Desert Festival

Legend About the Festival

The desert city of Jaisalmer comes alive during the festival with music, dance and colorful camel caravans. Folk dances, turban tying competitions, camel races amidst the sand dunes all are truly spell binding. The festival acts as a platform for the musicians, dancers, craftsmen who come together for this celebration on the sands at Jaisalmer. Shopping bazaars set up for the occasion is a major attraction here. Tourists can be seen buying embroided skirts, exquisite carvings on wood and stone, ethnic silver jewelleries and other handicrafts brought in from differents parts of Rajasthan. The enchanting festival refelects the rich heritage of Rajasthan and must not be missed.

Getting There

By Air : The closest airport is located in Jodhpur, 308 km from Jaisalmer.

By Rail : From Jodhpur there are many trains available for Jaisalmer. Palace on wheels is another option though expensive.

By Road : Jaisalmer has good road network and is 897 km from Delhi, 638 km from Jaipur; 285 km from Jodhpur and 330 km from Bikaner.

Venue & Time

The Desert Festival is celebrated with full fervour in the colorful desert city of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. Organised by the Rajasthan State Tourism Corporation, the festival provides the glimpses of the colorful folk culture of Rajasthan. The festival is held in January/ February.

Did You Know?

The Desert Festival continues for three days and comes to end on Poornima ( the full moon day).
The Desert Festival of Jaisalmer is organised by the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation.
A Mr. Desert Contest is also organised in the Desert Festival.
There are performances by snake charmers, puppeteers and acrobats.

Attraction

Jaiaslmer Fort

Situated atop the Trikuta hill, the Jaisalmer Fort is also called the "Sonar Kila". This large citadel was built in 1156 by Rajput ruler Jaisal. Interesting fact is that its the only living fort of the world with a quarter of the city's population living inside the fort. Even tourists come and stay here. The main attractions inside the fort are the Raj Mahal, the Jain temple and the Laxminath temple.

Patwon ki Haveli

Built by a wealthy merchant Ghuman Chand Patwa in 1805, this haveli is a five storeyed structure, extensively carved. The haveli reportedly took fifty years to complete and is the largest, most elaborate and most extensive haveli in Jaisalmer.

Nathmal ki Haveli

Built in 1885 for Diwan Mohata Nathmal, the then Prime Minister of jaisalmer, this haveli has a unique piece of architecture. It remains a visitor's delight in terms of its carvings. The walls are embellished with carvings of horses, elephants, soldiers, flowers and birds.

Salim Singh Ki Haveli

This haveli was built by Prime Minister Salim Singh in 1815. The highlight of the haveli is its roof carved in shape of a peacock. The monument as a whole is narrow at the bottom and widens at the top hence giving appearance of a ship. No wonder it was also called "Jahajmahal".

Godi Sagar

The lake-cum-tank is surrounded by temples and shrines. A beautiful arched gateway leads across the road to the lake . Its said that it was built by a prostitute named Tilon.