Well, the fourth largest city of Rajasthan and most famously known for its unique and mouth-watering salted, chilli and sweet snacks(namkeens).

The city is also known as the City of Red as the entire city is built in red sand stones by the Bikaner Merchants.

DELIGHTS OF THE CITY

  • The Karni Mata Temple or Rat Temple
  • Junagarh fort and its temples
  • Laxmi Niwas Palace
  • The Lalgarh Palace

Camels and Sunsets in the Thar (The desert town of Bikaner is filled with temples and forts, but some of its finest adventures lie in the dunes and villages on its periphery. What better way to get to know the Thar than on a Lawrence of Arabia-esque escapade at the outskirts of Bikaner. The padded soles of the camel’s feet make a mockery of otherwise tough-to-walk on dunes. Get off the camel and explore villages as you speak to locals and find out more about their lifestyle, about what it takes to survive desert temperatures and areas with so little water. Stop for lunch at a village homeand wait for the golden sunset over the dunes before you head back.)

Rat Temple

 While you’re in Bikaner, you can visit Junagarh fort, Laxmi Niwas Palace, Lalgarh palace and also the nearby Gajner Sanctuary. However as per me, the best thing that I did here was walking around the streets of Bikaner’s old town. This is where you will find some old forgotten havelis that were built in the eighteenth centaury using red sandstones by Bikaner’s rich merchants. Be sure to check out my travel guide for Bikaner that has essential information about what you can do here

A mere 30 kilometres away from Bikaner is Deshnoke and the famous Karni Mata Temple. Not for the faint of heart, the temple’s marble facade and solid silver doors mark a home to nearly 20,000 rats, each of them considered holy. Step lightly as you walk, killing one even by mistake would require a replicate in silver. Head out on a camel ride through the sand dunes for a real experience of the various shades of Bikaner, or spend a night under the stars for a perfect night safari in the desert.