Jaisalmer Fort in Rajasthan is a tombstone that is worth visiting. Similar to the diverse cities of Rajasthan, Jaisalmer also portrays unique aspects of its own splendid legacy. Albeit you can unearth a number of monuments spotted all over the city of Jaisalmer, the glorious Jaisalmer Fort will grab your attention instantly. Jaisalmer Fort is a ruling construction in the middle of sands. This fort is made out of sand stones and also called as “Sonar Quila”. Jaisalmer fort is the 2nd primeval fort in Rajasthan. Being a 250 feet tall structure, the Jaisalmer Fort is surrounded on all the sides by the well-built wall that is made out of sandstone. The walls of the fort extend to a loftiness of about 30 feet. This fort boasts 99 strongholds, out of which 92 were constructed between the years1633 and 1647. The Wells that are positioned inside the fort endow a regular water supply even today. Even now, you will find that almost 1/4th of the old city's population dwells inside the fort. The delicate combination of Rajput & Mughal architectural marvels that is noticeable in this fort will grab your attention in minutes. The 4 pols known as Ganesh Pol, Suraj Pol , Hawa Pol and Akshya Pol should not be missed. Jaisalmer Fort is one of most popular tourist attraction in Rajasthan. Approximately, 5000-6000 thousand voyagers visits this historical marvel every year.
The past of Jaisalmer Fort:
Throughout the medieval periods, Jaisalmer played a key role in business with Arabia, Persia, Africa and Egypt. The Jaisalmer fort encloses 3 layers of walls. The exterior or the subordinate layers of the walls are built with solid stone blocks and it strengthens the movable debris of Trikuta Hill. The 2nd wall twists around the fort. Some time ago, starting from the innermost or 3rd wall, the Rajput soldiers threw hot water and oil together with colossal hunks of rock at their opponents, who got captured between the 2nd and 3rd walls. These military protections of the fort consist of 99 strongholds. The 92 strongholds were constructed between 1633 and 1647 AD. In13th century, the powerful ruler Ala-ud-din Khilji assaulted and imprisoned Jaisalmer fort. He had the fort under his control for about 9 years. The brave Rajput women committed “Jauhar” at some stage in the blockade of Jaisalmer fort. The 2nd skirmish at the fort occurred in the year 1541, when Humayun, the Mughal monarch assaulted the fort.
During the arrival of British decree, the materialization of marine business and the development of the Bombay port led to slow but sure financial turn down of Jaisalmer city. After India got independent and got separated, the primeval business pathway was completely blocked. As a consequence, the destiny of the city got shut. On the other hand, the sustained tactical significance of Jaisalmer was established during the combats that took place between India & Pakistan in 1965-1971. While all inhabitants of Jaisalmer dwelled inside the Jaisalmer fort at some point, at present, the fort has inhabitant dwellers of four thousand people who are mainly from the Daroga and Brahmin society. These people are primarily the younger generation of the employees who worked in the Bhati monarchs of Jaisalmer who were allowed to dwell inside the fort.However, due to the gradual raise in population, people slowly moved to the Trikuta Hill base. Thus, the city of Jaisalmer expanded from Jaisalmer fort.
Structural design of Jaisalmer Fort:
The fort of Jaisalmer stands pompously in the midst of the stretches of the massive Thar Desert, on the Trikuta Hill. The fort has been the outlook of several combats. The colossal yellow stonework of the fort walls has a yellowish-brown lion shade during the sunlight hours and fades to “honey-gold” color at the dusk. This way, it masks the fort in the yellow wilderness. Consequently, Jaisalmer fort is also known as the “Golden Fort”. Jaisalmer fort, commonly known as the ‘Sonar quila' by the neighborhood, is placed at the center of the city, and is one of the most magnificent tombstones in this area. The main gate if the fort is about 60 feet elevated and had been engraved from expensive Indian rosewood. As said by fable, a small crack in the gate has emerged when a powerful Hindu sage crossed the doorstep. The 3 rings of sandstone walls open up to the stables, homes and fortresses where Rajput kings lived a long time before. In contradiction of the unadorned walls, the fortresses boast intricate designs. Gorgeous carvings of wheels of chariot, flowers and fruits materialize from soft marble. Scalloped pergolas protect the footpaths between the structures. The decked out partitions shades the imperial dwellings.
Threats:
At present, the Jaisalmer Fort encounters diverse intimidations due to the mounting population on the city and fort. Insufficient public amenities, water leakage, seismic activity around the Trikuta Hill and abandoned homes are some of the chief issues that intimidate the Fort. In contrast to most of the other fortifications, the Jaisalmer Fort has been constructed over a fragile sedimentary rock mount which makes the foundations of the fort chiefly susceptible to leakage. This has led to the crumple of noteworthy parts of the Fort for instance, the Rani Ka Mahal or Queen’s Palace and other areas of the exterior frontier wall and the subordinate pitching barricades as well. However, re-establishment work has been carried out by the “World Monuments Fund”. As said by S.K. Misra, the previous chairman of “INTACH”, American Express has offered over $1 million for the maintenance of splendid Jaisalmer Fort.
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