IMPERIA |
october-november-december 2019
4
Bikaner - The Epitome
of Decadent Luxury
l e v o y a g e
An ardent seeker of history and heritage,
Bikaner is a city that immediately caught
my fancy. Lesser known and not part of
the conventional golden triangle, the city
proved to be an instant draw for me to
begin my journey of discovery. And, Bikaner
surely did not disappoint.
By Nagsri Prasad Sashidhar
short flight from Delhi brought me
to this camel country, a cultural
paradise and a travellers’ haven
located in the midst of the Thar
Desert. What caught my eye was the rich
architecture, the old, opulent havelis and
the back-in-time feel of luxury and royalty.
Art and stories ooze from every stone of this
mesmerising city.
Once a barren land, ruled by the Rajputs in
the 15th century it was formerly known as
Jangladesh. In 1488, Rao Bikaji established
the city and built the not-to-be-missed
Junagadh Fort. Raja Rai Singhji took
the constructions further until in the 16th
century the kingdom fell into the hands of
the British Empire.
A
