| जैसलमेर की प्रमुख तस्वीरे | जैसलमेर का प्रशासकीय संघठन | जैसलमेर का मानचित्र |
| जैसलमेर के पर्यटन स्थल | जैसलमेर की सांख्यिकीय रूपरेखा | जैसलमेर के महत्वपूर्ण नम्बर |
Jaisalmer nicknamed "The Golden city", is a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located 575 kilometres (357 mi) west of the state capital Jaipur. It was once known as Jaisalmer state. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate Jain temples. Many of the houses and temples are finely sculptured. It lies in the heart of the Thar Desert (great Indian desert) and has a population of about 78,000. It is the administrative headquarters of Jaisalmer District.
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Jaisalmer |
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| Coordinates | 26.92°N 70.9°E | ||||||
| Country | India | ||||||
| State | Rajasthan | ||||||
| District(s) | Jaisalmer | ||||||
| Population | 58,286(2001) | ||||||
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) | ||||||
| • Elevation | 225 m (738 ft) | ||||||
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History
The majority of the inhabitants of Jaisalmer are Bhati Rajputs, named for Bhati, who was renowned as a warrior. The ruling family of the erstwhile Jaisalmer State belongs to Bhati Clan of Yadu Rajputs of Chandravanshi (Lunar) race who claim descent from Lord Krishna,the defied hero who ruled at Dwarka. In 1156 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 (which is situated about 15 km (9.3 mi) to the north-west of Jaisalmer). In 1293, the Bhattis so enraged the emperor Ala-ud-din Khilji that his army captured and sacked the fort and city of Jaisalmer, so that for some time it was quite deserted. Some Bhatti's from the Royal family migrated to Jaisal (Now in Pakistan), a place near to Chiniot Distt and some migrated to Talwandi, now Nankana Sahib in Distt. Nankana Sahib (Punjab, Pakistan) and others settled in Larkana (in Sind, Pakistan)under the name of Bhutto. In Nankana Sahib, the Bhatti Clan can be traced from the lineage of Rai Bhoe and Rai Bular Bhatti. After this there is nothing to record until the time of Rawal Sahal Singh, whose reign marks an epoch in Bhatti history in that he acknowledged the supremacy of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The Jaisalmer princes had now arrived at the height of their power, but from this time till the accession of Rawal Mulraj 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 to the chiefship in 1891.
The Maharajas of Jaisalmer trace their lineage back to Jaitsimha, a ruler of the Bhatti Rajput clan. The major opponents of the Bhati Rajputs were the powerful Rathor clans of Jodhpur and Bikaner. They used to fight battles for the possession of forts, waterholes or cattle. Jaisalmer was positioned strategically and was a halting point along a traditional trade route traversed by the camel caravans of Indian and Asian merchants. The route linked India to Central Asia, Egypt, Arabia, Persia, Africa and the West.
Medieval period
During the Islamic invasion of India, Jaisalmer escaped direct Muslim conquest due to its geographical situation in the desert region. The Rawals of Jaisalmer agreed to pay an annual tribute to the Delhi Sultanate. The first siege of Jaisalmer occurred during the reign of Alauddin Khilji. It was provoked by Bhatis' raid on a caravan filled with treasure. According to local ballads, the Bhatis defended the fort for seven years until the enemy army forces breached the ramparts. Bhatis, facing certain defeat, proclaimed the rite of jauhar. Later, Sultan Ferozshah also besieged Jaisalmer after the rulers of Jaisalmer raided his camp at Anasagar lake near Ajmer. The siege led to another jauhar. Jaitsimha's son Duda perished in the attack. Duda's descendants ruled over Jaisalmer for about two centuries. Duda's descendant Lunakarna had a fight with Humayun when the latter passed through Jaisalmer en route to Ajmer.
Later, Jaisalmer was ruled by a noble called Sabala Simha, who won the patronage of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for services rendered in his Peshawar campaign.
Princely Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer was one of the last states to sign a treaty with the British. During the British Raj, Jaisalmer was the seat of a princely state of the same name, ruled by the Bhati clan of Rajputs. The present descendant is Brijraj Singh. Though the city is under the governance of the Government of India, a lot of welfare work is carried out by him and his family.
