This article is about the city Bikaner in Rajasthan, India. For its namesake district, seeBikaner district. For the historical region and state, seeBikaner state.
The name "Bikaner" is a combination of two elements: "Bika", derived from the city's founder,Rao Bika and "Ner", which is believed to mean "place" or "city" in the localRajasthani language. Hence, "Bikaner" translates to "the city of Bika".[citation needed]
Prior to the mid 15th century, the region that is now Bikaner was a barren wilderness calledJangladesh.[10][11]
Rao Bika established the city of Bikaner in 1488. He was the first son ofMaharajaRao Jodha of theRathore clan, the founder ofJodhpur and conquered the largely arid country in the north of Rajasthan. As the first son of Jodha he wanted to have his own kingdom, not inheriting Jodhpur from his father or the title of Maharaja. He therefore decided to build his own kingdom in what is now the state of Bikaner, in the area of Jangladesh. Though it was in theThar Desert, Bikaner was considered anoasis on the trade route betweenCentral Asia and theGujarat coast as it had adequate spring water. Bika's name was attached to the city he built and to the state of Bikaner ("the settlement of Bika") that he established. Bika built a fort in 1478, which is now in ruins, and a hundred years later a new fort was built about 1.5 km from the city centre, known as the Junagarh Fort.[12][13][14]
Around a century after Rao Bika founded Bikaner, the state's fortunes flourished under the sixth Raja, Rai Singhji, who ruled from 1571 to 1611. During theMughal Empire's rule in the country, Raja Rai Singh accepted thesuzerainty of the Mughals and held a high rank as an army general at the court of the EmperorAkbar and his son, the EmperorJahangir. Rai Singh's successful military exploits, which involved winning half ofMewar kingdom for the Empire, won him accolades and rewards from the Mughal emperors. He was given thejagirs (lands) of Gujarat andBurhanpur. With the large revenue earned from these jagirs, he built theChintamani Durg (Junagarh fort) on a plain that has an average elevation of 760 feet (230 m). He was an expert in arts and architecture, and the knowledge he acquired during his visits abroad is amply reflected in the numerous monuments he built at the Junagarh fort.[12][14][15]
Maharaja Karan Singh, who ruled from 1631 to 1639, under the suzerainty of theMughals, built the Karan Mahal palace. Later rulers added more floors and decorations to this Mahal.Anup Singh, who ruled from 1669 to 1698, made substantial additions to the fort complex, including new palaces and theZenana quarter, a royal dwelling for women and children. He refurbished the Karan Mahal with a Diwan-i-Am (public audience hall) and called it the Anup Mahal. Maharaja Gaj Singh, who ruled from 1746 to 1787 refurbished the Chandra Mahal (the Moon Palace).
During the 18th century, there was an internecine war between the rulers of Bikaner and Jodhpur and also among otherthakurs, which was put down by British troops.[14]
Following Maharaja Gaj Singh, Maharaja Surat Singh ruled from 1787 to 1828 and lavishly decorated the audience hall (see illustration) with glass and lively paintwork. Under atreaty of paramountcy signed in 1818, during Maharaja Surat Singh's reign, Bikaner came under thesuzerainty of the British, after which the Maharajas of Bikaner invested heavily in refurbishing Junagarh fort.[16]
Dungar Singh, who reigned from 1872 to 1887, built the Badal Mahal, the 'weather palace', so named in view of a painting of clouds and falling rain, a rare event in arid Bikaner.
The Maharajah Ganga Singh of Bikaner (1880–1943)
GeneralMaharajaGanga Singh, who ruled from 1887 to 1943, was the best-known of the Rajasthan princes and was a favourite of the BritishViceroys of India. He was appointed aKnight Commander of theOrder of the Star of India, served as a member of theImperial War Cabinet, represented India at the Imperial Conferences during theFirst World War and theBritish Empire at theVersailles Peace Conference. His contribution to the building activity in Junagarh involved separate halls for public and private audiences in the Ganga Mahal and adurbar hall for formal functions. He also built the Ganga Niwas Palace, which has towers at the entrance patio. This palace was designed bySir Samuel Swinton Jacob, the third of the new palaces built in Bikaner. He named the buildingLalgarh Palace in honour of his father, and moved his main residence there fromJunagarh Fort in 1902. The hall where he held his Golden Jubilee (in 1938) as Bikaner's ruler is now a museum.[14][16][17]
Bikaner is situated in the middle of theThar Desert and has ahot desert climate (Köppen climate classificationBWh), with very infrequentmonsoonal rainfall and extreme temperatures. In summer temperatures can exceed 48 °C or 118.4 °F, and during the winter they may dip below freezing.
