The Golden Fortress

Two years back, when my husband and I decided to get married, we were clear on one thing – grand wedding or not, there has to be a grand honeymoon. However, planning for a honeymoon was not an easy task. We wanted to visit a place that would satiate our wanderlust, suit our budget and also have a story - a strong background as to why we chose that place. It seemed almost impossible to find a place that ticks all of the above criteria! Tired of all the looking up, one fine day, we sat ourselves down instead and turned on our favourite movie on the laptop – Satyajit Ray’s ‘Sonar Kella’ (or ‘The Golden Fortress’). The movie, based on a novel by the same name, traces the journey of a fictional private detective named Pradosh Mitter, who travels all the way to Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, in search of a little boy who has been kidnapped from Kolkata. The boy is believed to possess a special power of remembering his past life, which was centred around a mystical Golden Fortress, amidst the sand dunes of Rajasthan. Suddenly, it struck us – the Golden Fortress is what we want to explore! This is our story, our childhood dream. Without further ado, we zeroed down on our honeymoon destination – Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

A hectic ‘big fat Indian wedding’ later, we embarked on our journey to the deserts of Rajasthan. It was the month of December, which is the usual season to explore the deserts. Although winters are cold, the climate is ideal to visit Rajasthan. Summers, on the other hand, are scorching and are therefore, not at all recommended for tourists. TripAdvisor suggested that the best way to get to Jaisalmer was by train and hence, we took the Rajdhani Express from Kolkata to New Delhi, wherefrom we would have to take another train to Jaisalmer. The Rajdhani express reached New Delhi at around 11am and our next train, namely the Jaisalmer express, was scheduled to depart at 5pm from Old Delhi Junction. We wanted to make the most of these 6 hours in Delhi and the most appealing option, especially for food lovers like us, was to gorge on some street food. Wasting no time, we headed to the much popular ‘Parathewaali gali’ (the stuffed bread lane). We tried the cauliflower paratha, the mint paratha and the almond paratha, among a variety of 30 different parathas listed on the menu! The crowded alley of Parathewaali gali was brimming with the aroma of fresh parathas and the chatter of numerous people, thronging the place to get a table. We wrapped up just in time to head towards the station and boarded our train to Jaisalmer.

The approach to Jaisalmer by train is a traveler's dream. The train travels westward, through the interiors of Rajasthan and witnesses a drastic change in the landscape, from farm lands to barren arid expanses. As the Jaisalmer station draws closer, the Jaisalmer Fort, which is none other than our much talked about ‘Golden Fortress’, appears like a majestic backdrop across the royal blue skyline – one of the reasons why this train is recommended. At around 12pm of the ensuing day, we reached Jaisalmer.   

While planning our itinerary, we had pre-booked a car from a car rental service called ‘Sun City Cabs’, based in Rajasthan. Hence, when we arrived, our driver Mr. Uday Singh, was already waiting at the Jaisalmer station to receive us. We briefly introduced ourselves and headed to our hotel. Since the fort is the main attraction in Jaisalmer, there are many lodging arrangements around this, suiting each budget type. All the hotels offer pick-up and drop facilities from the station, as well as sight-seeing within the city. Among these, we had chosen a heritage hotel called ‘Jaisal Castle’, which offers renovated quarters inside the fort as rooms to tourists. Needless to say, we were excited as children to experience the thrill of living inside the fort. When our car reached the base of the fort, we were asked to stop. From there, it was a walk up the Trikuta hill, to where the main fort was located. Waiting in the car, we called up the hotel to help us with our luggage. Little did we know that bad news awaited us - to our dismay, the hotel staff informed that all the other rooms of the hotel had been occupied by school children on a trip and our stay may not be pleasurable amidst such chaos. They recommended to upgrade our stay to another property of theirs, called ‘Narayani Niwas’, situated at a distance of about 3 kilometers from the fort. This was not pleasant at all. “Why didn’t you inform us earlier?”, “We booked our stay so long back”, “How can you allow so many school children to stay at one go”, etc., were some of the statements we angrily threw at them. But all they could offer us, was the alternative stay arrangement.

