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Bikaner
 A dust-swirling desert town, Bikaner’s finest sight is its fort, with dazzlingly rich interiors. Close to the fort lies the old walled city, with medieval-seeming streets,
dark-red sandstone havelis and some exquisitely painted Jain temples. Bikaner was founded in 1488 by Rao Bika, a descendant of Jodha, Jodhpur’s founder, and was another important staging post on the great caravan trade routes.
The old city is encircled by an 18th-century 7km-long city wall with five entrance gates. The fort is northeast, outside the walls.
Other Useful Information
Around Bikaner
Devi Kund
The marble and red-sandstone royal cenotaphs of the Bika dynasty rulers, with some fine frescoes, are 8km east of Bikaner.
Deshnok
Most travellers coming to Bikaner head straight to the extraordinary Karni Mata Temple (admission free, camera/video Rs 20/50 opens 4am-10pm) at this village, 30km south of Bikaner
Kolayat
Set around a temple-ringed lake, Kolayat is a beautiful, small, less
popular town around 54km to the south of Bikaner. Adding to its sleepy air are
sadhus emerging from temples and shrines around the lakes.
Sights
Junagarh
Constructed between 1588 and 1593 by Raja Rai Singh – a general in the army of the Mughal emperor Akbar – this most impressive fort (admission adult/child Rs 100/50, camera/video Rs 30/100 opens 10am-4.30pm) has a 986m-long wall with 37 bastions, a moat and two entrances. The Surajpol (Sun Gate) is the main entrance to the fort. The palaces within the fort are on the southern side and make a picturesque ensemble of
courtyards, balconies, kiosks, towers and windows.
It’s the interiors that make it stand out. Highlights include: the Diwan-i-Khas, the Phool Mahal (Flower Palace), which is decorated with paintings and carved marble panels, the Hawa Mahal, the Badal Mahal and the Anup Mahal.
Lalgarh Palac
About 3km north of the centre, this red-sandstone palace was built by Maharaja Ganga Singh (1881–1942) in memory of his father Maharaja Lal Singh. It’s out-and-out grandeur, with overhanging balconies and delicate latticework. The first floor contains the Sri Sadul Museum (admission Indian/foreigner Rs 10/20, camera/video Rs 20/50 opens 10am-5pm Mon-Sat), which is well worth visiting, with lots of fascinating old black-and-white photographs and some evocative maharaja accessories. In front of the palace is a carriage from the maharaja’s royal train
Other Attractions
The narrow streets of the old city conceal a number of old havelis and a couple of notable Jain temples. The temples date from around the 15th century. Bhandasar Temple is particularly beautiful, with yellow stone carving and dizzyingly vibrant paintings. It’s said the foundations contain 40,000kg of
ghee(pure butter), and the floor still gets greasy in summer. Sandeshwar Temple is smaller, but has some fine carving.
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