The climate in Bikaner is characterised by significant variations in temperature. In the summer season it is very hot when the temperatures lie in the range of 28–53.5 °C (82.4–128.3 °F). In the winter, it is fairly cold with temperatures lying in the range of −4–23.2 °C (24.8–73.8 °F).[18] Annual rainfall is around 290 millimetres or 11.4 inches,[19] but occurs on a handful of days and even in these rain falls for an average total of fewer than thirty hours each year.[20] Rainfall is also confined almost entirely to the monsoon from June to September and is extremely variable from year to year: only 29 millimetres or 1.14 inches fell in 1899, but as much as 770.9 millimetres or 30.35 inches in 1945. The highest ever temperature recorded is 49.5 °C (121.1 °F) on 19 May 2016 and lowest ever recorded is −4.0 °C (24.8 °F) on 26 January 1964.
Climate data for Bikaner (1991–2020, extremes 1901–2020)
A variety of birds, mammals and reptiles live in Bikaner's semi-arid climate. Initiatives are being taken to bring back the number ofvultures which have dwindled. There are around 600 resident vultures at Jorbeer. The region is host to another 1,200 migratory vultures. Local varieties includeEgyptian andKing Vultures. The most common migratory vulture isEurasian Griffon coming fromSpain andTurkey. Other migratory vultures includeCinereous andHimalayan Griffons.[25][26]
As of the2011 Census of India[update] the population of Bikaner city was 644,406 placing it in the top 70major cities of India and 5th in Rajasthan. The female to male ratio in the city was 904/1,000. The literacy rate in the city was about 79%, male literacy being 87% and female literacy being 71%.[4]
The majority of the population of the city followsHinduism, with followers ofIslam a large minority. The city has a substantial followers ofJainism.[30]
Rajasthani is the major language spoken here, whileHindi is the significant minority . There are also small communities ofMarwari andPunjabi speakers residing in Bikaner.[7]
TheBikaner Municipal Corporation oversees local taxation, service delivery, and financial management for the city, including budgeting and accounting. Bikaner Municipal Corporation’s revenue comprises a mix of (i) own-source revenue, such as property tax, user charges, and rental income; (ii) assigned revenues (the city's share in state taxes); (iii) grants from the central and state governments.
According to data published on the CityFinance portal,[31] maintained by theMinistry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Bikaner Municipal Corporation’s total revenue increased from ₹67 crore in 2020–21 to ₹115 crore in 2022–23, representing a 72% growth. In FY 2022-23, own-source revenue contributed approximately 17% of the city’s total revenue. Key financial indicators for recent fiscal years are summarised below.
All figures are in crore rupees (₹ Cr)
Year
Total Tax Revenue
Total Own Revenue
Assigned Revenue
Total Grant
Total Revenue
Total Expenditure
Total Balance Sheet Size
2022–23
3
15
95.5
0.61
115
99
295
2021–22
2
9
59.71
–
72
96
285
2020–21
3
7
54.28
0.11
67
71
294
Source: Data submitted by the Bikaner Municipal Corporation and available under theBalance Sheet andIncome Statement sections on the CityFinance portal of theMinistry of Housing and Urban Affairs.[32]
Haldiram's, a multinational snacks and sweets company was founded by Ganga Bishan Agarwal of Bikaner. The Agarwal family also own other brands like Bikaji,Bikanervala, Bikano and Prabhuji.[39][33]
TheJunagarh Fort was built around 1594 CE by Raja Rai Singh. The fort was originally calledChintamani. It is one of the few major forts in Rajasthan which was not built on hilly terrain. The modern city of Bikaner has developed around the fort. The fort is studded with temples, grand palaces and huge pavilions and walls. In 1961, a museum was set up byMaharaja Karni Singh.[40] Its temples and palaces are preserved as museums and provide insight into the grandiose living style of the past Maharanas of Rajasthan.
