BIKANER

Bikaner: A Journey Through the Desert City’s Landmarks

Bikaner is an beautiful and the ancient city, founded by Rao Bika in the year of 1488 , He is a Rathore prince. The town retains its mediaeval splendour and charm to a large extent and it is considered one of the most worth visiting cities in Rajasthan. But unlike other tourist places in Rajasthan, which have become overly crowded with tourists during the recent years, Bikaner still offers better view of Rajasthani culture and traditions in more unspoiled manner. The city boasts of some of the world’s best architecture examples, as it was during 15th century that this region prospered maximum. Bikaner is also famous for hosting number of historical as well as religious attractions that hold immense importance for both domestic as well as international visitors.

1.Bikaner Tourism – Junagarh Fort

2.Bikaner Tourism – Shri Laxminath Temple 

3.Bikaner Tourism – Lalgarh Palace 

4.Karni Mata Mandir (Rat temple) 

5.Kodamdesar Temple. above-mentioned landmarks are mostly visited places by all those flocking this historically prosperous region.

Junagarh Fort

Junagarh Fort is one of the most impressive and well maintained forts of Bikaner Rajasthan. Because of the empty land of desert, the Junagarh Fort was built in 1594 by Raja Rai Singh.

A general in the army of Emperor Akbar. This fort was built with a purpose to ensure safety of the city and also for it to be used as a residential complex.

The fort complex is so vast that it is better to avail a local guide who can help you explore the entire fort in a limited time. The stone carvings are mind blowing. The palaces inside the amid the cordon of wall built with red sandstone tells us stories of old world charm.

Anup Mahal: The wooden ceilings of this palace are very beautiful. The windows have attractive designs and the walls are painted red and gold.

Karan Mahal: This was the hall of public audience with similar work to Sheesh Mahal except that mirror work is replaced with paintings on the ceiling.

Chandra Mahal– It’s the most luxurious palace in the fort and its rooms are embellished with mirror works, mosaics of colored glasses, and murals illustrating the royal lives.

Phool Mahal– Commonly known as the “Flower Palace”, Phool Mahal is one of the ancient palaces in the fort which displays lovely flower motifs on walls and breathtaking gold paintings in frames.

Sri Laxminath Temple

Sri Lakshminath Temple is one of the oldest temples in Bikaner. It is, specifically, a dedication for the Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. Well, the Maharaja Ravalankarana had built the temple by the early 16th century, and now it is very much the same with some changes but still, the place has been sanctified to the sacred at that time the temple has a great religious significance. The Bikaner royal family told us that they had been praying over generations.

Shri Laxminath Temple is the architecture of which is not hard to grasp and yet it is dignified, this is a sign of the devotion of the people who live in this area. The temple is made from red sandstone and white marble which creates a pretty picture of it. Extincted inside the temple lord can see beautiful idols of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi which are decorated with precious jewels and ornaments.

The temple is a vital religious site that also the temple is beautifully lit for Janmashtami and Diwali, which creates the mood for all the people to come together and offer their prayers.

Shri Laxminath Temple is an ideal location for quiet meditation as well as adopting a peaceful environment for the people visiting. By the monument’s peacefulness and significance seen together, it becomes the best site in Bikaner.

Lalgarh Palace and Museum

An architectural monument that holds the royal allure of the Lalgarh Palace nestled in Bikaner, has been gracefully standing since 1902. It was the king of Bikaner Maharaja Ganga Singh who constructed this magnificent palace which had been named in memory of his father, Maharaja Lall Singh in the year 1926. The building is a prototype of the Indo-Saracenic style featuring the mixture of Mughal, Rajput, and European architectures in a harmonious, seamless manner.

As a matter of fact, the original material used to build the palace is red sandstone which accentuates the royal beauty and modernity of the overall construction. Alongside these, different architectural features such as jali windows, jharokhas, or overhanging enclosed balconies have been used extensively in Rajput palaces and thus the Lalgarh Palace is no different. Again, the interior of the palace is sprinkled with pretty paintings, fetchingly designed carpets, and palace furniture of the ancient age showing the gallant living of the royal family.

