Rajasthan Trip Oct 13 — Part 1 (Jaisalmer)
This blog post is about the short vacation we had in Rajasthan with friends who asked us if we would like to join them. We left Delhi on 17 Oct and headed for Jaisalmer by Train. We boarded the Delhi Jaisalmer Express from Palam Stn at 1830. The advantage of this train is that it stops at Old Delhi, Delhi Cantt and Palam, allowing us to board at the most convenient station. The disadvantage is that it stops at Old Delhi, Delhi Cantt………. and almost every other station along the way.
The fort of Jaisalmer is a breathtaking sight: a massive sandcastle rising from the sandy plains like a mirage from a bygone era. No place better evokes exotic camel-train trade routes and desert mystery. Beneath the ramparts the narrow streets of the old city conceal magnificent havelis, all carved from the same golden-honey sandstone as the fort — hence Jaisalmer’s designation as the Golden City. A city that has come back almost from the dead in the past half-century, Jaisalmer may be remote but it’s certainly not forgotten — indeed it’s one of Rajasthan’s biggest tourist destinations, and few people come here without climbing onto a camel in the surrounding Thar Desert.
Jaisalmer was founded way back in 1156 by a leader of the Bhati Rajput clan named Jaisal. The Bhatis, who trace their lineage back to Krishna, ruled right through to Independence in 1947. The city’s early centuries were tempestuous, partly because its rulers relied on looting for want of other income, but by the 16th century Jaisalmer was prospering from its strategic position on the camel-train routes between India and Central Asia. It eventually established cordial relations with the Mughal empire. Maharawal Sabal Singh, in the mid-17th century, expanded the Jaisalmer princedom to its greatest extents by annexing areas that now fall within the administrative districts of Bikaner and Jodhpur. Under British rule the rise of sea trade (especially through Mumbai) and railways saw Jaisalmer’s importance and population decline. Partition in 1947, with the cutting of trade routes to Pakistan, seemingly sealed the city’s fate. But the 1965 and 1971 wars between India and Pakistan gave Jaisalmer new strategic importance, and since the 1960s the Indira Gandhi Canal to the north has brought revitalising water to the desert. Today tourism and the area’s many military installations are the pillars of the city’s economy.
We reached Jaisalmer at 1130 the next morning. We were received at the station by a car sent by a friend. We were in our room by 1230. We settled in, had lunch and turned in for a short nap.
The cars came to pick us up at 1600 for the ride to Sam Sand Dunes. On the way, just outside town, we went to Amar Sagar which has an old but recently renovated jain temple. The outsides gave no indication of how large the temple was. We initially thought that it was a small temple and we would be out in 5–10 minutes. However, as we wandered around the complex, we discovered new levels, alcoves and structures which we just had to take photographs with. However, as we did not want to miss the sunset at Sam, we left the place in a hurry.
A few kilometres off the highway lies Kuldhara, a deserted village. However, we could not go and see it as we were running short of time. I guess, you should always leave a few sights unseen so that you have a reason to visit again :-).
South of the Sam road, around 25km west of Jaisalmer, the ghost village of Kuldara (daily sunrise–sunset; Rs10, vehicles Rs50) was one of 84 villages abandoned simultaneously one night in 1825 by the Paliwal Brahmin community, which had settled here in the thirteenth century. Stories vary as to why the villages were deserted, but the consensus is that the onerous taxes imposed by the rapacious Prime Minister Salim Singh (see p.305), and his brutal methods of collecting them, forced the Paliwals to complain to the maharawal. When he ignored them, they upped and left in protest, en masse. Close-knit and industrious, the Paliwals had prospered. Their sense of order is attested by their homes, each with its living quarters, guest room, kitchen and stables, plus a parking space for the camel, and you can take an atmospheric stroll through them to the temple at the heart of the village. A story that they buried their wealth before leaving — which probably stems from the fact that each house had an underground safe — led a group of foreigners in 1997 to scour the place with metal detectors in search of the alleged treasure. Following this, the village was made a protected area and some of its houses have been restored, along with its temple. It has also featured as a backdrop in a number of Hindi movies such as Milan Luthria’s 1999 Kachhe Dhaage, with Ajay Devgan and Manisha Koirala, and John Matthan’s Sarfarosh, released the same year, with Aamir Khan and Sonali Bendre.
We arrived at Sam just before sunset. The camel owners here are really aggressive. We bargained and finalised a deal for two camels for 30 min ride at Rs.200. A third camel was considered, but we decided not to take him as the others were not interested. That guy followed us throughout the ride, talking about trust, loyalty, honesty, betrayal, etc to put us on a guilt trip and convince us to pay him. However, he did not realise that he was dealing with hardened travellers. A weaker heart would have given in.
On returning to the road, we were still considering what to do when our escorts came into action. They took the jeeps a little into the desert, found a nice little sand dune, and set up a table and a few foldable chairs for us to sit. We were then provided with soft drinks and snacks as we sat under the magical full moon. The kids had a great time playing in the sand. We missed the supposedly magnificent view of the starlit sky as the moon was very bright and washed out the stars. After dark, our escort advised the children to refrain from playing in the sand as the scorpions would soon be coming out. After some time of solitude, we decided to return to base.
The huge, rolling sand dunes 40km west of Jaisalmer are known as SAM, though strictly this is the name of a small village further west. The dunes are a prime attraction for tourists, who come here in droves to watch the sunset. But though this event can be breathtaking, the drink-sellers, musicians, piles of plastic rubbish and numerous camel trains and bus parties somewhat dilute the romance.
On the way back, as on the way towards Sam, we noticed various resorts under construction. Some of them were really huge and regal. Wonder, how they would be profitable with a tourist season of just 4–5 months.
On return, we freshened up, sat on the lawns and had a peaceful drink followed by simple, but tasty, dinner.
