Jaisalmer Fort - Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

The honey-hued city of Jaisalmer was established in 1156 AD by the Bhatti Rajput chieftain, Rawal Jaisal. The Bhatti Rajputs are descendents of the Yaduvanshi (Yadavs) clan. Yadavs believe that they are the direct descendents of Lord Krishna, the legendary “Avtar” of the Mahabharat fame.

The Bhatti Rajputs were driven out of their homeland in Punjab by the Turk invaders. Legend has it that the king of Ghazni (Afghanistan), Shal Bahan was sacked by Mamnenez, the king of Khorasan. Shal Bahan established his new capital at Sialkot in United Punjab. One of his sons was Rao Bhati and his descendants came to be known as Bhattis.

Once the clan of Bhattis was sacked in Punjab, they moved southwards and found a refuge in the Indian desert of Rajasthan. This could be around the 8^th century and Lodurva, located 16 km to the south-east of present Jaisalmer, became their capital. Deoraj a prominent prince of the Bhatti family became the real founder of the Jaisalmer dynasty and they adopted the title of Rawal.