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Bikaner, The Land of Sand Dunes and Camel Rides

By Anusha

A grandiose desert experience awaits you at the city of Bikaner in Rajasthan. Imagine yourself among golden sand dunes that stretch into the horizon and smiling camels that are always ready to take you for an exciting safari over the vast desert, if this sounds like a great vacation then Bikaner is an ideal city to head to. It is one of the few places in the world that continues to hold its royal grandeur of the past, be it in the royal palaces that now function partly as heritage luxury hotels or the grand meals and sweets that will tempt you to stay a little while longer!

Dating back to 1486 when the city was founded by the Rajput ruler Rao Bikaji, Bikaner continues to attract people from the world over to come enjoy the many royal palaces, forts, temples and other places of interest here. Take a look at the top places to visit in Bikaner.

Junagarh Fort

Junagarh Fort

An attractive place to visit in Bikaner is located in the Thar Desert, the Junagarh Fort. Akin to an oasis, the fort provided more than shelter in its day. Today, it is a standing piece of architectural finesse, excellent artistic rendition and a historical monument of importance. Built by the sixth ruler of Bikaner, Raja Rai Singhji, the fort is only such in the state to be built on flat lands. The fort consists of many other monuments built of marble and sandstone such as the Anup Mahal, Badal Mahal, Chandra Mahal, etc.

Photo Courtesy: Jean-Pierre Dalbera

Lalgarh Palace

Lalgarh Palace

Among the places to visit in Bikaner is the grand Lalgarh Palace, this royal monument was commissioned by the British Regency in the year 1902 for the King Ganga Singh. The king named the palace after his father Maharaja Lal Singh. Sporting a mixture of architectural styles; Rajput, Mughal and European, today, the palace is functioning partly as the royal residence and partly as heritage hotels.

Photo Courtesy: Noledam

Gajner Palace

Gajner Palace

Lush greenery of the surrounding sanctuary welcomes you to explore the hidden grandeur of the Gajner Palace. Built by Maharaj Sir Ganga Singh, the Gajner palace is among the famous attractions in Bikaner. The palace complex spanning an extensive area of 6,000 acres used to be the hunting resort during the British rule. A visit to the palace is akin to being transported to an era of unhurried life, opulence and artistic beauty. The palace consisting of the Dungar Niwas, Mandir Chowk, Gulab Niwas and Champa Niwas presently functions as a heritage luxury hotel.

Photo Courtesy: Gajner Palace

The Royal Cenotaphs

The Royal Cenotaphs

A nostalgic trip to Devi Kund Sagar in Bikaner to see the royal cenotaphs is a must while visiting the city. All the grandeur of royal life is reduced to the small tombstone space, also locally called 'chhatri' for the umbrella shaped domes. The cenotaphs are different for men, women and children. The male members get a tombstone, while female members have the carving of feet; and children do not have a 'chhatri' structure. The representation of death is not as morbid as it looks with many of the structures built in marble and having interiors that have exquisite inlay and painting work. An interesting feature on the tombstones of the male members is the note of the number of wives who committed sati at his funeral pyre. The representation leads to a scary thought, just how many of the tombstones for women were of natural deaths?

Photo Courtesy: Sandeep Kaul

Bhandasar Jain Temple

Bhandasar Jain Temple

A place that attracts travellers for both spiritual and artistic reasons is the Bhandasar Jain Temple in Bikaner. Built in the outstanding Rajput style of architecture, the temple constructed with white marble and red sandstone is quite a sight to behold. Observe the sculpted pillars, beautiful fresco paintings, and exotic mirror work in the temple that is three storeys tall.

Photo Courtesy: Allan Grey

Karni Mata Temple

Karni Mata Temple

Travel to Bikaner is incomplete without visiting the unique Karni Mata Temple. Built in the worship of Karni Mata, who is said to be an incarnation of Goddess Durga, the temple is special for providing protection to the numerous black rats on the premises as they are considered holy. These rats feast on the freely available sweets and other food served for them. Despite the large rat population there has been no reports of illness or disease that have spread to the people of the community.

Photo Courtesy: amanderson2

Shiv Bari Temple

Shiv Bari Temple

On the list of tourist attractions in Bikaner is the Shiv Bari Temple, which is built from red sandstone. It was constructed in the 19th century by Dungar Sing in the worship of the Hindu god Lord Shiva. The temple has the main shrine of Shiva interestingly depicted with four faces in black stone. The god's 'vahan' Nandi is seen at the temple in bronze. The temple also boasts of two big water bodies and sees large crowds of devotees coming to pray, especially during the month of August, known as 'Shravan' as per the Hindu calendar.

Photo Courtesy: Parth Joshi

Sand Dunes and Camel Rides

Sand Dunes and Camel Rides

In the wondrous sands of the Thar desert, there is nothing more fun than going on a sightseeing trip across Bikaner's sand dunes on bumpy camel rides. The Rao Bikaji camel safaris are popular both among Indian travellers and foreigners. The Bikaner Camel Festival is another popular event to witness. Around January of every year, the camels are decorated, given funky haircuts, sport body art and can be seen dancing, racing and sporting smiles, yes you read that right! The camels can be seen in all their glory at the Bikaner Camel Festival.

Photo Courtesy: Honza Soukup

Food and Stay

Food and Stay

Bikaner has interesting dishes to cater to a variety of flavours. You must try the different eating experiences here, those provided by heritage hotels with cultural performance on the menu, the street food that is welcome after hours of walking around and of course the authentic desert cuisine. Dishes prepared with milk, gram and lentils such as khata, gatti ki sabzi, mangodi, rabdi, etc. Rajasthani cuisine offers much to explore and experiment for the curious traveller.

For the best hotel deals in Bikaner, click here.

Photo Courtesy: Connie Ma

How to Reach Bikaner

How to Reach Bikaner

By Road: Bikaner is connected by both national and state highways to destinations both within the state and outside. Major destinations such as Delhi (449 km) can also be travelled by road via the NH-11. Jaipur is located at a distance of 331 km from the city and can also be reached by taking the NH-11.

By Rail: Bikaner has limited rail connectivity, cities that are connected by trains include Allahabad, Delhi, Jaipur and Kolkata.

By Air: The nearest airport is located at Jodhpur, at a distance of 234 km. Travellers can also fly from Jaipur (331 km).

Photo Courtesy: tjollans

Read more about: bikaner rajasthan palace nature
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