|
Jaisalmer nicknamed "The Golden
City" is a town bordering the Thar Desert in the Indian state of
Rajasthan. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone,
crowned by a fort, overlooking the ochre expanse of the desert. The
palaces and havelis of Jaisalmer are quite a crowd puller and hence,
Jaisalmer is now, a popular tourist spot. The Hotels In Jailsalmer
Rajasthan are spread over the town and are available in a variety of
price range. The hotels in Jaisalmer are mostly nestled around the
fort.
Jaisalmer is named after its founder Rawal Jaisal, a successor of
the Bhati Rajputs. "Jaisalmer" means "the Hill Fort of Jaisal".
Jaisalmer is also called as the Golden city of India because the
yellow sandstone used for the construction of the fort is golden in
color creating an effect of gold. The Jaisalmer fort and its golden
color shot to fame with Satyajit Ray’s movie- ‘Sonar Kella’ (golden
fort).
The majority of the inhabitants of Jaisalmer are descendants of the
Bhati Rajputs, who hail from an ancestor named Bhatti, who belonged
to a tribe in Punjab. This tribe was however, driven southwards, and
took refuge in the Indian desert, which was henceforth its home.
Deoraj, a famous prince of the Bhati family, is considered to be the
real founder of the Jaisalmer dynasty, and with him the title of
Rawal commenced. Rawal Jaisal, the sixth in succession from Deoraj,
founded the fort and city of Jaisalmer, and made it his capital as
he moved from his former capital at Lodhruva located 15 km to the
south-east of Jaisalmer.
In 1294, the Bhatis enraged the emperor Ala-ud-din Khilji and his
army captured and sacked the fort and city of Jaisalmer; for quite
some time after this, the fort city remained deserted. After this
there is nothing to record till the time of Rawal Sahal Singh,
acknowledged the supremacy of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. In 1762
the fortunes of the state rapidly declined, and most of its outlying
provinces were lost. In 1818 Mulraj entered into political relations
with the British. Maharawal Salivahan, born in 1887, succeeded
succeeded him in 1891.
Jaisalmer is now quite a developed tourist destination. The Sam Sand
Dunes that lie off the city in the Thar Desert is the most popular
point where the desert it visited by tourists.
|
