BIKANER:A PANAROMIC TOUR OF THE CULTURAL PARADISE,GRANDEUR OF ARCHITECTURAL MARVELS-FORTS &PALACES/KARNI MATA MANDIR/CAMEL FESTIVAL/SAFARI IN THAR DESERT,BIKANERI CUISINES/BHUJIA, HANDICRAFTS SHOPPING /STAY AT ROYAL PALACES/ HAVELIS/CAMPS/ENCHANTING FOLKDANCES,WILD LIFE SANCTUARY,MESMERIZING LAKES/PARKS.

Posted byDhirendra S ChauhanPosted inUncategorized
  • JUNAGARH FORT
  • LALGARH PALACE

BIKANER: WELCOME to the HARBOUR FOR SHIP OF THE DESERT: THE CAMEL. If ever you wanted to visit a place which encapsulates the beauty,culture and paradisiacal experience with luxury travelling with exposure to glorious history & amazing scenery of Thar desert,then you must pay a visit to Bikaner.Bikaner lies in medieval splendour,a royal fortified city lying in the middle of the Thar with a timeless appeal.It can be considerered an exotic beauty that attracts all kinds of travellers to indulge in the royal hospitality of the heartwarming people of Rajasthan. It has got every flavour of the land in its feathers starting from history &culture to tradition,adventure & cuisine.Its believed to be a cultural paradise as well as heaven for travellers with mesmerizing work of architecture.The glorious past surely astonishes & takes us back in time to learn about the bygone era.Bikaner still displays its ancient opulence through palace & forts built of redstone bear testimony to the architectural legacy that have withstood the test of time.Walk through cities lanes & colourful bazaars.Meet its cheerful folks and transport yourself to another place,another time .The city boasts of the worlds best riding camels and is aptly nicknamed as -”Camel Country” (Camel being the ship of the Thar desert),its having the largest Camel Research &breeding farms as well being known for having its own Unique temple dedicated to Karni mata at Deshnok called the rats temple.

There are some great tourist attractions/thrilling off-beat activities like attending : 1)Famous Camel Festivals/Safaris, 2)Shopping at Kotgate,3)Tour of majestic Junagarh fort,4)Visiting the popular Karni mata,5) Witnessing the splendour of Lalgarh fort.6)Relishing the taste of local cuisines,7)Experience the luxury of Laxmi Vilas palace,8)Touring Wild life sanctuary at Gajner,9)Beating the heat at Skybird water park.10)Visit to the National research Centre on Camels, 11)Cow sanctuary.

  • Maharaja Lalsinghji
  • LAXMI NIWAS PALACE
  • JUNAGARH FORT

ABOUT BIKANER :

Bikaner is a city in Northwest of Rajasthan state,India at 330km from state capital Jaipur.Its the administrative H/Qs of BKN distt/BKN division located at an elevation of 242 mts above msl. Population is 6,44,406 as per the 2011 census.Languages spoken :Hindi,English & Marwari.Formerly the capital of Princely state Bikaner was founded by Rao Bikaji in 1488 & now it has developed into 4th largest city of Raj.The Ganga canal was completed in 1928,Indira Gandhi Canal was completed in 1987 facilitating the development of the district.Its surrounded by the thar desert& has a semi arid climate (with little rain fall)and with max.temperature reaching 48*in Summers& drops below freezing point in winters .Average rainfall is 241 mm per year &average temp. is 26.4*C.

MAHARAJAS OF BIKANER :

H I S T O R Y of B I K A N E R :

Prior to 15th century, the now Bikaner region was barren wilderness called Jangladesh.Rao Bikaji Rathore(5Aug.1438-17 Jun 1504) was the founder of the kingdom of Bikaner in 1488 in the present day Rajasthan.He ruled from 1472-1504.He was the scion of the Rathore clan of Rajputs -son of Rao Jodha of Mandore who was the founder of the Marwar kingdom.His successor was Rao Naroji Singh.Being located in the Thar desert,BKN was considered a trade route between Central Asia and Gujarat Coast as it had adequate spring water.The strategic location of Bikaner on the ancient Caravan routes of west and central Asia made it the prime trade Centre in bygone years !Of all the 5 siblings,Rao Bikaji ,the most enterprising,chose the barren wilderness called Jangladesh and transformed it into a most impressive city! Bikaji built a fort in 1478 which is now in ruins.Another fort was built at 1.5km from the city centre known as the Junagarh fort(Chintamani Durg)by the next Maharaja VIth -Rai Singhji (1571 to 1611). Maharaja Karan Singhji(1631-1639) built the Karan mahal. Maharaja Gaj Singhji ( 1746-1787) refurbished the Chandra mahal. Maharaja Surat Singhji (1787-1828)decorated the audiece hall of Chandra mahal.Under Maharaji Surat Singhji ,Bikaner came under the Suzerainty of the British after which the Maharaja of Bikaner invested in refurbishing the Junagarh fort. Maharaja Lal Singhji (1831-1887) was the son of Sangat Singhji and father of Dungar Singhji & Maharaja Ganga Singhji. Maharaja Dungar Singh(1872-1887) built Badal mahalor the weather palace being so named in the view of the painting of clouds and falling rain ,a rare event in the otherwise arid Bikaner.

