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Bikaner

Pop: 500,000 Area Code: 0151

Bikaner has a fascinating fort, some excellent Jain temples, old havelis, many camels, and a more untouristed feel than its neighbors. It has excellent sites to visits, but because of its remote location and the heavy competition from its neighbors, Jaisalmer in the west and Jodhpur in the south, it does not draw a large amount of tourist. Bikaner is the fourth largest city in Rajasthan.

Rao Bika, a son of the founder of Jodhpur, established Bikaner in 1488. Bikaner was originally an important trade center, and over the years it has become increasingly industrialized.

A good time to visit is during the annual Camel Festival, which has music, food, and some camel events, races, parades, and safaris. Prices for rooms are greatly increased at that time. The camel festival in 2000 will be held Jan 20-21 and in 2001, Jan 8-9.

Information
The Rajasthan Tourist Office (544-125), Hotel Dhola Maru, near Pooran Singh Circle, is helpful (daily except Sun 10 am to 5 pm) and can arranges car rentals and camel safaris. They can arrange a tour of Deshnok to go to the Karni Mata Temple or to the Gajner Wildlife Sanctuary for Rs 400 per person. There is a Tourist Office at Suraj Pol, the main entrance of Junagarh Fort (9 am to 6 pm).

PBM Hospital (61931), PBM Rd, is one of the best hospitals in town.

Money
You can change money at the State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (527-368), opposite the fort’s entrance. There are facilities to change money in the Hotel Lalgarth Palace (540-201) and Hotel Joshi (527-700), Station Rd.

Junagarh Fort
The fort is the main attraction in Bikaner. Built by Rai Singh in 1589, this fort is one of the few in the country that was never conquered. It is surrounded by a solid, 986m long wall, which has thirty-seven bastions and a 9m wide moat. You can enter from the eastern gate through a series of gates. Near the second gate, Daulat Pol, are twenty-four handprints of women who performed sati (self-sacrifice) when their husbands died while defending the fort. The main entrance to the fort is Suraj Pol (Sun Gate), which has large iron spikes on the door and two painted elephants on either side.

The fort contains palaces, temples, and impressive courtyards. Different rulers expanded it over the years. Each new structure was built to be uniform to the structure to which it was connected, so the harmony of the architecture is maintained.
The Karan Mahal was built after a victory over the Mughal army of Aurangzeb. In it is the silver throne of Maharaja Karen Singh. This place was a court wherein the king met his intimate associates. It has gold-leaf paintings.

Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace) is a room covered with mirrors. If you shine a flashlight or light a match, the light will glitter all over. The Chandra Mahal (Moon Palace) is a beautiful puja (worship) room covered with Hindu gods and goddesses.

The Anup Mahal is an exquisite and elaborately decorated hall where the king would meet important visitors. It has mosaic ceiling tiles, superb mirrors, beautiful latticework, and a large, grand carpet made by prisoners in the Bikaner jail. Coronation ceremonies were held here.

The Phool Mahal (Flower Palace) has impressive Muslim paintings known as ustas, and attractive floral mirrorwork. The Bijai Mahal, Durga Niwas, and Rang Mahal have excellent paintings and tilework. The latticework in the Ganga Niwas is excellent.

The beautiful Har Mandir in the fort is dedicated to Siva.

Ganga Singh Hall, which is the last place to be visited, contains a museum. It has a weapons exhibit and items that belonged to past maharajas.
Inside the main gate is Abhivyakti, a handicraft shop selling goods made in the local villages around Bikaner. They sell bags, good rugs, bed covers, and cloth.

The fort is open daily except Fri 10 am to 4.30 pm; admission Rs 50, camera Rs 25, video Rs 100. Government authorized guides are Rs 100.

Lalgarh Palace
Maharaja Ganga Singh began construction on this multi-storied, red sandstone palace in 1902. It is a combination of Rajasthani, European, and Oriental designs. It has excellent exterior sculptures. The Sri Sadul Museum takes up the entire ground floor, the royal family of Bikaner lives in part of the palace, and the rest is a luxury hotel.
The museum has an excellent collection of miniature sandalwood items, the maharaja’s personal items, coins, statues, and photographs. Also in the palace is the Anup Sanskrit Library, which contains original manuscripts and engravings.

The palace is located 3km north of the center of the city, across from the Main bus stand. Open daily except Wed 10 am to 5 pm; admission Rs 25.

Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum
This interesting museum contains weapons, carpets made by Bikaner jail prisoners, instruments, terracotta items, and costumes. It is located about five minutes from the Tourist Bungalow on National Highway 8. Open daily except Fri 10 am to 4.30 pm; admission Rs 2; photography prohibited.

Jain Temples
Located in the old city are two exceptional Jain temples built by two merchant brothers in the 16th century. The Sandeshwar Temple is covered with marble sculptures of Jain saints and has excellent, intricate gold-leaf paintings. The Bhandeshwar Temple is decorated with gold-leaf work, beautiful sculpted pillars, and floral designs.

Next door is the Laximinath Temple, which is a beautiful, carved stone temple. From it there is a great view of the city and desert.

Camel Safaris and Travel Agencies
It is possible to take a camel safari in Bikaner. Some agents that can arrange camel safaris are Rajasthan Safaris (543-738), Purani Ginani; and Vino Desert Safari (204-445), opposite Gopeswar Temple.

Desert Tours (521-967), behind the GPO, organizes good camels safaris and tours of the city.

Where to Stay—Lower
There are several budget places near the railway station. Station Road can be extremely loud, so the front rooms are best avoided.
You can arrange a Paying Guest Room in a person’s house for Rs 150 to Rs 1000 at the tourist office.
There are Retiring Rooms at the railway station for Rs 100/150 with bath and A/C rooms are Rs 300. Dorm beds are Rs 50.
Hotel Shanti Niwas (521-925) has rooms with common bath for Rs 100/150 and Rs 150/200 with bath.
Hotel Akash Deep (543-745) is a really cheap, basic place with rooms with common bath for Rs 150 and with bath for Rs 200. Hot water in a bucket.
Hotel Amit has basic clean rooms for Rs 150/175. 24-hour checkout.
Evergreen Hotel (542-061) is a pretty good place with rooms with common bath for Rs 125/175 and with bath for Rs 200/250. Hot water in a bucket.
Inder Lodge (524-813) has rooms with bath for Rs 125/175. See a few rooms, because some are rather dismal.
Hotel Sriram (522-651; fax 523-674), near the Tourist Bungalow, is a nice family-run place.

Where to Stay—Middle
RTDC Hotel Dhola Maru (529-621), Pooran Singh Circle, 1km southeast of the center of town, has rooms for Rs 250/350; dorm beds are Rs 80.
The well-managed Hotel Joshi (527-700; fax 521-213), Station Rd, near the railway station, has comfortable rooms with air-cooling for Rs 350/400 and Rs 650/750 with A/C. It has a veg restaurant. It is a good place.
Thar Hotel (543-050; fax 525-150), Hospital Rd, has clean rooms with bath and TV for Rs 600/750 and Rs 750/900 with A/C. It has a good restaurant.
Hotel Meghsar Castle (527-315; fax 522-041), 9 Gajner Rd, has good rooms for Rs 400 to Rs 1100. It is a good place.

Where to Stay—High
Karni Bhawan Palace (524-701; fax 522-408), near the Lalgarh Palace, has very good, comfortable rooms for Rs 1400/2600 and a suite is Rs 3100. The rooms are built around a courtyard and the place has a good atmosphere and a pool. It has a good restaurant.
Hotel Bhairon Vilas (544-751; fax same), behind the fort, is a nice Heritage hotel in a quiet location, with old paintings and weapons on the walls. Rooms are Rs 700 to Rs 1700. It has a good restaurant.
Hotel Bhanwar Niwas (201-043), in the old city, has comfortable rooms for Rs 2100/3000. It has a good veg restaurant.
Lalgarh Palace Hotel (540-201; fax 522-253), north of the center of town, is part of the Maharaja’s present palace. The luxurious rooms are $100/150. It has a good restaurant, a pool and a tennis court. Usually in the evening there is live sitar and tabla music.

Where to Eat
Many of the restaurants in Bikaner are vegetarian.
Amber Restaurant, Station Rd, has good Indian and Western veg food. Main dishes are around Rs 40. It is a good place.
Chhotu Motu Joshi Sweet Shop, next to the Hotel Joshi, has good Indian sweets and snacks.
Joshi, Station Rd, has good thalis and snacks. It serves thalis during lunch (noon to 3 pm) and dinner (7 to 10 pm).
Annapurna, MG Rd, has veg South India and Continental food.
Garden Café, off MG Rd, serves Indian snacks and ice cream.
Lalgarh Palace Hotel is the best place in town. It should be booked in advance.

