soon after wards after checking out and bidding our hosts farewell. Jaislamer is known as the ‘Pink City’ , rather appropriate for Valentine’s Day!! We packed into the jeeps again, our luggage following along n the top of a third vehicle. Our first stop was at the camp office where our bags were stored. Then we met our guide whose name was , conveniently, Pankaj. He led us to the huge fort which dominates the town. The enormous sandstone fort was both palace for the king and home for local residents who were separated by a wall between the Brahmins who are vegetarians and the rajputs who are meat-eaters. It may seem to be strange to separate two communities on the basis of diet but the King, it seems, felt that community harmony would best be preserved by separating the two groups. Perhaps there was more to it than that??? The fort which is entered by alternately angled gates to confuse the elephants of the enemy and which is provided with large stone balls on the ramparts to shower the enemy with, was well defended. We entered and the narrow cobbled streets of the fort are teeming with people, motor cycles, cows and carts of merchandise. There are many shops selling trinkets and crafts and a number of hotels. Here is some information about the fort:
Quote
Jaisalmer Fort is a World Heritage Site declared UNESCO under the group Hill Forts of Rajasthan situated in the city of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, India. Fort was built by the Rajput ruler Rawal Jaisal in 1156 AD, from whom it derives its name. (Rawal Jaisal’s son was Shalivahan II; Manj and Bhati Rajputs are descended from him.) Jaisalmer fort stands amidst the sandy expanse of the great Thar Desert, on Trikuta Hill, and has been the scene of many battles. Its massive yellow sandstone walls are a tawny lion color during the day, fading to honey-gold as the sun sets, thereby camouflaging the fort in the yellow desert. For this reason, it is also known as the Sonar Quila or Golden Fort.
Jaisalmer fort is 1,500 ft (460 m) long and 750 ft (230 m) wide and is built on a hill that rises above a height of 250 ft (76 m) above the surrounding countryside. The basement of the fort has a 15 ft (4.6 m) tall wall forming a double line of defense. The bastions of the fort forms a chain about 30 ft (9.1 m). The fort has four entrances to the downside, one of which used to be guarded by cannon.
There is an individual device hoisted on the crest of the fort’s walls, and was used to assume the weather. The delicate blend of Islamic and Rajput architectural style will definitely catch the fancy of the eyeballs which looks stunning during the night. The Fort of Jaisalmer survived several attacks by the Muslim rulers like Ala-Uddin-Khilji and Mughal Emperor Humayun. Inside the fort complex tourists can find several architectural buildings which include palaces, houses and temples made up of soft yellow sandstone which looks as the Fort is made up of Gold and its beauty rises with the sunset when it gleam like melting gold. Jaisalmer fort has narrow winding pathways which interlock several parts of the fort. The complex of Jaisalmer fort is so expansive that almost one-quarter of the town’s population located in this fort itself.
The most famous splendid structures such as the Maharawals located in front of the Chauhata Square. The foremost attraction of this place is Maharawal’s marble throne which is placed over a flight of marble steps. An added famous tourist attraction of this place is a five-storied Tazia tower located head-to-head to the Maharawals palace. This tower was constructed by Muslim craftsmen and is made with decorative Bengali styled roofs.
The one more beauty section in the palace is the Jawahar Palace is among the other tourist attractions of Jaisalmer fort which was the residence of a royal family. This place is famous for its beautiful construction and ornate design which captivate tourist’s attention during their visit to this palace. Ganesh Pol, Rang Pol, Bhoota Pol and Hava Pol are the entrance gates of this fort which is known for sculptured beauty and beautiful design. Some havelis are many hundreds of years old. In Jaisalmer, there are many elaborate havelis carved from yellow sandstone. Some of these have many floors and countless rooms, with decorated windows, archways, doors, and balconies.
The most visited places of this fort are the Raj Mahal, The Jain and the Laxmikanth Temples and several other temples and gateways.
Unquote
We stopped to visit a suite of Jain Temples with their intricately carved sandstone (the normal marble could not be used by order of the King). Due to the risks of their being intercepted, the idols for the temple which had been buried and hidden for some time before the temple was built, had to be moved by means of a 16 km tunnel into the fort. What a monumental exercise.
After leaving the fort we walked through the streets of the old city and came upon the Patwon Ji Ki Havelis some five intricately carved houses which were the residences of wealthy merchants. One of these has been well restored and we toured its many rooms which have been restored and furnished much as they would have been when the residents lived there. We climbed to the roof which gave us a panoramic view of the city.
On our way back to the jeeps, we called at a beautiful tapestry shop where wonderful rugs, bed and table covers and other items were laid out before us. Some bought, some just looked in wonder at the beautifully worked fabrics.
Then it was off to the airport for our Spicejet flight back to Jaipur. The small Bombardier plane arrived and turned around in record time. I was thwarted in my usual race to the plane by Darshana who managed to get in front of me and beat me to the plane’s steps. Obviously I have a lot to learn about the Indian way of embarkation!!
The flight back was uneventful and we were soon in Jaipur. Our trip to the hotel took quite a time and involved the usual hair-raising trip through the city traffic which seems somehow to meld together without rancor despite the near-misses and random movements of many of the vehicles. The hotel, the Trident is very nice and after a short hiatus because the rooms had twin beds and not king-size we got to it room and changed for the trip to the Great Kabab Factory at the Radisson Hotel, for our Valentine’s Night dinner.
The restaurant was decked out with red, heart balloons and we dined on either vegetarian or meat kababs and then on curries and dahl and several breads which were all delicious. A number of desserts were served including a type of lollipop made of betel leaves.
We presented Darshana with a Valentine’s card signed by all of us and I think she was quite moved.
After a great meal, we returned to the bus for the journey back to the hotel, pretty tired by this time and well-ready for bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment