Dudado's Life: Indian stories - part 4

16 March 2009

Indian stories - part 4 - Jaisalmer

If in Bikaner I felt "I finally found it" ["it" being that adventure, that discovery feeling about a place, hospitality and curiosity of the locals], then in Jaisalmer I lost it again. Jaisalmer Fort with its narrow streets inside, Jain temples and millions of souvenir shops is gorgeous. I look at every picture in my album and I love it - the colors, the shapes, the texture... but it was difficult. 10 days in India and I was still untrained in dealings with local annoyances. I had to escape the constant haggling in the privacy of four walls of my guest house.

Better late than never (only 5 months later) I will show the beauty of Jaisalmer:

I visited all three mysterious and beautiful Jain temples and I love my "alive" goddess. I admired the great detail in decoration, but I would not say I understood and remembered much about the ancient religion of Jainism. It is too complex to understand with my random visit to a temple or two.

The fylfot (swastika) is among the holiest of Jain symbols and as Jaisalmer has a significant Jain presence, swastikas (along with Ganesh) are seen everywhere, more than anywhere in Rajasthan. I even stayed in a guest house called Swastika [as an eco-conscious tourist I stayed outside the Jaisalmer Fort :)]