Bikaner is a city in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan in northern India. It is located 330 kilometres (205 mi) northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. Bikaner city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. It was formerly the capital of the princely state of Bikaner. The city was founded by Rao Bika. Bikaner. in 1486 and from its small origins it has developed into the fifth largest city in Rajasthan. The Ganges Canal, completed in 1928, and the Indira Gandhi Canal, completed in 1987, have allowed the farming of crops such as mustard, cotton, groundnuts, wheat and vegetables. Other industries include wool production and the mining of Gypsum, plaster of Paris and bentonite.Bikaner is famous for sweets and snacks.
History
Prior to the mid 15th century, the region that is now Bikaner was a barren wilderness called Jangladesh. In 1488 Rao Bika established the city of Bikaner. Rao Bika was the second son of Maharaja Rao Jodha of the Rathor clan, the founder of Jodhpur and conquered the largely arid country in the north of Rajasthan. As the second son of Joda he had no chance of inheriting Jodhpur from his father or the title of Maharaja. He therefore decided to build his own kingdom in what is now the state of Bikaner in the area of Jungladesh. 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. Bika’s name was attached to the city he built and to the state of Bikaner (“the settlement of Bika”) that he established. 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.
Around a century after Rao Bika founded Bikaner, the state's fortunes flourished under the sixth Raja, Rai Singhji, who ruled from 1571 to 1611. During the Mughal Empire’s rule in the country, Rai Singh accepted the suzerainty of the Mughals and held a high rank as an army general at the court of the Emperor Akbar and his son the Emperor Jahangir. Rai Singh's successful military exploits, which involved winning half of Mewar kingdom for the Empire, won him accolades and rewards from the Mughal emperors. He was given the jagirs (lands) of Gujarat and Burhanpur. With the large revenue earned from these jagirs, he built the Junagarh fort on a plain which has an average elevation of 760 feet (230 m). He was an expert in arts and architecture, and the knowledge he acquired during his visits abroad is amply reflected in the numerous monuments he built at the Junagarh fort.
Karan Singh, who ruled from 1631 to 1639, under the suzerainty of the Mughals, built the Karan Mahal palace. Later rulers added more floors and decorations to this Mahal. Anup Singh, who ruled from 1669 to 1698, made substantial additions to the fort complex, with new palaces and the Zenana quarter, a royal dwelling for women and children. He refurbished the Karan Mahal with a Diwan-i-Am (public audience hall) and called it the Anup Mahal. Gaj Singh, who ruled from 1746 to 1787 refurbished the Chandra Mahal (the Moon palace).
During the 18th century, there was internecine war between the rulers of Bikaner and Jodhpur and also amongst other thakurs, which was put down by British troops.
Following Gaj Singh, Surat Singh ruled from 1787 to 1828 and lavishly decorated the audience hall (see illustration) with glass and lively paintwork. Under a treaty of paramountcy signed in 1818, during Surat Singh's reign, Bikaner came under the suzerainty of the British, after which the Maharajas of Bikaner invested heavily in refurbishing Junagarh fort.
Left: Lalgarh Palace, built (Indo-Saracenic style) for Maharaja Ganga Singh and named after his father, presently a heritage hotel and also a residence of the Bikaner Royal Family. Right: Ganga Singh as a member of the Imperial War Cabinet at No. 10 Downing Street, 1917.
Dungar Singh, who reigned from 1872 to 1887, built the Badal Mahal, the 'weather palace', so named in view of a painting of clouds and falling rain, a rare event in arid Bikaner.
General Maharaja Ganga Singh, who ruled from 1887 to 1943, was the best-known of the Rajasthan princes and was a favourite of the British Viceroys of India. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India, served as a member of the Imperial War Cabinet, represented India at the Imperial Conferences during the First World War and the British Empire at the Versailles Peace Conference. His contribution to the building activity in Junagarh involved separate halls for public and private audiences in the Ganga Mahal and a durbar hall for formal functions. He also built the Ganga Niwas Palace, which has towers at the entrance patio. This palace was designed by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, the third of the new palaces built in Bikaner. He named the building Lalgarh Palace in honour of his father and moved his main residence there from Junagarh Fort in 1902. The hall where he held his Golden Jubilee (in 1938) as Bikaner's ruler is now a museum.
