Sights in Jaisalmer
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Jaisalmer Fort
Jaisalmer Fort is a living fort - about 25% of the old city's population resides within its walls. As well as a palace and various temples, its carless streets are packed with houses, handicraft shops and beauty parlours, and honeycombed with narrow, winding lanes paved in stone.
Built in 1156 by the Rajput ruler Jaisala and reinforced by subsequent rulers, Jaisalmer Fort was the focus of a number of battles between the Bhattis, the Mughals of Delhi and the Rathores of Jodhpur. The lower layer of the fort's three walls is composed of solid stone blocks, which reinforce the loose rubble of Trikuta Hill. The second wall snakes around the fort, and between this and the third…
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Salim Singh-ki-Haveli
This private haveli has an amazing, distinctive shape – the top storey mushrooms out into a mass of carving, with graceful arched balconies surmounted by pale blue cupolas. It was built about 300 years ago; part of it is still occupied. Salim Singh was a fearsome prime minister when Jaisalmer was the capital of a princely state.
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Jain Temples
Within the Jaisalmer fort walls is a mazelike, interconnecting complex of seven beautiful yellow sandstone Jain temples, dating from the 12th to the 16th centuries. Opening times have a habit of changing, so check with the caretakers. The intricate carving rivals that in Ranakpur or Mt Abu, and has an extraordinary quality because of the soft, mellow stone. Chandraprabhu is the first temple you come to and is dedicated to the eighth tirthankar, whose symbol is the moon. Around the upper gallery are 108 marble images of Parasnath, the 22nd tirthankar.
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Nathmal-ki-Haveli
This late-19th-century haveli was also a Jaisalmer prime minister’s house and is still partly inhabited. It drips with carving, and the 1st floor has some beautiful paintings that used 1.5kg of gold. A doorway is surrounded by 19th-century British postcards from the prime minister’s time, and there’s also a picture of Queen Victoria. The left and right wings were the work of two brothers, whose competitive spirit apparently produced this virtuoso work – the two sides are similar, but not identical. Sandstone elephants welcome visitors/shoppers.
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Fort Palace Museum
The Jaisalmer fort is entered through a forbidding series of massive gates leading to a large courtyard fronted by the elegant seven-storey palace. Part of the palace is open to the public as the Fort Palace Museum. The foreigner admission includes an audio guide and camera fee. With floor upon floor of fascinating rooms that peep creepily on the outside world, the highlights are the mirrored and painted Rang Mahal, a small gallery of finely wrought 15th-century sculptures and the spectacular 360-degree views from the top.
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Kothari’s Patwa Haveli Museum
Most magnificent of all the havelis, its stonework like honey-coloured lace, Patwa-ki-Havel i towers over a narrow lane. It was built between 1800 and 1860 by five Jain brothers who were brocade and jewellery merchants. It’s most impressive from the outside. The first of the five sections is opened as the privately owned Kothari’s Patwa Haveli Museum, which richly evokes 19th-century life. Next door is the forlorn and empty (apart from pigeons and bats) government-owned haveli.
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Maharaja's Palace
The fort is entered through a forbidding series of massive gates leading to a large courtyard, fronted by the elegant seven-storey Maharaja's Palace. The square was formerly used to review troops, hear petitions and present extravagant entertainment for travelling dignitaries. Part of the palace is open to the public - floor upon floor of fascinating rooms that peep creepily on the outside world.
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Desert Culture Centre & Museum
Next to the Tourist Reception Centre is the Desert Culture Centre & Museum, which has interesting information on Rajasthani culture, as well as textiles and traditional instruments. A new addition is the interactive mini-DVD presentation which helps bring the static exhibits to life. There’s a nightly one-hour puppet show at 6.30pm.
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Patwa-ki-Haveli
Most magnificent of all the havelis, its stonework like honey-coloured craggy lace, Patwa-ki-Haveli towers over a narrow lane. It was built between 1800 and 1860 by five Jain brothers who were brocade and jewellery merchants. It's most impressive from the outside, but the fort view from the roof is superb, and the interior richly evokes 19th-century life.
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Jaisalmer Folklore Museum
Admission to the Desert Culture Centre includes entry to the small Jaisalmer Folklore Museum, which has traditional everyday items, ranging from camel ornaments to opium bottles.
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Parasnath Temple
Behind Chandraprabhu temple is Parasnath Temple, which you enter through a beautifully carved torana (architrave); it has a lovely, brightly painted ceiling.
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Sambhavanth Temple
In the front courtyard of the beautiful Sambhavanth Temple, Jain priests grind sandalwood for devotional use.
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Government Museum
The small government museum has a limited but well-captioned collection of fossils, puppets and textiles.
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Shantinath
The temple Shantinath below the Gyan Bhandar was built in 1536, and with plenty of sensual carving.
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Kunthunath
Kunthunath temple is below the Gyan Bhandar and was built in 1536 with plenty of sensual carving.
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Shitalnath Temple
Shitalnath Temple is dedicated to the 10th tirthankar, with an eight-metal image.
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Gyan Bhandar
Gyan Bhandar is a fascinating, tiny library of ancient manuscripts, founded in 1500.
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