A desert capital built on
trade, camels & red sandstone
Bikaner was founded in 1488 by Rao Bika, a Rathore prince who struck out on his own after a dispute over succession in Jodhpur, building a new capital on a ridge in the northern Thar Desert. The city's wealth came from controlling the caravan trade routes between Central Asia and the ports of Gujarat.
That wealth is most visible in Junagarh Fort — built, unusually for Rajasthan, on flat ground rather than a hilltop, and never successfully besieged — and in the elaborately carved red sandstone havelis built by Bikaner's merchant families, rivalling those of Jaisalmer in craftsmanship if not in scale of tourism.
Bikaner is also home to the National Research Centre on Camel, reflecting its enduring identity as the historic heart of India's camel-breeding country, and is famous nationwide for its savoury snacks — bhujia and namkeen exported across India under the Bikaner name.