Ganga Singh's son, Lieutenant-General Sir Sadul Singh, the Yuvaraja of Bikaner, succeeded his father as Maharaja in 1943, but acceded his state to the Union of India in 1949. Maharaja Sadul Singh died in 1950, being succeeded in the title by his son, Karni Singh (1924-1988). The Royal Family still lives in a suite in Lalgarh Palace, which they have converted into a heritage hotel.
TransportThe internal transport system in Bikaner consists of autorickshaws and city buses. Bikaner is connected to some of major Indian cities via broad gauge railway. The city has direct rail connections to Delhi, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur, Bilashpur, Kanpur, Agra, Jalandhar, Baroda, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Guwahati, Jaipur, Surat, Jalandhar, Puri, Coimbatore, Thiruvananthapuram, Chandigarh, Kota, Jammu, Jodhpur and Ahmedabad. However, there is no rail connectivity for other major Indian cities like Silchar, Indore, Jhansi, Ranchi, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Kurukshetra.
Bikaner is well served with roads and is linked directly to Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Ludhiana, Bhatinda, Ambala, Ahmedabad, Haridwar, Jodhpur, Indore and many other cities. National highways 11, 15, and 89 meet at Bikaner. There is an under construction domestic airport at nal 14 km from city which will start its flights for Delhi and Jaipur in late 2012.
ClimateBikaner is situated in the middle of the Thar desert and has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) with very little rainfall and extreme temperatures. In summer temperatures can exceed 45 °C, and during the winter they may dip below freezing.
The climate in Bikaner is characterised by significant variations in temperature. In the summer season it is very hot when the temperatures lie in the range of 28–48.5 °C (82–119 °F). In the winter, it is fairly cold with temperatures lying in the range of 5–23.2 °C (41–74 °F). Annual rainfall is in the range of 260–440 millimetres (10–17 in).
Attractions in Bikaner and nearby
Junagarh FortThe fort was built by Raja Rai Singh, the sixth ruler of Bikaner who reigned from 1571 to 1612. Rai Singh had conquered part of Marwar and had been granted territory in Gujurat and Burhanpur by the Mughal emperor Akbar as a reward for his services as military commander. This, as well as funding from Jodhpur, enabled him to build the fort. Rai Singh held high rank in the imperial courts of both Akbar and his successor, Jehangir. During his imperial service he travelled extensively, giving him an appreciation of art and architecture. These ideas have been incorporated meticulously into the architectural style of Junagarh Fort.
Laxmi Niwas PalaceThe Laxmi Niwas Palace is a former residential palace of the king of the former Bikaner state, Maharajah Ganga Singh in Bikaner in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was designed by the British architect, Samuel Swinton Jacob in the year 1902. The style of architecture is Indo-Saracenic. It is now a luxury hotel owned by Golden Triangle Fort & Palace P. Ltd. The magnificent structure in red sandstone is one of the most popular destinations for tourists in Bikaner.
Lalgarh PalaceLalgarh Palace was built between 1902 and 1926 according to Rajput, Mughal and European architectural styles. The building was commissioned by Maharaja Ganga Singh (1889–1925) in memory of his father Maharaja Lall Singh and was designed by the British architect, Samuel Swinton Jacob. It is coated in red sandstone and has several grand halls, lounges, cupolas and pavilions. The building features magnificent pillars, elaborate fireplaces, Italian colonnades and intricate latticework and filigree work. The palace houses the Shri Sadul Museum as well as a large and important collection of Sanskrit manuscripts, the Anup Sanskrit Library. Though the Bikaner Royal Family still live in the palace, part of the building has been converted into a Heritage hotel operated by the Royal family of Bikaner.
Maru Nayak JiConstructed in 1486, Moolnayakji was the first Vaishnav Temple built in Bikaner. It was the principal seat of the Vaishanv sect. The first of the Bhagavad Katha Vachaks of the Rattani Vyas clan of Bikaner Shri Rattoji Vyas gave the Bhagavad Updesh to the king, Rao Bika and his aide Salloji Rathi. This practice is carried on till date. The presiding deity is Lord Moolnayak Krishna.
Laxmi Nath TempleLaxmi Nath Temple is one of the oldest temples in Bikaner. The foundation of the city was laid here in 1488 by Rao Bikaji. The temple was erected during the reign of Rao Lunkaran and was added to by Maharaja Ganga Singh.
Bhandasar Jain Temple
Out of the 27 beautiful Jain temples adorning the landscape of Bikaner city, this temple dedicated to the fifth Tirthankara, Sumatinath, is considered to be the most beautiful and also the highest. This temple was built by a Jain merchant, Bhanda Shah. The foundation of this temple was filled by pure ghee and dry coconuts.