His Highness Ganga Singhji (1887-1943)is considered the visionary Maharaja of Bikaner, was best known for Raj.princes &favourites of British Viceroys of India.He was appointed Knight Commander.He also built the Ganga Niwas or Lalgargh Palace.He named it after his Father Lal Singhji.Its presently a heritage hotel &part of it is the residence of Royal family of Bikaner.He moved his official residence Junagarh fort to Lalgarh palace in 1902.The hall where he held his Golden Jubillee in 1938 is a museum now.Ganga Singhs son Lt.General Sir Sadul Singhji(1943-1950) ,the yuvraj of Bikaner ,succeeded his father in 1943 but acceeded his his state to the Union of India in 1949.Maharaja Sadul Singh was born in 1902 & died in 1950.He was succeeded in his title by his son Karni Singhji(1924-1988)

  • JUNAGARH FORT
  • KATARIASAR
  • LALGARH PALACE
  • KOYALAT

TOP PLACES OF INTEREST IN BIKANER : 1)LALGARH PALACE,2)JUNAGARH FORT,3)LAXMI NIWAS PALACE, 4)GAJNER PALACE &WILDLIFE SANTUARY, 5)RAMPURIA HAVELI,6)BIKAJI KI TEKRI,7)SADUL SINGH MUSEUM,8)PRACHIN MUSEUM,9)GANGA SINGH MUSEUM,10)JAIN TEMPLE ,BHANDASAR,11)SHRI LAXMINATH TEMPLE,12)SHIVBARI TEMPLE,13)KARNI MATA,DESHNOK,14)KOLAYATJI,15)RATAN BIHARI TEMPLE,16)KODAMDESAR TEMPLE,17)KOT GATE,18)NATIONAL CENTRE ON ANIMALS,19)DEVIKUND SAGAR,20)SURSAGAR LAKE.

  • KARNI MATA
  • At KARNI MATA TEMPLE
  • RATS TEMPLE

W I L D L I F E : 1)A varity of birds and mammals and reptiles are found in Bikaners semi arid climate.2)Host to 1200 migratory birds vultures-Egyptian &king vultures.3)Saw scaled Vipers,4)Gajner wild life sanctuary(32km from Bikaner),5)Magra sheep ,also known as Chokhla or Chakri, is a breed of sheep found in Bkn, Jaisalmer and Churu.

TRANSPORTATION : Bikaner is very well connected to major cities of India through Railways& Roadways networks !At 15 kms from city is the domestic civil Airport (NAL A/P)with regular flights to Jaipur and Delhi.

SHOPPING :Apart from the colourful garments and Gold &silver jewllery,the typical items of Bikaner are items made of camel hide,camel and sheep wool carpets!Bikanery Bhujia ,Rasgulla and sweets are popular all over India.Colourful shopping areas include Kot gate King Edward memorial Road,khadi shops ,Urmul trust near Central bus stand!

CUISINE : 1)Most famous snacks is the Bikaneri bhujia,2)Bajre ki roti,3)Dal baati Choorma,4)Rasgulla and Gulab jamun,5)kachori/samosa.6)kair sangri sabji,7)Imli pani,8)Halwa and 9)Ghevar.

EDUCATION :1)Govt.Engg. college,2)Maharaja Ganga Singh U niversity,3)University of Veterinary and Animal sciences,4)Swami Keshwanand raj. Agricultural Univ.5)Bikaner technical University,6)Marudhar Engg college.

  • LAXMI NIWAS PALACE

Attending a Wedding in the Lakshmi Niwas Palace Heritage Hotel :

FAIRS & FESTIVALS : 1)FOUNDATION DAY FESTIVAL on the Akshaya Tritiya Day : Flying kites ,eating special Rajasthani food.It lasts for two days -Chhoti & badi akha teej. 2) INTERNATIONAL CAMEL FESTIVAL :Its held in Jan every year organised by Deptt. of tourism,Art and culture.In honour of the ship of desert-Camel-beautifully adorned camels and the performance by artists for both domestic and foreign tourists.Other interesting activities are Camel dances,neckshaking Camel rides.There are some competitions-Mr Bikana and Miss Marwari taking place here.

