Jaisalmer is one of Rajasthan's most exotic and unusual towns. "A living museum" and the "Golden City" are just two descriptions which has been applied to the desert put-outs. Places of visit are beautiful mansions built by Jaisalmer's wealthy merchants known as Havelis. Gandhi Sagar Tank, was once the water supply of the city. Jaisalmer, the city of the Golden Fort is a fantasy in yellow sandstone in the heart of the Thar Desert. The city was founded in 1156 by Rawal Jaisal, a Bhatti Rajput King.

Jaisalmer is a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate Jain temples. Many of the houses and temples are finely sculptured. It lies in the heart of the Thar Desert and has a population of about 78,000. It is the administrative headquarters of Jaisalmer District.

The majority of the inhabitants of Jailalmer are Bhatti Rajputs, who take their name from an ancestor named Bhatti, renowned as a warrior when the tribe were located in the Punjab. Shortly after this the clan was driven southwards, and found a refuge in the Indian desert, which was thenceforth its home. Deoraj, a famous prince of the Bhatti family, is esteemed the real founder of the Jaisalmer dynasty, and with him the title of rawal commenced. In 1156 Rawal Jaisal, the sixth in succession from Deoraj, founded the fort and city of Jaisaimer, and made it his capital as he moved from his former capital at Lodhruva (which is situated about 15 km to the south-east of Jaisalmer). In 1294, the Bhattis so enraged the emperor AlA-ud-din that his army captured and sacked the fort and city of Jaisalmer, so that for some time it was quite deserted. After this there is nothing to record till the time of Rwal Sahal Singh, whose reign marks an epoch in Bhatti history in that he acknowledged the supremacy of the Mogul emperor Shah Jahan. The Jaisalmer princes had now arrived at the height of their power, but from this time till the accession of Rawal Mulraj in 1762 the fortunes of the state rapidly declined, and most of its outlying provinces were lost. In 1818 Mulraj entered into political relations with the British. Maharawal Salivahan, born in 1887, succeeded to the chiefship in 1891.

The Maharajas of Jaisalmer trace their lineage back to Jaitsimha, a ruler of the Bhatti Rajput clan. The major opponents of the Bhatti Rajputs were the powerful Rathor clans of Jodhpur and Bikaner. They used to fight battles for the possession of forts, waterholes or cattle. Jaisalmer was positioned strategically and was a halting point along a traditional trade route traversed by the camel caravans of Indian and Asian merchants. The route linked India to Central Asia ,Egypt, Arabia, Persia, Africa and the West..

During the Islamic invasion of India, Jaisalmer escaped direct Muslim conquest due to its geographical situation in the desert region. The Rawals of Jaisalmer agreed to pay an annual tribute to the Delhi Sultans. The first siege of Jaisalmer occurred during the reign of Allaud-din Khilji. It was provoked by Bhattis' raid on a caravan filled with treasure. According to local ballads, the Bhattis defended the fort for seven years until the enemy army forced beached the ramparts. Bhattis, facing certain defeat, proclaimed the rite of johar. Later, Sultan Ferozshah also sieged Jaisalmer after the rulers of Jaisalmer raided his camp at Anasagar lake near Ajmer. The siege led to another johar. Jaitsimha's son Duda perished in the attack. Duda's descendants ruled over Jaisalmer for about two centuries. Duda's descendant Lunakarna had a fight with Humayun when the later passed through Jaisalmer en route to Ajmer. Mughal emperor Akbar was married to one of the Jaisalmer princesses.

Later, Jaisalmer was ruled by a noble called Sabala Simha, who won the patronage of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for services rendered in his Peshawar campaign.

Jaisalmer was one of the last states to sign a treaty with the British. During the British Raj, Jaisalmer was the seat of a princely state of the same name, ruled by the Bhati clan of rajputs. The present descendant is Brijraj Singh. Though the city is under the governance of the Government of India, a lot of welfare work is carried out by him and his family. The Royal Family still commands a lot of respect from the people.

