At a glance
- Classes: a dhanvan (desert) durg, and a paridh durg for its ring of walls.
- Saying: only on a wooden horse, with legs of stone and a body of iron, can one reach Jaisalmer.
- Building: large yellow stones fitted together without lime; from afar it looks like a ship at anchor.
Facts
| Place | Jaisalmer, on Trikuta hill |
|---|---|
| Names | Sonar Qila, Golden Fort or Swarn Durg, for the colour of its yellow sandstone |
| Builder | Rawal Jaisal, a Bhati ruler; 1155 (some accounts: 1156) |
| Bastions | 99 |
| Living fort | About a quarter of the old city's people live inside, with shops, havelis and temples |
Inside the fort
- Jain temples: seven, of yellow sandstone, from the 12th to the 16th century, among them those of Rishabhdev (Rikhabdev), Parshvanath and Sambhavnath.
- Palaces: Rang Mahal, Moti Mahal, Gaj Vilas and Jawahar Vilas.
- A store of rare old manuscripts.
In film and fiction
Satyajit Ray wrote the Feluda story Sonar Kella about the fort and filmed it there.
Remember: often mixed up
- Sonar Qila or Sonar KellaSonar Qila is the fort · Sonar Kella is Satyajit Ray's story and film set there.
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