Kingdom of Jaisalmer

The **Kingdom of Jaisalmer** is a Puppet Kingdom of the Iranian Empire that is west of the Kingdom of Bikaner, Northwest of the Kingdom of Jodhpur and East of Kingdom of Pakistan.

## History

### Early History

The royal dynasty of Jaisalmer claims to be descended from the deified hero Krishna. The Bhati rulers originally ruled parts of Afghanistan; their ancestor Rawal Gaj is believed to have founded the city of Gajni. According to James Tod, this city is present-day Ghazni in Afghanistan, while Cunningham identifies it as modern-day Rawalpindi. His descendant Rawal Salivahan is believed to have founded the city of Sialkot and made it his new capital. Salivahan defeated the Saka Scythians in 78 CE at Kahror, assuming the title of Saka-ari (foe of the Sakas). Salivahan's grandson Rawal Bhati conquered several neighbouring regions. It is from him that the Bhati clan derives its name.

### First Kingdom

The state of Jaisalmer had its foundations in what remains of the Empire ruled by the Bhati dynasty. Early Bhati rulers ruled over large empire stretching from Ghazni in modern-day Afghanistan to Sialkot, Lahore and Rawalpindi in modern-day Pakistan to Bhatinda, Muktsar & Hanumangarh in Modern day India. The empire crumbled over time because of continuous invasions from the central Asia. According to Satish Chandra, the Hindu Shahis of Afghanistan made an alliance with the Bhati rulers of Multhan, because they wanted to end the slave raids made by the Turkic ruler of Ghazni, however the alliance was defeated by Alp Tigin in 977 CE. Bhati dominions continued to be shifted towards the South as they ruled Multan, then finally got pushed into Cholistan and Jaisalmer where Rawal Devaraja built Dera Rawal / Derawar. Jaisalmer was the new capital founded in 1156 by Maharawal Jaisal Singh and the state took its name from the capital. On 11 December 1818 Jaisalmer became a British protectorate in the Rajputana Agency.

Traditionally, in the Middle Ages, the main source of income for the kingdom was levies on caravans, but the economy was heavily affected when Bombay emerged as a major port and sea trade replaced the traditional land routes. Maharawals Ranjit Singh and Bairi Sal Singh attempted to turn around the economic decline but the dramatic reduction in trade impoverished the kingdom. A severe drought and the resulting famine from 1895 to 1900, during the reign of Maharawal Salivahan Singh, only made matters worse by causing widespread loss of the livestock that the increasingly agriculturally based kingdom relied upon.

The attempts of Maharawal Jawahir Singh (1914–1949) at modernization were also not entirely successful in turning the kingdom's economy around, and the drylands of Jaisalmer remained backward compared with other regions of Rajputana, especially the neighbouring state of Jodhpur. Nonetheless, the extensive water storage and supply, sanitation, and health infrastructures developed in the 1930s by the prime minister Dewan Bahadur Brijmohan Nath Zutshi provided significant relief during the severe droughts of 1941 and 1951. Maharawal During 1930–1947, Jawahir Singh and his ministers also promoted technical education and the academic disciplines of civil and mechanical engineering in the state.

After the departure of the British from India in 1947, the Maharawal signed an Instrument of Accession to the new Union of India, while retaining some internal autonomy until the 1950s.

### Second Kingdom

The Kingdom of Jaisalmer gained independence after Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan invaded the Jaisalmer district of India during their decade-long invasion of the subcontinent. The Kingdom after its independence was designated as the homeland of the Hindu minorities of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

## Government

The Government of Jaisalmer is an absolute monarchy ruled by a Maharawal who has absolute authority over the whole country. The Maharawal creates laws that must be approved by the rest of the royal family and the Council of Ministers.

* **Maharawal:** Chaitanya Raj Singh
* **Head of the Council of Ministers:** Atta Muhammad Nur
* **Foreign Minister:** Ashish Modi
* **Minister of Defense:** Dr Ajay Singh
* **Minister of Intelligence:** Sher Singh Rana
* **Chief of Staff:** Col. Sonaram Choudhary
* **Chief of Army:** Col. Manvendra Singh

## Military

The Military of Jaisalmer is an army that consists of 130 Infantry Brigades, 120 Artillery Brigades and 110 Armored Brigades. This Army was drilled by the Iranian Army with Iranian drills. The Army is under control of Col. Sonaram Choudhary who is the Chief of Staff and Col. Manvendra Singh who is the Chief of the Army.

