Amongst all the places to see in Jaisalmer, the Jaisalmer Fort is the largest. It is in fact, one of the largest forts around the world. Located on the Tirukuta Hill, this fort was built by Rao Jaisal, one of the mightiest rulers of Jaislamer. Due to its location at the golden stretches of the Thar Desert, this fort is also known as the ‘Sonar Quila’ or the ‘Golden Fort’.
Sam sand dunes are indeed one of the most authentic desert dune sites in whole India and truly deserves to be on your list of things to do in Jaisalmer. Here, you find 30 to 60-meter tall sand dunes and many travellers enjoy Desert Safari on camels or jeep. Sam is 45 kilometres west of Jaisalmer city where you can reach by hiring a vehicle.
Maharwal Gadsi Singh, the then Maharaja of Jaisalmer constructed this lake in 1400 AD. The lake was originally built as a conservation reservoir for rainwater harvesting; during the ancient times, and it happened to be one of the major water sources for the entire city.
An architectural marvel in the streets of the city and marked by intricate carving and murals is what Patwon ki Haveli is. Built in the 19th century, this Patwon ki Haveli is a combination of 5 different havelis in one single premise. It consists of a museum having rare artifacts, furniture work, miniatures, mirror-work and a large collection of paintings and interestingly, used to be a hotspot for travelers all around the world.
Even though Jaisalmer is known to be a desert city, the rulers made attempts to add some greenery to its landscape. The Bada Bagh was one such endeavour that stood the test of time and is now a sprawling garden. Located six kilometers from Jaisalmer, this garden complex is home to the royal tombs and is among the popular places to visit in Jaisalmer.
A visit to the Desert National Park will give a better understanding of how the plants and animals have survived the aridness of the Thar Desert. Displaying the unique range and collection of different species of flora and fauna, this museum attracts the nature enthusiasts and the botanists to a large extent.
Located 18 km away from Jaisalmer, the Kuldhara village is known as the ghost village. Lying abandoned from the past few centuries, this village has no signs of human life and is also known as one of the haunted places in Rajasthan. However, during the contemporary times, this hamlet has become one of the significantly visited places in Jaisalmer.
This haveli is one of the popular tourist attractions in Jaisalmer. Salim Singh-ki Haveli is built on an older structure. This building was constructed during the early part of the eighteenth century. It was the residence of the Mehta family, one of the influential families in Jaisalmer during the early 18th century. Salim Singh, the then Prime Minister of Jaisalmer commissioned the building of this haveli.
The fun fact about the Jaisalmer fort which is also called as ‘sonar quilla’ is that It is just not a tourist attraction site or a world heritage site but a huge settlement that houses temples, havelis, shops, houses etc. This group of Jain temples in Jaisalmer dates back to the 12th century and are of great archaeological value. These temples are a great example of a Dilwara style built with animals and human figures carved on the walls of Yellow stones.
This private Thar Heritage Museum has an interesting variety of Jaisalmer antiquities, from turbans, musical instruments, fossils and kitchen hardware to shows on birth, marriage, demise and opium traditions. It has brought alive by the guided visit you'll get from its organizer, neighborhood student of history and folklorist LN Khatri.