Jaisalmer Fortजैसलमेर किला (सोनार किला)
The living fort. Yellow sandstone, Jain temples, and a few thousand residents.
See what is open on your dateOpen in Google MapsWhereJaisalmer, Rajasthan
Bikaner & Thar
Bikaner & Thar
Best time to visit15 October to 15 March
Good seasonsPost-monsoon (October to November), Winter (December to February)
DifficultyEasy
Height250 m above sea level
Time neededHalf day
Base and nearbyGopa Chowk, Jaisalmer
EntryFort free · palace museum around ₹100 Indians · Jain temples open mornings only
About Jaisalmer Fort
Rawal Jaisal founded it in 1156 on Trikuta hill, and it is one of the very few forts in the world where people still live: a few thousand in the lanes inside the ninety-nine bastions. The yellow sandstone glows at sunset, the Sonar Qila of Satyajit Ray's film. See the Raj Mahal palace museum and the seven Jain temples of the twelfth to sixteenth centuries. The Desert Festival fills the town for three days each February.
What to see and do
- Raj Mahal palace museum
- The seven Jain temples inside the walls
- Ninety-nine bastions and the four gates
- Laxminath temple and Dussehra Chowk
- Sunset on the yellow sandstone
- Desert Festival each February
Opening status, best time and closures here are estimates from usual seasons and past patterns, not live information. Confirm with the local authority before you go. Terms of use
More places in Jaisalmer
- Lodurva Jain TempleJaisalmer, Rajasthan · Temples & ShrinesThe old capital before Jaisalmer, with a 1615 Jain temple and a carved torana.
- RamdevraJaisalmer, Rajasthan · Pilgrimage RoutesThe samadhi of Baba Ramdev, and the biggest fair in the western desert each Bhadra.
- Sam Sand DunesJaisalmer, Rajasthan · CampingThe camel-safari dunes of Jaisalmer. Busy, commercial, and still worth a night.
- Tanot Mata and LongewalaJaisalmer, Rajasthan · Temples & ShrinesThe temple the shells missed and the 1971 battlefield, on the road to the border.
- Akal Wood Fossil ParkJaisalmer, Rajasthan · Rock & RappelJurassic tree trunks lying in the open, 17 km from Jaisalmer.
- Bada BaghJaisalmer, Rajasthan · Monuments & HeritageThe royal cenotaphs of Jaisalmer on a low hill. Sunset is the time.
- Desert National ParkJaisalmer, Rajasthan · Wildlife & Tiger ReservesDunes and salt flats where the last Great Indian Bustards live. Permit, jeep, winter.
- Gadisar LakeJaisalmer, Rajasthan · Lakes & DamsThe tank that watered Jaisalmer for six centuries, entered through a courtesan's gate.
All places in Jaisalmer · All places in Rajasthan
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Jagah Pedia is a free travel guide by Santosh Pandey. Status, timings and closures are estimates from usual patterns, so confirm locally before you travel.