Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer (), nicknamed The Golden City, is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur, in the heart of the Thar Desert. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Jaisalmer district. Jaisalmer is a former medieval trading center and the historic capital of the kingdom of Jaisalmer, founded in 1156 by Rawal Jaisal of the Bhati clan of Rajputs. Jaisalmer stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone and is crowned by the World Heritage Site, Jaisalmer Fort, a sprawling hilltop citadel supported by 99 bastions. This fort contains a royal palace and several ornate Jain temples. Many of the houses and temples of both the fort and of the town below are built of finely sculptured yellow sandstone. The town has a population, including the residents of the fort, of about 78,000. Jaisalmer ranked 9th on Booking.com's Top 10 The Most Welcoming cities in the world. It is the only Indian city on the list.

Etymology

Jaisalmer was founded by Rawal Jaisal, in 1156 AD. It is named after its founder, with "Jaisal" representing the king's name and the term "Mer" or "Meru" is of Sanskrit origin, signifying a mountain or a high, prominent place, and it has been historically used in the names of various geographical features and landmarks, like Ajmer.

History

Medieval history

thumb|left|300px|The Bhati kingdom, marked as Multan in 800 CE

The state of Jaisalmer had its foundations in what remains of the Empire ruled by the Bhati dynasty. Early Bhati rulers ruled over large empire stretching from Ghazni in modern-day Afghanistan to Sialkot, Lahore and Rawalpindi in modern-day Pakistan to Bhatinda, Muktsar and Hanumangarh in modern-day India. The empire crumbled over time because of continuous invasions from Central Asia. According to Satish Chandra, the Hindu Shahis of Afghanistan made an alliance with the Bhati rulers of Multhan, because they wanted to end the slave raids made by the Turkic ruler of Ghazni, however the alliance was defeated by Alp Tigin in 977 CE. Bhati dominions continued to be shifted towards the South as they ruled Multan, then finally got pushed into Cholistan and Jaisalmer where Rawal Devaraja built Dera Rawal / Derawar. Jaisalmer was the new capital founded in 1156 by Rawal Jaisal and the state took its name from the capital.

thumb|left|300x300px|[[Jaisalmer Fort, built in 1156 AD by the Rajput Rawal (ruler) Jaisal.]]

Modern history

On 11 December 1818 Jaisalmer became a British protectorate in the Rajputana Agency. the lowest ever recorded temperature being . Temperatures of up to have been recorded near the Pakistani border, but the standard conditions of this temperature recording remain unverified.

The average rainfall is , although as with all of northwest India it is almost exclusively confined to the monsoon from June to September and extremely variable from year to year. As little as was recorded in 1969, but as much as in 2006, of which fell in August alone.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Jaisalmer had a population of 65,471. Around 90% of the population is Hindu, 8.20% is Muslim and the remaining are Sikhs, Christians, and Jains.

Economy

thumb|[[Bada Bagh and windmill farms of Jaisalmer.]]

Tourism is a major industry in Jaisalmer.

In recent years, there has been a growing focus on renewable energy in the region. Jaisalmer has been home to various wind and solar energy projects, taking advantage of the ample sunlight and wind resources in the desert.

The Government of India initiated departmental exploration for oil in 1955–56 in the Jaisalmer area. Oil India Limited discovered natural gas in 1988 in the Jaisalmer basin.

Musicians and dancers are also a major cultural export from Jaisalmer to the rest of the world. Manganiyar musicians have played the world over, and Queen Harish, a well-known folk dancer and drag queen, has toured the world over and has featured in international movies.

Jaisalmer is also known for its leather messenger bags, made from wild camels native to the area.

Culture and cityscape

Jaisalmer Fort

center|thumb|500x500px|

Built in 1156 by the Bhati Rajput ruler Jaisal, Jaisalmer Fort, situated on Meru Hill and named as Trikoot Garh has been the scene of many battles. Its massive sandstone walls are a pale yellow colour during the day, turning to a darker gold as the sun sets. The famous Indian film director Satyajit Ray wrote a detective novel and later turned it into a film − Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress) which was based on this fort. About a quarter of city's population still live inside the fort. The main attractions inside the fort are the Raj Mahal (Royal palace), Jain temples and the Laxminath temple.

Jain heritage

A number of ornate buildings in Jaisalmer were built by its Jain community, including temples, notably the temples dedicated to the 16th Tirthankara, Shantinath, and 23rd Tirthankara, Parshvanath.

There are seven Jain temples in total which are situated within the Jaisalmer fort built during the 12th and 15th centuries. Among these temples, the biggest is the Paraswanath Temple; the others are Chandraprabhu temple, Rishabdev temple, Shitalnath Temple, Kunthunath Temple, and Shantinath Temple. Known for their exquisite work of art and architecture that was predominant in the medieval era the temples are built out of yellow sandstone and have intricate engravings on them.

Jaisalmer has some of the oldest libraries of India which contain the rarest of the manuscripts and artefacts of Jain tradition. There are many pilgrimage centres around Jaisalmer such as Lodhurva Jain temple (Lodarva), Amarsagar, Brahmsar and Pokhran.

