Jaisalmer A fort that's also a town — and has been since 1156

Most forts, however grand, are essentially monuments — places people visit, not places people live. Jaisalmer Fort breaks that rule. Rising from Trikuta Hill in the heart of the Thar Desert, its golden sandstone walls don't just enclose a historic site; they enclose a working town, where homes, temples, shops, and guesthouses sit inside the same walls that have stood since the 12th century. It's one of the things that makes Jaisalmer — Rajasthan's "Golden City" — genuinely different from almost anywhere else in India.

A city built as a fort

Jaisalmer Fort was built in 1156 CE by Rawal Jaisal, a ruler of the Bhati Rajput clan, who chose Trikuta Hill as the site for his new capital. The fort's construction effectively founded the city itself — Jaisalmer grew up around and within its walls, strategically positioned along trade routes that once connected India with Central Asia, which brought the city considerable wealth in the centuries that followed.

That wealth, and the fort's defensive position, made it a target. In the 13th century, the fort withstood a major siege by Alauddin Khalji, the Sultan of Delhi — one of several conflicts over the centuries that have left their mark on the fort's history. The fort's defenses reflect this: triple-ringed walls and 99 bastions form a layered defensive system, with the outermost wall rising roughly 15 feet and the whole structure standing on a hill about 250 feet above the surrounding desert.

The fort is known by several names — Sonar Quila or Sonar Kella ("Golden Fort" in Hindi/Bengali), and Sonargarh Fort locally — names that all point to the same thing: the way its golden-yellow sandstone glows in the desert sun, particularly at sunrise and sunset, when the entire fort and city seem to take on a warm, golden colour that blends almost seamlessly with the surrounding dunes.

A living fort

What sets Jaisalmer Fort apart from most of India's other great forts is that it never stopped being a town. A significant portion of Jaisalmer's population — commonly cited as around a quarter — still lives within the fort's walls today, in homes that sit alongside centuries-old temples, narrow residential lanes, shops selling handicrafts and textiles, and a growing number of cafes and heritage guesthouses. Walking through the fort means walking through someone's neighbourhood, not just a historic site.

Within the walls, the fort's Jain temples are particularly notable — a group of temples known for intricate stone carving and glass inlay work, dating back centuries and still active places of worship. Elsewhere, the Maharaja's palace and grand havelis throughout the fort and old city showcase the same golden sandstone, carved into elaborate facades, balconies, and screens that are themselves a major draw for visitors.

In 2013, Jaisalmer Fort was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of a group listing called the Hill Forts of Rajasthan — six forts across the state recognised together for their architectural and historical significance.

Visiting Jaisalmer

Beyond the fort itself, Jaisalmer's old city is built from the same golden sandstone, and the effect — especially at sunrise or sunset — is of an entire town glowing gold against the desert. The surrounding Thar Desert adds another dimension to a visit: sand dunes within easy reach of the city are popular for camel rides, desert safaris, and watching the sun rise or set over the sand.

Inside the fort, several small museums cover the region's desert culture, folklore, and history, and the fort's many shops, restaurants, and cafes make it easy to spend an unhurried day simply wandering its lanes — though as a living, residential area, it's worth visiting with the same awareness you'd bring to any neighbourhood where people live and work, rather than treating it purely as a backdrop.