This afternoon at 2pm we ventured into the Thar desert for sightseeing and a camel trek to the sand dunes to watch the sunset.We stopped at some interesting monuments on the way to our camels...the first one was the Bado Bagh Cenotaphs at the Maharajah cemetery. These cenotaphs constructed by the various rulers. One cenotaph has been erected for each ruler...it is a sandstone carved structure on top of the tombstone. The oldest among them is the cenotaphs of Maharawal Jait Singh who reigned from 1470-1506. This tradition was discontinued when in 1947, one of the prince died of a mysterious disease. This was taken as a bad omen and thus this tradition came to it's end. We were nearly alone in this collection of over 40 sandstone structures, each elaborately domed cenotaph housing the tombstone of a King or Royal family member.
Look for the female figures to the right of the horse mounted king. The figures represent the number of wives he had.
We followed that up with a visit to a beautiful jain temple called Amarsagar. It is the oldest and the most beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Parshwanath. There is a small dome which is crowned by a water pot containing a lotus flower and its walls are intricately carved with animal and human figures.
Arar sagar temple. Women are forbidden to enter Hindu temples while having their period...notice the mis-spelled sign...a common and sometime amusing site in India!
We then drove out to the camel farm and took about an hour trek into the desert to some beautiful sand dunes. The camel boys jumped on the camel with us midway along and brought the camels to a run which was super fun and interestingly enough, unlike a horse, where trotting makes the ride bumpier on a camel as soon as they start to run the bumps disappear and it makes for a great easy ride!
Gorgeous sunset over the Thar desert.
Tomorrow we begin our journey back to Delhi for our flight to Goa where we planned a vacation from our vacation! We have the day to spend here in Jaisalmer then catch a 4pm train to Jodhpur. There we will stay the night and leave for the airport in the morning to fly back to Delhi. From Delhi we stay the night again and fly out the next day to Goa...where a beautiful resort and white sand beaches await us! Ahhhhh....
Anonymous | November 23, 2008 at 7:34 PM
Loved the picture of you and Sue with the two resting camels. Knowing your love of animals, I can see your brain plotting - "How can I ship one of these back for a pet". Hard to believe how much you've seen in less than a month.
Mom