File:N-RJ-87 Fort including Ancient Temples Jaisalmer SolReyes20100917 332.JPG|Chandraprabhu Jain Temple inside the Jaisalmer Fort

File:Jain temples, Jaisalmer Fort - panoramio (cropped).jpg|Jain Temple inside the Jaisalmer Fort

File:Umbrella roof.JPG|Ceiling of Jain temple inside the Jaisalmer Fort

File:Jaisalmer Jain Temple 17.jpg|Carving on the wall of Jain Temple, Jaisalmer Fort

File:Jaisalmer, India, Jaisalmer Fort, Jain Temple Interior.jpg|Jain Haveli architecture

File:Lodurva Temples.jpg|Lodhurva Jain temple

File:Parsvanatha Lodhruva.jpg|Parshvantha, Lodhruva Jain Temple

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Other

thumb|[[Gadisar Lake]]

Gadisar Lake – Excavated in 1367 by Rawal Gadsi Singh, it is a scenic rainwater lake surrounded by the small temples and shrines of Amar Sagar. Earlier, this lake was used to be the main water source of Jaisalmer. Due to an increased water demand for agriculture, the lake is increasingly threatened with drying up.
Bada Bagh, a complex with chhatris of Jai Singh II (d. 1743) and subsequent Maharajas of Jaisalmer center|thumb|[[Bada Bagh, cenotaphs of the royal family]]

In the neighbourhood

Jaisalmer War Museum, a solemn tribute to the nation's military heritage and the sacrifices of its soldiers.
Kuldhara, a ghost village near Jaisalmer

center|thumb|Kuldhara Village

Tanot Mata, a historical temple near Indo-Pak border.
Ramdevra, a village in Jaisalmer, is named after Baba Ramdevji, a Tanwar Rajput and a saint who took Samādhi in 1384 CE, at the age of 33 years. He is worshiped today by many social groups of India as Ishta-deva.
Battle of Longewala point
Desert National Park
Lodhruva
Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School
Moolchand Ji Ki Prol is an ancient heritage site in Jhinjhinyali village. Jhinjhinyali is 100 km away from Jaisalmer district headquarters.

Museums

Thar Heritage Museum
Baa RI Haveli On Fort
Desert Culture Centre & Museum
Jaisalmer Folklore Museum
Government Museum
Jaisalmer Fort Palace Museum
Akal Fossil Park Museum
Cactus Park Museum, Kuldhara
Tanot Museum

Desert festival

left|thumb|Camel rides in Jaisalmer

thumb|A jumping camel in Desert Festival

The Desert Festival of Jaisalmer is the most awaited and famous cultural and colourful event of Rajasthan. Camel races, turban-tying and Mr. Desert competitions are organised. It is held in the month of February every year. The festival showcases Rajasthani folk songs and dance and it is very attractive to foreign tourists. Gair and fire dancers are the major attraction of the Jaisalmer desert festival celebrations.

Transport

Jaisalmer is connected to the rest of Rajasthan by buses provided by Rajasthan State Transport Corporation as well as other private bus operators.

Jaisalmer Airport is located 17 kilometres southeast of Jaisalmer. Flights serve Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Surat and Jodhpur.

thumb|[[Jaisalmer Airport]]

Jaisalmer railway station runs daily trains between Jaisalmer and Jaipur, through which it is connected to Delhi and other cities all over India. This station comes under Jodhpur (JU) division of the Northwestern Railway (NWR). Additionally, there exists a luxury tourist train known as Palace on Wheels, which covers the major tourist destinations of Rajasthan, including Jaisalmer.

thumb|[[Jaisalmer railway station]]

In popular culture

Gupi Gayen Bagha Bayen (1969), a Bengali film directed by Satyajit Ray, was partly shot at Jaisalmer Fort.
Sonar Kella (1974), Satyajit Ray's Bengali film, based on his eponymous novel featuring his creation, the detective Feluda, was based in Jaisalmer and surrounding areas.
Hothat Brishti (1998), a Bengali film, was shot in Jaisalmer.
Nanhe Jaisalmer (2007), Hindi film shot in Jaisalmer
Goray Gondogol (2012), a Bengali film, was partly shot in Jaisalmer.
Kishore Kumar Junior (2018), a Bengali film, was partly shot in Jaisalmer.
The Eken: Ruddhaswas Rajasthan (2023), Bengali movie directed by Joydip Mukherjee and based on Ekenbabu, a detective of Kolkata Police, written by New Jersey–based Bengali author Sujan Dasgupta.

Notable people

Multanaram Barupal, politician, advocate and former member of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from Jaisalmer constituency
Chhotu Singh Bhati, politician and member of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from Jaisalmer constituency
Queen Harish, folk dancer
Mame Khan, Rajasthani folk singer
Swaroop Khan, playback folk singer
Raseshwari Rajya Laxmi, queen of Jaisalmer
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, politician, Olympic medallist and retired colonel in the Indian Army
Rooparam, politician and former member of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from Jaisalmer constituency
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, politician and union cabinet minister in the Minister of Culture and Minister of Tourism

References

External links