BIKANER

BEST SEASON: October to March
LANGUAGE SPOKEN: Hindi, Rajasthani, English
CLOTHING: Summer- Cotton & Winter- warm clothes
STD CODE: 0151

INTRODUCTION

This city lies on the northern point of the triangle of desert cities. Bikaner is another royal walled city dating back to 1486 AD. It was, however, a major trade centre as it stood on the ancient caravan route, which linked central Asia and North India with the Gujarat seaports. While other cities of Rajasthan are rich in lakes and pleasure pavilions, Bikaner seems quite bare in that respect. This desert town in the north of the state was founded on 1488 by Rao bika, a descendant of Jodha, the founder of Jodhpur . Bikaner has a superb fort, camel safaris and 30 kms to the south is the extraordinary Karni Mata temple where thousands of holy rats are worshipped.

PLACES TO VISIT

JUNAGARH

Raja rai Singh (1571-1611), an outstanding General of Mughal Emperor, Akbar, built this imposing fort. It is encircled by a moat and contains palaces made of red sandstone and marble with kiosks and balconies embellishing the structure at intervals. They have impressive mirror work, carvings and paintings.

Suraj pol, or the Sun gate is the main entrance to the fort. Har mandir is the majestic chapel where the royal wedding and births were celebrated.

The palaces worth visiting are Anup mahal, Karan Mahal, Dungar Niwas, Ganga Niwas and Rang Mahal or palace of pleasure. And some of the most beautiful places are Chandra Mahal or the Moon Palace which has exquisite paintings on lime plaster walls; and phool Mahal or the flower palace is more elaborately decorated with inset mirror-work. These palaces were built by Maharaja Gaj Singh (1746-87).The places within, are adorned with gigantic columns, arches and graceful screens. The facade of the monuments visible above the high invincible walls, offer a splendid view of pavilions protruding a row of balconies, kiosks, and towers at intervals from a distance.

LALGARH PALACE
It was built by Maharaja Ganga Singh to commemorate his father Maharaj Lal Singh. A spellbinding piece of dextrous-carving in red sandstone is marked brilliantly by the intricate filigree work.

There is a marvellous collection of really old photographs and trophies of wildlife, well preserved and exhibited in the banquet hall. Nature too has enhanced the beauty of this monument. The sprawling lawns are dotted with dancing peacocks and blooming bougainvillaea.Part of the palace today has been renovated to serve as a hotel and the remaining is open for visitors.

DESHNOKE KARNI MATA TEMPLE
Situated en route to Jodhpur , the temple is dedicated to Karni Mata -an incarnation of Durga. The temple has fascinating huge silver gates and marble carvings that were donated by Maharaja Ganga Singhji. The most attractive feature of temple are the rodents who scamper freely within the premises and if one touches your feet its considered auspicious. They are regarded sacred and devotees buy prasad (feeding) to offer to them.

CAMEL-BREEDING FARM
Camel constitutes a vital species of the desert ecosystem. It utilizes various adaptive mechanisms that are most suited to desert life. It can survive in hot climate with high solar radiation and sustain on coarse fodder, salty and thorny bushes. Considering the importance of the species in development of arid and semi-arid zones, the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) has established National Research Center on Camel (NRCC) at Jorbeer, Bikaner (8 kms). It came into existence on 5th July,1984. Bikaner is the home tract of camel breed Bikaneri that is true representative of single humped Indian camels (Camelus dromedarius). This government-managed farm is unique and largest in Asia. There are hundreds of camels here and the scenario in late afternoon is great when camels come back from grazing. It's here that you can see what an interesting animal the camel is. You can have some thick camel milk while listening to a Raika or Rebari, a camel breeder's tribe telling you about camels and camellore and how they are bred. The gamboling baby-camels make a very enchanting sight.The British army had camel corps drawn from Bikaner during World War I.

HOW TO GET THERE

By Air - The nearest airport is Jodhpur 243 km.

By Rail - Bikaner is connected with Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur and almost all the major cities of India.

By Road - Bikaner is connected by road with the major cities of India.

DISTANCE

Jaisalmer-333 km
Jaipur-321 km
Jodhpur-243 km
Mandawa-225 km
Delhi-460 km