Jaisalmer Desert Camp in Pictures
(Organised 13-15th January, 2019 by Gujarat Adventure Club)
Day I:
We arrive at Jaisalmer from Ahmedabad after a 10-hour comfortable bus ride overnight; we are greeted by a fierce thunderstorm and chilly weather. We will reach our campsite, another 40 km away at Sam village, only by 4 pm after seeing the Golden Fort of Jaisalmer.
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| Showers on arrival - short get-fresh stop; the sight of the Sonar Killa is refreshing |
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| Entrance to the Fort with old city - all sandstone with lime with no steel infrastructure |
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| The Old city lives! 400 people still stay inside - an unusual Live-in Heritage with true democracy - where the praja stays inside the fort-city while the raja is outside with the common men!! |
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| End of Day I: The Accommodation with food - lovely Swiss tents against a setting sun |
Day II
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| Dense fog and strong, chilly winds - a cup of hot tea please! |
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| After Breakfast of hot Toasts with butter, jam and upma, we go riding the sand dunes nearby on camels and camel carts. |
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| Tanot Rai MatajiTemple managed by uniformed men from the BSF, 120 kms from the tent site; it has survived some 2000 bombs during the 1965 war; another 20 kms further north takes us to the Indo-Pak border, with double-fencing, no-man's land, a milestone depicting 'India' & 'Pakistan' further down; a manned watchtower with guns and, at a distance, one can see the Pakistani watchtower - Pretty exciting, I say! (taking pics not permitted) |
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| Huge male goats have a free run in Tanot mandir - no monkeys or street dogs; they are found inside the sanctum sanctorum too..and like monkeys, they also harass the visitors and 'beg' for nasta. |
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| Day II ends (around 7 pm) on a tired, hungry note; around 7 pm, we are entertained to a live Rajasthani vocal music and folk dance show, served with hot pakoras and tea! Hot dinner follows. |
Day III
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| One for the speed demons! The Desert Safari with no roads but only thrills in an open jeep - apparently with no one at the steering or accelerator! Screams of whoopies and wows all round! |
Post lunch, around 2 pm, the group say goodbye to the camp site and go sight-seeing even as we inch back towards home. The Kuldhara ruins is our first stop; here, legend has it that people in 84 villages around, suddenly left their homes overnight; earthquake or drought does not explain. One story is about a Minister, Salim Singh whose intense harassment drove the Palliwal community out in desperation - a forbidden love angle is not ruled out!
The Masterpiece (s) !
The 42 Centopaths or the final resting places (Chhatris or Chattardis in Kachchh))
of all the Kings of Jaisalmer
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| A Guide is must here to appreciate the culture behind these exquisite memorial of sandstone and lime with joints (no concrete or steel used) |
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| Despite this writer's extensive tours of Rajasthan over the years, this was the first guide that informed me about why different titles are used - Maharanas for kings of Udaipur state, Sawai for the those in Jaipur state, and Maharawals for royalties of Jaisalmer. I congratulate the guide! |
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| The royal families continue to visit their late elders to pay respects when a child is borne |
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| Just an expression of thought - Modern technology and heritage of old crafted, designed architecture - the two can co-exist! |
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Entrance to Gadisar Lake in Jaisalmer ... |
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.. and the lake itself |
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Call of Nature?? What an inviting idea!
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