The Mirage that was supposed to be the Balsamand lake || A lake in Jodhpur being destroyed by thoughtless quarrying

 When you search Google for Balasamand Lake, the results reveal a promising place with ghats and chhatris and even a palace and gardens on the shore. However, we were not able to reach the place so we cannot vouch for it. The reason why we were not able to reach it also interesting.

When you search Google for Balasamand Lake, the results reveal a promising place with ghats and chhatris and even a palace and gardens on the shore. However, we were not able to reach the place so we cannot vouch for it. The reason why we were not able to reach it also interesting.  

The road from Mandore to the lake are used by trucks headed to the sandstone quarries. They are in a very bad shape and are actually very risky at places. Most of the roads are mud roads and there are sheer drops into the quarries below. So we decided we should turn back midway. That too was a problem and we caused a minor truck jam while reversing our vehicle.

The road from Mandore to the lake are used by trucks headed to the sandstone quarries. They are in a very bad shape and are actually very risky at places. Most of the roads are mud roads and there are sheer drops into the quarries below. So we decided we should turn back midway. That too was a problem and we caused a minor truck jam while reversing our vehicle. 

The injudicious quarrying is actually having a detrimental effect on the lake's catchment area. These lakes around Jodhpur are fragile and ecological balance around these need to be preserved. the Internet says that Balsamand Lake is about 5 km from Jodhpur and is a popular picnic spot. It was built by Balak Rao Pratihar in 1159 AD. It was designed as a water reservoir to provide water to Mandore. The lake has a length of one kilometre, breadth of 50 metres, and a depth of 15 metres. However, we couldn't see it.

The injudicious quarrying is actually having a detrimental effect on the lake's catchment area. These lakes around Jodhpur are fragile and ecological balance around these need to be preserved. the Internet says that Balsamand Lake is about 5 km from Jodhpur and is a popular picnic spot. It was built by Balak Rao Pratihar in 1159 AD. It was designed as a water reservoir to provide water to Mandore. The lake has a length of one kilometre, breadth of 50 metres, and a depth of 15 metres. However, we couldn't see it.  

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Gadisar lake was initially built by the founding king of Jaisalmer, Rawal Jaisal in the 12th century. At that point in time, it was known as Jaisalsar. It was later rebuilt by Maharawal Gadsi Singh in the 14th century and then came to be known as Gadisar or Gadsisar or Gadaria Lake.Grand Gadisar Lake in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan || A man-made lake that is like an oasis in the desert

When you search for places to visit enroute from Bikaner to Jaisalmer, the Internet would throw you many options - one of which is Akal (pronounced "aakal") Wood Fossil Park. While most of them will exalt the place, we would like to highlight that it may not be the right place for everyone.Discovering ancient history in Akal Wood Fossil Park, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan || A most unusual place full of surprises that are not all related to the bygone eras

After Khichan Bird Sanctuary, we had decided to stop at Pokaran Fort. It was about 68 kilometers from the bird sanctuary and we would reach it within an hour. Most of us in our generation only found out about Pokaran after India conducted their second successful nuclear test in this region.>> The Amazing Pokaran Fort near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan || A beautiful structure that effortlessly blends with the desert landscape it is built in

On our way from Bikaner to Jaisalmer, Khichan Bird Sanctuary was our second scheduled stop after Bap Village. And we were really excited about it. Both of us love watching and Photographing birds and we never miss a chance to visit a bird sanctuary. So this would be the ideal spot for us to take a break and stretch our legs.>> A short but rewarding visit to the Khichan Bird Sanctuary || How the local population of a place has made this town a safe haven for the Demoiselle cranes

Demoiselle Cranes (grus virgo) are a species of crane that breed in central Eurosiberia, ranging from Black Sea and Mangolia to North Eastern China, plus a small breeding population in Turkey. The birds fly south to Africa and Indian subcontinent to spend the winter months.>> Demoiselle cranes of Khichan, Jodhpur District, Rajasthan || Beautiful Birds that fly to and fro Mangolia and have found a mention in Indian mythological texts 

The locals in Bikaner refer to themselves as being "saral, sukh, and sust". One of my good friends from Bikaner shared that people in Bikaner take pride in acknowledging that they are content. So I guess it is true. The state of the traffic on the roads does reflect the pace of life.>> Driving around the drivable parts of Bikaner, Rajasthan || Wide, clean roads with easy, laidback traffic

