Rajasthan Tour Information

Jaisalmer is a fascinating city in Rajasthan. The city got its name after Rawal Jaisal who found the city in 1156. Jaisalmer popularly known as "The Golden City" because of the yellow sand dunes in the vicinity, which provides a golden colour to the city. Jaisalmer is crowned by a fort, which contains the palaces and several Jain temples.

Jaisalmer is full of numerous artistic constructions and monuments of historical significance. The desolate landscape in surrounding vicinity imparts a look of a dark, severe beauty to the city. Camel Safaris through the desert are most popular among the tourists. Some of the major tourisr attractions in Jaisalmer are:

Jaisalmer Fort: Jaisalmer Fort was built by Rawal Jaisal, the Bhati rajput ruler in 1156. The fort is located on Trikuta hill. This fort has faced many battles. With the sunrise the massive sandstone walls of the forts takes a yellowish color, which turns into a golden as the sunsets. The fort still experiences life as the one-fourth of city’s population resides inside this fort.
Inside the fort there is a complex of Jain temples, which were built during 15th & 16th century. The ceiling of Sabha Mandapa in Jain temple supports a head that is surrounded by five bodies & as one walks around the Mandapa, the head seems to be connected with the five of bodies. The other major attractions in Jaisalmer fort are Raj Mahal or “Royal Palace” and Laxminath temple. Raj Mahal has now been converted into a museum & heritage center.

Gadsisar Lake: Gadsisar lake, a water preservation tank, was constructed by Maharwal Gadsi Singh around 1400 A.D. Earlier the lake acted as a reservoir & controlled the supply of water to the entire parched city. A variety of temples and shrines can be found surrounding the lake. In winters a wide variety of waterfowl flock here. A beautiful gateway known as Tillon Ki prol (Gate of Tillon), was built by royal courtesan named Tillon in the end of 19th century. This gate arches across the road down to the Lake.

Havelis of Jaisalmer:

· Patwon-ki-Haveli: This is the largest, the most beautiful, and the most elaborate haveli of Jaisalmer. It was build by Guman Chand Patwa and later on by his five sons. This five-storey compound completes in fifty years.

· Salim Singh-ki-Haveli: This eight-storied mansion was build by Salim Singh in 1815, who then was the prime minister of Jaisalmer. The haveli has 38 balconies, each of which is said to have a different design. The monument, when viewed as a whole looks like a great ocean liner, which has a narrow base and expands at the top. That is why the haveli is also called the Jahazmahal or Ship’s Palace.

· Nathmalji-ki-Haveli: Diwan Mohata Nathmal, who was the then Prime Minister of Jaisalmer, constructed this haveli as his residence. The architects of the haveli were two brothers, Hathi and Lulu. The façades of haveli has the sketches of modern amenities such as cars, fans etc on it. It is said that both the brothers have never seen these things before in their lives. They just engraved it with the help of the people, who had seen it.

There are many other forts, palaces and havelis in this bewitching city that have never failed to allure the tourists of the entire globe. It is due to this reason that the numbers of tourists are increasing day by day. Moreover, a lot of vibrant havelis have turned into heritage hotels that provide modern amenities to the tourists during their stay in the Palace. So, you can ensure a world-class heritage stay while your visit to Jaisalmer. Thus the “Golden City” is always waiting for your grand arrival.

Jodhpur, the second largest city of Rajasthan, was founded by Rao Jodha in1459. Jodhpur is also popularly known as the Sun City as the weather of city remains bright & sunny all the year. A thick stone wall enclosed the ancient city of Jodhpur. This wall has six giant gateway entitled as Nagauri gate, Merati gate, Sojati gate, Jalori gate, Siwanchi gate and Chand pol. Apart from a bleak, picturesque desert landscape, Jodhpur is full of beautiful tourist destination including beautiful palaces, fortresses and temples. Some of these attractions are:

Mehrangarh Fort or the Sun Fort, located in Jodhpur city is one of the largest forts in India. The fort is located in the center of the city that stretches over a 5 km high, 400 feet above the city, and is enclosed by striking thick walls. This fortress was originally started by Rao Jodha in 1459, founder of Jodhpur, but most of the fort which stands today was constructed by Jaswant Singh. To enter the fort one must go through a series of 7 gates. Jai Pol or The Gate of Victory was built by Maharaja Man Singh in 1806 after his victory in a war with Jaipur and Bikaner; Fateh Pol was built to celebrate a victory over the Mughals in 1707; Loha Pol is the final gate into the main part of the fort complex. On the left there are the hand marks (sati marks) of the ranis who immolated themselves on the funeral pyre of their husband, Maharaja Man Singh, in 1843. Several brilliantly designed and decorated the palaces are there in the fort. Among them, Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace), Phool Mahal (Flower Palace), Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace), Sileh Khana and Daulat Khana are remarkable.

Umaid Bhawan Palace named after Maharaja Umaid Singh was initially called Chittar Palace, as it was located on Chittar Hill. Umaid Bhawan was one of the last royal buildings. The building does not use mortar or cement to bind stones together; all pieces are engraved stones collected by a system of interlocking positive and negative carved pieces. Umaid bhavan is designed in a way that preserves the temperature always around 23º celcius. A railway line was built specifically for the transport of such large blocks of stone. The Palace, when it was built, was the world's largest private residence, with 347 rooms. Central dome of the building is distinguishably 110 feet high. H V Lanchester, the architect of Umaid Bhawan designed the palace, which could be called Indo-Art-Deco style. The Palace now has been divided into three functional parts, one with a five-star hotel, the other is the residence of the royal family and third one has been opened to public.

The Jaswant Thada is one of the important rajputana architectural landmarks found in Jodhpur. Sardar Singh built this white marble monument in 1899 in memory of his father & 33rd Rathore ruler, Maharja Jaswant Singh II. The monument, which is half a mile from Mehrengarh Fort, consists of sheets of intricately carved white marble. These stones are polished in a way so that they emit a warm glow when the sunrays fall at their surface. It is also the cremation ground of Jodhpur rulers.

Besides these captivating places there are lot more in Jodhpur to enjoy like Mahamandir Temple, Balsamand Palace, Osian Temple, Nagaur Fort & many more.

Jaipur, which is famous worldwide as pink city, is the capital of Rajasthan. According to legend, Raja Sawai Jai Singh, which had its capital in Amber, felt the need for greater security and its capital is transferred to the new city of Jaipur built. Jaipur has been planned and well-designed city with a great Bengali architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. According to the history books, it is based on the Treaty of the Hindu Shilpa Shastra, architecture Indian.
It is pink in honor of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Albert in 1876. Since then, the pink color has been associated with the Royal and hospitable city of Jaipur.

Jaipur is world famous for its imperial palaces, forts and grand Havelis. Its architectural wonders are world-renowned. Hawa Mahal is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Jaipur. It was build by Sawai Maharana Pratap Singh in 1799. It was said that its structure resembles the crown or Lord Krishna. It has 953 small windows, which was used as a form of veil by women folk of the royal family to watch the processions. City Palace is another classic example built by Kachchwah Rajput leaders. It?s a beautiful combination of Mughal and Rajput architecture style. Part of this spectacular palace became a museum for foreign tourists who come to learn about the rich culture and heritage of the city of Jaipur regal. There are rare manuscripts, Mughal carpets, costumes, weapons and other things used by the Mughal and Rajput royalty.

Another major tourist attraction is Jantar Mantar, which was built by Sawai Jai Singh II. It was an observatory, which consists of fourteen major geometric devices for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking stars in their orbits, declinations identify planets and determine the celestial altitudes and ephemeris. Carefully restored in 1901, the Jantar Mantar, was declared a national monument in 1948. Amber Fort, built on a hilltop by Raja Man Singh is another very famous. It is built of white marble and red stones on the styles of Rajput and Mughal architecture. The reason behind that is a must-see list of all the tourists because it offers a magnificent view of the surroundings. The mirror image of the crystal Fort, on the waters of Lake Maotha still seems to be a beautiful illusion. The outward appearance of the Fort is rugged and rocky is totally different from its nucleus. The interior of the Fort offers a warm and soothing, which is the least expected from its external appearance. Other famous places to see and include Nahargarh Fort, the Laxmi Narayan temple, Jaigarh Fort, Govind Deoji mandir etc