ConradQ41114 at 22:49, 19 January 2026

2026-01-19T22:49:29Z

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{{About|the district|its eponymous headquarters|Jaisalmer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Jaisalmer district
| settlement_type = [[List of districts of Rajasthan|District]]
| total_type = Total
| native_name =
| image_skyline = {{Photomontage
|size = 250
|photo1a = Jaisalmer 06-vom Fort-2018-gje.jpg
|photo1b = Jaisalmer-6.jpg
|photo2a = Jain Temple Ludvara.JPG
|photo2b = Pokhran-7-Watchtower-20131009.jpg
|photo3a = Sam sand dunes.jpg
}}
| image_caption = <div style="background:#fee8ab;"> '''From top, left to right:<br />'''
[[Jaisalmer]] city from [[Jaisalmer Fort]], [[Bada Bagh]], [[Lodhruva]] Jain Temple, Watchtower in [[Pokhran]] Fort, Sand dunes in the Thar Desert</div>
| image_map = Jaisalmer in Rajasthan (India).svg
| map_caption = Location of Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan
| coordinates =
| coor_pinpoint =
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and union territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Rajasthan]]
| subdivision_type2 = Division
| subdivision_name2 = [[Jodhpur division|Jodhpur]]
| established_title = Established
| established_date =
| seat_type = Headquarters
| seat = [[Jaisalmer]]
| parts_type = [[Tehsils of India|Tehsils]]
| parts_style = para
| p1 =
| area_total_km2 = 38401
| area_footnotes = <ref name="Area"/>
| population_as_of = 2011
| population_total = 669,919
| population_footnotes = <ref name=districtcensus/>
| population_urban =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| demographics_type1 =
| demographics1_title1 = [[Literacy in India|Literacy]]
| demographics1_info1 =
| demographics1_title2 = Sex ratio
| demographics1_info2 =
| District Collector =
| Shrimati Tina Dabi,IAS =
| leader_title1 =
| leader_name1 =
| leader_title2 =
| leader_name2 =
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +05:30
| registration_plate =
| blank_name_sec1 =
| blank_info_sec1 =
| blank_name_sec2 =
| blank_info_sec2 =
| website =
| official_name =
}}

'''Jaisalmer district''' is the largest district in the Indian state of [[Rajasthan]], and the third largest district in [[India]]. Located in [[Marwar]] [[Jodhpur division|(Jodhpur Division)]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Basic about Jaisalmer district|url=https://www.rajasthandirect.com/districts}}</ref> the city of [[Jaisalmer]] is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is around {{cvt|289|km}} from the city of [[Jodhpur]], and around {{cvt|559|km}} from [[Jaipur]], the capital of Rajasthan. As of the 2011 population census, it is the least populous district out of all [[List of districts of Rajasthan|50 districts]] in Rajasthan. Jaisalmer district is located in western part of the state.<ref name="districtcensus">{{Cite web |title=District Census Handbook 2011 - Jaisalmer|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/1074/download/3310/DH_2011_0816_PART_A_DCHB_JAISALMER.pdf|website=[[Census of India]]|publisher=[[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]]}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{More citations needed section|date=March 2021}}
[[File:Désert-du-Thar.jpg|thumb|left|[[Thar Desert]]]]
[[File:Camel rides in Jaisalmer, Thar Desert 15.jpg|left|thumb|Camel rides in Jaisalmer]]

With an area of {{convert|38,401|sqkm|sqmi|disp=or}},<ref name="Area">{{cite web |title=District Census Handbook - Jaisalmer |url=https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/dchb/0816_PART_B_DCHB_JAISALMER.pdf |website=censusindia.gov.in |access-date=13 April 2021|quote=See page 24}}</ref> Jaisalmer is the largest district in Rajasthan, and the third-largest in the country by area.

