Bikaner

If ever beauty has bloomed in a desert, it has been at Bikaner. Founded in 1488 AD by Rao Bika Ji, it's located in north west part of Rajasthan state in INDIA.The imposing palaces, beautiful and richly sculptured temples of red and yellow sand stones display some of the finest creations of Rajput civilization. It's lust for "dessert"or affection for "desert" that tickles every heart to visit Bikaner.

Bikaner's history dates back to 1488 AD when a Rajput prince Rao Bika ji a descendent of the founder of Jodhpur (1459 AD)., Rao Jodha Ji established his kingdom here. Bika Ji chose a barren land called "Jungladesh" and shaped it into an impressive city, called Bikaner after the founder's name. Archeological surveys and excavations have established beyond doubt that civilization flourished here even before the Harappa period . Excavated statues, coins and carvings of stones and clay stands as testimony to this fact.

Sightseeing in Bikaner -

Junagrah Fort, Lallgarh Palace, Gajner Palace, Prachnia Museum, Devi Kund Sagar, Shri Laxmi Nath Temple, Bhandeshwar Jain Temple, Bikaner Havelis and Shiv Bari Mandir

SHOPPING -

Bikaner has attained popularity for items stitched out of camel hide which includes belts, wallets, bags, and Jutties (footwear) etc. Camel and sheep wool woven carpets and woolen items can be purchased from here. Bikaner is rich in jewellery and has a unique style. It is famous for enameled form of jeweller that is known as Kundan. Uncut stones, usually diamonds, are set into gold. Also worth buying are 'Nokha Quilts', known for light weight and better insulation. Beautiful cotton fabrics including sanganeri prints, tie & dies, paintings, embroidered shoes etc. are the best buys for women. In Junagarh at the entrance is an excellent craft shop run by Urmul Trust. Items sold here are of high quality and made by people of surrounding villages. The main shopping area lies around Kote Gate and Junagarh Fort which has interesting bazzars.

TRAVEL:

Bikaner is conveniently connected via rail and road network with all major cities of the country.  It has direct trains from Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jammu etc.
	Rail : Bikaner is directly linked by rail with major cities. Some important travel connections are from Delhi Sarai Rohilla, Jaipur, Mumbai, Calcutta, Jammu, Kalka, Ambala, Ahemadabad, Jaisalmer, Guwahati, Trivendrum, Secundrabad, Haridwar (The holi city),  Baroda, Surat, Agra, Allahabad, Kanpur, Chandigarh, Bhatinda, Jodhpur etc.
	Road :A wide network of bus services link Bikaner with several destinations. There is Rajasthan Roadway Deluxe, Super deluxe and AC buses as well as private travels also available from the major cities to make your travel comfortable.
	Air : Nal Airport is 17 Km from the city center. At present there are no commercial flights. Nearby airports are Jodhpur (254 kms) and Sanganer airport Jaipur(325 kms).
Local Transport :Un-metered taxis, auto-rickshaws, and tongas are easily available for local transport.