Sonarkilla- Photography Journal

Sonarkilla

The gold fort

a photography journal of the life in sonekilla by

Chhavipriya

Jaisalmer fort is 1,500 ft long and 750 ft wide and is built on a hill that rises above a height of 250 ft above the surrounding countryside. There is an individual device hoisted on the crest of the fort’s walls, and was used to assume the weather. The delicate blend of Islamic and Rajput architectural style will definitely catch the fancy of the eyeballs which looks stunning during the night. The Fort of Jaisalmer survived several attacks by the Muslim rulers like Ala-Uddin-Khilji and Mughal Emperor Humayun.

Inside the fort complex tourists can find several architectural buildings which include palaces, houses and temples made up of soft yellow sandstone which looks as the Fort is made up of Gold and its beauty rises with the sunset when it gleam like melting gold.

Jaisalmer fort has narrow winding pathways which interlock several parts of the fort.

The complex of Jaisalmer fort is so expansive that almost one-quarter of the town’s population located in this fort itself.

The most famous splendid structures such as the Maharawals located in front of the Chauhata Square. The foremost attraction of this place is Maharawal’s marble throne which is placed over a flight of marble steps. An added famous tourist attraction of this place is a five-storied Tazia tower located head-to-head to the Maharawals palace.

This tower was constructed by Muslim craftsmen and is made with decorative Bengali styled roofs.

While visiting the Golden Fort of Jaisalmer (see this post), one of the most interesting places to visit are the Jain Temples. There are seven altogether (though we will visit just three), built next to one another an a complex within the fort. They were built by wealthy Jain traders hundreds of years ago, by permission of the Hindu rulers of Jaisalmer. Permission was given only after it was agreed that within each temple, there would be a Hindu god or goddess.

While not a large part of the population (even today the Jains represent only 0.4 % of the Indian population), the Jains had much influence due to their wealth and high level of education.

Jain ideas have had a profound influence within India. As one example, Mahatmas Gandhi’s ideas of nonviolence came directly from the Jain principle of Ahimsa, harmlessness. The Jains also think that you can never come to a full understanding of anything from the individual point of view. The universe is always more complex and bigger than any one person can see, so to understand anything takes all the points of view.

The Jaisalmer fort is the only fort in India which holds houses and residences and thus it is evident that it can be visited at any hour unlike other historical monuments. The fort, as the sun starts to set, develops a vibe of its own. The sky starts to darken while the lamps start to light up and reflect in honey yellow the walls of sandstone. Dark passages witness flashes of light when vehicles pass and sounds of ‘aarti’ fill the ears. My goal was to document the, much rarely seen on internet, scenarios of daily life inside the fort rather than to focus on the monument itself.

The cradle of life holds, rocks back and forth, each one of us in its light reflecting unto our eyes a million pieces of sunlight, and oil lamps at night, singing melodies of the shifting sand dunes.

Jaisalmer Fort remains a labyrinth of residences, shops, temples, and a palace complex. Its walls surround a thriving city; its 2,000 residents make this the last living fort in India. Conservation and preservation is integral to the longevity of this medieval architectural marvel and to the lives of people who call Jaisalmer Fort home.

The sun doesnt know the glory the night holds, the life that the night sky witnesses, if only it could set foot on my balcony some night, he too would fall in love.

A shadow falls upon the walls, a ray beams across the room, the light and the dark qurarel, “Who shall drape my body?”

I feel the disturbance, the uneven walls of your heart enclosing me.

Maybe I’ll die, not counting the stars, but the cracks in the house you’ve built me.

When I was standing in the land of Jaisalmer, India, Tagore’ s Flying Fire came into my head : Leave no trace of wings in the air, but I am glad I have had my flight. That’s how I felt at that moment.”

-Miranda Zhang

Its peculiar, how the lights behave, in their unaccounted affairs with colors that it swallows.

Thankyou