The Raj, or warlord lived in the fort and protected the merchants who built their homes in the town at the foot of the fort walls. Some of the merchants became very rich and are the forefathers of some of the elite of today’s India. Both the castle and the town below are still vibrant with life.
Although the merchants had to pay homage to the Raj there was still enough profit to build magnificent homes. Without air-conditioning it was important that the air should flow through the havelies. It was also important that the women were not seen by the outside world. Sandstone was the material at hand and artisans carved delicate designs like lace into the stone.
Although the merchants had to pay homage to the Raj there was still enough profit to build magnificent homes. Without air-conditioning it was important that the air should flow through the havelies. It was also important that the women were not seen by the outside world. Sandstone was the material at hand and artisans carved delicate designs like lace into the stone.
From our room in the castle we could look down on the town below. The streets were filled with life, people and animals during the day but in the middle of the night when I looked our from our balcony there wasn’t anything moving. All the cattle must have gone into their homes. It was still and calm beneath the stars.
At sunrise the fort shone like gold over the town below. It was no surprise that Jaisalmer is known as the Golden City.
There were cattle wondering everywhere within the castle and this beast nearly knocked John over simply by bumping him out of the way in the narrow lanes, as he ambled by. Walking was a little uncomfortable as you had to be careful not to twist an ankle on he rough cobbles and you had to keep an eye out lest you trod in a cowpat.
Meandering around the fort was like returning to the middle ages with the narrow streets and the high walled houses. We came across the milkman delivering fresh milk from churns fastened to either side of his motorbike. He just fit down the lane and we had to wait to pass him while he ladled his product into the jugs of his customers.
This was a mighty fort and it looked impenetrable. Surely no one could breach the walls and the entrance-way had bends so that no elephant could charge. Most of the time these Bhati Rajput people held supremacy over the Mughals but they were defeated three times. They could not survive a siege as long as seven years. The warriors capitulated and rode out into the hoards below to certain death but taking as many of the enemy with them as they could. Before that the women took the rite of Jauhar; preyed and cleansed themselves and then threw themselves onto a fire rather than be taken by the enemy. They left hand prints on the walls before they died.
The city fell into decline when the British opened Bombay as a port and trade was easier by boat than by camel. Now, resting near the Pakistani border, Jaisalmer is an important military base although you seldom see a soldier.
There were cattle wondering everywhere within the castle and this beast nearly knocked John over simply by bumping him out of the way in the narrow lanes, as he ambled by. Walking was a little uncomfortable as you had to be careful not to twist an ankle on he rough cobbles and you had to keep an eye out lest you trod in a cowpat.
Meandering around the fort was like returning to the middle ages with the narrow streets and the high walled houses. We came across the milkman delivering fresh milk from churns fastened to either side of his motorbike. He just fit down the lane and we had to wait to pass him while he ladled his product into the jugs of his customers.
This was a mighty fort and it looked impenetrable. Surely no one could breach the walls and the entrance-way had bends so that no elephant could charge. Most of the time these Bhati Rajput people held supremacy over the Mughals but they were defeated three times. They could not survive a siege as long as seven years. The warriors capitulated and rode out into the hoards below to certain death but taking as many of the enemy with them as they could. Before that the women took the rite of Jauhar; preyed and cleansed themselves and then threw themselves onto a fire rather than be taken by the enemy. They left hand prints on the walls before they died.
The city fell into decline when the British opened Bombay as a port and trade was easier by boat than by camel. Now, resting near the Pakistani border, Jaisalmer is an important military base although you seldom see a soldier.
I don’t like to hand out money to beggars although I occasionally give fruit I have some on me. Today I bought some vegetables I didn’t need from an elderly lady sitting at the corner of one of the markets. That evening while John was taking this picture of the fort a little boy came up who was living with his family under canvas nearby. He literally skipped away, barefoot over the rocks, when we gave him the vegetables. You can just make out his home.
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