Desert Outpost Bikaner
Firmly planted in western Rajasthan Bikaner has a distinctly different feel from the other Rajasthani cities we’ve visited thus far. It’s a big city, but one that seems more like a desert outpost than a modern urban center. Camels are everywhere, used here mostly for pulling carts and work in agriculture. Hauling carts of brick, wood or stone, they share the road with cars, autorickshaws and motorbikes. Cows are still out in force, but buffalo have been replaced as the animal worker of choice. Below are the highlights of the time we spent in Bikaner.
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Junagarh Fort
It was a surprise that the last for we visited in Rajasthan, Junagarh Fort, turned out to be our overall trip favorite! Its foundation was laid in 1589 by Raja Rai Singh-ji. It is built in red sandstone with grand sections of Italian marble. The main courtyard is an excellent display of Mughal architecture, and there is a lovely pond in the middle. Spaces for public and private audiences are both beautifully decorated.
Within the fort, the locked doors of the Chandra Mahal and the Phool (flower) Mahal require a separate ticket. Contained within these former maharaja’s private quarters are some of the best-preserved, most detailed murals we’ve seen in India. Every surface is decorated with superbly detailed scenes of classic tales, animals and deities in rich, deep color.
Around Bikaner
Over in the old, walled part of the city is the typical warren of curvy streets, markets, and people and vehicles vying for space. There are a surprising number of extremely well-preserved buildings with ornately carved facades. The doorways are particularly interesting, some very small and right on the sidewalk, looking like a service door, or receiving area. Others were tall, grand entrances at the top of fancy stairs, or set back into an arched alcove.
Bhandasar Jain Temple
Bhandasar, the Jain Temple here, has some wonderful paintings on the walls and ceilings, as well as some unique carvings. The carved columns on the first floor are dominated by green, an unusual color, and the local stone used looks more like wood than rock. The priest here was especially friendly and welcoming, telling us to walk around wherever we liked and make ourselves comfortable. The city views from the third level of this three-story temple are beautiful, though you’ll end up with more pigeon poop on your bare feet than you ordinarily might find acceptable.
Karni Mata, The Rat Temple
About 40 mins outside of Bikaner, in Deshnoke, is a very unusual temple. At Karni Mata, the famous Rat Temple, rats clamber over railings, in and out of holes and crevices in temple walls. They drink from wide, metal bowls filled with milk, sweetened by candies dropped in by pilgrims and visitors. The story goes that Karni Mata, a mystic matriarch and incarnation of Durga, asked the god of death to bring the son of one of her storytellers back to life. He refused, and somehow from there on in, her clansmen were to be reincarnated as rats until they could be reincarnated again and cycle back into the clan. They are highly revered, and the site is a main temple of the royalty of both Jodhpur and Bikaner. We saw several wedding parties at the temple. Bride and groom, bound together with a sari, entered, looking for an auspicious sign or asking for/receiving a blessing. We didn’t spot a white rat, which would have been lucky, but rats certainly came close enough to run over our feet, another lucky sign.
Camel Safari
Bikaner is a great base from which to do an overnight camel safari in to the Thar Desert. We organized ours through the guesthouse we were staying in (see below). It was a great experience. We loved camping and looking up at the stars at night, after a meal cooked by a local family followed by singing by the fire. Our post on the camel safari experience gives all the details! You can also visit the National Camel Research Centre outside Bikaner to learn all there is to know about camels. You can even taste some camel’s milk treats while there. The ice cream wasn’t half bad!
Where We Stayed
Our guesthouse in Bikaner was perhaps our favorite in India, Jaswant Bhawan, a heritage house. Run by a lovely couple, the Singhs, this haveli felt like home. The main house was built in 1926 by the last Prime Minister of Bikaner state, and has been modified to accommodate guests. Our room was huge, with lots of marble, keeping things very cool. There were stacks of heavy wool blankets for the evening, and a great, sunny courtyard to hang out in during the day. We ate breakfast each morning in the part of the main house still used by the family. In order to get to the dining area, you pass through the room for receiving guests on the way. This sitting room has a woven carpet on the floor so nice you’re almost afraid to walk on it, antique furniture, gorgeous Indian miniature paintings on the walls and old photographs of important people and family members in uniforms or fancy dress. This family has clearly played an important role in the city for many years. Mr. Singh told us a story one day about his grandfather who fought in the Boxer Revolution. They loaded the men and camels on ships from the big port in what is now Pakistan, and sailed to China to fight on camelback! What a journey it must have been, and what an experience, especially in those times.
What a wonderful, magical world we live in. Thank you for bringing it closer!
The creatures in this post are not very inviting–rats and camels??? I am so amazed at the designs in the camel’s coat, the whole herd of animals in the street, and the rat temple??? The architecture is fabulous! Great photos!
This is why I love traveling: understanding things from different perspectives. In many countries around the globe people usually have the same reaction toward rats: “yikes!” or “eww!”. But in other part of the world (India that is), they are venerated in such way that people built a temple dedicated to them. Fascinating!