Bada (big) Bag (garden) is a garden and large water tank 5km north of Jaisalmer. It is a good place from which to watch the sunset, as the sun turns the city of Jaisalmer a golden brown. There are beautiful old chhatris built in memory of the maharajas of Jaisalmer. The garden was began by Maharaja Jait Singh II and completed by his son, Maharaja Loonkaran. The tank has an interesting underground drainage system, so if the tank is full, the water will automatically leave the tank. There is a mango grove here.
Admission Rs 10. Video: Rs 20.
Inside each chhatri are statues of the maharaja and maharani to which the chhatri is dedicated and a plaque. The maharaja is seated on a horse and the maharani is standing. If the maharaja and the maharani are together on the plaque, it means the maharani became sati at her husband’s death. There may be separate plaques for the maharaja’s courtesans.
The chhatris of Maharaja Devidas and Jait Singh date from the 16th century. The last chhatri to be built was that of Maharaja Jawahar Singh, who was the Maharaja after India’s independence. It is incomplete because Jawahar Singh died one year after Independence and the family felt it was a bad omen and thus not a good idea to finish the chhatri. The maharaja’s chhatri is the largest; his family members have smaller chhatris.
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