Domed chhatris
Golden stone.
Antoine Taveneaux — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Nagarjun Kandukuru — CC BY 2.0 · Daniel VILLAFRUELA. — CC BY-SA 3.0 · samron — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kanad Sanyal — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Antoine Taveneaux — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Daniel VILLAFRUELA. — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Worldthrumaeyes — CC BY-SA 4.0
A garden and royal memorial complex about 6 km north of Jaisalmer, its name meaning «grand garden»; on a rise above a mango orchard stands a group of domed stone pavilions, or chhatris, built by the rulers of Jaisalmer in memory of their forebears from the eighteenth to the early twentieth century. Its story goes back to the sixteenth century, when the ruler Jait Singh II built a dam creating a small lake that turned the desert around it green; his son completed the garden, and the site became the place to honour the rulers. The pavilions, carved in golden sandstone, step down in different sizes and shapes with finely carved domes and columns, looking otherworldly in the sunset light, with modern wind turbines on the horizon behind. Foreign visitors pay about ₹50, plus camera fees, per visitor guides. Sunrise or sunset is best, and it is a favourite with photographers.
Golden stone.
Otherworldly.
Below the rise.
About 6 km north of Jaisalmer
A garden of royal memorial pavilions with domed stone chhatris north of Jaisalmer, built by the city's rulers to honour their forebears; foreigners pay about ₹50.