There are many places in India that have always attracted my attention from the very first day I left my hotel room at the airport to start exploring this wonderful city of Rajasthan, but on one particular night that we visited the monuments and temples to see if they would be like a museum or an attraction for tourists only. That’s when I realized that Jaisalmer is so beautiful and it truly has a lot to offer people of all ages.
When you arrive to the place, it is like having something taken straight out of a fantasy novel or movie! From the palace to the temple and the mausoleum buildings, everything is so large! It also feels like being transported back to the time and era of the Mughal Dynasty where there were thousands of rulers. Once you get more information about how rich history was here then the real experience begins. You see more tombs and ruins and you just feel that you need to see these historic things more just in case you might want to visit them someday. So, what do you think? Do you think Jaisalmer has enough museums to enjoy your vacation or should you consider staying in the center city of Lucknow? Well, that depends on what kind of tourist you are!
A place worth visiting
Let us begin with the most important part of your tour to Jai’shala. This is the palace is known as the home of the Mughals. This building has many marvelous historical artifacts that include sculptures, paintings, manuscripts, etc. But when it comes to heritage and historical buildings then no other ancient thing is worth seeing, even when the times look not so good now. Just think about all those horrible events that happened during this country’s past and compare the historical pieces with the present. They’re amazing, considering every piece of artwork is from Mughal royalty. You can find many artworks in our National Museum Jaisalmer, which was opened in 2014 by Rajiv Gandhi. At Jaisalmer National Museum, the oldest sculpture that has been made of marble from Ajmer is called “Tikka – Ajmeri Bhatt Kalm” which belongs to Sarmaul Singh.
The royal sculpture located near the main gate of Raja Manohar Lal College is a perfect example of Indian design where the artist placed his own artistic talent in between the stone. For the modern viewer, it looks so ordinary and simple and yet it is so valuable because it’s meant to tell us a story. As the sculptor placed the sculpture in a way that his wife used to put her hair up, she could see his deep love for craftsmanship all around him. She was married to him and worked as a domestic help too. She was one of the women who gave him all he ever wanted. But now since someone died in her house, she lost her whole family including their son, so it’s a very sad situation. In addition to this, her husband’s last name ended with Sh. The sculptor was not happy with the new location of this piece but then he got to know the truth. His wife had passed away and nobody would come home knowing about them anymore. He then took this sculpture and added another one (“Baje Gom-jawra Toli”). Finally, after a long argument, the sculptor finally agreed and moved his entire family to their new place. And that was when this place became much more interesting because it kept getting bigger and bigger. Nowadays, when you visit this place, the impression you leave will definitely stay in your memory.
From the Palace to the Temple and the Tomb
At the palace, there are hundreds of beautiful domes and arches that make it look as if it’s surrounded by nature while on the outside, there are massive pillars and some huge sculptures. On the inside, you will see small rooms for sleeping rooms, bedrooms, sitting areas, bathrooms and a lot of small rooms in various sections of space. We visited different parts of the place, and the palace was completely covered in wood. When going from room to room, you can see some sculptures made of marble here and there. Those who visited the palace for the first time must have seen how big the palace is. The palace has over 20 rooms and each one is absolutely stunning. One can go down into the rooms and find some fine arts such as frescoes and sculptures here. Along the walls were several sculptures depicting warriors and beautiful ladies. All the statues and frescoes are quite unique yet they all belong to Mughal period, which means they do not look familiar. It is hard to imagine a palace where they did not have sculptures of elephants, lions, dragons and birds with their own names.
At one point of time, people often think about Jaisalmer as a place full of temples but there are some unique ones too. Some tourists have been curious, so they asked me about the “Chittoor Temples” on the outskirts ofJaisalmer. These four giant images are about 4 meters high and they are one of the largest temples of Chittorie in Madhya Pradesh. They are a blend of both Hindu and Muslim beliefs. They are a fascinating place to visit but it won’t disappoint you if you see the magnificence of these idols.
Chittoor Temples- The four Giants of Chittoor
The Chittoor Temples is a popular pilgrimage place of Hindus and Jain people. These three giants- Vayu Vishwanath, Lord Brahma and Lord Mahavir-are most commonly known as Chitrakoot, Bhogi and Guru- are believed to be the great patrons of Lord Krishna. Many believe that Chittoor Temples are the only single temples in Europe that can be viewed from multiple sides. You can explore all the rooms here and you cannot miss the chance to take pictures in any of them because there are so many photographs. The second spot to visit is the “Vakshmanya Temple”. Another famous temple here is the Kumbhabha Temple, which is considered to be the world’s biggest structure. There is a huge idol of Lord Shiva in front of Kumbhabha Temple and everyone knows it has created a stir among the visitors. If you want to understand the significance of the Gods here, again the best way to learn is from the Gurus themselves.
Kumbhabha Temple
The third spot to visit is “Vishnu Ji Maharaj temple”. On a normal day, it is worth visiting this place, and it is also famous for its “Apsara Lake”. But if you visit at weekends instead of making a habit of visiting temples, then you can see the holy site from the peak of Mount Kumbhalai, which makes it the highest peak of India. However, there is nothing special in the place. During its summer season, you can see lots of waterfalls here and they flow into the lake. Apart from the lake, there are other spots too that you can visit like Nandini Hills, the Badami Hills and the Rakhigarshi Hills.
Nandini Hills
The next spot to visit is the Bahadurgahabhaya Falls. These falls go up to 250 feet above the ground. It is a really awesome sight of natural beauty because you will not feel crowded here. The lakes here also look very beautiful, and there are plenty of flowers there, which helps to create a really nice scene. The place definitely sounds interesting for travelers where there are natural areas and there are lots of plants and different types of animals here too!
Bahadurgahabhaya Falls
After having a look at the different temples and the places at the palace you might be thinking as to where to stay for your holiday! But that can always change if the traveler wants to spend a week or two here. So you still have the option to stay in the centre of Lucknow. You can find quite a few hotels here. But if you travel far away from the capital city, then it becomes harder to find suitable accommodations. We recommend you staying somewhere close for the comfort. If you are going to stay there for a vacation of two days, then you should stay in Hotel Aarti (which is quite expensive) in Delhi or Book a Holiday in Jaisalmer City as well. Also, you can visit any place close to Jaisalmer in order to see the architecture, culture, landscapes and the cities there. Yes, the city is beautiful, but you need to travel a bit more. Even though I told you that there are only nine major monuments in Jaisalmer, and you could travel throughout the city, but only a few times, maybe twice per year you can visit those topmost buildings and the best spots and visit the different locations of Jaisalmer.
