Junagarh Fort
Junagarh Fort was constructed between 1588
and 1593 by Raja Rai Singh, a general in the
army of Mughal emperor Akbar, with
embellishments in the form of palaces and
Luxurious suites added by subsequent
Maharajas. This fort has a 986m-long wall
with 37 bastions, a moat and two entrances.
The Surajpol or the 'Sun Gate' is the main
entrance. The palaces within the fort are on
the southern side and make a picturesque
ensemble of courtyards, balconies, kiosks,
towers and windows. A major feature of fort
and palaces is the superb quality of stone
carving. The handprints which can be seen
close to the Daulatpol commemorate the wives
of Rajput soldiers lost in battles, who
committed sati on their husbands' funeral
pyres.Lalgarh Palace
Situated 3km north of the city center this
palace which built by Maharaja Ganga Singh
in the memory of his father, Maharaja Lal
Singh. The Shri Sadul museum covers entire
first floor of the palace. The museum was
established in 1076 and there's a reasonable
collection of artifacts and personal
possessions of the Bikaner Maharajas and a
brass vessel known as a Tokan used to
collect revenue which was transported by
camel to the Bikaner state treasury.
Camel Research Farm
This government managed station, 8km from
Bikaner is probably unique in Asia. There
are about 230 camels at the National Camel
Research Center on Camels and three
different breeds are reared here. The
British army had a camel crops drawn from
Bikaner during the World War I. There is not
a great deal to see here, unless you have a
camel fetish, but you can take a camel ride,
visit baby camels and look around the small
museum. The Urol trust shop Abhivyakti was
also located here at the time of writing.
 Devi Kund
Eight Kilometers east of Bikaner, this is
the site of royal chatries of many of the
Bika dynasty rulers. The white marble chatri
of Maharaja Surat Singh is among the most
imposing.
Gajner Wildlife Sanctuary
The lake and forested hills of this reserve,
32 km from Bikaner on the Jaisalmer road,
are inhabited by wildfowl, hares , wild
boar, desert foxes and a number of deer and
antelopes including black bucks and blue
bulls. The lake at Gajner attracts water
birds in thousands. Imperial sand house
migrate here in winter. Gajner Wildlife
Sanctuary, houses the former Hunting lodge
of Bikaner and has a beautiful lake
surrounded by a dense forest.
more about gajner wildlife sanctuary
Bhandasar Temple
Bhandasar Temple is dedicated to the fifth
tirthankar Sumitnath, and the building was
commissioned in 1468 by a wealthy Jain
merchant, Bhandasa Oswal. It was completed
after his death, in 1514.
The interior of the temple is stunning,
with, unusually for a Jain temple, a series
of vibrant paintings. The pillars bear
floral abesques and stories that depict the
lives of of the 24 Jain tirthankars. It is
said that 40,000kgs of ghee was used instead
of water in the mortar, which locals insist
seeps through the floor on hot days. On
first floor of the three-story temple are
beautiful miniatures of the sentries of the
gods. There are fine views out over the city
from the third floor, with the desert
stretching behind it to the west.
Deshnok Karni Mata Temple
Deshnok is a village 30km south of Bikaner
along the Jodhpur road. A visit to Deshnok's
fascinating temple of Karni Mata, an
incarnation of Durga, is not far for
squeamish. Here the holy rodents are
considered to be incarnations of the
storytellers, an d run riot over the temple
complex. Karni Mata lived in the 14th
century and performed many miracles during
her life-time. When her youngest son, Lakhan,
drowned, Karni Mata ordered Yama, the god of
Death, to bring him back to life. Yama
replied that he was unable to do this, but
that Karni Mata, is an incarnation of Durga,
could restore Lakhan's life. This she did,
and decreed that members of her family would
no longer die, but would be incarnated as
kabas (rats), and these kabas would returns
as members of her family. There are around
600 families in Deshnok who claim both
decent from Karni Mata and that they will be
reincarnated as kabas.
The temple is an important place of
pilgrimage, with pilgrims being disgorged
every few minutes from buses. Before the
temple, is a beautiful marble facade with
solid silver doors donated by Maharaja Gaj
Singh. Across the doorway to the inner
sanctum are the repousse (raised relief)
silver doors - one panel shows the goddess
with her holy charges at her feet. An image
of goddess is enshrined in the sanctum.
There are special holes around the temple
courtyard to fascinate the rats' movements,
and a wire grille has been placed over the
courtyard to prevent the birds of prey and
other predators consuming the holy rodents. |
