Bikaner

Bikaner
—  city  —
Bikaner
Location of Bikaner
in Rajasthan and India
Coordinates
Country  India
State Rajasthan
District(s) Bikaner
Population

• Density

 723,982 (2008)

• 1,960 /km2 (5,076 /sq mi)
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area

• Elevation

 270 km2 (104 sq mi)

• 242 metres (794 ft)

Bikaner is a District in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan in northern India. The city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. It was formerly the capital of the princely state of Bikaner. The city was founded by Rao Bika and Jats[1] as the spot which Rao Bika selected for his capital, was the birthright of a Nehra Jat, who would only concede it for this purpose on the condition that his name should be linked in perpetuity with its surrender. Naira, or Nera, was the name of the proprietor, which Bika added to his own, thus composing that of the future capital, Bikaner.[2][3][4] in 1486 and from its small origins it has developed into the fourth largest city in Rajasthan. The Ganga Canal completed in 1928 and the Indira Gandhi Canal completed in 1987 have allowed the farming of crops such as mustard, cotton, Groundnut, wheat and vegetables. Other industries include wool production and the mining of Gypsum, plaster of Paris and bentonite.

Bikaner is famous for sweets and snacks (or namkeens in hindi).

Contents

History

Genealogy of Bikaner Royal Family from its establishment by Rao Bika in 1472

Before middle 15th century rule, the region that is Bikaner was a barren wilderness called "Jangladesh".[5] The territory forming the boundaries of Bikaner was ruled by Jat dynasty of Jats :[1] The north-eastern and north-western Rajasthan, known by the name Jangala Desh since Mahabharata times, was inhabited by Jat clans ruled by their own chiefs and largely governed by their own customary law.[6] The chiefs enjoyed a large amount of autonomy, from their nominal overlord, the sultanate of Delhi.

Whole of the region was possessed by six or seven Jat cantons namely Suhhag, Funia, Podara, karan, Beniwallll, Johhohohiya[7] and Kaswan[8]. Besides these cantons there were several sub-castes of Jats, simultaneously wrested from Rajput proprietors for instance Bagor, Kharipatta, Mohila or Mehila,[7] Bhukar, Bhadu, Chahar.[9] According to History of Bikaner State and by the scholars, the region was occupied by Jats with their seven territories. It is said about Jat territories thatSaat Patti Sattavan Majh (means seven long and fifty-seven small territories).[10][11]

It was in 1472, that Rao Bika established the city of Bikaner. Rao Bika was the second son of Maharaja Rao Jodha of the Rathor clan, the founder of Jodhpur city. He conquered the large arid lands to the northern region of Rajasthan to set up his domain. As the second son of Joda he had no chance of inheriting his father’s territory of Jodhpur or to the title of Maharaja. He, therefore, reconciled and decided to build his own kingdom at Bikaner at the place then called "Jungladesh". Bikaner, though a desert land of the Thar Desert, was considered an oasis on the trade route between Central Asia and the Gujarat coast since it had adequate spring water sources. Bika’s name was thus tagged to the Bikaner city as well as to the then state of Bikaner (“the settlement of Bika”) that he established. He built a fort in 1478, which is now ruins and 100 years later a new fort was built about 1.5 km from the city centre known as the Junagarh Fort. History of Bikaner and the fort within it thus start with Bika.[12][13][14]

It was only about 100 years after Bika that Bikaner’s fortunes flourished under Raja Rai Singhji, the sixth ruler of Bikaner, who ruled from 1571 to 1611. During the Mughal Empire’s rule in the country, he accepted the suzerainty of the Mughals and held a high position of an army general in the court of Emperor Akbar and his son Emperor Jahangir. His successful war exploits by way of winning half of Mewar kingdom won him accolades and rewards from the Mughal emperors. He was gifted the jagirs (lands) of Gujarat and Burhanpur. With the large revenue earned from these jagirs, he built the Junagarh fort on a plain land, which has an average elevation of 760 feet (230 m). He was an expert in arts and architecture and the knowledge that he acquired during his several sojourns to several countries are amply reflected in the numerous monuments he built in the Junagarh fort.[12][14][15]