However, we did spot some migratory birds flying around and were sure that there is probably a water body around. We decided to explore that. After asking around a little we reached a lake of humungous proportions and there was a temple on the shore. There was a man offering prayers in the temple and while we were roaming around, he caught up to us and started asking us some questions.>> The surprising Bap Village, Jodhpur District, Rajasthan || A place to stop and stretch your legs walk around a large waterbody

Even though we had been warned against booking a hotel in old Bikaner, because the roads are congested, we managed to find the perfect hotel - Hotel Jaswant Bhawan - which is perfectly located at the edge of old Bikaner with approach via wide roads and a spacious parking. And it was just walking distance from most of the places in old Bikaner.>> Exploring Old Bikaner on Foot || A soulful city in Rajasthan that is comfortable in its own skin

Rampuria havelis are a group of 15th century opulent havelis that stand out in the labyrinthine roads of old Bikaner. While these havelis are symbols of wealth and luxurious lifestyles of rich merchants of Bikaner, they are surrounded by the comparatively modest homes of the middle class business people.>> Intricately carved Rampuria Havelis in Old Bikaner, Rajasthan || A symbol of the wealth and luxurious lifestyles of the rich Rampuria merchants since the 15th Century





As it often happens with us, we found ourselves looking for a place to stay in Bikaner a couple of nights before our trip to the city. It wasn't tourist season per se, so Booking.com listed many properties that were within our budget.

While travelling from Laxmangarh to Bikaner on Agra-Bikaner Highway, you will notice some chhatris on your left. When you do so, stop your car, get down for a bit, and stretch your legs. For this is a heritage site that you may want to capture in your camera.




If you are in Udaipur and have to chose only one place to visit & explore, City Palace has to be that place. Certainly there can be personal choices as for someone visiting a particular restaurant for a meal or take a walk around ghat of Lake Pichola is more important than the City Palace. In this blogpost we will share about why City Palace was a special place for us and what all you see inside this beautiful palace. First photograph of this post is clicked by our guide who helped us explore Udaipur City Palace.

If you are on a tour of the havelis in Jaisalmer, you should visit the Patwon ki Haveli last. Because after seeing this haveli, your very definition of the word "haveli" will change. And after that, no other haveli will ever come up to your expectations. So in order to be fair to all the other havelis, visit Patwon ki haveli only after you have visited all of the others.


After roaming around the Gadisar lake and then dumping our luggage at the hotel, we headed off to explore the old Jaisalmer and its famous havelis. The first haveli we came across was Salim Singh ki Haveli. It was about 500 metres from the fort wall, where we had parked our car and was located inside the congested streets of old Jaisalmer. Salim Singh ki haveli was been built on the remains of an older haveli that was built in the late 17th century. The new building was commissioned by Salim Singh Mahto, the then Prime Minister of the kingdom when Jaisalmer was the capital, in the year 1815 and was occupied by the Mehto family of Jaisalmer. They were the most influential family of their time.


Kuldhara is right up there next to Bhangarh in the list of the most haunted places in India. And when we discussed our plans to go there in the afternoon, our hotel person immediately warned us not to do so. "It is a haunted village. Don't go there close to the evening. Visit in the morning and be back by lunch."


Bada Bagh is another place in Jaisalmer, apart from Vyas Chhatri, where you can find beautiful cenotaphs. These Chhatris were built to commemorate the various kings who have ruled Jaisalmer over the centuries. The number of Chhatris here are much larger than the Vyas chhatris though and the size and beauty of the chhatris vary based on the position of person for whom it was constructed.


Vyas Chhatris are a group of cenotaphs built on a piece of raised ground in Jaisalmer. These cenotaphs are dedicated to the sage Vyas, who wrote Mahabharat, and are built on what actually is a cremation ground for Brahmins. The surroundings are very basti-like and the existence of these beautiful Chhatris here is very surprising in these surroundings.


After visiting the abandoned village of Kuldhara, another stop on the way to Sam Sand Dunes was the Khaba Fort. It is located about 21 kilometers from Kuldhara and it took us close to 1.5 years to reach. This wasn't because of the condition of the road. It was because of all the many stops we made on the way.


One of the many advantages of a road trip is the flexibility to make a stop whenever there is a need and explore the places on the route. We leveraged this extensively during our travel across Rajasthan recently and while doing that came across some very interesting stops. One of these was Osian, and ancient town in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan.

Osian, the Oasis || An ancient village in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan, India




After visiting the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort, we had about an hour in hand to explore a few more places before the sunset. We had read about the Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park, but weren't really sure if it would be worth the visit. However, when we chanced upon its board, we decided to check the park out.

Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park, Jodhpur, Rajasthan || An amazing place to gain a deeper understanding of the ecological and geological forces at play in Rajasthan




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