The jewel of the Thar Desert is how this place is known as; it was founded by Maharawal Jaisal from the Bhatti Rajput clan in the 12th century.
The early history of Jaisalmer was written with the power of the sword as the rulers of Jaisalmer, who amassed great amounts of wealth by first looting the caravans which carried silk, opium and precious stones to and from China and Afghanistan and then levying a tax for safe passage through there territory built this exotic place with the golden-yellow sandstone which became the hallmark of this place.
The city has an amazing assortment of Havelis and Palaces, which have the best example of Rajasthani stonemason’s art form. This city was one of the most prominent on the trade route and because of that it flourished, till the sea ports of Mumbai (Bombay) and Surat took the trade route from land to sea. 

Languages: English, Hindi and Rajasthani.
Summer: 41.6 degrees C 25.0 degree C 
Winter: 23.6 degrees C 7.9 degree C                                                         
 Best Season: Oct.-Feb.
Clothing: Summer light tropical
Winter: light woolen

There are a lot of places to check out when you reach this desert paradise:
 
The Fort, Manak Chowk, Gadsisar Lake, Tazia Tower, Nathmalji-ki-Haveli, Patwon -ki-Haveli, Salim Singh-ki-Haveli, Sam Sand Dunes, Wood Fossil Park, Lodurva, Desert National Park.

The Fort was built by Maharawal Jaisal in 1156 on the Trikuta Hill (263ft) and the entire population lived within these walls in the medieval times and even now at least 25% of the town’s population still lives here making it the only fort which still houses people in India. There are four entry points to the fort hava pol, ganesh pol, akhiyal pol and suraj pol. There is vehicular traffic inside the fort though everything is transported by the ship of the desert Camel, because of this there is a certain kind of charm to this place as you wander around the twisting and turning lanes you will experience it first hand.

The Jain Temples Royal Palaces, shops and Mansions are a must see in your trip.
The night time is when the fort is bathed in light which brings out the beauty of the fort in a magical way.

Manak Chowk is located outside the fort, here the caravans of the past used to camp overnight. Now it’s a bustling market place selling products from ethnic silver jeweler and embroidered clothes. Near by are the lanes which house the famous Havelis of Jaisalmer.

GadsisarLake built in 1367 and was once the only source of water for the town populace; it is lined with temples and ghats. The Gangaur festival is held around this lake in March to April.

Tazia Tower is a pagoda which was built five stories high and on each storey there is a delicate balcony with intricate carvings on it, this was built by Muslim craftsmen according to the shape of a Tazia, which is a decorated bamboo built by tinsel and paper replicas, of a bier carried during the Muharram procession.  

Nathmalji-ki-Haveli was built in 1855 for the prime minister of this state of Jaisalmer. It is five stories high and the facade was carved by two brothers Lallu and Hathu and looks similar but in reality is quiet different, there is a quiet a splendid collection of miniature paintings in the Haveli.

Patwon -ki-Haveli was built after 1805 by Guman Chand Patwa, who was a very rich merchant dealing in opium, brocade, spices and silk. This 6 storied Haveli has 5 apartments for his five sons and are adjoining to each other; the craftsmanship on these Havelis is to be seen to be believed.

Salim Singh-ki-Haveli was built in 1815 by the prime minister of Jaisalmer; it was created using no cement and was built in the traditional manner using the groove joint method, the Haveli starts narrow at the base and expands as it goes up, the Haveli made with the yellow stone has 38 balconies each having its own unique design. Stone elephants stand guard in front on the Haveli.

Sam Sand Dunes is 40 kilometers away from Jaisalmer and you can gaze upon the dunes which ripple for as long as your eye can see, this is one of the most popular destinations for people who come to Jaisalmer. This place is situated on the edge of the Desert National Park.

 Wood Fossil Park Also Known as the Akal Fossil Park it is 17 kilometers from Jaisalmer and houses the remains of forests which are 180 million years old and fossilized, this relates to the theory that this land had water at one time.

Lodurva was the capital of the Bhatti Rajputs before they shifted the capital to Jaisalmer; this move was prompted by the continued sacking by Mogul rulers over a decade. There are still remains of the buildings which are hidden by the desert, only the Jain mandirs are the mute testimony to this once magnificent place.

 DesertNational Park is the potpourri of the ecosystem of this place, it is spread over 1.221 sq miles (3.162 sq kms) with the border with Pakistan a stone throw away.
The notable animals which inhabit this sanctuary are the black buck, desert fox, desert cat, wolf and the Bengal cat as well as a bird life which has partridges, sand grouse, larks, falcons, shrikes and kestrels. The main attraction is the bustard species which was on the point of extinction and even now only 1000 birds are left, the bustard is a large bird and can go up to 4 ft as well.
The terrain of this place is rocky as well as sandy with sand dunes covering at least 25% of the park.
There is an entry fee which is 100 rupees per head and an additional charge of 100 rupees per vehicle. There is accommodation in the park as well.

The camel safari can also be taken by the people who are interested in seeing this place up close and personal

The list of hotels in Jaisalmer is as under:

HeritageHotel

• Hotel Mandir Palace
• Hotel Narayan Niwas Palace
• Hotel Nachana Haveli
• Hotel Jawahar Niwas Palace

Budget Hotel

• Hotel Dhola Maru
• Hotel Moomal
• Hotel Sam Dhani
• Hotel Jaisal Castle
• Hotel Sona
• Hotel Neeraj
• Hotel Panihari

Two Star Hotel

• Hotel Deoki Niwas Palace

Three Star Hotel

• Hotel Heritage Inn
• Hotel Gorbandh Palace
• Fort Rajwada
• Himmatgarh Palace Hotel
• Hotel Rawal-Kot
• Hotel Rang Mahal
• Hotel Mahadev Palace

Deluxe Resort

• Rajwansh Resorts

We will take care of your hotel bookings as well as the tours you want in this fascinating land of the golden moments.

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