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THE CITY
With the fond memories of Jodhpur, I popped in Bikaner.
My escort, Ranvir, informed me that Bikaner is popularly
known as the Camel city of Rajasthan and it was established
by a Rathore Prince, Rao-Bhikaji- a descendent of the
founder of Jodhpur in 1488 A.D.
"You know! Sir, Bikaji, enterprising son of the
Rao Jodhaji, founded a barren land known as Jangladesh
and transformed it into an impressive city Bikaner after
his name." he added the information. I was quite
impressed by the enterprising nature of Bikaji who formed
a new state on his own calibre.
"Sir, have I told you about the famous camel festival
of Bikaner" he asked. " No, you haven't"
I replied . He told me that the festival is organized
by the Department of Tourism, Art and culture, Governement
of Rajasthan, annually. The festival is held in the
month of January and is an exclusive camel festival.
In addition to sale and purchase of camels, the festival
also endorse song and dance festival and other competitions.
And it was wonderful to know the city was well linked
by air, rail and roadways, with nearest airport is Jodhpur
240 kms. In fact, I took a train to come to Bikaner
from Jodhpur.
Exploring Bikaner
Here I did, an intresting thing as I took a rikshaw,
three wheelers with paddles (look alike of chinese rikshaw),
to cover Bikaner. What a ride it was.........I still
remember the bumps of the road as the rickshaw moved
on the cranky road.
Ranvir, my guide was a great help to me.. The first
place that I popped in was Bika Ki Teri and Ranvir told
me about its history. " Sir, it was built in 1485,
the fort was constructed by Rao Bika." he informed.
The fort is situated on the rocky ground, although the
fort is not in good taste but definitely presents a
reminder of the gallantry of its founder.
Oh! then the JunaGarh Fort was another exceptional
thing that I saw. Built by Raja Rai Singh, the fort
has 37 palaces with in the complex. I was quite impressed
to see the architecture of the fort."Look, this
is Suraj pol or the Sun gate, the main enterance to
the fort." showed Ranvir. What a piece! I thought.
The other places that I explored within the complex
were Chandra Mahal, Phool Mahal and Karan Mahal. Built
in red stone and marbles, the palace is ornamented with
mirror work, carving and paintings. The palace has a
museum that showcases the rare antiques, valuable miniature
painting founded in Junagarh fort.The Ranvir took me
to the Lalgarh Palace Built by Maharaja Ganga Singh
in commemoration of his father Maharaja Lal Singh. The
masterpiece is built in Red stone and has a beutiful
lattice work and filigree work. Part of this palace
is converted into a museum known as Shri Sadul Museum
and a luxury hotel. Believe it or not! I was awestruck
by the beauty of the Lalagrah palace.
LOCATION
Bikaner is situated in the north of Rajasthan. The city,
just like Jodhpur, is surrounded by great walls. It
has Ganganagar and Hanumannagar in its northern side
whereas Churu lies in its eastern side. Nagaur, Jodhpur
and Jaisalmer are in its south while in the western
part it has the neighboring country Pakistan. It is
situated on a slightly higher place (altitude 237 meters)
and has an arid climate most of the year. Due to the
geographic location of the city, it was one of the most
important trade centers for the traders of west-central
Asia.
THE PAST
Just like the history of the entire state, Bikaner also
has its own glorious past to talk about. It has examples
of courage, motivation and happiness. It was in 1488
that a Rathore Prince, Rao Bikaji (a descendant of the
founder of Jodhpur, Rao Jodhaji), established his kingdom
here. It has faced many foreign intrusions and fought
a number of wars with the Mughals and the British.
TO SEE
Junagarh fort was built by a Mughal army general, Raja
Rai Singh, in 1593. The courtyard of the fort along
with the balcony, kiosks and windows are perfect examples
of the artisanship of that time. The beautiful cutworks
and dots on the red stones and the marbles are fascinating.
The various parts of the palace-the Dewan-iI-khas, the
Phool Mahal, Hawa Mahal, Badal Mahal and Anup Mahal-reflect
the glorious architecture of Bikaner.
Lalgarh Palace, built by Maharaja Ganaga Singh in memory
of his father, is situated 3 km north of Bikaner city.
The Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation as part
of their tourism promotion program has converted some
portions of the palace to tourist hotels. Other parts
of the palace have been converted into a museum named
as the Sadul Museum to preserve the glory of the yesteryears
of Rajasthan in general and Bikaner in particular.
Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum is one of the best museums
of Rajasthan with some fabulous collection of antiques
and artilleries.
The Bhandasar Jain Temple, dedicated to the 23rd Jain
tirthankara, is also a place worth visiting.
The Camel Research Farm carries out breeding and training
of camels-the only fighting force and medium of transportation
in the past.
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