Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer rises from the Thar Desert on a golden sandstone hill, its great fort enclosing palaces, temples and a living town. Founded by the Bhati ruler Jaisal in the twelfth century, it became the seat of a kingdom on the caravan routes between Sindh, northern India and Gujarat. Merchants brought wealth to the desert city, where intricately carved Jain temples and houses show the skill of local stoneworkers. Wells and tanks were essential in a country of uncertain rainfall.

The Bhati rulers held the desert routes and contested them with neighbouring powers. Around the end of the thirteenth century the Delhi sultan Alauddin Khalji’s forces besieged Jaisalmer after conflict involving a treasure caravan. The siege ended in the fall of the fort and became a central episode in local memory. Jaisalmer later recovered and continued to profit from trade crossing the desert. Its rulers also negotiated relations with the Mughals, while Jain merchants supported temples and commercial networks. The fort’s sandstone walls and densely built streets preserve the character of a city shaped by desert routes and the need for defence.