Pokhran





Pokhran is a city and a municipality in Jaisalmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is a remote location in Thar Desert region, the test site for India's first underground nuclear weapon detonation.

Pokhran is the test site for India's nuclear program. The Atomic Energy Commission of India detonated its first underground nuclear weapon there on May 18, 1974. The Indian government, however, declared that it was not going to make nuclear weapons even though it had acquired the capacity to do so. It claimed that the Pokhran explosion was an effort to harness atomic energy for peaceful purposes and to make India self-reliant in nuclear technology, but subsequently, India conducted five nuclear tests on May 11 and May 13, 1998. Since then, India has declared a moratorium on nuclear testing.

Jaisalmer

Distance (K.M.)

Time taken in hours

Height above sea level

Temperature

Clothing

From Jaipur- 665 kilometers

15 hrs.

225m

Max. – 41.6 (summers)

Min. –7.9 (winters)

Cottons in summers

Woolens in winters











Jaisalmer
The majority of the inhabitants of Jaisalmer are Yadav Bhatti Rajputs, who take their name from an ancestor named Bhatti, renowned as a warrior when the tribe were located in the Punjab. Shortly after this the clan was driven southwards, and found a refuge in the Indian desert, which was henceforth its home. Deoraj, a famous prince of the Bhatti family, is esteemed the real founder of the Jaisalmer dynasty, and with him the title of rawal commenced. In 1156 Rawal Jaisal, the sixth in succession from Deoraj, founded the fort and city of Jaisalmer, and made it his capital as he moved from his former capital at Lodhruva (which is situated about 15 km to the south-east of Jaisalmer). In 1294, the Bhattis so enraged the emperor Ala-ud-din Khilji that his army captured and sacked the fort and city of Jaisalmer, so that for some time it was quite deserted. After this there is nothing to record till the time of Rawal Sahal Singh, whose reign marks an epoch in Bhatti history in that he acknowledged the supremacy of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The Jaisalmer princes had now arrived at the height of their power, but from this time till the accession of Rawal Mulraj in 1762 the fortunes of the state rapidly declined, and most of its outlying provinces were lost. In 1818 Mulraj entered into political relations with the British. Maharawal Salivahan, born in 1887, succeeded to the chiefship in 1891.


Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer is almost entirely a sandy waste, forming a part of the great Indian desert. The general aspect of the area is that of an interminable sea of sandhills, of all shapes and sizes, some rising to a height of 150 ft. Those in the west are covered with log bushes, those in the east with tufts of long grass. Water is scarce, and generally brackish; the average depth of the wells is said to be about 250 ft. There are no perennial streams, and only one small river, the Kakni, which, after flowing a distance of 28 m., spreads over a large surface of flat ground, and forms a lake orjhil called the Bhuj-Jhil. The climate is dry and healthy. Throughout Jaisalmer only raincrops, such as bajra, joar, motif, til, etc., are grown; spring crops of wheat, barley, etc., are very rare. Owing to the scant rainfall, irrigation is almost unknown. How to Reach Jaisalmer is well connected from all major cities of India. The distance of Jaisalmer from New Delhi (864 km), Jaipur (558 km), Mumbai (1177 km), Ahmedabad (626 km). Places of Interest Visitor attractions in jaisalmer are:

  • Jaisalmer Fort


    Jaisalmer Fort













    Built in 1156 by the Bhati Rajput ruler Jaisal, it is situated on Trikuta Hill and had been the scene of many battles. Its massive sandstone walls are a tawny lion color during the day, turning to a magical honey-gold as the sun sets. The famous Indian film director Satyajit Ray wrote a detective novel and later turned it into a film – Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress) which was based on this fort. This is a living fort and about a quarter of city's population still live inside the fort. The main attractions inside the fort are: Raj Mahal (Royal palace), Jain temples and the Laxminath temple.

  • Havelis

    The main havelis in Jaisalmer are:

    • Patwon-ki-Haveli: Built by Guman Chand Patwa (and later by his five sons), a wealthy merchant and banker who had over three hundred trading centres from Afghanistan to China. This ornate five-storey complex took fifty years to complete. This is the largest, the most magnificent, and the most elaborate of Jaisalmer havelis.

    • Salim Singh-ki-Haveli: It was built by the scheming Prime Minister Salim Singh in 1815. It has a beautifully arched roof capped with blue cupolas and carved brackets in the form of peacocks.

    • Nathmalji-ki-Haveli: Bult by a Prime Minister of princely state of Jaisalmer. Its facade is a riot of ornamentation: flowers, birds, elephants, soldiers, a bicycle and even a steam engine.

  • Museums

    • Desert Culture Centre & Museum
    • Jaisalmer Folklore Museum
    • Government Museum

  • Other

    Gadi Sagar

    Excavated in 1367 by Rawal Gadsi Singh it is a scenic rainwater lake surrounded by small temples and shrines.

  • In neighbourhood

    • Bhattiani Sati Rani
    • Bada Bagh
    • Lodhruva
    • Mool Sagar
    • Kuldhara
    • Desert National Park
    • Sam sand dunes
    • Khuri village
    • Akal Wood fossil Park
Grace india Tours Pvt. Ltd. offers online booking of Tours to Jaipur and other places in India.
Please fill in the form below, to book your tour and for other related information.