Bikaner Travel Guide
Bikaner Travel Guide Located in the middle of the Great Thar Desert, Bikaner is the fourth largest city of Rajasthan, founded by Rao Bika in 1488. This city is pretty popular for its mouthwatering Bikaneri Bhujias that dates back to the year 1877 and home to the two famous brands like Bikaji and Haldiram’s. The special food for which Bikaner is famous is Bajre ki Roti, Dal Baati Churma, Ghevar, etc.
The major tourist attractions in the city are Junagarh Fort, Laxmi Niwas Palace, Rao Bikaji’s Fort, Karni Mata Temple, Bhandasar Jain Temple, etc. Other tourist attractions are Sand Dunes and Camel Safari. Apart from the forts and food that this city offers, it also hosts a Camel festival known as Bikaner Festival, which is dedicated to camels and seeks the attention of the tourists from far and wide. The best time to visit here is from October to March. Some of the famous attractions of Bikaner are:
Junagarh Fort
It is a major attraction of the city. Its glorious history boasts of the fact that nobody could ever conquer it. It was built in 1593 AD by Raja Rai Singh. This fortified fort is encircled with a moat which was built for defensive purposes. The fort was majestically built in Rajput, Mughal and Gujarati styles of architecture.
You can enter the fort from two gates namely Suraj Pol and Karan Pol. The fort has several attractions such as carvings, stone inlay works, wall painting, lacquer work, stucco, glass work and wooden ceiling. Also visit the stunning apartments like Karan Mahal, Moon Palace, Anup Mahal, Phool Mahal, Har Mandir and a museum.
Lalgarh Palace
Once the home of the raja-maharajas this palace is now a heritage hotel offering royal taste to tourists coming here. Its architecture is a perfect blend of Rajput, Mughal and European architectural styles. Its interiors are beautifully decorated giving a feeling that one has come to the era of raja-maharajas. There is also a museum in its complex where you can treat your eyes with a variety of royal belongings.
Deshnok Temple
It is a fascinating and unique attraction of Bikaner where people come from far and wide. Around 20,000 rats live in this temple and are treated like king. The temple is dedicated to Karni Mata, the incarnation of goddess Durga. According to the legend the goddess lived here in the 14th century. And it is believed that the souls of dead Charans, the devotees of the goddess reside in these rats. The temple also boasts of beautiful marble façade and huge silver doors.
Camel Festival
For seeing the colorful sides of Bikaner participate in its camel festival which is held in January every year. The main highlights of the festival are dance, music, camel sports and traditional cuisine.
Camel Breeding Farm
It is another famous attraction of Bikaner where hundreds of camels are reared. This farm is engaged in research on camels. It is one of its kind institutes in India. It was founded by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) in July 1984.
Bikaner Travel Guide offers wonderful attractions like palaces, forts, museums, festival and much more. Bikaner tourist places include Junagarh Fort, Lalgarh Palace, Deshnok temple are its famous attractions.
When to visit Bikaner?
The best time to visit Bikaner is from October to March as the weather becomes cheerful and pleasant. The summers are not very comfortable to visit Bikaner. January is the special month to visit Bikaner because a camel fair held here.