Traditionally, the main source of income was the levies on the caravans. However, the glory of Jaisalmer faded when Bombay emerged as a port and the sea trade replaced the traditional land routes. The partition of India in 1947 lead to closing of all the trade routes on the Indo-Pak border and rendered Jaisalmer a drought-prone desert backwater on the international border. Ironically, skirmishes between India and Pakistan gave Jaisalmer a strategic importance and made it serviceable as an army supply depot. Later, the Rajasthan Canal served to revive the surrounding desert areas. Roads and railroads were then built, knitting the hitherto remote town with the rest of Rajasthan. Later, the Government of Rajasthan decided to promote Jaisalmer as a tourist destination.
Geography
Jaisalmer is almost entirely a sandy waste, forming a part of the Thar desert (great Indian desert). The general aspect of the area is that of an interminable sea of sand hills, of all shapes and sizes, some rising to a height of 150 feet (46 m). Those in the west are covered with log bushes, those in the east with tufts of long grass. Water is scarce, and generally brackish; the average depth of the wells is said to be about 250 feet (76 m). There are no perennial streams, and only one small river, the Kakni, which, after flowing a distance of 48 kilometres (30 mi), spreads over a large surface of flat ground, and forms Lake Orjhil ("The Bhuj-Jhil"). The climate is dry and healthy. Throughout Jaisalmer only raincrops, such as bajra, jawar, motif, til, etc., are grown; spring crops of wheat, barley, etc., are very rare. Owing to the scant rainfall, irrigation is almost unknown.
Climate
Jaisalmer has an average elevation of 229 metres (751 ft). It is situated near the border of India and Pakistan in West Rajasthan, and covers an area of 5.1 km2 (2.0 sq mi). The maximum summer temperature is around 41.6 °C (106.9 °F) while the minimum is 25 °C (77 °F). The maximum winter temperature is usually around 23.6 °C (74.5 °F) and the minimum is 7.9 °C (46.2 °F). The average rainfall is 209.5 millimetres (8.25 in).[4] Highest ever recorded temperature was 48.0 °C (118.4 °F)[5] and the lowest ever recorded temperature being −5.9 °C (21.4 °F).
Transportation
Air
A military airstrip has recently been opened to limited civilian flights. A new, dedicated airport is planned for 2011.
Train
There is a direct train service from Old Delhi. The Delhi-Jaisalmer Express, departure time at 17:30 (from Delhi Jn station) via Jaipur, Jodhpur and Pokharan (India's nuclear testing area) reaches Jaisalmer at 11:30 next day. In the other direction the train leaves Jaisalmer at 17:15, reaching Delhi Jn at 11:15 next day. This train has 2AC, 3AC, Sleeper and unreserved classes. It is very often 3-5 hrs late. Once you get to the station, it is about a 40Rs auto ride to the center of town as of Jan 2013.
In addition there is a daytime slow train (unreserved, stopping at all stations) and a night express train (with 3AC, Sleeper and unreserved classes) between Jaisalmer and Jodhpur.
Every sunday the luxury train Palace on Wheels stops at Jaisalmer.
By Road
Bus or car-taxi from Jodhpur or by bus from Bikaner. A daily bus runs to and from Jaipur by Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) .
By car
Various tour operators and travel agencies offer chauffeured car-taxi services; these are charged on a per km, per day basis. You can plan to take one to arrive into the city or take one for sightseeing in and around the city.
There are many car rental services in Delhi which can provide chauffeur driven cars to Jaisalmer..
Approximate road distances from various destinations are
Agra 800 km
Ajmer 440 km
Bikaner 330 km
Jaipur 570 km
Jodhpur 300 km
Mumbai 1140 km
Delhi 800 km
Udaipur 575 km
Another option is to arrive by camel; Jaisalmer is famous for camel trips. The most grueling is the 14 day trip from Bikaner. When booking a few days in the desert on a camel, remember to shop around in order to get the quality you pay for.
Car Rental:
R.L Car Rental Jaisalmer (R.L Car Rental Jaisalmer), Jaisalmer, Rajasthan 345001, ☎ +91 8769300400 (rlcarrental@gmail.com)
Jaisalmer Car Rental (Jaisalmer Car Rental), Near Railway Station Jaisalmer, Rajasthan 345001, ☎ +91 9610348007
Unlike Jaipur and Jodhpur, with populations in the millions, Jaisalmer is very much a tourist town, with a population of about 80,000. In fact, a significant portion of the population is only there in the tourist season, 4 months out of the year. The rest of the time they go off to find work in larger towns in Rajasthan. Thus you can expect to see that the inhabitants are very intent on selling you things. As anywhere in India, try to stay calm and not get irritated, as getting angry never helps the situation. Keep in mind that they can also be extremely friendly, chatty, and genuinely helpful- so be positive when in the city and have a good time!