Bikaner

In 1488, Rao Bika, son of the Majarstha Rao Jodha who founded Jodhpur, wanted a kingdom for himself. Therefore, he settled for the vast wasteland of Jamgladesh in the northern region of the Thar Desert and founded the ‘Settlement of Bika,’ or Bikaner. The city that rose from the dust now stands as Rajasthan’s fourth largest city, and a more pleasant change of pace if coming from the hectic metropolis of Delhi to the north or the dry desert to the south. The town grew wealthy over the decades and centuries, where a stroll through the center of town is evidenced of such as carefully crafted havelis, or merchants homes, adorn the streets.

Catching the attention of most explorers to Bikaner is undoubtedly the opulent Junagarh Fort, a 16th century masterpiece of architecture. Inside, the walls are plastered with skins of Bengal Tigers and leopards, a showcase of the wealth of the royal families who lived here, as well as expensive vases and artwork. One could imagine a symphony of song coming from one of the rooms where a royal wedding plays out, or parties taking place in the carefully crafted gardens filled with peacocks. For a city seemingly lost in Western India, the riches experienced here could surpass even the wildest of imaginations, and an evidence the wealth that the later periods of the Silk Roads brought to this region.