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Jaisalmer, Jodhpur & Western Rajasthan

The west is in some ways quintessential Rajasthan, with all the romance of desert dunes, majestic forts and camel caravans. Most of the region is covered by the Thar Desert, which also extends into Punjab, Gujarat and Pakistan. The Thar is the world’s most populous arid zone, mostly covered by scrub vegetation, with plentiful villages eking out a living from their animals and maintaining a richly colourful desert culture. Three ancient and atmospheric cities form the focus of travel here, each with a monumental fort at its heart. Proud Jodhpur is a halfway house between the relatively urbane cities of eastern Rajasthan and the state’s wild west. Bikaner and above all Jaisalmer are relatively remote desert cities and popular starting points for desert safaris. You won’t quickly forget nights sleeping under the desert stars or your camel’s rhythmic progress across the landscape.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Jaisalmer, Jodhpur & Western Rajasthan.

  • See

    Mehrangarh

    Rising perpendicular and impregnable from a rocky hill that itself stands 120m above Jodhpur’s skyline, Mehrangarh is one of the most magnificent forts in India. The battlements are 6m to 36m high, and as the building materials were chiselled from the rock on which the fort stands, the structure merges with its base. Still run by the Jodhpur royal family, Mehrangarh is packed with history and legend. Mehrangarh’s main entrance is at the northeast gate, Jai Pol. It’s about a 300m walk up from the old city to the entrance, or you can take a winding 5km autorickshaw ride (around ₹120). Jai Pol was built by Maharaja Man Singh in 1808 following his defeat of invading forces from Jaipur. Past the museum ticket office and a small cafe, the 16th-century Dodh Kangra Pol was an external gate before Jai Pol was built, and still bears the scars of 1808 cannonball hits. Through here, the main route heads up to the left through the 16th-century Imritia Pol and then Loha Pol, the fort’s original entrance, with iron spikes to deter enemy elephants. Just inside the gate are two sets of small hand prints, the sati (ritual suicide of widow on husband’s funeral pyre) marks of royal widows – the last to commit sati were Maharaja Man Singh’s widows in 1843. Past Loha Pol you’ll find a restaurant and Suraj Pol, which gives access to the museum. Once you’ve visited the museum, continue on from here to the panoramic ramparts, which are lined with impressive antique artillery. The ramparts were fenced off in 2016 after a fatal selfie accident – hopefully a temporary measure, as the views are spectacular. Also worth exploring is the right turn from Jai Pol, where a path winds down to the Chokelao Bagh, a restored and gorgeously planted 18th-century Rajput garden (you could lose an afternoon here lolling under shady trees reading a book), and the Fateh Pol. You can exit here into the old city quarter of Navchokiya. You don’t need a ticket to enter the fort itself, only the museum section. However, the museum guards may not let you walk past the museum entrance, so it's better to enter from Fateh Pol if you wish to just wander about the grounds.

  • See

    Mehrangarh Museum

    The fort's museum encompasses its former palace, and is a superb example of Rajput architecture. The network of courtyards and halls features stone-lattice work so finely carved that it often looks more like sandalwood than sandstone. The galleries around Shringar Chowk (Anointment Courtyard) display India’s best collection of howdahs (seat for carrying people on an elephant’s back) and Jodhpur’s royal palanquin collection. The superb audio guide is included with your ticket, but bring ID or a credit card as deposit. One of the two galleries off Daulat Khana Chowk displays textiles, paintings, manuscripts, headgear and the curved sword of the Mughal emperor Akbar; the other gallery is the armoury. Upstairs is a fabulous gallery of miniature paintings from the sophisticated Marwar school and the beautiful 18th-century Phul Mahal (Flower Palace), with 19th-century wall paintings depicting the 36 moods of classical ragas as well as royal portraits; the artist took 10 years to create them using a curious concoction of gold leaf, glue and cow’s urine. Takhat Vilas was the bedchamber of Maharaja Takhat Singh (r 1843–73), who had just 30 maharanis and numerous concubines. Its beautiful ceiling is covered with Christmas baubles. You then enter the extensive zenana (area in an upper-class home where women are secluded), the lovely latticed windows of which are said to feature more than 250 different designs (and through which the women could watch the goings-on in the courtyards). Here you’ll find the Cradle Gallery, exhibiting the elaborate cradles of infant princes, and the 17th-century Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace), which was the palace’s main durbar hall (royal reception hall) for official meetings and receptions, with gorgeously colourful stained glass. Note that the museum can be suffocatingly crowded in the holiday period following Diwali.

  • See

    Junagarh

    This most impressive fort was constructed between 1589 and 1593 by Raja Rai Singh, ruler of Bikaner and a general in the army of the Mughal emperor Akbar. You enter through the Karan Prole gate on the east side and pass through three more gates before the ticket office for the palace museum. An audio guide (requiring an identity document as a deposit) is available in English, French, German and Hindi, and is very informative. The beautifully decorated Karan Mahal was the palace’s Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience), built in the 17th and 18th centuries. Anup Mahal Chowk has lovely carved jarokhas (balcony windows) and jali (carved lattice screens), and was commissioned in the late 17th century by Maharaja Anup Mahal. Rooms off here include the sumptuous Anup Mahal, a hall of private audience with walls lacquered in red and gold, and the Badal Mahal (Cloud Palace), the walls of which are beautifully painted with blue cloud motifs and red and gold lightning. The Gaj Mandir, the suite of Maharaja Gaj Singh (r 1745–87) and his two top wives, is a fantastic symphony of gold paint, colourful murals, sandalwood, ivory, mirrors, niches and stained glass. From here you head up to the palace roof to enjoy the views and then down eventually to the superb Ganga Durbar Hall of 1896, with its pink stone walls covered in fascinating relief carvings. You then move into Maharaja Ganga Singh’s office and finally into the Vikram Vilas Durbar Hall, where pride of place goes to a WWI De Havilland DH-9 biplane bomber: General Maharaja Sir Ganga Singh commanded the Bikaner Camel Corps during WWI and was the only non-white member of Britain’s Imperial War Cabinet during the conflict.

