Bikaner is a District in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan in northern India. It was formerly the capital of the princely state of Bikaner. The city was founded by Rao Bika in 1486 and from its small origins it has developed into the fourth largest city in Rajasthan. Just like Jaipur, Bikaner is called the Green City.

Get In

Bikaner can be reached by train from Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai, Agra, Punjab and other major Indian towns. It can also be reached by road from Delhi Via Shekawati or Jaipur. The Highways are very good however the country roads in the shekawati region can be a bit of a dampner. The road from Jaipur Jaisalmer and Jodhpur are the best roads. The nearest Airport is Jodhpur (around 4.5 hours journey) and is well connected by road and rail. However, travelling via Jaipur (6.5 hours distance) gives you more option in terms of flight frequency and choice of Airlines. Overall it comes out to be cheaper (due to availablility of low-cost airlines) if you travel via Jaipur.

Get Around

Getting around in Bikaner is best done using Trishaws and Tongas ( horse carts) due to the fact that streets are too narrow (so that they are not clogged with sand incase of a sandstrom which are very frequent) and busy for cars. These are very cheap and a day’s hire shouldn’t cost more that 250 rupees. Bicycles can be hired near the Railway Station.

Transport

The internal transport system in Bikaner consists of autorickshaws and city buses. Bikaner is connected to all India’s major cities via broad gauge railway. The city has direct rail connections toDelhi, Mumbai,Kanpur,Agra,Jalandhar,Baroda, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Guwahati, Jaipur, Surat, Jalandhar, Thiruvananthapuram, Chandigarh, Jammu and Ahmedabad. Bikaner is well served with roads and is linked directly to Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Ludhiana, Ahmedabad, Haridwar, Jodhpur, Nagaur and many other cities. National highways 11,15 and 89 meet at Bikaner. Bikaner has a well equipped military airport at Nal and hopes to have a passenger airport in the near future.

Climate

Bikaner is situated in the middle of the Thar desert with very little rainfall and extreme temperatures. In summer, temperatures exceed 50 °C and during the winter it dips to freezing point.

Fair & Festival

Karni Mata fair

Gangaur

Kapil Muni fair

Camel festival: each January the state government organises a camel festival with camel races, various cultural events and a fire dance performed by the Sidh people.

Aksaye Tritya or “AKKHA TEEJ”: the foundation day of Bikaner. This was the day when Rao Bika laid the foundation of the new empire. Every year on this day people from across the social spectrum enjoy themselves by flying kites or “CHANDA”. They also enjoy a special meal, such as “Khichra and Imlani”.

Attractions in Bikaner

Junagarh fort: The fort was built by Raja Rai Singh, the sixth ruler of Bikaner who reigned from 1571 to 1612. It is a fort of the Bikaner royal family. You will get a chance to know about the history of the Bikaner royal family. Also has a museum which displays weapons, ornaments of the previous era. This is one of the oldest forts in India.

Laxmi Niwas palace: The 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, Sir 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.

Lalgarh: Lalgarh is another fort of the Rajputana family. Some of the the Rajputana kings used to stay here. You will see the royal story of the Rajputana family.

Deshnok temple: This is a temple of a local deity, “Karni Mata”. It is believed that the “Karni Mata” used to take care of the Rajputana family. This temple has a rat infestation but the locals believe them to be holy. you will likely be told that seeing a certain white rat is very auspicious, but if you press further most locals will tell you there is always one or two visible around the temple. Be careful while walking inside the temple, you might accidentally step on a rat.

Karni Mata temple: is 32 kilometres from bikaner.

Shivbari Temple: Shivbari choraha. This is a centuries old shiva temple. It has two huge “Bawris” (water reservoirs), Thousands of people visit this place every year. HAR HAR MAHADEV