## Economy

### Tourism

Tourism is a major industry in Jaisalmer due to the fact that Jaisalmer has many places of interest that make the Kingdom a unique place. Otherwise Jaisalmer would be nothing more than a dull and generic desert Kingdom.

#### Jaisalmer Fort

Built in 1156 by the Bhati Rajput ruler Jaisal, Jaisalmer Fort, situated on Meru Hill and named as *Trikoot Garh* has been the scene of many battles. Its massive sandstone walls are a tiny lion colour during the day, turning to a magical honey-gold as the sun sets. The famous Indian film director Satyajit Ray wrote a detective novel and later turned it into a film − *Sonar Kella* (The Golden Fortress) which was based on this fort. About a quarter of city's population still live inside the fort. The main attractions inside the fort are: Raj Mahal (Royal palace), Jain temples and the Laxminath temple.

#### Jain Heritage Sights

Jaisalmer has been enriched by its Jain community, which has adorned the city with beautiful temples, notably the temples dedicated to the 16th Tirthankara, Shantinath, and 23rd Tirthankara, Parshvanath.

There are seven Jain temples in total which are situated within the Jaisalmer fort built during the 12th and 15th centuries. Among these temples, the biggest is the *Paraswanath Temple*; the others are *Chandraprabhu temple*, *Rishabdev temple*, *Shitalnath Temple*, *Kunthunath Temple*, and *Shantinath Temple*. Known for their exquisite work of art and architecture that was predominant in the medieval era the temples are built out of yellow sandstone and have intricate engravings on them.

Jaisalmer has some of the oldest libraries of India which contain rarest of the manuscripts and artefacts of Jain tradition. There are many pilgrimage centres around Jaisalmer such as Lodhruva (Lodarva), Amarsagar, Brahmsar and Pokharan.

#### List of Museums

There are many museums such as the Baa RI Haveli On fort, Desert Culture Centre & Museum, Jaisalmer Folklore Museum, Government Museum, Jaisalmer Fort Palace Museum, Jaisalmer War Museum, Akal Fossil Park Museum, Cactus Park Museum, Kuldhara and Tanot Museum.

#### Ramdevra

Ramdevra a village in Jaisalmer is named after Baba Ramdevji, a Tanwar Rajput and a saint who took Samādhi in 1384 CE, at the age of 33 years. He is worshiped today by many social groups of India as Ishta-deva.

#### Gadsisar Lake

Gadsisar Lake – Excavated in 1367 by Rawal Gadsi Singh, it is a scenic rainwater lake surrounded by the small temples and shrines of Amar Sagar. Earlier, this lake was used to be the main water source of Jaisalmer. Due to an increased water demand for agriculture, the lake is increasingly threatened to dry out.

#### Sights

There are many sights such as Bada Bagh, a complex with chhatris of Jai Singh II (d. 1743) and subsequent Maharajas of Jaisalmer, Lodhruva, the Desert National Park, Bhaniyana, Lanela and theBattle of Longewala point.

### Oil

The Government of India initiated departmental exploration for oil in 1955–56 in the Jaisalmer area. Oil India Limited discovered natural gas in 1988 in the Jaisalmer basin, but they lost it to National Iranian Oil Company who took control of the Jaisalmer basin's oil reserves when Iran gained influence within the rogue Princely States. After the invasion of India by Iran and it's puppets, Jaisalmer's oil reserves were nationalized as the National Iranian Oil Company's faction in Jaisalmer was acquired by the Government of Jaisalmer which nationalized Jaisalmer's oil.

### Leather Bags

Jaisalmer is also known for its leather messenger bags, made from wild camels native to the area. The bags are made due to hunters hunting the Camels and killing them to make the bags. The bags make a lot of money due to their features, but the rapid killing of Camels to make the bags is problematic.

## Culture

### Music

Musicians and dancers are also a major cultural export from Jaisalmer to the rest of the world. Manganiyar musicians have played the world over, and Queen Harish, the dancing desert drag queen, has toured the world over and has featured in international movies.

### Desert Festival

The Desert Festival of Jaisalmer is the most awaited and famous cultural and colorful event ever known. Camel races, Turban-tying and Mr. Desert competitions are organised. It is held in the month of February every year. The festival showcases Rajasthani folk songs and dance and it is very attractive to foreign tourists. Gair and Fire dancers which are the major attraction of the Jaisalmer desert festival celebrations. This is the best time to visit Jaisalmer to witness performing arts like Kalbelia dances and folk songs and music.