The desert city of Bikaner

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Bikaner, another desert town in Rajasthan, which belongs to Marwar, has an extraordinary fort – Junagadh Fort, which is frequented by camel carts. Rajput Rao Bikaji established this city in the middle of the Thor desert in the 15th century.
Bikaner, another desert town in Rajasthan, which belongs to Marwar, has an extraordinary fort – Junagadh Fort, which is frequented by camel carts. Rajput Rao Bikaji established this city in the middle of the Thor desert in the 15th century.
‘Let’s go out’. Arriving at the circuit house in Jodhpur in the morning, hearing Feluda’s words, Jatayu asked, “Are you going to the fort?”
Feluda replied, “Not Jodhpur, Bikaner”
Jatayu replied ‘Bikaner? But that’s…… ”
‘150 miles road, with lunch’, replied Feluda replied
Feluda, Topse and Nakal Hajra with Mukul in one car, Jatayu with Mandar Bose in another car. The car ran through the desert. Peacock sightings on the way. Jatayur Sadh’s Nepali cookery was seized by Mandar Bose. In this way, thanks to Satyajit Ray’s ‘Golden Fortress’, another desert city like Bikaner and its fortress like Jaisalmer were unveiled to the Bengali audience.
Like other cities in Rajasthan, Bikaner too has some unique features, architectural sculptures and deserts. Once while I was in Delhi, I set off for Bikaner. I departed from Delhi Sarai Rohila station by morning train. Earlier, it used to take a long time to travel to Bikaner but in recent few years, Bikaner can be reached directly from Delhi in just 8 hours. The Shekhawati region of Rajasthan was on the way. After passing Mahendragarh, Loharu, Churu etc. stations, the train reached a small station called Ratangarh. It was a beautiful station in the middle of the desert. I could see a couple of Rajasthani men with turbans on the empty platform. Then the train entered the desert. Dunes of sand were on sides, thorn bushes and occasional sightings of camel herds. Train travel through the desert is quite exciting along among urban Bengalis. I reached Bikaner after noon. As I was headed towards the hotel from the station, I saw Junagadh Fort. The road is in front of the fort. Like the pink city of Jaipur, the blue city of Jodhpur, the golden city of Jaisalmer, the architecture of Bikaner is built on red sandstone.
A brief History: Rao Bika, son of Maharaja Rao Jodha of Jodhpur, founded the kingdom of Bikaner in the middle of the desert in the north-west of Rajasthan in 1488 AD with the aim of establishing a separate kingdom of his own. Before that, that wild place was called ‘Jangladesh’. Gradually Bikaner became one of important trading centres from Central Asia to the coast of Gujarat, like an oasis in the middle of the desert. Today the fort built by Rao Bikar is in ruins. Junagarh fort was built 100 years later. The kingdom flourished during the reign of Rai Singji, the sixth king of Bikaner (1561-1611). Having good relations with the Mughals, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Mughal Empire during the reigns of Akbar and Jahangir. The Mughal emperor rewarded him for his victory in the war as a general and gave him a jagir in Gujarat. He started the construction of Junagadh fort in 156 AD with huge revenue from the jagir. The Maharaja was the patron of architecture and art. His personality matches with inside the Junagadh fort. Bikaner is today the fourth largest city in Rajasthan.
Apart from Junagarh Fort, Bikaner also has a number of medieval mansions, ancient Jain temples, Laxminath temples, Lalgarh Palace, Devi Kund and Camel Breeding Farm. And of course Deshnoke Karnimata temple.

First day:
Days are usually very long in the western part of the country, so after arriving on the first day, I had a lot of daylight in hand and went out to see the ancient mansions and temples of the city.
Haveli: Bikaner has prospered since ancient times due to trade. There are still some medieval haveli in Bikaner for the wealthy Marwari merchants. The mansions built of red sandstone in the 16th and 17th centuries are both adorned with art as a testament to the splendour of that era. The architecture bears the imprint of the Rajputs to the Mughals, and even the British. The fine carvings on the rocks, the canopies on the rocks, the stretched jars – all in all it was like seeing the beautiful craftsmanship on the outside of the mansions.
Bhandeshwar Jain Temple: This is a magnificent carved temple built by 15th century Jain trader Bhandashah Aswal. Dedicated to the 5th Jain Tirthankar Sumatinath. Built of red sandstone and marble, the temple has remarkable leaf paintings, frescoes and glass carvings. The temple is divided into Garbhagriha, Antarla, Mahamandapa and Ardhamandapa. The walls and pillars of the temple are adorned with beautiful paintings and sculptures. Since the place was not overcrowded, the priest of the temple himself took several pictures of us with the crafts of this temple.
Lakshinath Temple: The temple built by Maharaja Rao Lankaran is one of the oldest temples in Bikaner. There are silver carvings inside the temple.
Last afternoon I saw a magnificent sunset from this temple complex on the horizon where the city boundaries merge with the desert.

Day 2:
The next morning I reached Junagadh Fort by walking from the hotel.
Junagadh fort:
Like other forts in Rajasthan, this fort is not situated on a hillock; it is built in the middle of the plain area. The huge Junagadh Fort is almost in the middle of the present town of Bikaner. I have already said that this fort was built by Maharaja Rai Singji in the 16th century. A huge 96 meter long wall made of red sandstone surrounds the fort. This wall is about 15 feet wide and 40 feet high. There are 36 towers surrounding the fort. There are seven entrances to the fort. There are many palaces, palaces, pavilions and some temples inside this fort. Palaces and mahals have been built little by little over the last three centuries, even after construction began in 1588 and was completed in 1593. Sculptures carved on red and gold sandstone across the fort. The interior decoration of the fort is painted and decorated in Rajasthani style. The museum was established in 1961 at Junagadh fort. Junagadh is one of the most beautiful forts in Rajasthan due to its remarkable architecture and beautifully decorated interiors.

