Jaiselmer

Jaisalmer जैसलमेर
city
View of the Jaisalmer Fort in the evening.
Nickname(s): Golden city
Jaisalmer Show map of Rajasthan Jaisalmer Show map of India Location in Rajasthan, India
Coordinates: 26°54′47″N 70°54′54″E / 26.913°N 70.915°E / 26.913; 70.915Coordinates: 26°54′47″N 70°54′54″E / 26.913°N 70.915°E / 26.913; 70.915
Country	India
State	Rajasthan
District	Jaisalmer
Founded by	Rawal Jaisal
Government
• Jila pramukh	Anjna Meghwal
• M.L.A.	Mr. Chotu Singh Bhati
Area
• Total	5.1 km2 (2.0 sq mi)
Elevation	225 m (738 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	65,471
• Density	13,000/km2 (33,000/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Hindi and Rajasthani
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	345 00x
Telephone code	02992
ISO 3166 code	RJ-IN
Vehicle registration	RJ 15
Website	jaisalmer.rajasthan.gov.in

Jaisalmer  pronunciation  (Rajasthani: जैसलमेर), nicknamed "The Golden city", is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, located 575 kilometres (357 mi) west of the state capital Jaipur. Once known as Jaisalmer state it is a World Heritage Site. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate Jain temples. Many of the houses and temples are finely sculptured. It lies in the heart of the Thar Desert (the Great Indian Desert) and has a population of about 78,000. It is the administrative headquarters of Jaisalmer District.

Jaisalmer is named after Maharawal Jaisal Singh, a Rajput king who founded the city in 1156 AD. "Jaisalmer" means "the Hill Fort of Jaisal". Jaisalmer is sometimes called the "Golden City of India" because the yellow sand and the yellow sandstone used in every architecture of the city gives a yellowish-golden tinge to the city and its surrounding area.

It is the largest district of Rajasthan and one of the largest in the country, hugged on the west & south-west by the Pakistani border. The length of the international border attached to Jaisalmer District is 471 km (293 mi).

Jaisalmer, being an arid desert region, is prone to extremes in terms of temperature. The temperature varies greatly from day to night in both summer and winter. The maximum summer temperature is around 49 °C (120 °F) while the minimum is 25 °C (77 °F). The maximum winter temperature is usually around 23.6 °C (74.5 °F) and the minimum is 5 °C (41 °F). The average rainfall is 209.5 millimetres (8.25 in). Highest ever recorded temperature was 50.0 °C (122.0 °F); the lowest ever recorded temperature being −5.9 °C (21.4 °F). Temperatures of up to 52.4 °C (126.3 °F) have been recorded near the international border close to Pakistan, but standard conditions of this temperature recording remain unverified.