Bikaner

Bikaner Monuments Entry Fee & Timing- Bikaner is located in the northwestern part of Rajasthan. It is a well-known district in the state. Bikaner has a rich historical tradition and thousands of tourists from all over the year come here to get a feel of the rich tradition and culture. Bikaner attracts thousands of travelers for its rich historical tradition and culture. The city consists of beautiful forts, castles, religious shrines, and other historical monuments.

Bikaner is famous for its Camels and located near Bikaner is the Government National Research Centre specializing in camel research. The Government camel breeding farm can be found 9km southeast of Bikaner. It was set up in 1975 and breeds nearly half of the camels in India. It is best to visit here in the late afternoon when the camels return from their grazing. Many tourists peoples and travelers travel to Bikaner to visit the famous Kami Mata Temple of Deshnokewhere rats are worshipped. The Karni Mata Temple is located 30 km south of Bikaner at Deshnoke but is generally visited while people stay in Bikaner.

It was constructed by Maharaja Ganga Singh in the early 1900s as a tribute to the rat goddess, Karni Mata. The temple is home to 20.000 rats. Karni Mata was a mystic matriarch from the 14th century and was thought to be an incarnation of Durga, the goddess of power and victory. When the child of one of her clansmen died she attempted to bring it back to life. However, Yama, the god of death told her the child had already been reincarnated. Karni Mata bargained with Yama to make a promise that all the people from her tribe would be reborn as rats until they could be born back into the clan. In Hinduism. this cycle of transmigration is known as samsara and this is why Karni Mata’s rats are treated like royalty. Devotees coming to the temple make offerings to them generally in the form of milk, grains, and sweets.

Junagarh Fort

One of the principal monuments of Bikaner is the Junagarh Fort. Constructed in 1593 AD by Raja Rai Singh, it is surrounded by a deep moat, where is believed crocodiles were bred. 37 bastions defend the fort and two entrance gates, the main being known as the ‘Suraj Pol’ or the Sun Cote within the premises of this majestic and impenetrable fortress, one will come across numerous palaces, temples, and pavilions. Made of red sandstone and marble, these palaces strikingly feature intricately carved towers, alongside their picturesque amalgamation of courtyards. kiosks, windows, and balconies. These palaces include “Karan Mahal’, and ‘Phool Mahat. ‘Ganga niwas’, ‘Anup Mahal’, ‘Dungar Mahal’, ‘Chandra Mahal’ and Rang Mahal. These display spellbinding paintings, mirrors, and glass artifacts. The Har Mandir is the majestic chapel where the royal family worships their gods and goddesses. Museums in the fort spectacularly provide a peep into the grandeur of past Maharana’s lifestyle.

Lalgarh Palace

The Lalgarh Palace is one of the most popular and most visited monuments in Bikaner. It was built by Maharaja Ganga Singh as his residential palace ‘Laxmi Niwas’ originally, the first and most impressive wing of this exquisite masterwork in red sandstone. Designed in Indo-Saracenic style in 1896, by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, one of the most accomplished British architects ever to work in India; he later enlarged it at the beginning of the 20th century,

With the finest of materials and carved stonework employed in its construction, this gigantic palace houses the Shri Sadul Museum contains the fourth largest private library in the world, the Lallgarh Palace Hotel, a heritage hotel, and the Laxmi Niwas Palace, a luxury hotel. The entire three-story complex is established in a deluxe fashion, featuring drawing rooms, smoking rooms, card rooms, billiards rooms, guest suites, and grand halls. lounges, pavilions, cupolas, Italian colonnades, magnificent pillars, and fireplaces. It also has an indoor swimming pool and a dining room with the capacity to accommodate 400 diners to boast of. notwithstanding his scholarly approach. Jacob’s masterwork is influenced by European ideas of form and composition, particularly the interiors. The entire architecture is a conglomeration of Rajput, Mughal, and European styles, with fine Latticework and filigree work involved. It stands amidst lush sprawling lawns with dancing peacocks and blooming bougainvilleas filling its visual delight. The Latgarh Palace is an eloquent testimony of the relationship between the princely states and the British Raj.