This temple is mainly famous for wall paintings and usta art. The temple is built of red sandstone and is divided in three floors. One can see the skyline of Bikaner by climbing to the topmost floor of this temple.
Mukam Temple
Mukti Dham Mukam is a pilgrimage near Nokha for Bishnoi community. Bishnois are known for their kind nature and their love for nature and animals. It is a holy place for Bishnoi Community which is present in large number in the Bikaner District.
Kolayat
Kolayat is a famous pilgrimage spot with a temple dedicated to Kapila who, according to his devotees, sat in meditation near the lake. One week before Pushkar Festival and till one week later this lake is more interesting if you like to see Sadhus. Pushkar will have some Sadhus but Kolayat will have many hundreds.
Karni Mata Temple
The world famous shrine of Karni Mata can be found in the town of Deshnoke 30 km south from Bikaner on the road to Jodhpur. Karni Mata is worshiped as an incarnation of Goddess Durga. This temple is famous for rats which can be seen everywhere in the temple.
Shiv Bari TempleBuilt from red sandstone by Dungar Singh in the late 19th century, the temple is surrounded by a wall with battlements. It has a four faced black marble statue of Shiva and a bronze Nandi facing the Shiva Lingam. There are also two large reservoirs of water known as bawaris. The temple attracts thousands of visitors during Shravan (August) especially on Mondays.
Camel FestivalThe Bikaner Camel Festival is an event organized by the Department of Tourism, Art and Culture, of Bikaner, Government of Rajasthan. It takes place every year in the month of January. At this festival the "ships of the desert" are seen at their best. Some spectacular and unusual camel performances like camel races, camel dances, and the bumpy, neck shaking camel rides take place at this event.
- The Bikaner Camel Festival starts with a procession of bedecked camels from the Junagarh fort. The camels are decorated in typical Rajasthani attires, colorful bridles and saddles.
- The festival takes place over two days.
- Camel dance performances also take place. Competitions take place for the best decorated camel, fur cutting design, camel milking and the best camel hair cut. The camels display splendid footwork and dance gracefully to the direction of their drivers.
- Tea and sweets made of camels' milk are available during the festival.
- On the second day of the festival the fleetest camels of the region take part in races. The competition is fierce as the best camels compete for the prizes, which is of great honor. Thousands of excited tourists join the local population to watch the events and cheer on their favorites.
- On both evenings the festival ends with a performance by the renowned folk singers and dancers of Rajasthan. The jubilant dances swirling the ghagras, the awe inspiring fire dances and many other interesting and enthusiastic performances entertain visitors. In the grand finale a magnificent display of fireworks takes place which illuminate the desert city of Bikaner.
- The Bikaner camel festival has a historical significance. The camels were very important when there were no motor vehicles. At that time the camels were an important part of the transport in the city of Bikaner.
Other attractions
- Thar desert
- Nagnechi Ji Temple
- Nisar House, Kotegate
- Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum
- Astrology :- Bikaner is blessed with prominient astrologers of India, few are Rajendra vyas ( Mammu Maharaj), Late Acharya raj, Mr Ashok thanvi, Mr. Narayan Dutt Sewag etc.
- Camel Research Farm, Bikaner
- Horse Research Farm, Bikaner
- Rajasthan State Archives
- Soor Sagar
- Public Park and Zoo
- Kaashi Vishwanath Mandir, Sansolav Taalab
- Raj Ratan Bihari Park and Rasik Shiromani Temple
- Lakshminath Ji Temple
- Bhandasar Jain Temple
- Vaidehi Global Trust
- Vaishno Dham
- Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum
- Rampuria Havelis
- Ratan Bihari Temple
- Historical Gopi Nath Temple, Opp. Government Press
- Devi Kund Sagar.
- Gajner Palace.
- Kalibangan.
- Kolayat.
- MUKAM Nokha
- Goddess Karni Temple, Deshnok (A.K.A. Rat Temple).
- Doda thora
- Laleshwar Mahadev Mandir, Shiv-Bari
- Science Park, Statue Circle, J.N.Vyas Colony
- Nandishwar Mahadev Mandir, Murlidhar Vyas Colony
- Gates and Baris of old Bikaner city (Kote-gate, Goga-gate, Nathusar-gate, Jassusar-gate, Shitala-gate) Bikaner najlepsi
- graduate balaji temple, panchsati circle
Bikaner Photogallary
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