We covered the Jaisalmer to Bikaner distance of 333kms in
just over four hours. The roads were excellent and it was a breeze driving
through! Having reached Bikaner just in time for lunch had it in our room at
the Hotel Bharat Nivas where we had a booking.
Soon after lunch we set out to explore the most important
sights of Bikaner – The Junagarh Fort and the KarniMata temple also famously
known as the rat temple.
The Junagarh Fort was originally called Chintamani and was
renamed Junagarh or "Old Fort" in the early 20th century when the
ruling family moved to Lalgarh Palace outside the fort limits. It is one of the
few major
Photograph : Nakul Amembal
forts in Rajasthan which is not built on a hilltop. The modern city
of Bikaner has developed around the fort.
The erstwhile Princely state of Bikaner and its capital city
Bikaner was founded by Rao Bika (1465-1504 AD.) by the blessings of Goddess
Karni Mata in the year 1488 AD. In those days this vast tract of desert country
was called “Jangaldesh”. Prince Bika of the Rathore clan of Rajputs was the
valiant son of Rao Jodha- the founder of Jodhpur.
Photograph : Nakul Amembal
It is said that the success of Rao Bika was prophesized by
Goddess Karni Mata, whose temple is at Deshnok, which is about 30 Km from
here.There is another interesting anecdote about Karni Mata and Bikaner. In
1937, on the occasion of Maharaja Ganga Singh's Golden Jubilee, he cancelled
all functions and festivities. He said "my Bikaner has a famine and this
is no time for celebration". Weeks passed and the scorching heat only
increased. In desperation Maharaja Ganga Singh went to the temple of Karniji at
Desnoke to pray for rain. When all hope was lost, and the heads of villages had
gathered, there mysteriously appeared a cloud, which soon covered the sky, and
the heavens opened. Only when the parched land was drenched did he give orders
for celebration.
Photograph : Nakul Amembal
The Junagarh palaces in the fort have a large number of
rooms, as every king built his own separate set of rooms, not wanting to live
in his predecessors’ rooms.
The museum within the fort called the Junagarh Fort Museum
was established in 1961 by Maharaja Dr.Karni Singhji under the control of
"Maharaja Rai Singhji Trust". The Museum exhibits Sanskrit and
Persian manuscripts, miniature paintings, jewels, royal costumes, farmans
(royal orders), portrait galleries, costumes, headgear and dresses of gods’
idols, enamelware, silver, palanquins, howdahs and war drums. The museum also
displays armoury that consists of one of the assorted collection of post
medieval arms.
Refreshed ourselves in the cafe on the lawns of the fort and
moved on to the Karni Mata temple which was around 30kms away. Reached there in
an hour.
Karni Mata (2 October 1387 – 23 March 1538) was a female
Hindu sage born in the Charan caste and worshiped as the incarnation of the goddess
Durga by her followers. She is the official deity of the royal
Photograph : Nakul Amembal
family of
Jodhpur and Bikaner. During her lifetime, she laid the foundation stone of two
of the important forts in Rajputana. She lived an ascetic life, and most of the
temples dedicated to her were dedicated during her lifetime. A temple dedicated
to her during her lifetime differs from others in that it does not contain an
image or idol of her but rather contains a foot-print to symbolize her visit to
that place. The most famous of her temples is the temple of Deshnoke, which was
created following her mysterious disappearance from her home. This temple is
famous for its rats, which are treated as sacred and given protection in the
temple.
Photograph : Nakul Amembal
According to a local legend, Karni Mata, the 14th century mystic and an
incarnation of Hindu goddess Durga, implored Yama, the god of death, to restore
the life of the son of one of her storyteller. Yama refused, and Karni Mata reincarnated
the dead son and all of the storytellers as rats, under her protection. Out of
all of the thousands of rats in the temple, there are said to be four or five
white rats, which are considered to be especially holy. They are believed be
the manifestations of Karni Mata herself and her kin and hence sighting them is
considered a blessing. We could not.
Now it was time to go around Bikaner city and try out their
famous savouries. We shopped for the
savouries at 'Bhikaram Chandmal Bhujiawala' on the advice of our Hotel reception and picked up quite a few packets of the famous Bikaneri Bhujiya which is fun to have with chai.
Got back to the Hotel for the night to ready for our trip
next morning to Mandawa the city of Havelis.