Gajner Palace

The Gajner Palace constructed on the banks of Gajner Lake by Maharaja Ganga Singh, was the hunting lodge for the royal family. The palace is a heritage hotel today. in the thick forests of the Gajner Wildlife Sanctuary. The Jharokhas and carved pillars of the palace boast the brilliant craftsmanship of traditional artisans. Migratory birds in huge numbers can be seen flocking around. It is the perfect place to spend a quiet evening beside the silent and stunning lake underneath the skies. The well-known temples of Bikaner include the world-famous shrine of Karni Mata in Deshnoke town and the Bhandeswari Jain Temple intricately decorated with rich mirror work, sculpted pillars, gold leaf works, and frescoes. The Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum has a fine collection of pottery paintings and weapons used by Rajputs. Devi Kund, about 8 kilometers from Bikaner city is the royal crematorium place of the royal family of Bikaner, with a range of eye-catchy cenotaphs. These are finely domed and intricately carved pavilions in red sandstone and white marble. The chhatri of Maharaja Suraj Singh is the most attractive of all, with striking Rajput paintings beautifying the ceiling.

Karni Mata Temple
Karni Mata Temple is a pilgrimage hub that is located at a distance of 32 km from Bikaner at Deshnok. The temple was designed to pay homage to a local deity that is the ‘Karni Mata’ and as confirmed, she was the caretaker of the family of Rajputs. Here, the visitors are surely going to get thrilled to see thousands of rats running there within the temple’s vicinity and no one even would remove them. It is because people consider these creatures as the ‘holy ones’.
Also, it is believed that the person who spots the white rat is the luckier one and that is undoubtedly a good sign. On talking with the locales, they said that the white rats in the temple might be one or two in number! The walls and pillars of this temple are attractively crafted with the beautiful religious carvings undoubtedly adding a charm to its construction.

Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum

The museum also known as the Bikaner Museum by collecting the residues from the Barapole area in Bikaner. Italian linguistic Tacintori established this museum on the instructions of Maharaja Ganga Singh, Viceroy Linlithgow inaugurated this museum on November 5, 1935. Rifles, Coats, Bags, etc. have been kept for the Bikaner who was used by Maharaja Ganga Singh in the First World War so this museum is the center of attraction for tourists.
Visitors can see sculptures, statues, inscriptions, a collection of postures, and antique materials. pottery, weapons, and paintings. The coins of the soil are preserved in the Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum which is considered as Harappan civilization and Kushan period. Kalibanga, Pilibhanga DulMani, Bhawar Badopal, Manak, and rang mahal obtained jewelry are also safe here. The museum exhibits art from the 5000-year-old culture to the 20th century. It is also added to the list of Bikaner Sightseeing.

Rampuria Haveli 

Rampuria Haveli Bikaner Situated inside the walled city of Bikaner is Bhanwar Niwas, the grandest of the famed havelis belonging to the Rampuria family. Bhanwar Niwas is a tribute and testimony to the skill and craftsmanship of the artisans of Bikaner. Completed in 1927 for Bhanwarlalji Rampuria, heir to a textile and real estate fortune, Bhanwar Niwas reflects the fashionable tastes of the 1920s, a taste for formal and well-ordered luxury with modern conveniences of the time. The architecture of the Haveli is a fascinating mix of Indian and European styles

Kodamdesar Bhairu Ji Temple 

Kodamdesar Temple was built by Rao Bika Ji, the founder and ruler of Bikaner (1472-1504 AD), who belonged to the royal family of Jodhpur. He left Jodhpur in 1465 AD to establish Bikaner State and built this temple during the first three years of his arrival from Jodhpur. This place of worship was initially chosen as the site to lay the foundation of Bikaner but was later shifted to its present location. Kodamdesar Temple is dedicated to Lord Bhairon Ji, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Born out of Bhruguti (the place in between the two eyebrows), Lord Bhairon Ji was the fierce form of Lord Shiva. One of the first establishments by Rao Bika, the Kodamdesar Temple is a unique place to visit. The Temple is completely open, having no rooms or doors. There is only a huge idol of Bhairon Ji at the center. The entire floor is built of white marble. One can see the presence of several dogs in the temple complex. There is a pond behind the temple.