Karan Singh who ruled from 1631 to 1639, under the suzerainty of the Mughals, built the Karan Mahal palace. Later rulers added more floors and decorations to this Mahal. Anup Singh, who ruled from 1669–98, made substantial additions to the fort complex, with new palaces and the Zenana quarter (royal dwelling for females). He refurbished the Karan Mahal with a Diwan-i-Am (public audience hall) and called it the Anup Mahal. Gaj Singh who ruled from 1746 to 1787 refurbished the Chandra Mahal (the Moon palace). Following him, Surat Singh ruled from 1787 to 1828 and he lavishly decorated the audience hall (see picture in info box) with glass and lively paintwork. Dungar Singh who reigned from 1872 to 1887 built the Badal Mahal (the weather palace) named so in view of a painting of falling rain and clouds (a rare event in arid Bikaner). Ganga Singh who ruled from 1887 to 1943 built the Ganga Niwas Palace, which has towers at the entrance patio. This palace was designed by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob.[16] Ganga Singh’s son Sadul Singh succeeded his father in 1943 but acceded to the Union of India in 1949. He died in 1950.[13]

Bikaner came under the suzerainty of the British Raj under a treaty of paramountcy signed in 1818, where after the Maharajas of Bikaner invested heavily on refurbishing their Junagarh fort.[17] However, during the 18th century, before this treaty was signed, there was internecine war between rulers of Bikaner and Jodhpur and also amongst other thakurs, which was put down by the British troops.[14]

Left: Lalgarh palace built (Indo-Saracenic style) by Ganga Singh in the name of his father, presently a heritage hotel and also residence of the Royal family. Right: Ganga Singh as member of the Imperial War Cabinet

Ganga Singh was the best-known king among the Rajasthan princes and he was a favourite of the British Raj and he earned the title of Knight Commander of the Star of India. He served as a member of the Imperial War Cabinet, represented the country at the Imperial (First World War Conferences) and the British Empire at the Versailles Peace Conference and was aware of the shift of fortunes in the World War II but died in 1943, before the war was won by the allies. His contribution to the building activity in Junagarh involved separate halls for public and private audience in the Ganga Mahal and a durbar hall for formal functions. The hall where he held his Golden Jubilee as a ruler of Bikaner is now a museum. He also got a new palace -north of Junagarh fort - designed and built by Swinton, the third of the new palaces built in Bikaner and named it Lalgarh Palace in the name of his father and shifted his residence from Junagarh fort to this palace in 1902. The royal family still lives in a special suite in the Lalbagh palace, which they have converted in to a heritage hotel.[14][17]

Geography

Sand dunes in Bikaner, Rajasthan

Transport

The internal transport system in Bikaner consists of autorickshaws and city buses. Bikaner is connected to some of major Indian cities via broad gauge railway. The city has direct rail connections to Delhi, Mumbai, Kanpur, Agra, Jalandhar, Baroda, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Guwahati, Jaipur, Surat, Jalandhar, Thiruvananthapuram, Chandigarh, Jammu, and Ahmedabad. However, there is no rail connectivity for other major Indian cities like Chennai, Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Gorakhpur and Puri. Bikaner is well served with roads and is linked directly to Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Ludhiana, Bhatinda, Ambala, Ahmedabad, Haridwar, Jodhpur, Indore and many other cities. National highways 11, 15, and 89 meet at Bikaner. Bikaner has a well equipped military airport at Nal and hopes to have a passenger airport in the near future.

Climate

Bikaner is situated in the middle of the Thar desert with very little rainfall and extreme temperatures. In summer, temperatures exceed 50 °C and during the winter it dips to freezing point.

The climate in Bikaner is characterised by extreme variations in temperature. In the summer season it is very hot when the temperatures lie in the range of 28–41.8 °C (82–107 °F). In the winter, it is fairly cold with temperatures lying in the range of 5–23.2 °C (41–74 °F).[18] Annual Rainfall is in the range of 260–440 millimetres (10–17 in).[18][19]

Art & Culture

Princely flag of Bikaner

Bikaner is famous for -:

1) Its camel research farm (NRCC). 2) Its "Bikaneri Bhujia. 3) Its wool production. 4) Its sweets.

Bikaneri Bhujia is a spicy snack made from moth dal, spices and edible oil. Bikaner is also known for its handicrafts and leather articles, for its palaces and for having Asia's biggest camel farm.

The city is also known for its intricately carved Jharokas. These red sandstone stone jalis (screens) are found on the windows of the Junagarh fort, temples and havelis (mansions of Northern India). Jalis would be used for ventilation and for women to watch the world while remaining hidden.

The red sandstone for these stone window screens was supplied by the nearby village of Dulmera.

Usta & Chadhwa Art

Bikaner was and is the centre for Usta Art, a generic term for the Manoti-Naqqashi (embossed and unembossed floral and geometric patterned objects layered with gold) media produced by Usta family master artistans of Bikaner. The Usta artists and artisans also controlled all production of the Bikaner School "miniature" paintings using translucent and opaque vegetable and mineral watercolours from the late-16th to late-19th Century. Famous painters of the Bikaner School were Hamid Rukn-ud-din, Ahmad, Nathu ji, Nure, Rahim, Isa, Iso, Sahab-ud-din, Rehim ji and Murad.

