Date: 26-12-2008
This was a day when sometime in the noon, the hotel guys were to take us to The Thar for a night stay in tents that was part of the package deal. Hotel Jaisal Palace has a desert resort called the Moonlight Resorts in Khuri. So we had practically something more than half-day with us to browse around Jaisalmer.
The previous night SS, Vaishali and I had decided to get up quite early to catch a sunrise over the Fort. Morning I got up and opened the door - SS & Vaishali's room was next to ours, and find SS & V already ready and raring to go. I put a shawl over my shoulders and ran up the stairs with the camera, along with them to witness the sunrise. What a disappointment...!!!
The sun came up from behind the Fort and by the time the Red Star was visible, it was all in its blazing glory.
Jaisalmer fort was built in 1156 and is the second oldest in Rajasthan. Two hundred and fifty feet tall and reinforced by an imposing crenellated sandstone wall 30 feet high, it has 99 bastion, 92 of which were built between 1633 and 1647. Wells within the fort still provide a regular source of water.
SS clicked some dawn pictures and after a while we went back to our rooms to get ready.
SS & V wanted to explore the city, so they took an auto and went around and inside the Fort as well. Actually that was the best way to do since the truck would not have entered the narrow lanes.
The Rajasthanis have a way of naming their cities. While Jaipur is the Pink City, Jodhpur is called the "सूर्य नगरी" or the Sun City (don't confuse this with the one in SA). Jaisalmer is called the "स्वर्ण नगरी" or the Golden City. The houses constructed here from the stones availalbe has a golden hue that get enhanced by the Sun. Hence the name. Given below is a small example:
All of us bathed and went up the roof for breakfast - boiled eggs, omellettes, Pohas, Toast, butter, Jam, Milk, Tea etc. According to the package deal we had to vacate our rooms and shift to the tents in desert and then come back and again occupy the rooms for the rest of the stay. After breakfast, we packed our stuff and reloaded the vehicles and set out to explore the city and also to have lunch.
Each reasonable city of Rajasthan is a former kingdom and mostly have Hindu Rulers. Rao Jaisal is credited with finding Jaisalmer and it is on his name the city is thus named. The erstwhile rulers had a special cremation ground for them and after cremation a " छत्री " or a Cenotaph is built at that place witha plaque for remembrance. About four miles outside of Jaisalmer in the desert is
Bara Bagh. Here, clusters of beautiful cupolaed marble cenotaphs of the maharawals of Jaisalmer sit on a small hill. A small shrine to women who have committed sati here can be found within the complex.
After topping up the vehcle tanks, with SS in the lead we headed towards the Bara Bagh. After asking for directions we were on our way. Nearing the cenotaphs we saw the skyline dotted with several windmills. 60% of Jaisalmer is powered by these windmills. I had only seen them in some Bollywood/Hollywood movies; now was seeing them for real. I shall now let the pictures do some talking.
The less said about the rotting flesh inside The Bull, the better. Suffering and enduring.
To be continued.........