Tales of the Desert : Jaisalmer
Everything that glitters is not gold, except Jaisalmer. Famously known as the ‘Golden City’, Jaisalmer appears like a golden mirage in the middle of the arid landscape of Thar, the second largest desert in the world. A city where its fort still breathes, was named after its founder Rawal Jaisal Singh and translates to ‘Hill Fort of Jaisal’. The city although very small, has a rich history. During medieval times, Jaisalmer had a strategic importance as it fell on the way of one of the two trade routes, which connected India from Persia, Egypt, Africa and the west. The rulers used this to their advantage cleverly as they would charge a tax from the travelers, allowing them and the local traders to become rich. Probably this is the reason behind city’s sumptuous palaces, temples and havelis. However, the disappearance of the overland trade routes in the early 20th century led the city into a decline. Its fo...