The history of the Lalgarh Palace is a unique one as a part of the palace is now serving as a museum and the remaining part is being used as a heritage hotel. Exhibiting the Lalgarh Palace first, it is clear that the majestic marble palace houses Lalgarh Palace Museum that carefully exhibits the historical artifacts, which help people to understand the proud past of Bikaner. Historians are able to view the oldest readable manuscripts in the town, photographs of the last three decades, antique weapons, cutleries, and clothes that previously belonged to the royal family at the house-museum. Maharaja Ganga Singh had the best of his hunting tours stored in the museum.

Karni Mata Mandir (The Rat Temple)

The Karni Mata Mandir, which is also popularly known as the Rat Temple, is an unusual and attention-grabbing religious building in India Pink Karni Mata is Deedolized in the Karni Mata Mandir temple A the Rat Temple also called the Rat Temple Everything that we come across today is the meritorious result of the life of Karni Mata Her temple is a must-see for all people. In the small town Deshnoke, a 30-kilometer distance away from Bikaner is the location of this temple. The temple is like a pilgrimage site to Karni Mata, a sacred figure commonly thought to be an embodiment of Goddess Durga. The temple will provide guidance on how to offer prayers and offeJing the presence of the rats makes it more mysterious. The temple is also famous for the large number of rats, which are reverently considered to be divine and are held to be Karni Mata’s devotees reborn.

The black rats known as kabis in the sanctuary, thousands of them roam around very boldly. If a follower manages to spot a white rat, it is an encouraging event as it is shown to be a divine appearance of Karni Mata always show themselves as white rodents As the visitors reach the rats, they give them food, and the rats’ leftovers are considered to be sacred and righteous because they have eaten what the patrons offered.

Kodamdeshwar Temple

Kodamdeshwar Temple, located approximately 20 km from Bikaner, is a very revered temple specifically for Lord Bhairav, who is the avatar of Lord Shiva. The people of the temple shape the temple in their hearts as they believe it is the place where their desires come true or siddha peeth.

In the Kodamdeshwar Temple, there is no usual type of structured or grand type of temple is found. Rather, Vishnu the Lord is sheltered in the open sky as a sign of simplicity and tranquility. The temple’s atmosphere is the open-air design, and worshipers think that the blessings of Lord Bhairav do no less a job regardless of the temple’s ascetic appearance.

Annualy, the large fair called Kodamdesar Mela, is organized near the temple, and because of the event, thousands of pilgrims come from nearby areas to participate in it. The fair is replete with traditional local music, dance, and folk performances which contribute to the rich cultural heritage of the region.

Conclusion 

Bikaner, having got wonderful fortresses, palaces, and temples, provides its visitors with the most exquisite and diversified landscape of India. The city of Bikaner is once a monument to the past majesty and wealth of Rajasthan’s royal families and at the same time it is a place where the old customs of their religious and spiritual sides are carefully preserved.

The architectural richness as well as the historical importance of Junagarh Fort will give you a totally new view of this fort. You will also have the opportunity to find the peace and quiet of the spiritual world in the Shri Laxminath Temple. The Lalgarh Palace is an establishment where kings of Bikaner’s royal dynasty displayed their splendor and the Karni Mata Mandir is one of its kinds where the sense of reverence for the sacred rats is beyond description. Envision the word used by the people to describe the Temple if the Temple is also called the Lotus of Meena. The undistinguished Kodadmashwar Temple, on one hand, is the indispensable element of the naivety of people from the area, a manifest of their deep and fervent faith‍while on the other hand, it is nothing but the most ungodly of them all.

No matter if you are a fan of history a seeker of the spiritual or are just a curious traveler, Bikaner is a city you have to visit. The harmonious interaction of history, culture, and spiritualism keeps the city as one of the premium liefs of the jovial flame in Rajasthan.