  • See

    Jaisalmer Fort

    Jaisalmer’s fort is a living urban centre, with about 3000 people residing within its walls. It is honeycombed with narrow winding lanes, lined with houses and temples – along with a large number of handicraft shops, guesthouses and restaurants. You enter the fort from the east, near Gopa Chowk, and pass through four massive gates on the zigzagging route to the upper section. The final gate opens into the square that forms the fort’s centre, Dashera Chowk. Founded in 1156 by the Rajput ruler Jaisal and reinforced by subsequent rulers, Jaisalmer Fort was the focus of a number of battles between the Bhatis, the Mughals of Delhi and the Rathores of Jodhpur. In recent years, the fabric of the fort has faced increasing conservation problems due to unrestricted water use caused, in the most part, by high tourist numbers.

  • See

    Fort Palace Museum

    Towering over the fort’s main square, and partly built on top of the Hawa Pol (the fourth fort gate), is the former rulers’ elegant seven-storey palace. Highlights of the tour include the mirrored and painted Rang Mahal (the bedroom of the 18th-century ruler Mulraj II), a gallery of finely wrought 15th-century sculptures donated to the rulers by the builders of the fort’s temples, and the spectacular 360-degree views from the rooftop. One room contains an intriguing display of stamps from the former Rajput states. On the eastern wall of the palace is a sculpted pavilion-style balcony. Here drummers raised the alarm when the fort was under siege. You can also see numerous round rocks piled on top of the battlements, ready to be rolled onto advancing enemies. Much of the palace is open to the public – floor upon floor of small rooms provide a fascinating sense of how such buildings were designed for spying on the outside world. The doorways connecting the rooms of the palace are quite low. This isn’t a reflection on the stature of the Rajputs, but was a means of forcing people to adopt a humble, stooped position in case the room they were entering contained the maharawal. The last part of the tour moves from the king’s palace (Raja-ka-Mahal) into the queen’s palace (Rani-ka-Mahal), which contains an interesting section on Jaisalmer’s annual Gangaur processions in spring. The worthwhile 1½-hour audio-guide tour (available in six languages) is included with the entry fee, but you must leave a ₹2000 deposit, or your passport, driver’s licence or credit card.

  • See

    Bhandasar Temple

    Of Bikaner’s two Jain temples, Bhandasar is particularly beautiful, with yellow-stone carving and vibrant paintings. The interior of the temple is stunning. The pillars bear floral arabesques and depictions of the lives of the 24 tirthankars (great Jain teachers). It’s said that 40,000kg of ghee was used instead of water in the mortar, which locals insist seeps through the floor on hot days. The priest may ask for a donation for entry, although a trust pays for the temple upkeep. On the 1st floor of the three-storey temple are beautiful miniatures of the sentries of the gods. There are fine views over the city from the 3rd floor, with the desert stretching to the west. The temple is dedicated to the fifth tirthankar, Sumatinath, and was commissioned in 1468 by a wealthy Jain merchant, Bhandasa Oswal. It was completed after his death in 1514.

  • See

    Patwa-ki-Haveli

    The biggest fish in the haveli (traditional, ornately decorated residence) pond is Patwa-ki-Haveli, which towers over a narrow lane, its intricate stonework like honey-coloured lace. Divided into five sections, it was built between 1800 and 1860 by five Jain brothers who made their fortunes in brocade and jewellery. It’s all very impressive from the outside; however, the first of the five sections, the privately owned Kothari’s Patwa-ki-Haveli Museum, richly evokes 19th-century life and is the only one worth paying entry for. Other sections include two largely empty government-owned 'museums' and two private sections containing shops.

  • See

    Kothari’s Patwa-ki-Haveli Museum

    The first of the five sections of Patwa-ki-Haveli is opened as the privately owned Kothari’s Patwa Haveli Museum, which richly evokes 19th-century life.

  • See

    Jain Temples

    Within the fort walls is a maze-like, interconnecting treasure trove of seven beautiful yellow sandstone Jain temples, dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. Opening times have a habit of changing, so check with the caretakers. The intricate carving rivals that of the marble Jain temples in Ranakpur and Mt Abu, and has an extraordinary quality because of the soft, warm stone. Shoes and all leather items must be removed before entering the temples. Chandraprabhu is the first temple you come to, and you’ll find the ticket stand here. Dedicated to the eighth tirthankar (great Jain teacher), whose symbol is the moon, it was built in 1509 and features fine sculpture in the mandapa (temple forechamber), the intensely sculpted pillars of which form a series of toranas (architraves). To the right of Chandraprabhu is the tranquil Rikhabdev temple, with fine sculptures around the walls, protected by glass cabinets, and pillars beautifully sculpted with apsaras (celestial nymphs) and gods. Behind Chandraprabhu is Parasnath, which you enter through a beautifully carved torana culminating in an image of the Jain tirthankar at its apex. A door to the south leads to small Shitalnath, dedicated to the 10th tirthankar, whose image is composed of eight precious metals. A door in the northern wall leads to the enchanting, dim chamber of Sambhavanth – in the front courtyard, Jain priests grind sandalwood in mortars for devotional use. Steps lead down to the Gyan Bhandar, a fascinating tiny underground library founded in 1500, which houses priceless ancient illustrated manuscripts. The remaining two temples, Shantinath and Kunthunath, were built in 1536 and feature plenty of sensual carving. Note, the restrictive visiting times are for non-Jains. The temples are open all day for worshippers.