The Indian city of Bikaner is in the northwestern part of the country, in the legendary state of Rajasthan and is considered the center of the eponymous district. In addition, Bikaner is the third largest city of Rajasthan. The peculiarity of this region is the fact that it is in the very center of the Thar desert, which is the only desert in India. Bikaner was founded in 1488 by the Rajput Rao Bik, the son of the founding of Jodhpur. Initially, it was an important shopping center, although the industry has been developing here recently.

Bikaner has an interesting fort and Jain temples, ancient haveli and many camels, but due to its remoteness and competition with Jaisalmer and Jodhpur, fewer tourists visit it, making Bikaner of great interest to the traveler.

Bikaner is also famous for the school of astrologers. The legendary Rajendra Vyas, Acharya Raj Sr., Ashok Thvani and others live here. Bikaner is famous for the traditional masters of printed textile and embossing and watercolor miniature.

Attractions in Bikaner: -

Fort Junagarh: - One of the main attractions of the city. Built between 1588 and 1593. The fort wall is 986 meters long, with 37 bastions on it. Inside the fort, there are 37 luxurious palaces, temples and pavilions. The most famous and memorable internal attractions are the palaces of Anup Mahal, Karan Mahal, Hawa Mahal, and the newest huge palace Durbar Nivas. The fort was never conquered, as it is protected by desert and powerful walls.

Lallgarh Palace: - Made of red sandstone. The construction was erected in 1902 - 1926 by the design of Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob by order of Maharaja Ganga Singh, who built the palace in memory of his mother. A true oriental architectural fantasy with filigree carvings and beautiful lawns that peacocks walk on. The palace houses the Sri Sadul Museum and a library with a large collection of Sanskrit manuscripts. Part of the palace turned into a hotel.

Gayner Palace: - Maharajas summer residence near the lake. He was called the "incomparable gem in the Thar Desert." Built of red sandstone with intricate columns with carvings. Surrounded by a wonderful forest.

Karni Mata Temple: - Or a rat temple is in Deshnok 30 km from Bikaner. Dedicated to the goddess Durga in the incarnation of Karni Mata and is home to many rats. According to legend, the girl Karni Mata, who lives here, was endowed with supernatural powers and moved the souls of dead children, which she pulled out of her clutches of death, into the temporary bodies of rats. In the next incarnation, they should be born as humans, therefore no one touches the rats (and there are about 20 thousand of them here), but on the contrary, they feed and drink milk here.

Jains Temple Bandasar: - one of the 27 Jain temples in the city, dedicated to the fifth Tirthankara God Sumatinath. The temple was built at the expense of the merchant Ganga Singh.

Lakshmi Nath Temple: - one of the oldest Bikaner temples, which was built during the rule of Rao Lankaran.

Wildlife in Bikaner: -

The Gajner Nature Reserve is located at about 32.0 km (19.9 miles) from Bikaner. In former times, it was a hunting ground for Maharaja Bikaner. There is a lake in this sanctuary and a variety of animals come here to quench their thirst in summer. This is one of the proposed cheetah reintroduction forests in India.

The lake in this reserve attracts a variety of bird species. Residential species include game, deer, antelope, Nilgai, Chinkara, garn, desert fox and wild boar. the temperature of this region is about 40 ° C

Foods in Bikaner: -

The city is best known for its salty appetizers Bikaneri bhujia which is sold all over the world and has a geographical tag to keep its originality intact. Other special foods for which Bikaner is well known are Bajre ki Roti (chapati from millet flour), Dal baati Churma, Ghevar, Halvas, Papads, Rasgulla, etc. Kachori and Samos You can see/buy in every corner and corner are highly recommended by residents. Rajasthani sweets (Mithai) and snacks (Namkeen) gently attract everyone.

Shopping in Bikaner: -

Mainly Bikaner, famous and known for Bekaneri Bhujia, but apart from this, in Bikaner, one can also be enjoying a shopping of craft, handlooms and Khadi materials.

Festivals in Bikaner: -

Camel Festival: - In the Bikaner is the largest camel farm. Maybe that's why it is in Bikaner every winter held traditional camels Festival (Bikaner Camel Festival). In winter, it is not so stuffy here, at this time many tourists who like exotic come here. Thousands of people gather for the holiday. The festival begins with a grand procession of camels with their owners. After various competitions, contests and performances are arranged. Camels compete in running, beauty, obedience, and even dancing.

Best Time to Visit Bikaner: -

The best time to visit Bikaner is the period from October to February. Since in the summer in this resort city, as well as everywhere in the state of Rajasthan, it is unbearably hot and stuffy.

How to Reach Bikaner: -

By Air: - Nal Airport is the Airport of Bikaner. About 12 kilometers from Bikaner city. Currently, there are regular flights to Jaipur and Delhi only. For other destinations, the nearest airport is in Jodhpur (250 km from Bikaner).

By Train: - From Bikaner, you can take a train to cities such as Jaisalmer (5 hours), Jodhpur (5 hours), Jaipur (6.5 hours), Delhi (8-14 hours), etc.

By Road: - Bikaner is well connected by road as well to nearby and major cities.