A Journey To Discover Life

Bikaner, lying in the western part of the Thar, was a small yet independent state until Raja Kalyanmal surrendered to Akbar's Rajput Policies in 1571 CE. His fourth son, Prithviraj Rathore, being a great warrior and poet, was respected as one of the "Nine Gems" in Emperor Akbar's court. Prithviraj was the son of Kalyanmal's first wife and queen Rani Songaribai Rainawati, a cousin of Maharani Jaiwanta Bai of Mewar. Hence, he was a cousin to the valiant Rana Pratap Singh of Mewar. He was also married to one of  Rana Udai Singh of Mewar's daughters from his other wives, half-sister to Kunwar Pratap, Baisa Jaswande. Many regard Jaswande as Raja Kalyanmal's lesser wife or wife of the crown prince Rai Singh of Bikaner, but Todd's journal mentions the Mewari princess as wife to Prithviraj. In 1572 CE, Prithviraj, along with his wife Jaswande Baisa, had made the Agra Fort his home to serve Akbar, as per the order of his father, rather unwillingly, for the sake...

This is a part of the 15-day trip we took to Rajasthan in October 2013 via the Howrah- Bikaner Jodhpur Express. Arriving in Bikaner early in the morning, we quickly learned that this compact town comes alive mostly around its bus stops and markets. If you're a traveller, these are also the most convenient places to stay, since the rest of Bikaner tends to quiet down after dark. Thankfully, local buses and autos make visiting the palaces and museums easy. Exploring Bikaner's Royal Heritage Our first stop was the town’s excellent Central Museum. While many palaces display duplicates, the real treasures, from daily royal possessions to gifts from across India, weapons, armour, and more, are all preserved here. Among the highlights were dazzling collections of Mughal coins and remarkably well-preserved relics from the Indus Valley Civilisation. Next, the magnificent Junagarh Fort beckoned. Built in 1488 AD by Rao Bikaji, son of Jodhpur’s founder Rao Jodhaji, its story is as la...