Day 5 - Jaisalmer

A dull train ride got me here at 0100, but at least I got here. I gather it’s not unusual for the train from Jodhpur to be cancelled!

Jaisalmer is a golden city with blue skies, the rock being a warm yellow sandstone. Like Jodhpur (and I’m sure many settlements out here) the fort dominates. Home of the Bhati clan from 1156 AD until independence in 1947, their palace was integral to the fort. Delightfully, my hotel is also inside the fort - a stone building, about 400 years old, and a multi-room apartment, all for me.

Haveli, meaning ‘partition’ or ‘private space’ , are 2 or 3 storey dwellings, with a flat roof used as a terrace, built around an open-topped central courtyard for light & ventilation. Long pre-dating glass, the ‘windows’ are carved screens, intricate sandstone perforated panels called ‘jali’ or ‘jaali’ which allow occupants to see out, but you cannot see in; important when protecting women from being viewed. They also allow in some light and cooling airflow. I’m fascinated by clever architecture, designs which provide comfort to occupants long before electric light and air conditioning came along. Thick stone walls, narrow paths through the city, clever ventilation….

Next door to my hotel is a Jain temple; only 1% of Rajasthan shares this faith, about 5 million globally and it seems they’re predominantly here in India.

Jaisalmer sits in the Thar desert, which is the world’s most populated desert, despite getting only 10 inches of rain annually. Completion of the 500-mile Indira Ghandi canal from north to south through Rajasthan should aid farming. It has a long trading history, sitting on the silk route between Arabia and the East, and would have traded spices, textiles, opium, precious stones, silver, silk and the like. Having purchased both textiles and silver today, the tradition clearly continues….😊Read more