Fairs and festivals

Attractions in Bikaner and nearby

Junagarh Fort, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India

Junagarh Fort

The fort was built by Raja Rai Singh, the sixth ruler of Bikaner who reigned from 1571 to 1612. Rai Singh had conquered part of Marwar and had been granted territory in Gujurat and Burhanpur by the Mughal emperor Akbar as a reward for his services as military commander. This, as well as funding from Jodhpur, enabled him to build the fort. Rai Singh held high rank in the imperial courts of both Akbar and his successor, Jehangir. During his imperial service he travelled extensively, giving him an appreciation of art and architecture. These ideas have been incorporated meticulously into the architectural style of Junagarh Fort.

Laxmi Niwas Palace

Laxmi Niwas Palace

The Laxmi Niwas Palace is a former residential palace of the king of the former Bikaner state, Maharajah Ganga Singh in Bikaner in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was designed by the British architect, Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob in the year 1902. The style of architecture is Indo-Saracenic. It is now a luxury hotel owned by Golden Triangle Fort & Palace P. Ltd. The magnificent structure in red sandstone is one of the most popular destinations for tourists in Bikaner.[20]

Lalgarh Palace

Lalgarh Palace

Lalgarh Palace was built between 1902 and 1926 according to Rajput, Mughal and European architectural styles. The building was commissioned by Maharaja Ganga Singh (1889–1925) in memory of his father Maharaja Lall Singh and was designed by the British architect, Sir Swinton Jacob. It is coated in red sandstone and has several grand halls, lounges, cupolas and pavilions. The building features magnificent pillars, elaborate fireplaces, Italian colonnades and intricate latticework and filigree work. The palace houses the Shri Sadul Museum as well as a large and important collection of Sanskrit manuscripts, the Anup Sanskrit Library. Though the Bikaner Royal Family still live in the palace, part of the building has been converted into a Heritage hotel operated by the Royal faimly of Bikaner.

Moolnayakji

Constructed in 1486, Moolnayakji was the first Vaishnav Temple built in Bikaner. It was the principal seat of the Vaishanv sect. The first of the Bhagavad Katha Vachaks of the Rattani Vyas clan of Bikaner Shri Rattoji Vyas gave the Bhagavad Updesh to the king, Rao Bika and his aide Salloji Rathi. This practice is carried on till date. The presiding deity is Lord Moolnayak Krishna.

Bhandasar Jain Temple

Laxmi Nath Temple

Laxmi Nath Temple is one of the oldest temples in Bikaner. The foundation of the city was laid here in 1488 by Rao Bikaji. The temple was erected during the reign of Rao Lunkaran and was added to by Maharaja Ganga Singh.

Bhandasar Jain Temple

Out of the 27 beautiful Jain Temples adorning the landscape of Bikaner city, this temple dedicated to 5th Tirthankar Lord Sumatinath is considered to be the most beautiful and also the highest. This temple was built by a Jain merchant Bhanda Shah. The foundation of this temple was filled by pure ghee and dry coconuts.

This temple is mainly famous for wall paintings and usta art. The temple is built of red sandstone and is divided in three floors. One can see the skyline of Bikaner by climbing to the topmost floor of this temple.

Kolayat

Kolayat is a famous pilgrimage spot with a temple dedicated to Kapila who, according to his devotees, sat in meditation near the lake. One week before Pushkar Festival and till one week later this lake is more interesting if you like to see Sadhus. Pushkar will have some Sadhus but Kolayat will have many hundreds.

Karni Mata Temple

The world famous shrine of Karni Mata can be found in the town of Deshnoke 30 km south from Bikaner on the road to Jodhpur. Karni Mata is worshiped as an incarnation of Goddess Durga.

This temple is famous for rats which can be seen everywhere in the temple.

Shiv Bari Temple

Built from red sandstone by Dungar Singh in the late 19th century, the temple is surrounded by a wall with battlements. It has a four faced black marble statue of Shiva and a bronze Nandi facing the Shiva Lingam. There are also two large reservoirs of water known as bawaris. The temple attracts thousands of visitors during Shravan (August) especially on Mondays.