The Jaisalmer district lies in the [[Thar Desert]], which straddles the border of India and [[Pakistan]]. It is bound in the northeast by [[Bikaner District]], in the east by [[Jodhpur District]], in the south by [[Barmer District]], and in the west and north by [[Pakistan]].

The district is located within a rectangle lying between 26°.4’ –28°.23' north parallel and 69°.20'-72°.42' east meridians.

The international border adjacent to the district is around {{cvt|464|km}} long.

Jaisalmer is almost entirely a sandy landscape, forming a part of the great Indian desert. The general aspect of the area is that of an interminable sea of sandhills, of all shapes and sizes, some rising to a height of almost {{cvt|150|ft}}. The hills in the west are covered with log bushes, while those in the east feature tufts of long grass. Water is scarce, and generally [[brackish]]; the average depth of the wells is said to be about {{cvt|250|ft}}. There are no perennial streams, and only one small river, the Kakni, which, after flowing a distance of {{cvt|28|m}}, spreads over a large surface of flat ground and forms a lake called the Bhuj-Jhil. The climate is hot and dry. Throughout Jaisalmer crops such as [[Pearl millet|bajra]], [[jowar]], motif, and [[Sesame|til]], are grown; spring crops of wheat and [[barley]] are very rare. Owing to the scant rainfall, [[irrigation]] is almost unknown except for small areas irrigated by lift canals of [[Indira Gandhi Canal]] Project.

===Climate===
The climate is [[hot arid climate|hot arid]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''BWh'').

{{Weather box
|width = auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y
|location = Jaisalmer
|Jan high C = 23.7
|Feb high C = 27.2
|Mar high C = 32.8
|Apr high C = 38.4
|May high C = 48.0
|Jun high C = 48.0
|Jul high C = 42.8
|Aug high C = 36.0
|Sep high C = 36.5
|Oct high C = 36.1
|Nov high C = 31.1
|Dec high C = 25.4
|year high C =
|Jan low C = 7.9
|Feb low C = 10.9
|Mar low C = 16.8
|Apr low C = 22.2
|May low C = 25.7
|Jun low C = 27.1
|Jul low C = 26.5
|Aug low C = 25.4
|Sep low C = 24.3
|Oct low C = 20.5
|Nov low C = 13.8
|Dec low C = 8.9
|year low C =
|Jan rain mm = 1.3
|Feb rain mm = 4.0
|Mar rain mm = 3.2
|Apr rain mm = 18.1
|May rain mm = 9.2
|Jun rain mm = 36.1
|Jul rain mm = 86.1
|Aug rain mm = 109.0
|Sep rain mm = 36.2
|Oct rain mm = 12.5
|Nov rain mm = 1.3
|Dec rain mm = 2.5
|rain colour = green
|unit rain days = 0.1 mm
|Jan rain days = 0.6
|Feb rain days = 1.0
|Mar rain days = 0.9
|Apr rain days = 0.4
|May rain days = 0.8
|Jun rain days = 2.1
|Jul rain days = 4.9
|Aug rain days = 5.9
|Sep rain days = 3.1
|Oct rain days = 0.4
|Nov rain days = 1.1
|Dec rain days = 0.5
|source 1 = [http://worldweather.wmo.int/066/c01593.htm WMO]
|date=September 2011}}

==Paleontology==
In 2021, a Middle [[Jurassic]] [[hybodont]] ''[[Strophodus|Strophodus jaisalmerensis]]'' was named in a reference to this district and the [[Jaisalmer Formation|geologic formation of the same name]] where its [[holotype]] was found.<ref>{{cite journal|year=2021|author=Krishna Kumara, Sunil Bajpaib, Pragya Pandeya, Triparna Ghosha, Debasish Bhattacharya|title=Hybodont sharks from the Jurassic of Jaisalmer, western India|journal=Historical Biology|volume=34|issue=6|pages=953–963|doi=10.1080/08912963.2021.1954920}}</ref>

