Jaisalmer , nicknamed "The Golden city", is a city in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

, located west of the state capital

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...

. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone and is crowned by the ancient

Jaisalmer Fort Jaisalmer Fort is situated in the city of Jaisalmer, in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is believed to be one of the very few "living forts" in the world (such as Carcassonne, France), as nearly one fourth of the old city's population still re ...

. This fort contains a royal palace and several ornate

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

temples. Many of the houses and temples of both the fort and of the town below are built of finely sculptured sandstone. The town lies in the heart of the

Thar Desert The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is an arid region in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent, Subcontinent that covers an area of and forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. It is the world's Li ...

(the Great Indian Desert) and has a population, including the residents of the fort, of about 78,000. It is the administrative headquarters of

Jaisalmer District Jaisalmer is the largest district in the Indian state of Rajasthan, and the third largest district in India. Located in Marwar (Jodhpur Division), the city of Jaisalmer is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is around from the ...

. Jaisalmer was once the capital of Jaisalmer State.

Origin of name

Jaisalmer was founded by Rawal Jaisal in 1156 AD. ''Jaisalmer'' means ''the Hill Fort of Jaisal''. Jaisalmer is sometimes called the "Golden City of India" because the yellow sandstone used throughout the architecture of both the fort and the town below, imbues both with a certain golden-yellow light.

Geography and climate

Jaisalmer, being an arid desert region, is prone to extremes in terms of temperature. The temperature varies greatly from day to night in both summer and winter. The maximum summer temperature is around while the minimum is . The maximum winter temperature is usually around and the minimum is . The average rainfall is . Highest ever recorded temperature was ; the lowest ever recorded temperature being . Temperature of up to have been recorded near the international border close to Pakistan, but standard conditions of this temperature recording remain unverified.

Demography

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

Tourism is a major industry in Jaisalmer. The Government of India initiated departmental exploration for oil in 1955–56 in the Jaisalmer area.

Oil India Limited Oil India Limited (OIL) is a Public Sector Undertakings in India, central public sector undertaking under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas oversees its op ...

discovered

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

in 1988 in the

Jaisalmer basin {{Use Indian English, date=May 2022 The Jaisalmer basin is one of the parts of the Rajasthan basin in northwestern India. This basin is geographically shared with Pakistan to the west. Jaisalmer basin ages back to Mesozoic and Cenozoic. It is a p ...

. 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 Harish Kumar (1979 - 2 June 2019) popularly known as Queen Harish was a folk dancer from Rajasthan, India. A person who worked towards revival of Rajasthani folk dances, his performances included various folk dance forms from Rajasthan like Ghoo ...

, the dancing desert 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.

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 Jaisalmer Airport is a domestic airport serving Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India. It is located from the city centre. The airport operates as a civil enclave on an Indian Air Force base. The airport has a single runway of in length and in width ...

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

Jaisalmer railway station Jaisalmer railway station is a major railway station located in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The railway station is under the administrative control of North Western Railway of Indian Railways. The station has three platforms and a total of five tra ...

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 The ''Palace on Wheels'' is a luxury tourist train. It was launched by the Indian Railways in association with Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation to promote tourism in Rajasthan. It is now known as Heritage Palace on Wheels. The train ...

, which covers the major tourist destinations of Rajasthan, including Jaisalmer.

Places of interest

Jaisalmer Fort

Built in 1156 by the Bhati Rajput ruler Jaisal,

, situated on Meru Hill and named as ''Trikoot Garh'' has been the scene of many battles. Its massive

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

walls are a tiny lion colour during the day, turning to a magical honey-gold as the sun sets. The famous Indian film director

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian director, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, author, essayist, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and music composer. One of the greatest auteurs of fil ...

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: Raj Mahal (Royal

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

temples and the Laxminath temple.

Jain heritage of Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer has been enriched by its

Jain community The Jains in India are the last direct representatives of the ancient Shramana tradition. People who practice Jainism, an ancient religion of the Indian subcontinent, are collectively referred to as Jains. Sangha Jainism has a fourfold orde ...

, which has adorned the city with beautiful

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

, notably the temples dedicated to the 16th

Tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English: literally a 'ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the ''dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable passag ...