TheLalgarh Palace is a former residentialpalace built by Maharajah Ganga Singh, the ruler of the former state of Bikaner. It was designed by theBritish architect,Samuel Swinton Jacob in the year 1902. The style of architecture isIndo-Saracenic. It is now a luxury Heritagehotel owned by the royal family of Bikaner.
Rao Bikaji's first fort, 'Bikaji Ki Tekri' built in 1478 is now in ruins. A hundred years later a new fort was built about 1.5 km from the city centre, named Junagarh Fort.[12][13][14]
The Karni Mata (करणी माता) Temple or the Rat Temple of Rajasthan is situated around 30 km away from the Bikaner city and is dedicated to goddess Karni Mata, a famous mystic of her times, believed to be an incarnation of goddessDurga. The locals will be quick to point out that the creatures running around in the temple are not rats, they arekaaba. Kaabas are believed to be reincarnations of humans who had been devotees of Karni Mata, and the brevity of human life did not sufficiently satisfy their devotion.
The shrine ofKarni Mata can be found in the town ofDeshnoke 30 km south from Bikaner on the road to Jodhpur. Karni Mata is worshiped as an incarnation of GoddessDurga.
Mukam Temple, also known as Mukti Dham Mukam, is a religious site located nearNokha in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan, India. It is considered the principal pilgrimage center of the Bishnoi community, a sect founded in the 15th century byGuru Jambheshwar, also known as Jambhoji. Followers of theBishnoi faith adhere to 29 principles that promote environmental conservation and compassion towards all living beings. The temple is built over the samadhi (final resting place) of Guru Jambheshwar and holds significant cultural and spiritual importance for Bishnois across the region.[45]
Built by Maharaja RaoLunkaran, Shri Laxminath Temple is one of the oldest temples in Bikaner and 4 kilometres fromJunagarh Fort. LordVishnu and GoddessLaxmi. The artwork inside the temple apart from the shrines is the doorway which is embellished in silver work. Festivals likeJanmashtmi,Nirjala Ekadashi,Rama Navami,Diwali andGita Jayanti are majorly celebrated at the temple.[46]
Bhandasar Jain Temple is known for its beautiful leaf paintings, frescoes and ornamented mirror work. This temple was constructed by Bhandasa Oswal in the 15th century. This temple is constructed using red sandstone with paintings on walls and pillars of the sanctum andmandapa. The temple is dedicated to the 5th Tirthankarasumatinatha. The temple consist ofgarbhagriha,antarala,mahamandapa andardhamandapa.[47]
International Camel Festival is held every year in January or February. Organised by the Department of Tourism, Art and Culture, the city celebrates the festival in honour of camels.
Competitions likeMr Bikana andMiss Marwan are also held during the festival.[48][49]
National Research Centre on Camels was established in 1984 in Bikaner by the Central Government underIndian Council of Agricultural Research at the outskirts of Bikaner city to promote research and development related to camels such as effective breeding, utilisation of camel milk. Scientists engage with all stakeholders like Camel herders, traders via collaborative programmes and significant growth had been made.[50] A camel museum is available to apprise them of the developmental and research aspects of the camel in the desert ecosystem. MaharajaGanga Singh of the Indian State of Bikaner foundedBikaner Camel Corps around 1890 and became a part of the BSF in Independent India.[51][52]
The Rajasthan government has decided to set up its first cow sanctuary in Bikaner. It has a dedicated Ministry of Cow Husbandry. The sanctuary is likely to be set up nearAmarpura village, about 70 km from Bikaner.[53]
Bikaner Railway Station is efficiently well connected to National CapitalDelhi and Rajasthan State's capitalJaipur along with major Indian cities.
Bikaner is well served with roads and is linked directly toDelhi and other major cities.
Central Bus Stand is the main bus station in Bikaner. It connects Bikaner to other cities in Rajasthan and nearby states via road.
Bikaner has Domestic Civil AirportNal Airport which is located 15 km west of the city. Regular flights toJaipur JAI andDelhi DEL commenced in 2017-18 underUDAN scheme ofNarendra Modi Govt.[55][56]
^Sharma, K. K., S. Kulshreshtha, A. R. Rahmani (2013).Faunal Heritage of Rajasthan, India: General Background and Ecology of Vertebrates. Springer Science & Business Media, New York.
^K. S. Singh, Madan Lal Sharma, A. K. Bhatia, 1994,Haryana, Page 97.
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