Bikaner & Junagarh Fort

Day 2 – Good Morning, Bikaner :)

So, we were finally in Bikaner on our day 2 of the Rajasthan Road Trip. Bikaner was formerly the capital of the princely state of Bikaner.

The city was founded by Rao Bika in 1486. It was carved out of a part of the Thar Desert, and was considered an oasis on the trade route between Central Asia and the Gujarat coast since it had adequate spring water sources.

From its small origins, it has developed into the fifth largest city in Rajasthan. A clean city and easy to get city around, today it is a vibrant, dust-swirling desert town with a fabulous fort and an energising outpost feel.

It’s less dominated by tourism than many other Rajasthan cities, though it has plenty of hotels and a busy camel-safari scene, which attracts plenty of travellers looking to avoid the crowding that occasionally occurs around Jaisalmer-based safaris.

Harasar Haveli existed once as a residential Haveli of Late Colonel Rao Bahadur Thakur Jeoraj Singh, former Home and Army Minister of princely State of Bikaner.

Because of his excellent services, he was given the position of the ruling chief of Thikana of Harasar, by Maharaja Ganga Singhji of Bikaner.

Hotel Harasar Haveli Bikaner

With numerous refurnishing and renovations, the residential heritage property is now a popular heritage hotel in Bikaner, run by the grandson of Thakur Jeoraj Singh, Kanwar Visvajeet Singh.

Harasar haveli offers large 38 twin bed and double bed rooms which are decorated with Rajasthani furnishings and provides amenities like telephone, cable television, hot/cold water and bathroom with essential toiletries.

It is an excellent choice for travellers visiting Bikaner, offering a quiet environment alongside many helpful amenities designed to enhance your stay.

The hotel also arranges dining facilities under the starry sky with traditional Rajasthani dishes and other cuisines. You may just unwind and have a relaxed stay at Harasar Haveli.

Our day 2 breakfast at the start of the day was a humble meal of masala omelette made with onions, ginger and green chillies downed with a few cups of coffee.

Temperatures were high in the city on Day 2. Yet, I ventured out for a visit to the famed Junagarh Fort. Junagarh Fort is one of the few major forts in Rajasthan that is not built on a hilltop.

The fort complex was built under the supervision of Karan Chand, the Prime Minister of Raja Rai Singh, the sixth ruler of Bikaner, who ruled from 1571 to 1611 AD.

Construction of the walls and associated moat commenced in 1589 and was completed in 1594. It was built outside the original fort of the city (the first fort built by Rao Bikaji), about 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) from the city centre.

Some remnants of the old fort are preserved near the Lakshmi Narayan temple

The fort is a magnificent structure around which the city of Bikaner grew up. The fort was initially called Chintamani and later renamed the Junagarh or Old fort in the 20th century.

The foundations of the Junagadh fort was built in 1478 by Rao Bika. However, it existed just as a stone fort then. The present grand structure was inaugurated on 17th February 1589.

Side view of Junagadh Fort from the main parking.

Spread over 5.28 hectares this imposing fort precinct is dotted with several palaces, temples and pavilions – all extremely exquisitely done.

The motifs that adorn the walls of the royal quarters make your jaw drop and render you utterly speechless. There are religious figurines in almost all the walkways with presiding deities being installed at several places.

The collections on display include royal possessions from the armoury (notable was a horse and another elephant mounted rifle), the wardrobe, silver palanquins, citations, honours, gifts from other states amongst much much more.

The display is spectacular and showcases the rich heritage of the Rathors of Junagarh with a lot of elan.

My modest but full flavoured lunch was that of thin crisp tandoori rotis and Gatta kadhi. It was accompanied by buttermilk or chaas and onions & green chillis on the side.

Unlike the ones we get in Jaipur, these were a bit on the harder side, but absolutely well done in a slightly sour gravy.

It was evening but the temperature was still around 39 degrees. We decided to stay indoors and order room service. A delightful (bit salty) plate of pakoris made from potatoes, onions, spinach and chillies handled the snacks bit.

The high point was the pudina chutney that unwrapped its flavours bit by bit. Unlike any other eaten by me before, this was an absolutely fresh taste. I inquired about the local cuisine only to be told very graciously that the cuisine in the city is basically adapted.

The only two things indigenous to Bikaner which was confirmed by more than one sources were the Bhujia and Rasgollas. So we ordered a tandoori chicken. We were not expecting a great dish but what we had was very good.

The tandoori chicken due to lack of atmospheric moisture was dry and crisp on the outside but maintained its juicy character on the inside. It was a good pick.

Something we experimented the previous night as well at Harasar Havel. We got the gravy of mutton curry reduced to a masala. It turned into a splendidly spicy dish that landed up on our table.

The masala was just right with the chilli quotient and the meat was falling off the bone. It retained its bite too which is the way I like it. We dipped crispy tandoori rotis and it was gone in no time. We had a feastful day.