Jaisalmer Fort

Jaisalmer Fort was built in 1156 by Bhati Rajput king Rawal Jaisal on Trikuta hill in the Thar desert. It is one of the very few 'living forts' in the world — roughly 3,000 people still live inside the fort walls, in havelis, shops, hotels, and seven Jain temples that crowd the lanes. The fort's yellow-sandstone construction turns golden at sunset, hence the local name Sonar Quila. The fort played a central role in the trade between Central Asia and Indian ports — caravans of camels carrying silk, opium, and spices passed through Jaisalmer for centuries. The Patwon-ki-Haveli, Salim Singh-ki-Haveli, and Nathmal-ki-Haveli inside the fort are 19th-century merchant houses with extraordinary stone-lattice (jali) work. UNESCO inscribed the fort as part of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan in 2013. The fort's drainage was not designed for piped water — the post-2000 piped water supply has caused structural concerns; preservationists ask visitors to use water sparingly.