Other attractions

Demographics

According to the 2001 India census [21], Bikaner had a population of 529,007. Males constituted 53% of the population and females 47%. Bikaner has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 74% and female literacy of 57%. 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Education in Bikaner

For notable Universities and colleges see List of universities and colleges in Bikaner:Now there are 4 Engineering colleges as Manda Institute of technology,bikaner(jaipur Road),Engineering College Bikaner,Marudhar Engineering College(Jaipur road),College of Engineering & Technology, Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Jaisalmer Road, Bikaner Swami Keshvanand rajasthan agricultute University, ganganagar Road, Bikaner Government Dunger College, jaipur Road, Bikaner M.S. College for Women, Jaisalmer Road, Bikaner Keen college, Rampuria College, Joshiwara, inside kote gate, Bikaner.

For notable schools see List of schools in Bikaner, Rajasthan. There are three Kendriya Vidyalaya Schools (KVs) - K.V. No. 1 (on Jaipur road),K.V. No. 2 (inside Army campus) and K.V. No. 3 Nal Bikaner (inside Air Force Station Nal Bikaner). There are convent school like - Bikaner Boys School (BBS),Sophia Senior Secondary School,Delhi Public School,Dayanand Public School. K.A.M. Children Secondary School, Neel kanth Colony, In frount of Cine Magic Cinema, Rani Bazar Industrial Area, Bikaner Government Fort Sr. Sec. School, Station Road, Bikaner Govt. Sadul Sr. Sec. School, Inside Kote Gate, Bikaner Major Thomus Govt. City Sr. Sec. School, Morden Market School, Bikaner

Connectivity

Bikaner is well connected by road, rail and air links to the rest of the country.[22]

Bikaner has an airport named Nal Airport, which is 17 kilometres (11 mi) away from the city centre and is still not fully functional. However, airports at Jodhpur (254 kilometres (158 mi)) and Sanganer Airport at Jaipur (352 kilometres (219 mi)) within Rajasthan provide the link.

Bikaner is served by two railway stations namely Bikaner Junction (BKN)[23] and Lalgarh Railway Station (LGH)[24]. These two stations connect Bikaner with other cities and towns in Rajasthan and with the major cities in North India.

There is very good network of city roads also where all modes of vehicular transport communications operate.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Thakur Deshraj, Jat Itihas, 1934, p. 616-624
  2. ↑ http://www.bkn.co.in/History.php
  3. ↑ http://www.prachinamuseum.org/bikaner.htm
  4. ↑ http://www.travelgrove.com/travel-guides/India/Bikaner-History-c868406.html
  5. ↑ "Bikaner". http://www.rajasthantourism.gov.in/destinations/bikaner/bikaneroverview.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-08. 
  6. ↑ Dasharatha Sharma, Rajasthan through the ages, Jodhpur, 1966, Vol.I, p. 287-288
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Tod. Pages 1126 and 1127.
  8. ↑ Ibid., Seventh clan of Jats
  9. ↑ Thakur Deshraj, Jat Itihas, Delhi, 2002, p. 269-285
  10. ↑ G.S.L.Devra, op. cit., Cf. Dayaldas ri Khyat, Part II, p. 7-10
  11. ↑ Ibid., p.103
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Ring, Trudy; Robert M. Salkin, Sharon La Boda (1996). International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 1884964044. http://books.google.com/books?id=vWLRxJEU49EC&pg=PA132&dq=Junagarh+Fort#v=onepage&q=Junagarh%20Fort&f=false. Retrieved 2009-12-07. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Ward, Philip (1989). Northern India, Rajasthan, Agra, Delhi: a travel guide. Pelican Publishing Company. pp. 116–119. ISBN 0882897535. http://books.google.com/books?id=KubCD2jHjEsC&pg=PA116&dq=Junagarh+Fort#v=onepage&q=Junagarh%20Fort&f=false. Retrieved 2009-12-07. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 "History". National Informatics centre, Bikaner district. http://bikaner.nic.in/matter_historyn.htm. Retrieved 2009-12-07. 
  15. ↑ "Junagarh Fort, Bikaner". http://www.realbikaner.com/palace/junagarh/index.html. Retrieved 2009-12-07. 
  16. ↑ Ring p.132
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Ring p.133
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Bikaner". http://www.rajasthaninfo.org/bikaner.htm. Retrieved 2009-12-09. 
  19. ↑ "Climate of Bikaner". http://www.bikanertourism.com/bikaner-travel/climate.html. Retrieved 2009-12-09. 
  20. ↑ Laxmi Niwas Palace (Bikaner, Rajasthan) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor
  21. ↑ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01. 
  22. ↑ "Junagarh Fort of Bikaner in Rajasthan, India". http://www.tourismtravelindia.com/rajasthanportal/touristattractions/junagarh.html. Retrieved 2009-12-07. 
  23. ↑ Indiarailinfo: Bikaner Junction
  24. ↑ Indiarailinfo: Lalgarh Railway Station

External links

Cities and towns in Bikaner district
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