==Economy==
In 2006, the [[Ministry of Panchayati Raj]] named Jaisalmer one of the country's 250 [[Poverty in India|most backward districts]] (out of a total of [[Districts of India|640]]).<ref name=brgf/> It is one of the twelve districts in Rajasthan currently receiving funds from the [[Backward Regions Grant Fund|Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme]] (BRGF).<ref name=brgf>{{cite web|author=Ministry of Panchayati Raj |date=8 September 2009 |title=A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme |publisher=National Institute of Rural Development |url=http://www.nird.org.in/brgf/doc/brgf_BackgroundNote.pdf |access-date=27 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405033402/http://www.nird.org.in/brgf/doc/brgf_BackgroundNote.pdf |archive-date=5 April 2012 }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{historical populations|11=1901|12=75,551|13=1911|14=87,162|15=1921|16=69,224|17=1931|18=78,646|19=1941|20=96,958|21=1951|22=1,09,658|23=1961|24=1,41,242|25=1971|26=1,67,824|27=1981|28=2,43,082|29=1991|30=3,44,517|31=2001|32=5,08,247|33=2011|34=6,69,919|percentages=pagr|footnote=source:<ref>[http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/A2_Data_Table.html Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901]</ref>|align=center}}

{{bar box
|title=Religions in Jaisalmer district (2011)<ref name="Religion">{{cite web |title=Table C-01 Population By Religion - Rajasthan|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/11390/download/14503/DDW08C-01%20MDDS.XLS|website=census.gov.in|publisher=[[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]]}}</ref>
|titlebar=#Fcd116
|left1=Religion
|right1=Percent
|float=left
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Hinduism]]|darkorange|74.19}}
{{bar percent|[[Rajasthani Muslims|Islam]]|green|25.10}}
{{bar percent|Other or not stated|black|0.71}}
}}

According to the [[2011 census of India|2011 census]], Jaisalmer district has a [[Demographics of India|population]] of 669,919,<ref name="districtcensus"/> roughly equal to the nation of [[Equatorial Guinea]]<ref name="cia">{{cite web | author = US Directorate of Intelligence | title = Country Comparison:Population | url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070613004507/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 13 June 2007 | access-date = 2011-10-01 | quote = Equatorial Guinea 668,225 July 2011 est.
}}</ref> or the US state of [[North Dakota]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php
|title=2010 Resident Population Data
|publisher=U. S. Census Bureau
|access-date=2011-09-30
|quote=North Dakota 672,591
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019160532/http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php
|archive-date=2013-10-19
}}</ref> This gives it a ranking of 508th in India (out of a total of [[Districts of India|640]]).<ref name=districtcensus/> The district has a population density of {{convert| 17 |PD/sqkm|PD/sqmi}}.<ref name=districtcensus/> Its [[Family planning in India|population growth rate]] over the decade 2001–2011 was 32.22%.<ref name=districtcensus/> Jaisalmer has a [[sex ratio]] of 849 [[Women in India|females]] for every 1000 males,<ref name=districtcensus/> and a [[Literacy in India|literacy rate]] of 58.04%. 13.29% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 14.80% and 6.33% of the population respectively.<ref name=districtcensus/>

=== Languages ===
{{Pie chart
|caption = Languages in Jaisalmer district (2011)<ref name="language"/>
|label1 = [[Rajasthani languages|Rajasthani]] |value1 = 14 |color1 = firebrick
|label2 = [[Marwari language|Marwari]] |value2 = 45 |color2 = maroon
|label3 = [[Hindi]] |value3 = 3
|color3 = orange
|label4 = [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] |value4 = 30 |color4 = limegreen
|label5 = [[Urdu]] |value5 = 1 |color5 = green
|label6 = Others |value6 = 2 |color6 = grey
}}

At the time of the 2011 census, 51.07% of the population spoke [[Rajasthani languages|Rajasthani]], 40.95% [[Marwari language|Marwari]], 2.80% [[Hindi]], 2.56% [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] and 1.02% [[Urdu]] as their first language.<ref name="language">{{Cite web |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/10220/download/13332/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-0800.XLSX|title=Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Rajasthan|website=censusindia.gov.in|publisher=[[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]]}}</ref> Marwari is the local language, while [[Dhatki language|Dhatki]] and Sindhi is spoken in border areas and by Hindu refugees from nearby Thar regions of Sindh.

