Nobody can be immune to the charms of Jaisalmer. The very first glimpse of the golden Jaisalmer Fort, occupying the pride of place in the monochromatic sandy landscape, is bewitching. Inside the citadel, turbaned faces carry a smile hidden in thick moustaches, long skirts catch the brilliance of the sun in their mirror work and the cobbled streets and the painted houses promise a view of an enchanted world.

It?s also a world that has managed to survive for long. The fort, whose walls chronicle the deeds of its Rawals and the riches of its traders, recently celebrated 850 years of uninterrupted vitality. Its havelis speak of the long trains of camels that trekked across deserts to reach Sindh and Afghanistan and West Asia, carrying silver, cloth and expensive goods. Its musicians sing the songs of its daily existence, of the beauty of their desires, and this music will echo in your ears for long.

Going to Jaisalmer is about learning these melodies and hearing these narratives. Going to Jaisalmer is also about visiting the desert and a far outpost therein, an outpost built out of the same sand stone that stretches all around. Here you will realise that the desert is not an endless sequence of sand dunes but there won't be any reason for disappointment. For, the sand dunes have an inescapable magnetism that will draw you in, just as Jaisalmer effortlessly does.