Entry to Junagadh Fort is given at 10AM. The main entrance to the fort is the Sun Pole. Two huge elephant statues on either side of the entrance. On the one hand, it is a stage for performing music during the arrival and departure of Rajputs. Other gates of the fort are Karan Pole, Daulat Pole, Chand Pole, Fateh Pole etc. A quadrangular space between the main entrance and the palace and then the RKT gate – Tripolia Gate. Then the deity of the royal family is Hari Mandir. I was very impressed to see the fine carvings on the walls of the inner chambers of the fort. There is even craftsmanship on the roof of any palace. Notable among the palaces are –
• Flower Palace – The oldest palace was built during the reign of King Rai Singhji. There is no comparison between arches made of white stone and paintings on walls.
Anup Mahal – A multi-storey mahal, which was the administrative office of the era. Its interior is inlaid with mirrors, ornate wooden ceilings, Italian tiles, latticework, and leaf painting.
Chandra Mahal – This palace has a luxurious house used by the royal family, where you can see gold-plated idols and precious stone inlaid paintings. Mirrors were installed in the king’s bedroom in such a way that anyone entering the palace could be seen lying on the bed.
• Karan Mahal – Raja Karan Singh built this mahal in 1680 to commemorate the defeat of Aurangzeb in battle. It is one of the most beautiful palaces in the fort, which was once the ‘Diwan-i-Am’. Adjacent to the palace is a garden. You will be amazed to see the work of lacquer glass and mirrors on the walls of this magnificent palace. There is also a throne in the palace.
Badal Mahal – Mahal has paintings of Shekhawati style. Fresco paintings on the wall.
• Ganga Mahal – Built during the reign of King Ganga Singh in the twentieth century, the mahal has a huge Durbar Hall with a museum inside.
The life of the Rajputs of that period can be traced in the magnificent museum of the fort. The museum has some manuscripts written in Sanskrit and Persian, paintings, ornaments, clothes used by the Rajputs, furniture, weapons, farmans, portrait galleries, various oil paintings, idols of gods and goddesses. Fitton cars used by Rajput kings and even private planes vetted from Britain are kept under the palace.
You can climb the stairs on one side to the top of the fort. From top to bottom you can see elephants, stables and desert towns in the distance. Beneath the palace is one of the world’s two rarest cannons, which came from France.
Another feature of Junagadh fort is that it has never been damaged by enemy attacks. The present residence of the royal family is Lalgarh Palace, 3 km away.
It takes a whole day to see Junagadh fort. I booked an auto to see the sights outside the city.
Devi Kundah
Devi Kund Sagar is the tomb of the Rajput dynasty, 6 km from the main town. In all, there are more than 138 beautiful tombstones in Devi Kunda. There is a pond in the middle and the tombs are lined up on either side of it. The oldest tombs are made of red sandstone, but most are made of white stone. I was built with Patterns of exquisite Rajput style. The tombstones of Maharaja Anup Singh and Karan Singh are the most notes worthy ones.
By the way, if you have read the book ‘Sonar Kella’, if you remember that on the way from Jodhpur to Bikaner, there was a climax in this Devikunde where fake Hajra was found with his hands and feet tied. I first heard the name of Devi Kund while reading that book.
Camel Breeding Farm
Asia’s largest camel breeding and research center, where thousands of camels of three species are found. This amazing camel centre covers 2,000 acres of dry land in the desert, 8 km from the city. The National Research Centre on Camels was established in 1984. There is a camel museum here. Again camel milk products are sold inside. If you want, you can ride a camel. It was nice to see so many camels gathered together in the afternoon on the edge of the desert town.
Karnimata Mandir:
A trip to Bikaner would be incomplete unless you visit the world famous Karani Mata Temple 30 km away. Another name of which is ‘Chunhabala Mandir’ (Rat Temple). Aradhya Devi Karnimata of the royal family is considered to be the incarnation of Goddess Durga. She used to meditate in a cave. The temple is cantered on that cave. However, the specialty of this temple is thousands, millions of rats or rats. They are always wandering around the temple busy drinking the milk or eating the prasad offered in the temple. It is difficult to stand still inside the temple because of rats. Hundreds of rats will walk on your feet, if you go in there. According to local beliefs, the spirits of the devotees of Karnimata are manifested in the rats. So trampling on rats is considered as a great sin. There is no other temple in the world full of so many rats. Tourists from India and abroad come to Bikaner to see this amazing temple.
This temple of Deshnok can be reached in an hour by bus from Bikaner.
Bikaner’s food: The food in Bikaner is not that great, it is famous for its variety in Bhujia. However, like other cities in Rajasthan, you will find vegetables, papad curry, dal bati churma and chilli bara in Gurte ki Sabzi.
On the return bus from Deshnok, I reached Bikaner, bought a lot of Bhujia, and took the night train back to Delhi.
The entire Rajasthan tour can be reached by bus or train from Jodhpur or by bus from Jaisalmer to Bikaner. Bikaner is 250 km from Jodhpur and 330 km from Jaisalmer. There are several quality hotels throughout the city to stay.

– Shuvrangshu Dasgupta

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