Bikaner

The city of Bikaner was founded by Rao Bika in the 14th century. A guide told us an interesting story about the name of the city. The land that Rao Bika selected to establish the city belonged to a person name Nera who was unwilling to give up his land at first but agreed afterwards with a condition that his name should be linked to the purpose for which he was giving up his land. Rao Bika was a man of his words and he happily added Nera’s name to his and thus the city was named Bikaner.

Connectivity to Bikaner is good. It is connected to major cities via railways and is liked to many major cities via roads-National highways 11, 15, and 89 would lead to Bikaner.

Places I visited:

1.     Karni Mata Temple/ Temple of Rats:

This ‘Temple of Rats’ is dedicated to Goddess Karni and is situated in a small town called Deshnoke around 30ish km from the city of Bikaner. We took a local bus from Bikaner to reach Deshnoke. The place is so unique that you have to be there to understand the actual feel of it. The temple is a home to thousands and thousands of rats that are worshipped there. This place remains my favorite and here is all I could gather about it.

2.      Junagarh Fort:

Unlike most forts that are built on hilltop, this fort is erected on plain land. The city of Bikaner flourishes around this fort. The original name of the fort was Chintamani. The fort was built by Rao Bika in the 14^th century who established the city of Bikaner. The Junagarh fort encapsulates within it palaces made of red sandstone and several Hindu and Jain temples. The décor reveals the royal Rajasthan culture and traditions. There is a fort museum that exhibits numerous texts, royal portraits, miniature paintings, jewelry, costumes etc. All these exhibits spoke volumes about the glorious past of Bikaner.

After the tiring tour we relaxed and ate at the Gallops restaurant just across the fort. The food was really good and service was prompt. Toilet was very clean and that was the best part for meJ

3.      Lalgarh Palace:

The Lalgarh Palace was built for Maharaja Ganga Singh and was named by him in the memory of his father, Maharaja Lal Singh. The palace is a beautiful display of combined architectural styles. This huge palace comprises of a museum (Sri Sadul Museum), an area that serves as the private house of the royal family of Bikaner and 2 hotels – The Lalgarh Palace Hotel and The Laxmi Niwas Palace.

The Lalgarh Palace hotel is a lavish heritage hotel that is owned and run by the Maharaja Ganga Singh Ji Trust. The Laxmi Niwas Palace is a luxury hotel- Of course, duh J

4.      Rampuria Havelis:

The Rampuria Havelis are my star attraction in Bikaner. These are a cluster of Havelis built adjacent to each other and are a sight to behold. These havelis were built by Balujee Chalva to serve as the residence for the Rampuria family. These are made of red stone called the dulmera stone. The stones are carved with beautiful images of nature in golden color and the wooden carvings are mesmerizing. The striking factor of these havelis is that each haveli has a unique pattern.

5.      Shri Laxminath Temple and Jain Temple Bhandasar:

Both these temples are located adjacent to each other and are located right amidst the hustle and bustle of the city. Sri Laxminath temple is a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu along with other deities. Jain temple is a small temple with some mind blowing pillar carvings. The roof top view of Bikaner from this temple is awesome. Photography is prohibited in both these temples.

6.      Camel Research Institute:

This is a one of its kind farm. It is a government institute dedicated to the research on camels. It is located around 10 km from the main city. Baby camels were so much fun to watch and so was the sight when camels return in the evening from the desert. Had camel milk kulfi here.

7.      Gajner Lake:

The lake is around 30 km from the city and is a part of the Gajner wildlife sanctuary. We were told that this area served as a hunting ground for the maharaja in former times. The Gajner Palace restaurant is just on the lake. Did not eat anything there- it wasn’t a very well maintained lake. I wish I had time to visit the sanctuary.

8.      Rendezvous Restaurant:

I went to this restaurant as it was highly recommended on the Internet and by some traveler friends. My experience was BAD. Everything sucked. From the waiters who did not bother to attend to fellow citizens to the pathetically slow service to even more pathetic cold food. Everything sucked. Trust me, I’m a hopelessly optimistic person- something has to be more than extremely bad (beyond repair I mean) to displease me-well, this restaurant did displease me. This was an utter wastage of my time and money and patience. The only relief I felt after visiting this restaurant was that I did not spend a single rupee on the travel as it was just across my hotel. Something positive there J

My two cents:

1.      DO NOT SKIP the Rat Temple. I repeat. DO NOT SKIP the Rat Temple. There is no such place anywhere else. You can do it.

2.      Do not take off your socks (or do carry a pair you won’t mind disposing off) before entering the rat temple – there’s a lot of rat poop all around. 

3.      Do not bother to hire a cab for the rat temple. There are many local/public buses in every 5 minutes from Bikaner city and they charge around 30 INR. And it’s so much fun to travel with all the local folks.

4.      Like all major cities of Rajasthan, Bikaner too has a decent transport system. If you’re on a budget trip like me, make use of the public transport. Take a rickshaw for the narrow lanes if you don’t prefer to walk and buses or autos to other places. It’s much cheaper and so much cooler.

5.      A guide or an audio guide is a MUST for all the forts and palaces.There is always an interesting story associated with almost everything. Guides would spice up this experience as they narrate these stories with utmost excitement J

6.      Do not miss to taste the Bikaneri bhujia

7.      Do try the street food. Bikaner is famous for sweets and snacks.