Jaisalmer is ‘blue-blood’ of the Rajasthan. Jaisalmer, nicknamed "The Golden City", is a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan. 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 and has a population of about 78,000. It is the administrative headquarters of Jaisalmer District.

History: Jaisalmer was once a busy sea-port during the British era. But with Bombay shooting into limelight, replaced the traditional land routes. And finally the partition of India in 1947 spelled ‘the end’ for this desert land with the closing of all the trade routes on the Indo-Pak border and it turned into a drought-prone forgotten desert backwater on the international border. This continued till the Tourism industry turned their flashlights to its treasure trove of forts and palaces and the rest is history.

Attractions
Jaisalmer Fort: Built in 1156 by the Bhati Rajput ruler Jaisal, it is situated on Trikuta Hill and had been the scene of many battles. Its massive sandstone walls are a tawny lion color during the day, turning to a magical honey-gold as the sun sets. The famous Indian film director Satyajit Ray wrote a detective novel and later turned it into a film – Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress) which was based on this fort. This is a living fort and about a quarter of city's population still lives inside the fort. The main attractions inside the fort are: Raj Mahal (Royal palace), Jain temples and the Laxminath temple.

Havelis: Incase you are wondering what is this hung-ho about havelis, they are basically ethnic, ornate sandstone mansions of the Jaisalmer wealthy merchants with spacious courtyards, relief carvings, filigreed windows, and lacelike screens and jarokhas (small projecting balconies). The Jaisalmer Fort encloses a handful of havelis, but the best ones are there dotted down in the town. The most infatuating ones are the Patwon ki Haveli (five-story, largest of all), Salim Singh ki Haveli (with a beautifully arched roof capped with blue cupolas and carved brackets in the form of peacocks), and Nathmalji ki Haveli (ornate with interesting carvings). Some of the havelis are as old as 300 years and one will be but awed to witness the freshness they still exude.

Gadi Sagar Tank: South of the city walls is this once water source of the entire town. The legion of temples and shrines around this water-hole and the multi-colored avian invaders that make a foray every winter, make this place a fine rejuvenator. The beautiful arched gateway to the tank is believed to have been built by a prostitute who also added a Krishna temple so that the then king could not tear it down.

Museums:The Jaisalmer Folklore Museum is a private Museum that boasts of an interesting heirloom of handicrafts, depiction of the love story of Princess Moomal and King Mahendra and so on. The other Museums you can drop by are the Government Museum and the Desert Culture Center & Museum.

Camel Safari: Camping amidst endless sands, frolicking the locales on the bestial camel, trekking to the sites, bonfires at night - are activities that make your desert tour stand apart from the rest other then the sun-tan and the dust. You can check out our exciting desert safari packages that are a fine enmesh of such activities and sightseeing.

Cuisine Once there, instead of opting for your continental palate, you must dare the typically fiery Rajasthani cuisine. Tango your taste buds with the famed gatta curry, macchi/maas sulas, lal/safed maas and the ever present ker-sangri. Add to it the local musicians playing some exotic tune that take you right in the midst of rolling sand dunes and caravans with eyes closed. For desserts you have a variety of sweetmeats to devour.

The Trio Restaurant, Gopa Chowk, Kalpana Khana, Monica Restaurant, Saffron, Bikaner, Natraj Restaurants, Top Deck are some of the best and safe bets for delectable dishes. And the escapade inside the Fort leaves you hungry, you can drop by at 8 July Restaurant and Little Tibet.