Bikaner

Bikaner

Bikaner is located 330 kilometers far from the state capital Jaipur. The city was established by Rao Bika in 1488. It is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Division.

Tourist Places in Bikaner

Junagarh Fort

Junagarh Fort is a fort in Bikaner. The fort was originally called Chintamani. In the early 20th century ruling family moved to Lalgarh Palace then the fort was renamed Junagarh or Old Fort. It is a large fort spreading the area 5.28 hectares including palaces, temples and pavilions. This is one of the few main forts in Rajasthan which is not made on a hilltop. The modern city of Bikaner has developed nearby the fort.

The fort complex was made under the direction of Karan Chand who was the Prime Minister of Raja Rai Singh. Raja Rai Singh is the sixth ruler of Bikaner from 1571 to 1611. The attacks had been done again and again by enemies to capture the fort. But it was not taken by anyone except for one-day occupation by Kamran Mirza. Kamran was the second son of the Mughal Emperor Babur. At that time Rao Jait Singh was the king when He attacked Bikaner in 1534.

The Junagarh Fort was made around 1594 by Raja Rai Singh.  Today its temples and palaces are preserved as museums.

Laxmi Niwas Palace

Lalgarh Palace is a palace as well as a heritage hotel in Bikaner. It was constructed for Sir Ganga Singh Maharaja of Bikaner. Laxmi Niwas Palace is a part of Lalgarh Palace but now it has been given on lease. At present it is being used as a heritage hotel.

Rao Bikaji's Fort

Rao Bikaji's first fort is called Bikaji Ki Tekri which was built in 1478. It has become now in ruins. Later on a new fort was built around 1.5 km from the city center. It was named Junagarh Fort.

Karni Mata Temple

The shrine of Karni Mata is set in the town of Deshnoke on the road to Jodhpur which is far around from 30 km from Bikaner . The Karni Mata Temple is also called the Rat Temple of Rajasthan. Karni Mata is the temple of Goddess Durga.

Karni Mata was a female Hindu warrior who also known as Shri Karniji Maharaj.  It is believed to be an incarnation of goddess Durga. She is a deity of the royal families of Jodhpur and Bikaner.

She lived an ascetic life. She laid the foundation of the two most important forts- Bikaner Fort and Mehrangarh Fort in the region. The famous temple is in town of Deshnoke, near Bikaner which is made after her mysterious disappearance from her home. Karni Mata is also famous as dadhi wali dokri (beard bearing old lady). According to the local people the creatures moving around in the temple are not rats, they are kaabe. It is said that Kaabe are to be reincarnations of human being who had been followers of Karni Mata.

Mukam Bishnoi Temple

The Mukam Temple is located near Nokha which is a sacred site of 29 rules of followers of Bishnois. Mukam Temple is on this site where the soul of guru Jambeshwar lies. Bishnoi sect was established by Guru Jambeshwar. Bishnois are very caring of nature.

Laxminath Temple

Shri Laxminath Temple is one of the ancient temples in the city of Bikaner. It is located around 4 kilometers away from the famous Junagarh Fort.  Shri Laxminath Temple is built by Maharaja Rao Lunkaran. In the temple sanctum there is an image of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Laxmi. The doorway of temple is embellished in silver work. Janmashtmi, Rama Navami and Diwali are majorly celebrated at the temple.

Bhandasar Jain Temple

This temple was built by Bhandasa Oswal in the 15th century. This temple is dedicated to the 5th Tirthankara sumatinatha. Bhandasar Jain Temple is famous for its lovely leaf paintings and ornamented mirror work. This temple is built by red sandstone and has beautiful paintings on walls and pillars. There is a garbhagriha, ardhamandapa and mahamandapa inside the temple.

Wildlife

A range of wild animals, birds, mammals and reptiles are found in Bikaner. The work are been done to bring back the number of vultures which have decreased at amazing rate before. There are about 600 local vultures at Jorbeer and other is 1200 migratory vultures. Common migratory vulture is Spain and Turkey. Other migratory vultures are   Cinereous and Himalayan Griffons.

Gajner Wildlife Sanctuary

Gajner Wildlife Sanctuary is set about 32.0 km from Bikaner. In previous times, this was a hunting ground for the Maharajah of Bikaner. Inside this sanctuary is a lake where a number of animals come to quench their thirst. This forest is one of the proposed  for the reintroduction of cheetahs in county. In this Sanctuary there are residential species include wildfowl, deer, antelope, nilgai, black buck, wild boar, chinkara and desert fox.  

Cow sanctuary

The Rajasthan government has planned to start first cow sanctuary in Bikaner. It is decided that the sanctuary is to be set up near Amarpura village which is around 70 km far from Bikaner.

Fairs and festivals

Foundation day Festival

Akshaya Tritiya is the foundation day of the Bikaner. The city celebrates by flying kites and eating special Rajasthani food. Bajre Ka Khichda and Imli ka Paani (Tamarind Water) and other snacks are taken especially on this day.  People enjoy this lasts for two days which is known as Chhoti Akha Teej and Badi Akha Teej. People start to fly kites from early in the morning during these two days right.

International Camel Festival

Department of Tourism, Art and Culture organizes an International Camel Festival each year. It is held every year in January in honour of the Ship of the Desert – The Camel. Beautifully decorated camels and performances by artists are the main attraction for domestic as well as foreign tourists. Camel performances like Camel dances, Camel races, Camel rides are more attractive events in this festival.

Cuisine of Bikaner

The Bikaner is the most well-known for its Bikaneri Bhujia. It is sold not only in Rajashthan but also sold all over the world. Many more special Food items are famous in Bikaner such as Bajre ki Roti, Dal baati Churma, Ghevar, Halvas, Papads, Kachori and Samosa etc. Rajasthani sweets & snacks (namkeen) attracts everybody.

How to Reach

By Air: The nearest airport is Jodhpur Airport.  It is around 251km away from the city. Private and Government Buses, cabs and rented taxis can be taken easily from outside of the airport to reach the city.

By Rail: The Nearest railway station is the Bikaner railway station. It has good train connectivity with other major stations in Rajasthan and from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. Bikaner railway station is also well connected to others tourist places in Rajasthan such as Jaipur and Udaipur. Traveling by train within Rajasthan is a good and cheap option.

By Road: Bikaner has good road connectivity to various part of the country. State transport buses are regularly available. Sleeper buses are available from Delhi, Jaipur and Ahmedabad to Bikaner. This journey is quite cheap and comfortable.

Best time to Visit

Bikaner can be visited any time of the year. The best time is to visit it from October to March. These months are enjoyable. Although these months are very cold but this time is a good to visit the forts and Wildlife Sanctuary of Bikaner. April to September is very hot so avoided these months for visiting.