If you are eager to know how the Rajput kings and queens lived, City Palace of Jaipur is the place. It is a major landmark of the Pink City. Out of all the various forts and palaces of Jaipur, City Palace stands apart for its tasteful art and architecture. It is located at the heart of the Jaipur claiming one seventh of the city area. Its layout is exactly similar to the plan of the city.
Jaisalmer Fort is one of the largest forts in the world and the second oldest in Rajasthan. The Bhati Rajput ruler Rawal Jaisal constructed the Fort in the year 1156 subtly mixing Rajput and Islamic architectural styles. He was in dire need of a new capital as his earlier one Lodurva was too vulnerable to invasions. Another striking feature is the way it shoots towering above the sandy expanse of the Thar standing 250 ft tall. It stands proudly at Trikuta Hill like a mirage in sharp contrast to the desert below supported by 30 ft high wall lined with 99 bastions.
Climb the flight of marble steps leading to the Chauhata Square and there you will find the palace of the Maharawals which still has a grand marble throne. The Fort also encloses an elaborately designed five-storeyed Tazia tower with Bengali styled roofs constructed by the Muslim craftsmen. There are four massive gates called Ganesh Pol, Rang Pol, Bhoota Pol and the Hava Po. The walls of the fort are unique in the sense that all the three layers are constructed parallel to each other. It also encloses a market place called the Manek Chowk. There are also several temples such as the Jain temples and Laxminath temple. The former residential complexes of the traders called the Merchant Havelis enclose large grand houses replete with beautiful, ornate sandstone carvings that are many hundreds of years old. Some of them are still inhabited by the families that constructed them. Notably, Jaisalmer played a key role in trade with Persia, Arabia, Egypt and Africa. All of these structures are connected by narrow winding pave ways made entirely of stone slabs. Interestingly, the Fort also has a structure used to forecast the weather by a centrally placed flag for noting the wind direction and weather the year round.
Jaisalmer Fort is witness to many bloody battles fought by the erstwhile Rajput rulers. The city of Jaisalmer is centred around the Fort and today about one fourth of the old city’s population reside within the fort. There are wells within the fort still providing a regular source of water even today.
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