Bikaner Tourism

Bikaner Tourism, a miracle in the desert, was the work of Rao Bikaji, a son of Jodha Singh who founded Jodhpur. Connected by rail and road, Bikaner is about 450 km from Jaipur. The very plan to establish a habitation in this bleak region speaks of the courageous challenge men can throw to unsympathetic nature. Bikaner, however, has always been an important and beautiful city --on the bank of river Saraswati. The river has since gone underground.

Located in the northwest of Rajasthan, the city is surrounded by many sand dunes. Bikaner retains the medieval splendor that is visible in the city's lifestyle. More popularly called the camel country, the city is renowned for the best travel camels in the world. The history of Bikaner dates back to 1488 AD, when a Prince Rathore Rao Bikaji - a descendant of the founder of Jodhpur (1459 AD), Rao Jodhaji, established his kingdom here. Rao Jodhaji had five sons but Rao Bikaji was the most enterprising of them. Bikaji chose a sterile desert called 'Jangaldesh' and turned it into an impressive city, named Bikaner after the name of the founder. The strategic location of Bikaner on the ancient caravan routes that came from West / Central Asia, made it a main business center in the past. The town of Bikaner is built on a slightly raised ground and is surrounded by a seven kilometer long fortified wall with five gates. The magnificent forts and palaces, built with delicacy in reddish pink sandstone, bear witness to its rich historical and architectural heritage.

The city is very popular for its confectionary, popularly called Bikaneri Namkeens. Bikaner is in the center of the Thar Wave Terrain and in summer the range of heat even surpasses 50 degrees and in winter season it falls to near zero. There is very thin rain in this area. Bikaner is also famous by the name "Camel Country" as it has the largest camel breeding farm in Asia and popularly known as the Camel Breeding Farm.

About Bikaner
Bikaner is known as the heavenly destination in Rajasthan that has an indescribable beauty tucked in the midst of the Thar Desert. Its sand dunes, golden deserts, majestic forts and the incomparable culture has always attracted a good number of tourists not only from India but majorly from outside the country too. With each and every monument and engaging site at Bikaner entailing the mighty tales from the erstwhile rulers, the tourist’s attractions still stand upright without even a single damage now too! Not only its monuments and forts are amazing but also its cuisines are highly distinct and quite scrumptious. It is said that this destination was formerly known as ‘Jangladesh’ till the 15th century and later the name was changed and till now this site has proved to be a perfect hub not only for the architecture lovers but also the history lovers and the nature buffs.

Location
The capital city is not far from the beautiful land of Bikaner since the distance between them is approximately 450 kms. The travel time would be not more than 8 hours 30 minutes.

Places to visit in Bikaner
There are a lot of beautiful attractions that you can count on when you are in Bikaner, and the same has been mentioned below:

1. Junagarh fort - The Junagarh Fort is one of the most famous forts that is frequently visited by the tourists throughout the year, located in the arid region of the Thar Desert and is known for its architecture and carvings in the Mughal styles.

2. Karni Maata temple - The temple of Karni Mata is known to be sacred for it has huge followers. To visit the same, you will have to travel 30 km from Bikaner where you will witness thousands of rats that inhabit here.

3. Lallgarh Palace - The Lallgarh Palace is located 3 km away from the city center that had been built between 1902 to 1926 that have been influenced by the Britishers and Rajput along with Mughal and European style of architecture.

4. National Research Centre on Camel - The National Research Centre on Camel is an important is one of the most-sought tourist attractions in Bikaner that is open during afternoons.

5. Gajner Palace - The Gajner Palace is a lakeside palace complex that is close to the wildlife sanctuary located in the middle of the Thar desert. You will come across the lush green gardens with a lot of facilitations available.

How to Reach Bikaner
By Air : The nearest airports are Jodhpur and Jaipur at distances of 252 km and 325 km respectively.
By Rail : Well connected to Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, etc., with regular train services like Kalka and Chetak Express.
By Bus : Well connected, with easily available luxury AC and economical local state buses, plying on the nearest National Highway11.

Population
There are about 700,000 people residing in Bikaner.

Climate And Weather
Bikaner experiences extreme weather conditions all throughout the year. This means that the summers here are too hot and the wintertime is too cold. Accompanied with a desert climate, and thus the city experiences no or very less rainfall during the whole year. June has been recorded as the month with the highest temperature reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius and January is the coldest month with the temperature being around 14.5 °C. On comparing it with the other regions in Rajasthan, the weather conditions here are quite similar to the other Rajasthani areas.

Getting Around Bikaner
There exist local transportation facilities in Bikaner and thus, the tourists can enjoy the facilities for touring in Bikaner.
For experiencing the sightseeing in Bikaner, nothing can beat the enjoyment and comfort that lies in the local auto-rickshaw rides there. Also, due to the roads being quite narrow, these vehicles would be best suited.
The travellers can rent a car or a motorcycle in order to get the sightseeing tour of Bikaner done with utmost comfort and as per their convenience.

Where to stay in Bikaner
Bikaner is a great host when it comes to the hospitality services it offers to the tourists existing here. There are a good number of different hotels and accommodation options available here including the Boutique hotels, 2-5 stars hotels and also the budget accommodation as per the budget and expectations of the client.
Whether there is a need for a standard accommodation, luxurious resort or the heritage property, the tourists are going to get every kind at Bikaner. Relax in the serenity filled environment of the hotels and enjoy the panoramic views of the city from their terraces, everything would be very perfect!