here
is a hotel in Bikaner known as Bhanwar Niwas - a pleasant heritage building
with an exceptional atmosphere, located right inside the old town. Despite
having been there several times, it is always a near impossible task for us
to reach there on our own. But ask any stranger on the road about the way,
he will personally escort you till there. Such is the character of Bikaner -
the Camel City hasn't caught with the tourist hype!
Interestingly, exploring through the narrow streets of old Bikaner reveals
this virgin character even more. No persistent sellers of Fuji-film rolls
and no posers in front of photographable buildings. Among the colors,
Bikaner is more comfortable with the red, quite evident with the havelis
made of finely carved red sandstone everywhere.
Children
on the streets always seem to be practicing kite flying - a sport the people
of Bikaner are extremely fond of. On one of these narrow streets are two
beautiful Jain temples- the Bhandasar temples. The inside drum of the
temples are stunningly painted, it is said that pure ghee (clarified butter)
was used in mortar to construct these temples!
The reasons for Bikaner's claim to fame are many. One of the reasons
is the legendary Maharaja Ganga Singh who helped the city surge in the
modern times. He was the man behind connecting his desert kingdom with
perennial water supply. Another reason is its extremely popular snacks known
as Bhujia and Papad and sweets known as rasgulla. These items are always in
the list of the things brought back on return from Bikaner.
As
a very rare example of a fort located on the plain ground, the Junagarh fort
compensates this shortcoming by its majestic looks. Inside this
unconquered fort are several stunning chambers in a perfect state of
preservation. Watch out for Anup Mahal - the palace bears unbelievable
artistry of gold paint over the walls. This fort also has a fine collection
of weapons and a WW I plane!
Bikaner bears its name from its founder Rao Bikaji who founded it in the
year 1488. The fort was built a century later. The city reflects the true
character of a desert city, as if it is an oasis of human civilization for
the visiting caravans to rest for some days. Its main bazaars around
Kote-gate seem busy forever.
An interesting thing is the railway
line that cuts this bazaar at several points and the movement in the bazaar
comes to a complete halt when a train is passing through (just imagine!!).
The Lallgarh Palace is another building with overhanging balconies and
intricate latticework. The palace houses a museum now and three different
heritage hotels. Just outside the town is Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum with a
marvelous collection of objects of historical importance including decrees
issued by Mughal emperors. The unique Camel breeding and research farm is
located just 8 kilometers from the city. It is a great sight to watch scores
of camels returning to the farm in the evening after the day's grazing.
Excursions:
Deshnoke:
Perhaps the most unusual religious place in Rajasthan is this highly revered
temple of Goddess Karni Mata.
Scores of rats freely reside the
temple, they can be seen everywhere and many times even run over your feet!
These rats are considered holy and it is a sin to cause any harm to them, a
great luck if you see a white rodent. The temple has beautiful silver doors
and beautiful marble carvings over the front facade.
Gajner Wildlife Sanctuary: Barely 32 kilometers away from Bikaner
towards Jaisalmer is this peaceful forested area with a lake inside. The
animals commonly found here are desert foxes, wild boars and antelopes.
Imperial sand grouse migrate here during the winter. By the lake is the
beautiful hotel Gajner Palace, which was once the winter palace of the
Bikaner royal family.
Devikund: 8 kilometers from the city is this site of beautiful royal
cenotaphs.
Kolayat: The holy temple town by a holy lake hosts the annual
pilgrimage fair around the Kartika Purnima days (November).
;)
;)
Children
on the streets always seem to be practicing kite flying - a sport the people
of Bikaner are extremely fond of. On one of these narrow streets are two
beautiful Jain temples- the Bhandasar temples. The inside drum of the
temples are stunningly painted, it is said that pure ghee (clarified butter)
was used in mortar to construct these temples!;)
As
a very rare example of a fort located on the plain ground, the Junagarh fort
compensates this shortcoming by its majestic looks. Inside this
unconquered fort are several stunning chambers in a perfect state of
preservation. Watch out for Anup Mahal - the palace bears unbelievable
artistry of gold paint over the walls. This fort also has a fine collection
of weapons and a WW I plane! ;)
Deshnoke:
Perhaps the most unusual religious place in Rajasthan is this highly revered
temple of Goddess Karni Mata. Scores of rats freely reside the
temple, they can be seen everywhere and many times even run over your feet!
These rats are considered holy and it is a sin to cause any harm to them, a
great luck if you see a white rodent. The temple has beautiful silver doors
and beautiful marble carvings over the front facade. 
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