The bustling
city of Jaisalmer, recognised by its iconic Sonar Qila or Golden fort, which is
the only living fort in India, inhabited by more than 4000 residents is a charm
of Rajasthan. Out tryst with this magnificent city starts with an encounter
with Dr Chandar Prakash Vyas, popular known as Dr. Bhang. He runs a small lassi
shop in the fort which has a very welcoming ambience.
There are few customers
in his shop, some foreigners and some locals, sitting comfortably on rugs and
stools and enjoying his varied drinks and delicacies, all of which is made
using bhang. Bhang is prepared from the leaves of female cannabis and can give
you a good kick and make you high.
Dr Bhang gets
his title from being an authority on Bhang, not because he is a practitioner of
medicine or has a doctorate in any discipline. Until a year ago his lassi shop
was the official bhang shop in Jaiselmer, but unfortunately his tag was taken
away by his competitor by paying bribe to the officials, as he claims. He is
determined to get his tag back as he has deep root in the business, being the
third generation from his family to hold the official rights. The menu in his
shop is varied and interesting, from a variety of ‘thandai’ and ‘lassi’ to
bhang mixed cookies and chocolate. The drinks are categorised as mild, strong
and baby mix. He claims that his drink is going to make one feel great, like
traveling on a smooth camel. The foreigners sitting in his shop are intrigued
by his stories of Shiva, the hindu god who is hooked on bhang all the time and
the merits of bhang.
The charm and
magic of Jaisalmer goes beyond the magical high of Dr. Bhang’s drinks. The riot
of colours, different shops selling various handicrafts ranging from
embroidered bed sheets, camel leather bags, shoes and jackets and many more
fills the sight. One particular fabric catches the attention which has the
following words written on it ‘no need for Viagra, this is magic bed sheet’. The
Havelis are another major attraction in this city. Used as residence by wealthy
merchants of old days, there are many of them out here. Some of them are still
used as residence, while some have been converted into museums, shops, hotels
and some have been rented to various government departments. The most famous of
them is the Patwonjiki Haveli.
The Jaiselmer
fort is undoubtedly the charm of the city. Built by Bhati
Rajput King Rao Jaiswal on Trikuta Hill in the 12th century it bears
the mark of many historical wars. Built by yellow sandstone, from where it gets
its name as Sonar qila or Golden fort, this is the only living fort in India.
Next is DussehraChowk where you can see a montage of palaces and shops. The
fort also has seven beautifully carved Jain temples which has sculptures of
Jain Tirthankaras carved inside. All the chaos, confusion, noise of the place
is overshadowed by the golden edge of the fort.
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