, 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 rarest of the manuscripts and artefacts of Jain tradition. There are many pilgrimage centres around Jaisalmer such as

Lodhruva Lodrawa (aka Lodurva, Lodarva or Laudrava) is a village in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan, India. It is located 15 kilometers to the north-west of Jaisalmer. Lodrawa was the ancient capital of the Bhati dynasty until Rawal Jaisal founded the Jais ...

(Lodarva), Amarsagar, Brahmsar and Pokharan. File:Jaisalmer, India, Jaisalmer Fort, Jain Temple Interior.jpg, Jain Haveli architecture File:Lodurva Temples.jpg, Lodhurva Jain temple File:Jaisalmer-6.jpg,

Chhatris ''Chhatri'' are elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they serve as decorative elements. The earliest example of chhatri being used in the ...

at Bada Bagh 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.jpg, Jain Temple inside the Jaisalmer Fort File:Parsvanatha Lodhruva.jpg, Parshvantha, Lodhruva Jain Temple 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

Museums

* Baa RI Haveli On fort * Desert Culture Centre & Museum *

Jaisalmer Folklore Museum The Jaisalmer Folklore Museum is a natural history museum located on the banks of Garsisar Lake, in Mehar Bagh Garden, Jaisalmer, in the Indian state of Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers ...

* Government Museum * Jaisalmer Fort Palace Museum *

Jaisalmer War Museum The Jaisalmer War Museum was conceived by Lieutenant General Bobby Mathews, AVSM, VSM, General Officer Commanding, Desert Corps and constructed by the Desert Corps of the Indian Army. It was dedicated to the Nation by Lieutenant General Ashok ...

* Akal Fossil Park Museum * Cactus Park Museum, Kuldhara * Tanot Museum

Other

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. Gadsisar_lake,_Jaisalmer_(retouched)

* 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 to dry out.

In neighbourhood

* Bada Bagh, a complex with chhatris of

Jai Singh II Jai Singh II (3 November 1681 – 21 September 1743) popularly known as Sawai Jai Singh was the 29th Kachwaha Rajput ruler of the Kingdom of Amber, who later founded the fortified city of Jaipur and made it his capital. He was born at Amber, th ...

(d. 1743) and subsequent Maharajas of Jaisalmer *

* Desert National Park *

Bhaniyana Bhaniyana is a census village mostly of the ethnic group Rajput,Jaat, Paliwal, Maheshwari and Banjara, in the Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan, India. It is located 110 km east of Jaisalmer and 36 km south of Pokaran. Bhaniyana has a p ...

Lanela Lanela is a village located in the district of Jaisalmer in the state of Rajasthan in India. It has a population of about 1049 persons living in around 194 households. History Lanela is a Paliwal village, about 1000 years old. The word "Lanela" m ...

* Battle of Longewala point Kuldhara

Desert festival

Desert Festival Jaisalmer , nicknamed "The Golden city", is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone and is crowned by the ancient Jaisalmer Fort. This fort contains a ...

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 which are the major attraction of the Jaisalmer desert festival celebrations. This is the best time to visit Jaisalmer to witness performing arts like Kalbelia dances and folk songs and music.

In popular culture

*'' Gupi Gayen Bagha Bayen'' (1969), a Bengali film, directed by

, was partly shot at Jaisalmer Fort. *'' Sonar Kella'' (1974) (Golden Fortress)

's Bengali film, based on his eponymous novel featuring his creation, the detective Feluda, was based in Jaisalmer and surrounding areas. * '' Hothat Brishti'', a Bengali film was shot in Jaisalmer. * ''Goray Gondogol'' (2012), a Bengali film was partly shot in Jaisalmer. * ''

Kishore Kumar Junior ''Kishore Kumar Junior'' (''KKJ'', released 2018) is a Bengali drama film directed by Kaushik Ganguly, starring Prosenjit Chatterjee, and Aparajita Auddy in lead roles. The film was a sleeper hit. Plot This film is about a singer who sings onl ...

'' (2018), a Bengali film was partly shot in Jaisalmer. * ''Soul of Jaisalmer'' (Hindi non-feature film 2016) made by Abenezer Inder. This film is based on traditional water step well of Jaisalmer and was filmed in Gadsisar, Amar Sagar, Bada Bagh and many more far location of Jaisalmer.

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Cities and towns in Jaisalmer district Former capital cities in India