With frowns on our faces, we accepted their request and drove down to our designated location. However, our woes were put to rest immediately when we saw our upgraded hotel property. It was nothing short of a palace! The interiors of the hotel were carefully done in regal architecture, complete with a courtyard and swimming pool, which made us feel very royal indeed. Once in our hotel room, we drew the window curtains to check out the view outside – there, the fort stood, glowing like gold in the sun, amidst the vast expanse of the Thar Desert. It was the most breath-taking view we had ever seen from a hotel room.

Before we headed for sightseeing, we quickly gorged on some local cuisine at the hotel. The most popular Rajasthani delicacy – ‘Dal baati churma’ – was generously served to us by the hotel staff. The meal comprised of a large bowl of pulses, cooked in a thick gravy and a typical assortment of Rajasthani breads. They advised us to tear the breads into smaller pieces and to scatter them over the gravy. This was then topped off with plentiful servings of ‘ghee’, some lime juice, chopped onions and some green chilies. An explosion of flavors greeted our taste buds! The simple meal was so delicious that we asked for a second helping. Then, with our tummies full and spirits high, we headed out.

The Jaisalmer Fort, as many would know, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the few completely inhabited forts of the present day. Built by King Rawal Jaisal, the walls of the fort are made of yellow sandstone, lending it a variety of yellow tinges from sunrise to sunset. That is why, it is also called the Golden Fortress or ‘Sonar Kella’, referring its glowing shine to gold. The entire fort takes about 4 hours to explore and is therefore, recommended to be visited with ample time at hand. The fort stays open 24 hours, with the exception of the museum section, which closes at 5 pm. Guides are readily available at the base of the fort, which is where we met our guide, Mr. Shamsher Rathod. It is pertinent to hire the services of a guide, to explore and understand the fort’s history. Tourists can also hire self-help audio guides, which are available at the museum office, in a variety of languages.

After we climbed up-hill and reached the fort entrance, we took a deep breath and stood a while to admire its beauty – the late afternoon sun was mildly gleaming, giving the fort a dewy honey-gold tinge. As we made our way inside, we marveled at how the fort, now more than 500 years old, boasts of a full township, comprising of residential accommodations, shops, restaurants, and other businesses. The passage inside the fort is cut into narrow lanes and by-lanes, like an old city taking you through its tales of the past.

Shamsher took much care in describing each section of the fort, with specific stories that still lurk around the corner. He told us that the fort contains three layers of wall – the outer layer being made of solid stone blocks, drawn from the rubble of the Trikuta hill, the middle wall which wraps the fort and a third inner wall, built for defense. It is said that the third wall used to serve as a channel for hurling out boiling water, oil or rocks on enemies, who would invariably get trapped between the first and second walls during an attack. Engrossed in the chilling stories, we reached our first stop inside the fort – the Jain and Laxminath Temples. These temples are built in a typical dome-like fashion, having stone carvings inside and outside, depicting religious deities and texts. Each temple has an entrance, leading the visitors to a dark cave-like interior sanctum, where the deity stands. We circled around the deity, offered our prayers and made our way through the exit door, located diagonally opposite to the entrance. Shamsher took us through a zigzagging route upwards, where the merchant havelis or palaces stood. These lanes were packed with local artisans and merchants selling a variety of things – spices & pulses, musical instruments, silver jewelery, local handicraft, traditional ‘leheriyaan’ sarees, dupattas & turbans (which comprise the daily attire of the fort citizens) and a plethora of souvenir items made of yellow sandstone. These shops made the narrow passages look absolutely vibrant and colourful! Many a times, the lanes crashed into a host of stairs, which led to small doors of merchant havelis, located at a slight elevation.

Making our way through the hustle and bustle of the fort, we reached the ‘Raj Mahal’ or the Royal Palace, which used to be the abode of the kings and queens of yesteryear. Although these palaces are mostly inhabited by royal descendants at present, much of it has been converted to a museum. The stairs of the Royal Palace took us through towering archways, decorated with ornate stone carvings. We browsed through countless rooms, all meant for specific occasions and for designated people. Shamsher specifically stopped outside the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ or the ‘Glass Room’, which was used as a room for entertainment, for the royal highness to unwind and throw evening parties. The walls of this room are fitted with exquisite mirror-work and colorful stones that reflect the rays of evening lamps, giving the room a glittery brightness meant for an evening gala. Each of these rooms open up to balconies, boasting of a bird’s eye view of the entire city inside the fort. Each balcony, window and door had a charm of its own; the carvings and decorations narrating the sincerity of the artisans.

