Desert Song

Rajasthan, down the decades, continues to fascinate the traveller- intrepid or armchair. The plethora of tourist pleasures that abound in this vast state will bring you back to her desert outposts, her water palaces, her rugged forts and graceful cenotaphs, again and again. Her colourful festivals and handsome women and intricately turbaned men rival the lure of the dancing and the music and the fiery cuisine.
Kings and commoners alike have left in a wondrous daze, having tasted of these cultural exotica.

The little desert town of Bikaner, set amongst the scraggly scrub of the Thar Desert was strategically positioned on the great trade route and was a busy trading post for the caravans that crossed into India from central Asia. It was also witness to some of the most colourful confrontations between the Rajputs and Mughals. Over half a dozen Bikaner rulers are said to have lost their lives fighting for the Mughals. Akbar himself took a Bikaneri princess for a wife and was responsible for the huge fort in the town during his reign, under the rule of Rai Singh. The Bikaners also befriended the British and the Raja's Camel Corp fought for the British in both World Wars and saw action in France, Egypt, Burma and China.

BET YOU DON'T KNOW:
The city was founded in 1486 as a link in the overland trading route, by Bika, one of fourteen sons of Rao Jodha, the Rathore king who established Jodhpur as the centre of the state of Marwar.

HOW TO REACH
RSTRC buses run to to Jodhpur via Nagaur (2hr 30min), Jaisalmer, Jaipur via Sikar, Fatehpur, Jhunjhunu, Ajmer, Kota, Barmer, Delhi, Udaipur, and Ahmedabad via Abu Road (10hr).
Private buses leave from MG Rd, just below the fort.
Trains include three to Delhi Sarai Rohilla (two by night, one by day) via Churu (4hr).
Services to Jaipur include the fast early-morning Intercity Express #2467 (6hr) and the slow overnight Bikaner Jaipur Express #4738 (10hr 30min). The latter also serves Churu, Fatehpur and Sikar. The best train to Jodhpur is the Kalka Express #4587, leaving late morning

GETTING AROUND

For trips around town, use any of the cycle or auto-rickshaws, or rent a bike; you'll find two bike rental shops outside the post office on Station Rd.

WHERE TO SHACK UP

Bikaner has a narrow range of hotels. A group of cheap and dingy places stands opposite the station, but in this area the railway retiring rooms (up to Rs100) are a better bet. More acceptable hotels line Station Rd, but for upmarket accommodation you'll have to go further afield. The extremely posh Lalgarh Palace is the only option near the bus stand.
Akash Deep, Station Rd (26024). Cleaner and quieter than its neighbours. Up to Rs100.

Amit, Station Rd (28064). Small but clean, set back a little from the noisy road. Rs100-150.
Bharat Niwas, Sadul Colony (23025; fax 523674). New hotel near PB Memorial Hospital. Bright and spotless with all the necessary comforts; the only minus is that the windows face inward. Rs225-350.
Jashwant Bhavan, Alakhsagar Rd, behind the station (521834). Peaceful family-run place, lined with old photos of the owner's father, who was a founding member of the Lok Sabha. Rs500-750.
Joshi, Station Rd (527700; fax 521213).
Smartest in the area. Clean carpeted rooms, some a/c. Rs225-350. Lalgarh Palace (523963; fax 522253).
Expansive, richly furnished rooms. Swimming pool, tennis courts and restaurant for guests only. Rs1200-2200.
RTDC Dhola Maru Tourist Bungalow, Pooran Singh Circle (28621). Well-kept rooms ranging from ordinary to super deluxe with balconies, and a cheap dorm. Up to Rs100-350

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK

Bikaner has only a few restaurants outside the hotels, serving mostly veg dishes. For quick, low-priced food try any of the open-air shacks on Station Rd, which always have several cauldrons of constantly warmed curries to choose from.

Annapurna, MG Rd. Inexpensive and unpretentious veg place serving south Indian and continental dishes. No smoking. Open 10am-9pm.

Chhotu Motu Joshi, Station Rd, next to the Joshi Hotel. Not a restaurant, but a popular place for lassi, sweets and snacks. Open 8am-10pm.

Delux and Evergreen, Station Rd. Two hotels next door to each other, both serving veg snacks, breakfast, and light south Indian meals. Open 8am-10pm.

Dhola Maru, Pooran Singh Circle. The only place apart from roadside stalls that sells good, inexpensive meat. Breakfast 8-10am, lunch noon-2.30pm, tea 4-6pm, supper 7-10pm.

Garden Cafe, off MG Rd by Ratan Bihariji Temple. Pleasant open-air park cafe serving ice-cream, milk shakes and south Indian snacks. Open 10am-10pm.

Joshi, Station Rd. Upstairs hotel restaurant serving good-value thalis (12.30-3pm & 7.30-10pm) and all-day breakfasts (6am-10pm).

THINGS TO DO

The march of time has seen the rapidly growing populace split the seams of this walled desert town and the spill over goes beyond the five sentinel gates. The famous Junagarh Fort towers dramatically over the township, the fourth largest city of Rajasthan. Never conquered this fortress has a motley
collection of palaces, temples and pavilions that lend themselves to leisurely explorations. You'll see the pathetic handprints of the 59 wives who committed jauhar in those days, and come away chastened. But your heart with thrill at the lavish Anup Mahal with its marbled columns pained by Persian artists, the lacquer work and mirrored inlays. Freak out on the opulence of the coronation room.

Bikaner's most enlightened Raja, Ganga Singh, had a vast Durbar Hall in his palace and its now been converted into a museum. Check out the World War I fighter aircraft. The Lalagarh Palace is part hotel and part royal residence. Get a load of the famous rat temple dedicated to Karni Mata (Durga incarnate) the tutelary deity of the Bikaner rajas, 30 km away at Deshnok. The thousands of rats scurrying around the temple complex are believed to hold the souls of Karni Mata's devotees. The well fed, fat rats were left unharmed even during the plague threat a couple of years ago. The Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum contains the royal silk robe, from Emperor Jehangir's times, when it was presented to the Bikaner ruler of his loyalty to the emperor.

Coming to Bikaner and not taking a camel safari? Make sure you have a good agent when you're planning your trip. It'll make all the difference.
Festival time in Bikaner adds new dimensions to the desert experience. The sands resound with the raw vitality of music and dance, and the frenzy of festivities hit a new note each season. In April it's the Ganguar Festival- fine homage to Shiv and Parvati and in the winter months its Dusshera and Diwali. Lose yourself in the colours of Holi in the spring.

hopping
Bikaner's camel leather products are legendary as its famous tea-time and cocktail snack bhujia. There's a lot of confectionery made out of camel's milk. Crystal sugar-misri is also a popular buy- serve it with cardamoms (elaichi). Did you know that the jail carpets of Bikaner have been awarded the Grand Prix Diploma, after their popularity at the exhibitions in France and England?

general inf :