  • Photo credit -Dreamstime
  • Photo credit-Dreamstime

READERS may please report any incorrect information on this site which will be duly corrected! I am grateful to the Travel site-”Rajasthan -the Incredible state of India”for the great travel literature & few photographs of Bikaner (Rajasthan), Happy Reading, dear friends!

Published by Dhirendra S Chauhan

I am a travel enthusiast from Jaipur, India always full of curiosity to explore new places marked by some cultural, geographical & historical significance around the globe. Also I love visiting places full of adventure/mystery & have undertaken many amazing trekking expeditions to difficult locations needing toughness of body, soul &the spirit. I have explored most of Indian states/UTs to learn about their culture,had cultural exchange with people & learnt to respect their religious beliefs/customs.In September 2019, we went on our first foreign trip(50 days)to Netherlands, France, Belgium& Switzerland.Again in July 2022 ,we got a chance to visit Europe & have visited(75-day trip)Italy ,Portugal, Germany,Spain & Vatican city. The trips were full of amazing monuments,natural landscapes & places of great scenic beauty.Enjoyed the visit enormously.Having traveled so much I felt like travel blogging & here I am doing just that !Apart from travel-blogging I also like poetry. Basically I am an Electrical Engineer retired recently from Central Govt. Service after serving for 38 yrs. Meanwhile I have completed my Master of Social Work degree to pursue my Social obligations towards my fellow beings & am engaged in rendering Social Services to the needy &the disadvantaged ! Also I will like to pursue my new-found interest/hobby of writing Travelogues to benefit my readers by providing max. details like statistics, demography, historical origin, way of life , professions , languages spoken & the culture/customs associated with any place. While enjoying any tourist place, I simply advocate that one must also try to learn about the place. I travel and then share the collected information with the potential traveler .Hence the name of my site - Travel and share.😊

70 thoughts on “BIKANER:A PANAROMIC TOUR OF THE CULTURAL PARADISE,GRANDEUR OF ARCHITECTURAL MARVELS-FORTS &PALACES/KARNI MATA MANDIR/CAMEL FESTIVAL/SAFARI IN THAR DESERT,BIKANERI CUISINES/BHUJIA, HANDICRAFTS SHOPPING /STAY AT ROYAL PALACES/ HAVELIS/CAMPS/ENCHANTING FOLKDANCES,WILD LIFE SANCTUARY,MESMERIZING LAKES/PARKS.”

  1. What a beautiful description of each and every thing. After reading this blog, I’m intrigued to travel to Bikaner. Even when I was reading this, I felt I was traveling to Bikaner. I started assuming myself in the fine-golden sand, sun shining high, camels around me!
    Camel fair is famous in the whole country. No wonder, why the Rajasthan is so famous. I’m so proud to be a Rajasthani!
    Glad you brought this wonderful blog post to us.
    Keep writing!
    Best wishes. 🙂

    Jahnvi

    Liked by 8 people

    Reply

  2. Thanks Jahnvi for your beautiful heart warming appreciation of the blog! Please encouraging as ever! I had requested you to convey your valuable comments on my Jaipur blog for which you have to manage some time ! Happy reading ❤️🙏

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Your presentation on BIKANER, giving comprehensively everything which is needed for anybody who wants to know about a place of interest.. Your write-up gives everything which is required. The all encompassing description on this beautiful city, its historical perspective, its past and present, the beautiful palaces, hotels, the hospitality of the people, the tourist spots, the tpt facilities besides well decorated camels for transportation exhibit everything. Going through this travelogue of treasure gives us everything in details along with the beautiful photographs and details. It goes to show that even going through the details, it shows that we ourselves are visiting the places mentioned in the write-up. Well done and keep it up Chauhan sahib.

    Previously, I was knowing that Bikaner is famous for BIKANERI SWEETS and SALTY CONTENTS, the world over.But your write-up gives out everything in great details.

    Awaiting for more gems of write-ups from you for infomation.

    With regards

    HARBANS.

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

  6. Thanks dear for your your whole hearted appreciation and analysis of the blog making it look even more meaningful for any potential traveler! Although I could not make it self satisfying to the level of my Jaipur blog, but still a 3-days effort has paid off looking at yr appraisal 🌹💕

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Seems to be a remarkable place. The place seems to have a great historical importance. Will make plans to visit.
        Great description by mr chauhan , complete with beautiful pics and map.
        Thanks for your painstaking efforts.

        Liked by 4 people

  8. Very beautifully written blog sir. So many remarkable things in Bikaner and your description with images make it so relatable for the readers. Thank you once again.