After a detailed walk inside the Royal Palace, we climbed down to visit our next destination – the King’s Court. Occupying a large portion of the central part of the fort, the King’s Court has an elevated platform, i.e. the seating area of the King, which overlooks a large courtyard, where the ministers and commoners used to assemble. I quickly delved into my imagination to visualize the place back in time, filled with citizens of the fort, waiting to be addressed by the King. I could almost hear the voices echoing in my ears:

"Raja ki jai ho!"

"Hail the King!"

Shamsher took a sharp turn to lead us to an area, which he remarked was the ‘Jauhar’ ground. Legend says, when the fort was under siege of Allauddin Khiljee, a cruel warrior of the 13^th century, the women of the fort committed ‘Jauhar’ – a ritual in which they chose to sacrifice themselves to fire, rather than being held captive or taken by force. The blazing details of history sent a chill down my spine, as we walked past the Jauhar ground. At a section near the fort frontier, Shamsher stopped. It had a small staircase leading to an outer boundary. That, he explained, was where the climax of the movie ‘Sonar Kella’ was shot. The corner, popularized through the movie, draws tourists from all over the country and beyond, as the famous (Satyajit) ‘Ray corner’. We were thrilled to bits! Some pictures for our camera later, Shamsher bid us goodbye, collecting his remuneration for the tour.

The sun was almost setting, casting an orange gleam on the fort, which made its yellow sandstone shine even brighter. We continued strolling through the narrow alleys of the fort, trying to find a place to grab a cup of coffee. As we walked past the bazaar, suddenly, the sound of folk music filled our ears! We followed the sound, making our way through the crowd, to find two local musicians seated on a small platform outside the Jain temple. They had with them a small percussion instrument called the dholak and a special violin-like instrument called the ‘Raavanhata’, which they were playing beautifully to perform a traditional Rajasthani folk song. The lyrics of the song, titled ‘Kesariya balama’, went something like this:

“Oh fair traveler, with a heart of gold

Come visit our land, hear the stories untold”

We listened to the song in rapt attention, finishing off with a thunderous applause! As I went up to him and showered praises, he asked me from which part of the country I belonged. “Bengal”, I said and he wore a wide smile on his face. He asked me to wait, tuned up his instrument and started singing a ‘bhatiali’ song, which is a rare folk genre of Bengal! The Rajasthani singer was performing the song effortlessly, leaving me in absolute awe. He gestured me to join him, asking me to sit with him for the song. Of course, I joined him and we performed the song to perfection, while the crowd clapped and cheered! The experience was surreal to say the least. Curious, I asked him as to how he knew a Bengali song. He told me that he had learnt the song from his father, a Saree merchant, who often traveled to Bengal to sell his Sarees. Their Saree shop in the fort still thrives, managed by his elder brother. He helps out at the shop in the morning, he said, and in the evening, he earns an extra buck by following his passion for singing. There it struck me, how music knows no language and how all our so called diverse cultures and perceptions all merge into a common song of love and life. I offered my wishes to his family and put some money in his bag, in appreciation of the show that he put up. My day was made! 

Soon, we settled for some snacks and coffee at a place called the 'Free Tibet Restaurant' - they offer a variety of Indian, Chinese and Tibetan snacks, along with a spectacular view of the fort frontier. When we finished, the sun had vanished and the warmth of the sun was replaced by a cool, yet pleasant breeze. We walked a little further ahead to find a lone cannon looking over the wall. As we reached closer to the cannon, our eyes were greeted with the faint shine of a full moon. Without realizing, we had reached the top of the fort, which looked down at the entire city of Jaisalmer, twinkling like stars in the night sky. We sat beside the cannon and enjoyed the view for another couple of hours, losing sense of time. We kept humming the tune of 'Kesariya Balama' repeatedly, reminiscing all the stories heard from each lane, by-lane and corner of the fort. It was as if the fort had accepted us as one of its own - we had become locals. A sign board at the exit gate, seemed to reverberate our feelings. It read:

Thank you for your visit.

Come as a tourist,

Go as a friend.