Jaisalmer is 800 km. from Delhi, an 18 hour over-night train journey. But hey! We weren’t the ones complaining because we had one hell of a gala en-route to Jaisalmer, although we sure did annoy a lot of fellow passengers during the night.

1. Celebrate India – Jaisalmer Desert Festival with Yatra.com
If you have ever built sand castles on a beach as kids, I am sure you hated it when all that hard
work was undone by a careless wave. Probably, that’s why being inside the world’s biggest and
strongest sand castle that could withstand any rogue wave, made me a little sentimental and
nostalgic. Now you must be wondering how come you have never heard of this castle? Well,
honestly I am just messing with you because the place I am really talking about is the Jaisalmer
Fort, Rajasthan. However, my comparison is not entirely baseless because the fort is made of
Yellow Stone which from far gives it the look of a sand castle.
However, how I came to be there is an entirely different story. In short my friends were off
to Jaisalmer Desert Festival and l was stuck at office. So, very conveniently for the sake of family
an office trip was invented and for office a family function! Wicked I am!
Jaisalmer is 800 km. from Delhi, an 18 hour
over-night train journey. But hey! We weren’t
the ones complaining because we had one
hell of a gala en-route to Jaisalmer, although
we sure did annoy a lot of fellow passengers
during the night.
The first thing we did upon our arrival was
hire some bikes to help us get around the
city.Jaisalmer is a hot tourist destination but
not because there is much to do or see but
because it is an awesome place to chill and
relax. However, it is not so during this three
day festival. We arrived on the first day and
decided to start with sight-seeing. Our first stop was The Jaisalmer Fort also known as ‘Sonar
Kila’. The fort is magnificent, well preserved and its sheer size is wondrous to behold.
Therefore, it didn’t come as a surprise to find one quarter of the city’s population residing
within its walls. It also houses 7 Jain temples from the 12 th century that are a must visit. All in
all, this fort is a city unto itself.
The next day early in the morning we visited the Gadisar Lake. It’s a quiet, serene and peaceful
in the morning, surrounded by several temples and tombs of saints. There is also a cultural
center on its shores where we enjoyed a puppet show. It does make for an excellent picnic
spot.

2. Finally, we made our way to the location of the festival, the Sam Sand Dunes. It’s at a distance
of 42 km from the city and the only way to get there is by SUV or Camel safari. You can well
imagine which one we chose. It took a while but we finally got there, and there in the middle of
nowhere on the golden sands of Thar Desert, was where the magic was taking place.
It’s a cultural extravaganza like no other. If this festival is not exotic enough for you than I guess
you should stop looking for exotic all together. I mean there was so much to do that the next
two days just disappeared in a blur and I found myself indulging in the very same things that I
once considered touristy clichés. Like getting my photo clicked with the winner of the Best
Moustache competition and with also an oversized Rajasthani turban over my head. That is
where I got to see Rajasthani culture absolutely unadulterated. There were camel races, turban
tying competitions, folk music & dance, handicraft displays, fire dancers and what not. To top it
all, it was all happening under the moonlit sky near a hot burning bonfire. For those two days
we truly did feel like Banjaras (Nomads) and having my friends there along with me to share
those moments made the experience all the more special.
In all what I can say is that it was totally worth the super duper scolding that I got when I got
back home and speaking in all honesty I would not mind doing it all over again sometime in the
future.
This is Joy taking your leave,
Travel safe and Travel Happy,
Until next time
Ciao