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

  9. What a mesmerizing beauty of the desert, it’s truly a fantastic paradise of cultural arts n activities. Picture perfect description is really amazing. Such a royal post it is Sir. Thank you very much for sharing your great knowledge n experiences to the world. 🥰😇🙏

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  10. It is an interesting account of the city.. Going through the article is like visiting the place. The article includes every significant detail about this grand city.
    Since ,I have been there for seven years ,it is like refreshing those sweet memories of the city.Thanks for this enriching round up.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. Thanks a lot for your nice words of appreciation! It means so much to me in the light of the fact that you have been there for seven years! I have been frequenting Bikaner since1987 and recently attended a marriage! Pl visit my other blogs: you may like them too!😄🙏

      Like

      Reply

  11. It is an interesting account of the city.. Going through the article is like visiting the place. The article includes every significant detail about this grand city.
    Since ,I have been there for seven years ,it is like refreshing those sweet memories .
    Thanks for this enriching round up!

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  12. Nice Post..
    It is so informative and enjoyed to know significant details about city..
    I have visited several time during my training at Bikaner..
    Stay connected and stay happy..

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  13. Really alluring and informative post providing a glimpse of the magnificent history of Bikaner complete with dazzling pictures.

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

  16. Wow..! What a vivid description of Bikaner you have given. No doubt one would wish to visit the heritage city in order to experience the culture of Rajasthan. I haven’t been to bikaner but now I wish to. Another city on my list is Jaisalmer. You have quite a lot of experience in travelling and it is the best thing I find about you and your blog. Everything so personally experienced and so well detailed.

    Liked by 7 people

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much for your very encouraging comments about my blogs🙏 I personally recommend everyone visiting a place to go into its original history/culture in order to have a complete tour of the place! If read with some patience ,I think my blogs are informative though not glamorous!Your comments mean a lot to me so kindly go through my other blogs at your convenience and leisure! Be happy and safe ❤️🙏

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. First of all let me thank you wholeheartedly for following my site!Its a great honour for me from a great traveller with such precious experience!Also I am grateful for yr comments on my Bikaner blog!I like to travel and share my experiences highlighting the original history of the place in question!Have a happy/safe life❤

      Like

      Reply

      2. You may like consider me to be the traveler on the same boat as far as my thirst for travelling! I have toured almost all of India plus one solitary foreign tour in 2019! As for following yr blog, it will be my great pleasure ❤️

        Like

  20. Such an enjoyable post! Lovely photos and interesting information. India is a land so filled with history and culture! My traveling days are over, and I regret that I never got to visit India! Your travelogues are the next best thing to being there! All the best! ❤ ❤ ❤

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

    1. I am so glad that you have appraised my blog so beautifully.It means a lot to me.If you could not get a chance to visit India -no problem I am here to enable you explore it virtually through my blogs!Go through my blog in your leisure &follow my site as an honour to me!

      Like

      Reply

  25. Hi Dhirendra,

    Thanks so much for sharing. This looks like a great place to visit. India has been on my bucket list now for so long, but I’ll get there one day and visit the wonderful palace 🙂

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  26. I have always been interested in touring Rajasthan. In fact, just before the lockdown I was supposed to go on a trip to Udaipur. Unfortunately had to be canceled. However, when I finally travel to Rajasthan I will add Bikaner to my list as you have made it so beautiful. Such a detailed blog post with colorful and interesting photos. Love it!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  27. The first thing that comes to mind on mention of Bikaner is the popular snack “bhujiya” 🙂
    Reading through your blog makes it feel that the city was somehow overshadowed by other famous places in Rajasthan.The incredible art culture and architecture, surely makes it a must-visit city. Enjoyed reading!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  29. Yet another jawdropping blog.Enjoyed every bit of it.Thought of exploring Bikaner never crossed mind.Indeed it’s beauty and history is undermined to many.
    Beautiful piece!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  30. Bikaner is really a beauty. With its massive forts and intriguing arts, I found the place worth a visit.
    It would all have been good if camel rides were banned… it’s really torturous and difficult for camels to work all day so hard…
    I love your writing style and found your blog awesome!! Can’t help following😀

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  32. 😍😍😍😍 wow i was also not knowing many thing about bikaner I think I will read it again. Let me follow your blog first. Amazing I really liked it 😊

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  34. Pingback: BIKANER:A PANAROMIC TOUR OF THE CULTURAL PARADISE,GRANDEUR OF ARCHITECTURAL MARVELS-FORTS &PALACES/KARNI MATA MANDIR/CAMEL FESTIVAL/SAFARI IN THAR DESERT,BIKANERI CUISINES/BHUJIA, HANDICRAFTS SHOPPING /STAY AT ROYAL PALACES/ HAVELIS/CAMPS/ENCHANTING F

Leave a comment

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started