The Golden Fort, Jaisalmer

The chill in the morning air was more in Jaisalmer. My fever was still persistent. I took the medicines and got ready for our exploration of the Golden city. The majestic structures in this historic city were made of yellow sandstone and they would glow like gild when illuminated by sunlight. We had our breakfast and checked out of the hotel.

We reached near the vicinity of the fort and found a guide for themselves. To be honest, it was not worth the amount we spend on the guide. The explanations and enthusiasm were not to the mark. This made us remember Akshayji, our guide from Amber Fort in a entirely new light. But still, he showed us the major spots in the Fort.

The Golden Fort or "Sonar Quila" is a living fort, made of golden yellow sandstone, located on Trikuta hill. This was founded by Rawal Jaisal, ruler of Bhati Rajputs, in 1156. The outer walls were shining brilliantly under the morning sun. We entered through the main entrance, Akhai Pol. Roughly a quarter of the old city's population lives and runs businesses inside the fort. The fort has a three layered defensive structure: bottom wall, middle wall and outer wall.

The Golden Fort

The natives were going on with their daily life inside, unbothered by the visitors. We passed through the Suraj Pol, Ganesh Pol and Hawa Pol. The stone paved pathways to these main gates was not straight and direct one. There were twists and turns and steeps inside, showing the military strategies behind the construction. The deep archway of Hawa Pol acts like a natural air tunnel channeling cool breeze into the complex. The upper parts of this gate was fitted with jharokhas and balconies. On the way we could see many humble dwellings. Some of them with invitations to weddings painted near the door.

Suraj Pol/ Sun gate

Ganesh Pol

Hawa Pol

After passing through the series of gates, we reached the open Dashera chowk. Historically, this was the place where the Dussehra festival was held and the King used to give public audience from the marble throne. There were Maharaja Palace and Goddess Kali temple near the big chowk. On further exploration we found some Jain temples also inside.

Some of the private residences itself were amazing to watch, with intricate wall decorations, pointing back towards the culture and lifestyle of a past era.

We also climbed some difficult to climb stairs and reached terrace, to get a birds eye view of Jaisalmer. There were some cannon guns placed on the terrace and we clicked some photos there.