Jaisalmer, India Summary

In the remote westernmost corner of Rajasthan, a good 100km beyond its closest neighbour Pokaran, JAISALMER is a desert town par excellence, its sand-yellow ramparts rising out of the arid Thar like a vision from Scheherazade. Put off by reports of rampant commercialism, many travellers never make the long detour out here, but in spite of all the souvenir shops, hotel touts and large tour groups, the town remains one of India’s most enchanting destinations. Villagers from outlying settlements, dressed in dazzling red and orange odinis or voluminous turbans, still outnumber foreigners in the bazaar, while the town’s exquisite sandstone architecture is quite unlike anything else in India. Staring west at sunset time, when the palace, 99 bastions and delicately sculpted temple towers of the citadel are suffused with honey-coloured light, you’ll see how Jaisalmer came to be known as the “Golden City”.