India is a country which is full of natural wonders. The country is home to varied landscapic beauties of nature. One of the major and one of the most popular travel destinations in the country is the royal state of Rajasthan. The state has several must visit cities that tell us the stories of the royal kingdom and emperors of the bygone era. Bikaner is one such city which is a desert town situated in the middle of the Thar Desert in the northwestern part of Rajasthan. Bikaner is well known for its rich Rajput culture and heritage, along with its magnificent palaces and intricately sculpted temples of red and yellow stones. Bikaner is a vibrant testimonial of Rajasthani culture and lifestyle.
Bikaner was founded in 1488 by a descendant of the founder of Jodhpur named Rao Bhikaji. The city is encircled by high fortifications comprising a 7 km long wall which bounds the old city and has 5 entrances. Bika built a fort in 1478, which is now in ruins, and a hundred years later a new fort was built about 1.5 km from the city centre, known as the Junagarh Fort. All these were established in the 18th century. Though it was in the Thar Desert, Bikaner was considered an oasis on the trade route between Central Asia and the Gujarat coast as it had adequate spring water.
Junagarh Fort is one of the famous tourist spot in Bikaner. It was built in 1593 under the supervision of Raja Rai Singh. The main attraction of this fort is 986 meters long wall with 37 bastions along with a moat and having two entrances. Stone carving with superb quality is also major attraction of this fort. On the southern side of the fort you will find palaces with courtyards, towers, windows, balconies and kiosks.
Bikaner is home to several other tourist spots like the Hawa Mahal, Chandra Mahal, Phool Mahal, Badal Mahal and Diwan-e-Khas among others. The Laxmi Niwas palace (former residence of the king), Lalgarh Palace and Gajner Palace are some of the important palaces in Bikaner that add to the beauty of the city. Bikaner is also home to many temples of stunning beauty. There are as many as 27 Jain Temples in Bikaner. Shri Laxminath Temple and Bhandeshwar Jain Temple are some of the popular temples of Bikaner.
Bikaner is a significant tourism destination that showcases past grandeur and imperial magnificence of glorious Rajasthan. Today it is considered as a most admired tourist destination in Rajasthan. People who visit this place can see a desert world alive with rare birds, historical monuments, other fauna and camels.
Gajner Palace and Katariasar Village are also very famous excursion points of Bikaner. Gajner Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the wildlife point on the desert land. Located on the Jaisalmer road where you will find black buck, wild boar, nilgai, chinkara and lot of migratory birds.
Shopping in the city will give you another delightful experience. You can buy handmade carpets, Nokha quilts and woolen garments made from camel wool. During your shopping in Bikaner, you can purchage some other items such as the indigenous Rajasthani paintings, embroidered shoes and traditional jewelry.
Bikaner has the farm for Camel proliferation, which is exceptional in Asia. Bikaner has distinctive climate that is commonly found in any desert, days are hot and nights are chilled. Temperature ranges from 41.8ºC to 28ºC at the time of summer and it is 23.2ºC to 5ºC at the time of winter. .Bikaner is well connected with roads, railways and airways and is directly linked to Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Ludhiana, Ahmadabad, Jodhpur and many other major cities. Jodhpur is the nearest Airport. Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan is well connected by Regular flights from all the metros cities of India.
Martin Wynn