Local Travel
A rickshaw between the railway and bus stations should be around Rs 20. You can hire a bike on Station Road for Rs 3 to Rs 4 per hour.

Travel
Train The booking office, the building to the right of the station entrance, is open 8 am to 8 pm and Sun until 2 pm. There are trains to Delhi (3 daily), Jaipur and Jodhpur.

Ajmer Bikaner-Ajmer Exp #4738 (10,30 pm, 13½ hr); Delhi Sarai Rohila Mail #4792 (7.45 pm, 11 hr); Jaipur Intercity Exp #2467 (5 am, 7 hr), Bikaner-Ajmer Exp #4738 (10,30 pm, 10½ hr); Jodhpur Ranakpur Exp #4707 (9.35 am, 6 hr).

Bus The Bus Stand is 3km north of the center of town. There are buses to Jaipur (7 hr, 7 daily), Jaisalmer (7½ hr, 7 daily), Fatehpur (4½ hr), Delhi (11 hr), Ajmer (8 hr), Jodhpur, Jhunjhunu, Ahmedabad, and Udaipur.

Nearby Bikaner

Camel Breeding Farm
This breeding farm is 10km south of Bikaner and is the largest in Asia. It breeds 50% of India’s camels. In the evening, hundreds of camel are found here. The British Imperial Army’s Camel Corps in World War II got their camels from this place.

The Bikaner city tour stops here. You can also come here by auto-rickshaw (Rs 75 round trip; taxi Rs 130). Open Mon to Fri and every other Sat from 3 to 5 pm; photography permitted outside only. Camel rides Rs 40 for thirty minutes.

Devi Kund Sagar
On the bank of the man-made lake, Devi Kund Sagar, are marble and red sandstone chhatris (cenotaphs) of previous Bikaner maharajas. The marble memorial of Maharaja Surat Singh is especially interesting. It is 8km west of Bikaner. City tours usually visit here. Buses come here from the Main bus stand in Bikaner (every hr, Rs 5).

Gajner Wildlife Sanctuary
Located 32km west of Bikaner, this was once a royal hunting grounds. It is now a sanctuary for gazelles, antelopes, blackbuck, and various birds. Siberian sand grouse migrate here each year.
The elegant palace on the bank of the lake is now the luxury Gajner Palace Hotel (01534 55063 ; fax 55065; booked in Bikaner at Karni Bhawan Palace (0151) 524-701; fax 522-408), which has rooms for Rs 1400/2500. It has a pool, billiard table and a restaurant. They can arrange transportation to the park.

You can get a bus to here from Bikaner from the Main bus stand, behind the Fort (every 30 min, Rs 8).

Deshnok
Deshnok is located 30km south of Bikaner. The reason to come here is to see the Karni Mata Temple. During the Navratri festival in March, this place is very busy.

Karni Mata Temple
Karni Mata, who was born in 1387 near Phalodi, is said to have been an incarnation of Goddess Durga. This temple is famous because of the rats running over the temple room floor and altar.
The temple has a beautiful silver door and a wire mesh over the courtyard to protect the rats from birds.

The temple has an image of Karni Mata holding a trishul (trident), surrounded by rats. The rats are called kabas. If you injure a rat in the temple, you are expected to present a gold or silver replica to the temple or suffer misfortune. The rats eat from huge metal bowls filled with milk, sweets, and grains donated by devotees. It is considered auspicious to see a white kaba near the image of Karni Mata. The temple is open daily 4 am to 9.30 pm.

The story of the temple is that a woman brought the body of her recently dead son to Karni Mata and asked her to restore the boy to life. Karni fell into a deep trance and encountered Yamaraja, the lord of death. He told her that the boy had already accepted another body and could not be recalled. Karni refused to accept this and said that Yamaraja would no longer govern her tribe of Charans. At death they would enter the bodies of kabas, or sacred rats, and when the rats died they would be reborn as Charans.

Practicalities
The RTDC Yatri Niwas (0151 65332) has rooms for Rs 250/300 and dorm beds for Rs 60.
There are hourly buses to and from Bikaner. A taxi will be at least Rs 250 to go to the temple, wait for an hour, and return to Bikaner. An auto-rickshaw is around Rs 200. It is a stop on the city tour. Camera fee Rs 10.

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