Jaisalmer - The Golden City | Nazar - A South Asian Perspective

Jaisalmer - The Golden City

By Nimisha Mittal 5 March 2009 230 views 7 Comments

Jaisalmer, is called the Golden City for a reason. The buildings, made of sandstone, glint and sparkle like that rare element. Standing in the desert a few miles from the city center, surrounded by a giant ocean of sand dazzling under the winter sun, one can easily experience a Midas-like contentment.

The 885 km journey from Delhi took about 18 hours in the general, thoroughly non-air-conditioned coach of an ancient work of engineering called the Jaisalmer Express. The train adhered religiously to the law of chaos, stopping and speeding without an obvious pattern, giving jet-lagged travelers from around the world plenty of time to mingle with one another over plastic and earthen cups full of sweet-smelling chai, taste pakoras hotter than the melting point of common salt, and watch with growing excitement as the landscape outside the iron-barred open window changed from green to gold.

If Rajasthan were an old Indian King who kept his heart hidden inside a parrot, Jaisalmer would be that parrot. Jaisalmer is the real Rajasthan – the city has everything from towering forts to tottering puppies, and is only a short ride from the desert – the storybook desert of camels and sand dunes and white bangles and fire dances.

Nazar writer Nimisha Mittal, with her friends Nidhi Maheshwari, Khurram Haque, and Malvika Jain, captured these fascinating stills of Jaisalmer’s vibrant beauty.

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Nimisha Mittal graduated from UT-Austin in 2008 with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. In her childhood, she wanted to be many things - a veterinarian, an IAS officer, and a writer; but when the pressure of being down-to-earth proved to be too much, she decided to pursue rocket science instead. She has no spare time; however, during her procrastination spells, she enjoys writing, reading, and rock-climbing.
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