==Administration==

IAS Pratap Singh Nathawat is the [[District Collector]] of [[Jaisalmer District]]. Jaisalmer district has four sub-divisions: Jaisalmer, [[Pokhran|Pokaran]], [[Bhaniyana]], and Fatehgarh. Jaisalmer and Pokaran are the ''nagar palikas'', while 744 villages come under 140 ''gram panchayats''. District developmental activities are being looked after by three ''panchayat samities'', that is, Jaisalmer, Sam, and Sankra.

==Tourism==
Jaisalmer is one of the largest tourism district in [[Rajasthan]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jaisalmer Opts for Community-Managed Tourism Revival|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/travelnews/story/71174/jaisalmer-opts-for-a-community-managed-tourism-revival|access-date=2021-03-12|website=www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/|language=en}}</ref> About 276,887 tourists visit the district every year, out of which about 100,000 tourists are foreigners.<ref>{{Cite web|agency=TNN|date=Jan 2, 2018|title=2 lakh tourists celebrated New Year in Jaisalmer {{!}} Jodhpur News - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jodhpur/2-lakh-tourists-celebrated-new-year-in-jaisalmer/articleshow/62330467.cms|access-date=2021-03-12|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref> Some of the tourist attractions in Jaisalmer are:
* [[Jaisalmer Fort]]
* Patwa Haveli
* Salim Singh's Haveli
* Nathmal's Haveli
*Mehra Haveli
* Mandir Palace
* [[Gadisar Lake|Gadsisar Lake]]
* Government Museum
*[[Tanot Mata|Tanot Mandir]]
*[[Longewala]]
*[[Pokhran|Pokharan]]
*[[Thar desert]]
*[[Bada Bagh]]
*[[Lodhruva]]
*[[Akal Wood Fossil Park]]
*[[Ramdevra]]
*Maru Udyan
*Mohangarh

Every year, Maru Mahotsav is celebrated for the tourists. [[Ramdevra]] is also a big attraction for the [[Baba Ramdevji]]'s pilgrims.<ref name="Trivedi 2019">{{cite web | last=Trivedi | first=Santosh Kumar | title=Ramdevra Mela 2019: तैयारियां पूरी, रविवार से शुरू होगा रामदेवरा का मेला - Ramdevra Mela 2019: How to go on Ramdevra | website=Patrika News | date=31 August 2019 | url=https://www.patrika.com/jaipur-news/ramdevra-mela-2019-how-to-go-on-ramdevra-5034787/ | language=hi | access-date=1 March 2022}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School]], a school in the rural thar desert of Jaisalmer with unique architecture
* [[Thar Desert]]
* [[Tharparkar]]
* [[Moolchand Prol, Jhinjhinyali]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://jaisalmer.rajasthan.gov.in/content/raj/jaisalmer/en/home.html Official Website of Jaisalmer District]

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Jaisalmer district
|North =
|Northeast = [[Bikaner district]]
|East = [[Jodhpur district]]
|Southeast =
|South = [[Barmer district]]
|Southwest =
|West =
|Northwest = ''[[Pakistan]]''
}}

{{Jaisalmer district}}
{{Districts of Rajasthan}}
{{Rajasthan}}

{{Hindu temples in Rajasthan}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|26|54|48|N|70|54|50|E|region:IN-RJ_type:landmark_source:dewiki|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaisalmer District}}
[[Category:Jaisalmer district| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Districts in Jodhpur division]]
[[Category:Thar Desert]]

Jaisalmer district - Revision history

ConradQ41114 at 22:49, 19 January 2026