27 ~ Royal Cenotaphs - Bara Bagh + Sunset Point : Jaisalmer

Back to Fort Rajwada, a walk around the lovely grounds and then soaked in the afternoon sun by sitting on the sun lounger by the pool. There was nothing to see outside the hotel itself and yes, I could have caught a tuk tuk back into Jaisalmer but decided not to.

The Royal Cenotaphs of the Rawals

Leaving at 4.30pm / 16:30 I did the optional extra visit to The Royal Cenotaphs of the Rawals in Bara Bagh (meaning big garden). The entry fee had just gone up to 500 rupees / NZ$10.40 / US$7 and 200 rupees / NZ$4.20 / US$2.80 for the camera which in some ways was far too much as over at Sunset Point are similar but certainly not so many cenotaphs and that entry fee was only 50 rupees / NZ$1 / US$0.70 and 50 rupees / NZ$1 / US$0.70 for the camera!

Here is the link to Tripsavvy:

Jaisalmer has another group of similar looking cenotaphs, in a large unkempt garden around five kilometres further out, erected in honour of the city's royal rulers from the 16th to 20th centuries. The last cenotaph to be built is dedicated to Maharaja Jawahar Singh, who reigned after India’s Independence. However, it remains incomplete due to his death a year after Independence, which was viewed as a bad omen by the family. Most intriguing are the plaques on the cenotaphs. Plaques showing both maharaja and maharani together indicate that the queen committed sati (threw herself on her husband's funeral pyre). In contrast to the cenotaphs, modern wind turbines now populate the breezy hill as well, to generate electricity.

https://www.tripsavvy.com/places-to-visit-in-jaisalmer-1539657

Allowed just 30 minutes at the Royal Cenotaphs as with the sun about to set had to head over to the nearby Sunset Point which is supposed to be the best place from which to both watch the spectacular desert sunset and also photograph the fort.

Sunset Point

Here is the link to Tripsavvy:

Vyas Chhatri, on the edge of Jaisalmer north of the Fort, is dedicated to the great sage Vyasa who authored the Hindu epic The Mahabharata. This haunting place is used as a cremation ground for Pushkarana Brahmins and contains a number of cenotaphs (empty tombs) erected in honour of notable ones. The cenotaphs are referred to as chhatris because of their domes, which look like umbrellas (chhatris). Go there for spectacular sunsets over the city.

https://www.tripsavvy.com/places-to-visit-in-jaisalmer-1539657

The sun was quickly dropping and colours changing.

Set up the Go Pro on time lapse to try and capture the changes.

In the distance were these 2 guys trying to do a selfie of the Fort and with the rising moon behind them I had to move very quickly to position myself and capture this shot.

Using last night sunset experience as a guideline, I was one of the last to leave before they closed and locked the gates. By now the sky was really red and soon it was black.

Dinner with Askok at Junction Palace – boneless chicken tikka, 400 rupees / NZ$8.30 / US$05.60.
Butter masala - marinated and grilled boneless chicken cooked in tomato butter based gravy 425 rupees / NZ$8.90 / US$6.
Askok had something for 450 rupees / NZ$9.40 / US$6.30.
Khadi vegetable paneer cheese 450 rupees / NZ$9.40 / US$6.30.
Garlic naan 250 rupees / NZ$5.20 / US$3.50.
Kingfisher lager 250 rupees / NZ$5.20 / US$3.50.
Water 50 rupees / NZ$1 / US$0.70.
Plus GST and a tip came to 2,000 rupees / NZ$40.40 / US$28.