Traditionally, the main source of income was the levies on the caravans. However, the glory of Jaisalmer faded when Bombay emerged as a port and the sea trade replaced the traditional land routes. The partition of India in 1947 lead to closing of all the trade routes on the Indo-Pak border and rendered Jaisalmer a drought-prone desert backwater on the international border. Ironically, skirmishes between India and Pakistan gave Jaisalmer a strategic importance and made it serviceable as an army supply depot. Later, the Rajasthan Canal served to revive the surrounding desert areas. Roads and railroads were then built, knitting the hitherto remote town with the rest of Rajasthan.

Later, the Government of Rajasthan decided to promote Jaisalmer as a tourist destination.

Jaisalmer is situated on the border of India and Pakistan in West Rajasthan. The are of Jaisalmer is 5.1 km2. The maximum summer climate is around 41.6 degree C while the minimum is 25 degree C. The maximum winter climate is 23.6 degree C while the minimum is 7.9 degree C. The average rainfall is 15 cm. [1]

Jaisalmer is almost entirely a sandy waste, forming a part of the great Indian desert. The general aspect of the area is that of an interminable sea of sandhills, of all shapes and sizes, some rising to a height of 150 ft. Those in the west are covered with log bushes, those in the east with tufts of long grass. Water is scarce, and generally brackish; the average depth of the wells is said to be about 250 ft. There are no perennial streams, and only one small river, the Kakni, which, after flowing a distance of 28 m., spreads over a large surface of flat ground, and forms a lake orjhil called the Bhuj-Jhil. The climate is dry and healthy. Throughout Jaisalmer only raincrops, such as bajra, joar, motif, til, etc., are grown; spring crops of wheat, barley, etc., are very rare. Owing to the scant rainfall, irrigation is almost unknown.

New Delhi (864 km), Jaipur (558 km), Mumbai (1177 km), Ahmedabad (626 km).

Jaisalmer Fort

Built in 1156 by the Bhati Rajput ruler Jaisal, it is situated on Trikuta Hill and had been the scene of many battles. Its massive sandstone walls are a tawny lion color during the day, turning to a magical honey-goldas the sun sets. The famous Indian film director Satyajit Ray wrote a detective novel and later turned it into a film – Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress) which was based on this fort. This is the world's only living fort and about a quarter of city's population live in the fort. The main attractions inside the fort are: Raj Mahal (Royal palace), Jain temples and the Laxminath temple.

Havelis
The main havelis in Jaisalmer are:

Patwon-ki-Haveli

Built by Guman Chand Patwa (and later by his five sons), a wealthy merchant and banker who had over three hundred trading centres from Afghanistan to China. This ornate five-storey complex took fifty years to complete. This is the largest, the most magnificent, and the most elaborate of Jaisalmer havelis.

Salim Singh-ki-Haveli

It was built by the scheming Prime Minister Salim Singh in 1815. It has a beautifully arched roof capped with blue cupolas and carved brackets in the form of peacocks.

Nathmalji-ki-Haveli

Bult by a Prime Minister of princely state of Jaisalmer. Its facade is a riot of ornamentation: flowers, birds, elephants, soldiers, a bicycle and even a steam engine.

Museums

* Desert Culture Centre & Museum.
* Jaisalmer Folklore Museum.
* Government Museum.

Otheri

* Gadi Sagar
Excavated in 1367 by Rawal Gadsi Singh it is a scenic rainwater lake surrounded by small temples and shrines.
In neighbourhood

* Bhattiani Sati Rani
* Bada Bagh
* Amar Sagar
* Lodhruva
* Mool Sagar
* Kuldhara
* Desert National Park
* Sam sand dunes
* Khuri village
*Akal Wood fossil Park

By Air

The nearest airport is at Jodhpur, which is well connected to Delhi.

By Rail

Jodhpur is the nearest railhead from here.

By Road

Well connected by road with all the major cities of India. Direct bus services to Udaipur, Mount Abu, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Barmer, Ajmer and Jaipur. Also to Ahmedabad and Bhuj in Gujarat.

Shop for exquisitely carved wooden boxes traditional rugs, hand-woven blankets and shawls in typical Rajasthani colours and weave are available. Mirror work, embroidered articles, silver jewellery, trinkets and curious are other buys of Jaisalmer. One can buy old stone work and antique.

The main shopping areas are - Sadar Bazar, Sonaron ka Bas, Manak Chowk, Pansari Bazar etc. Rajasthali the Govt. Shop for handicrafts and Khadi Gram Udyog Emporium are also recommended.