Jaisalmer blog — The fullest Jaisalmer travel guide for first-timers

 

Patwon Ki Haveli

Patwon-ki-Haveli is one of the largest Havelis (Haveli is the word used for ancient mansions found all over India) in Jaisalmer towering over a narrow lane. I had wandered around the alleys all day, gazing at the intricate carvings of Havelis that have been preserved almost miraculously intact through the ups and downs of years of history.

Patwon Ki Haveli is an architectural complex of 5 villas, built by the rich merchant Guman Chand Patwa for his 5 sons in 1850. Patwon Ki Haveli stands out for its grandeur, magnificence and elegance with its unparalleled architectural style.

Coming to Jaisalmer, you will get acquainted with a word called Havelis, it is used a lot in architectural sector. Havelis is understood as a townhouse, mansion, manor house, palace, villa of rich merchants who traded in brocade and velvet in the past.

They built majestic, luxurious, elaborately carved mansions, palaces to flaunt their wealth. All made of sandstone. That architectural motif today is imitated by many hotels to create their own style.

Therefore, when booking a hotel room, if you see the word Haveli attached to the name of the hotel, you will understand that it is a luxury and beautiful hotel. And it’s also worth experiencing once, isn’t it!

Patwon Ki Haveli is a mansion of the wealthy merchant Guman Chand Patwa. He built a cluster of 5 villas for his 5 sons in 1850.

Inside Patwon Ki Haveli is now the museum, the city’s agency office. You pay about 100 Rupees to visit the inside, the outside is free to visit.

Right in front of Patwon Ki Haveli is a bustling small market selling local souvenirs. People come to rent clothes to take pictures in the style of rich girls of the past filled with splendid jewelry and vivid dresses.

Lodurva Jain Temple

There are several temples inside the Jaisalmer fort, the most famous one is a Jain temple called Lodurva. Jainism is a religion with a long history, existing around the same time as Buddhism. If you are not a delicate person, you can easily confuse, because to outsiders Jain religion looks like a mixture of Buddhism and Hinduism. As a Jain believer you must not harm any live, no be clothed because even making clothes involves harm to plants. Jain followers often go barefoot and carry dusters to clean the ground first before sitting to avoid harming any living creature. Jain temples are ubiquitous in the state of Rajasthan, India.

Mandir palace

If you want to feel the most clearly about the influence of Afghan and Persian culture on this place, you should go to Mandir palace. Unlike other palaces, Mandir palace was built in Indo-Saracenic style, mixed with Islamic motifs brought by foreign merchants.

Mandir Palace is famous for its intricate stone carvings. Its architecture is Indo-Saracenic, i.e. a mixture of Rajput style and some Islamic motifs that was brought to Jaisalmer through ancient merchant caravans from Afghanistan and Persia.

Currently, Mandir Palace is a small museum, keeping a lot of artifacts from the construction of Jaisalmer city by the ancestors. And part of this area has been sold to the private sector to build a havelis-style hotel.

This area is small, you can ask a tuk-tuk to wait outside to take you to the next spot! You buy a ticket of 160 Rupees to visit.

Gadisar Lake

Gadisar Lake, a man-made lake dug in the 14th century, about a kilometer from Jaisalmer fortress, was built to meet the water needs of the whole city – because when you live in the desert, water was the biggest concern, so digging a lake was an urgent task at that time.

Gadisar Lake is an artificial lake built by King Raja Rawal Jaisa to provide water for the people. Gadisar Lake is located in the southwest of the city, attracting tourists to visit every day.

The lake is famous for its numerous structures, including a series of chattris (elevated, dome-shaped pavilions) and temples. The entrance to the lake stands out with two sides of artistic carvings on golden sandstone, the most prominent is Nathmal Ki Haveli Temple, a spectacular temple with a combination of Rajputana and Islamic architecture which was considered one of the most beautiful Havelis in Jaisalmer.

This man-made lake is located south of Jaisalmer city, not far from the center. The founder of this city is Raja Rawal Jaisal, he built this lake to provide water for the people in the area.

Today, Gadisar Lake is a very popular destination for tourists. You should arrange a schedule to go to Gadisar Lake in the afternoon to feel its full of fairy-tale and mysterious beauty with unique architectural domes floating on the lake. Around the lake are temples, ghats for ceremonies.

At the entrance, there is a ticket counter for renting a boat to sailing to the middle of the lake, depending on the type of boat, the price is 100 Rupees/boat.

The ideal time to go to Gadisar Lake is at sunset. In the afternoon light, the water surface of Gadisar Lake reflects the fiery red color of the sunset, making the scene here extremely mysterious.

Next to the entrance gate there is a boat dock, you can rent a boat to the middle of the lake to watch the sun rise with the golden rays shining through the Chattris. As for me, sitting next to the boat dock, watching an old man seeding pigeons, next to it were dogs that took turns chasing. The pigeons therefore also circled around the lake, the scene as gentle as poetic footages.

Desert Safari

Jaisalmer is located in the middle of the vast Thar desert, that’s why a camel riding tour wandering on windy sand dunes cannot be missed in your itinerary.

The first time I experienced sitting on the back of a camel riding leisurely under the bright golden light of the sun, extremely beautiful, joyful, an indescribable feeling of excitement. In the midst of the vast sand dunes, the huge red sun hung over the whole desert with a honey-yellow color, I was like a tiny dot moving in nowhere.

Truly a worthwhile experience in life.

To book this tour, you should contact the hotel reception, they will introduce you to reputable tour operators. In fact, right from the moment you step out of the airport, the tuk-tuk drivers rushed to introduce desert safari tours with various prices and diverse services.

Usually it will be a day tour going back during the day or sleeping overnight in tents in the desert. The price will include eating, watching dancing shows, and a jeep to pick up and drop you off at the hotel to the meeting point is quite far away. It takes about 30-45 minutes for a trip.

Jaisalmer Camel Safari Tour

Jaisalmer blog: What to eat in Jaisalmer?

It is difficult to find Non-Veg restaurants (with meat) because most of the restaurants are veg, i.e. vegetarian. So, I can recommend you a small one but full of vegetarian and savory dishes, that is Royal Rasoi. Just say its name, a tuk-tuk driver will take you there.

Because it is a restaurant serving Westerners, the dishes are quite pleasant, that is, the taste is not too strong with the smell of Indian curry. There are many options from Indian to Chinese, Western dishes, prices from 150 Rupees / dish, about $6.7, which is quite cheap.

Jaisalmer travel tips

• It is reasonable to arrange an itinerary for 3 days and 2 nights to fully explore Jaisalmer.
• Some temple and tourist sites are quite similar, so you can be shortened list to make the travel itinerary more relaxing.
• You can also refer to some other places to visit such as: Tazia Tower, Salim Singh Ki Haveli, Vyas Chhatri (this place is very beautiful to watch sunset).
• You should spend a full day to explore all Jaisalmer Fort, it will be very interesting.
• Experience a haveli-style hotel while in Jaisalmer.
• If you take the train to another city, you should check the train schedule the day before because the schedule is always changing.

Jaisalmer guide: Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, from and to Jaisalmer you can refer to

• Walking Tour of Jaisalmer City
• Jaisalmer Heritage Walking Tour
• Jaisalmer Camel Safari Tour
• Jaisalmer Street Food Crawl
• Jaisalmer Heritage Walking Tour
• Jaisalmer Night Walking Tour

Wish you have a happy trip! Read more India guid here.