Jaisalmer: a Unique Indian Poem for You

"When I was standing in the land of Jaisalmer, India, Tagore's Flying Fire came into my head: Leave no trace of wings in the air, but I am glad I have had my flight. That's how I felt at that moment."

-Miranda, Travel Consultant at Odynovo

A traveler once told me: "Jaisalmer is a lovely and relaxing place to escape from busy life." Somehow, I deeply believed in her words, and since then, I have been eager to explore this wonderland. Luckily, this April, I got the chance to realize this dream with my friends.

Every old city has facts to declare and uniqueness to wonder about. Located deep inside the famous Thar Desert, Jaisalmer - the Golden City - is one such city. Once upon a time, Jaisalmer was a busy pit stop on the Silk Route, but now, it has become a mysterious treasure buried in the sand. "Now, how's it?" I was very curious.
No clouds. No birds. There was nothing in the sky. When we came to Jaisalmer Fort with our guide, I recognized that I would have no regrets about coming to such a pure place.

As one of the largest forts in the world, Jaisalmer Fort has been declared a World Heritage Site. Every part of Jaisalmer Fort is made of soft yellow Jurassic sandstone. During the day, the walls are tawny, and they fade to honey-gold when the sun sets, which makes the fort camouflaged in the desert. So, it is also known as the Sonar Quila or Golden Fort. Unlike any other fort in India, Jaisalmer Fort is actually a fort city with thousands of people residing within its walls.

Jaisalmer Fort, A Living Fort

The fort is honeycombed with narrow lanes, lined with houses and temples, and there are lots of handicraft shops, guesthouses, and restaurants. There is a charming maze of narrow lanes. "You need to follow close behind me, or you may get lost," the guide told us. 

Exploring deeper, we were inquisitive about the wall painting of Ganesha on some houses. "This is a special invitation," our guided explained. "Lord Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, is regarded as the patron of the family in India. So, it is a custom here to paint a Ganesha to announce a wedding. The couple's names and the date of the wedding are given. This is a way of open invitation – anyone can come along, regardless of if they know the families involved or not."

Thanks to the windy doors well-designed by the ancient architects, we could find somewhere to take a rest and enjoy the cool on such a hot day. At this moment, I still got lost in everything in sight: the unique architecture reflecting the collision of different cultures, the rope-skipping girls, the clothes-hanging women, as well as the meal-delivering boys… Everything was a necessary part of this little world. 

Jaisalmer Fort

After leaving Jaisalmer Fort, we moved farther west. In the car, our focus shifted to the Sikh driver –  Saudagar. Saudagar told us that usually, Sikh men wore a peaked turban that covered their long hair, and this was never cut out of respect for God's creation; devout Sikhs did not even cut their beards, so many Sikh men tucked up against the facial hair into turbans along with the hair. I've heard once that "Sikhs look serious and rude", but this Sikh driver, with 11 years of driving experience, was very easygoing, careful, and always gave us a big smile.

About 20 minutes later, we arrived at where we stayed for the night. "Namaste! (Hello!)" The hotel representative gave us a warm greeting, and then a girl in a beautiful saree, holding a silver plate, went towards us. She gave us a wreath of flowers and a red dot on our foreheads, saying, "It's the unique way of blessing in India, which will ward off evil spirits and bring you good luck!"

Then we set our luggage and headed to the most attractive place - sand dunes. No trip to Jaisalmer is complete without visiting the silky Sam Sand Dunes, which are about 2km long and are undeniably one of the most picturesque in the region. A camel safari here is an unforgettable experience, so we were excited to have a try.

Cameral Ride in Jaisalmer

"This is Michael Jackson. He's a boy!" A young man with beautiful long eyelashes walked towards me and passionately introduced his camel. Then he told me: "Hang on tight, and don't let go! This is the only tip to ride a camel." I rode on it, and only now did I realize how awesome the dunes were. "Wow! That's fascinating!" I couldn't help saying.

Here we started our journey.

About an hour later, we reached the towering dune and had a panoramic view of the whole desert. This was so stunning that all of us kept silent: As the sun was slowly going down the horizon, the burning light of the sun got dull, and it looked like a huge disc of orange. Everything was almost still and made the scene look like a painting by a master. The scene was truly beautiful.

Enjoying its charm, I seemed to understand why so many poets across the world were full of emotional thoughts during the sunset. For me, the feeling was implicit, not explainable, but poets shared their minds through poems.

Night falling, we were reluctant to leave the Sam Sand Dunes and went back to the hotel. 

As soon as we arrived, we found that with twinkling stars in the sky and lighting candles on the ground, the hotel was full of fantasies. Not only the hotel but the whole day tour was like a mysterious strength that led us into another amazing world – a world of the poem. 

But today's tour was just a line from the poem named Jaisalmer, and I felt like reading more in the future. 

There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes, and you need to read this poem on your own, with your own eyes. So now, you are welcome to tailor-make a discovering tour including this unique Indian Poem, and our excellent travel consultant team will offer a quote and expert travel advice within 24 hours!