Rajasthan Villages - Pokhran

Strategically located midway in the triangle between Jaisalmer, Jodhpur (172km southeast) and Bikaner (224km), Pokhran is a sparsely populated area consisting mainly of scrub and sand. This place suddenly hogged the international spotlight when the Indian government detonated nuclear devices here on 18th May 1974, ironically code-named ‘The Buddha Smiles’. Once again international attention was focussed on it on the 11th and 13th May, 1998, when five more nuclear tests took place underneath its sandy surface, code-named this time as ‘The Buddha Laughs’.

Interestingly this links back to a legend from the epic Ramayana where the god-king Ram once fitted his bow with a powerful arrow which generated great heat in order to dry up the seas of Sri Lanka. Cajoled not to do so, he instead fired it into the mythical river Saraswati which, according to one legend, flowed here. The river dried up as a consequence and was replaced by the barren desert.

However, although an under-devoloped area Pokhran was once the capital of the Thakur (chief) of Marwar. The Maheshwaris (a trading community) built many beautiful havelis here which, like the Pokhran fort, are built in red and yellow sandstone. The windows and balconies are handsomely embellished with parrots, peacocks and elephants. The chief thoroughfare of Pokhran is the Gandhi chowk where women selling vegetables sit resplendent in their colourful Rajasthani dresses. Apart from the fort and the havelis thare are a few cenotaphs and temples which you can visit.

Pokhran Fort

The yellow sandstone fort is over four centuries old and was constructed by the Marwar Thakur (local chieftain) Rao Maldeo who reigned from 1532-1584. Built with the remains of an earlier fort called Satelmer Fort, the Pokhran fort is well stocked with wells and grain stores and has a wonderful dining hall constructed in the second half of the 19th century. The wooden doors at the gateway were fitted with lethal iron spikes to guard against an elephant charge in case of an enemy onslaught. There is a small temple dedicated to the goddess Durga located in the second biggest courtyard of the fort, with stairs leading upto a zenana (women’s quarters).