A Castle Where People Live Rent-Free
30th May 2019
It’s not so much a ‘castle’ as a fortified city, like Carcassonne in France.
However, the citadel is more than just a significant historical and architectural landmark: more than 800 years after it was built, some 2,000 to 4,000 descendants of the castle’s earliest inhabitants continue to live inside its fortified walls, rent-free, as their ancestors were given the land by local kings in return for their services to the kingdom.
Today, not only is Jaisalmer the last inhabited ancient fortress in India, but it serves as something of a living monument, where life goes on among the narrow lanes and crowded courtyards in much the same manner as it did in the 12th Century.