 Bikaner,
founded in 1488 by Rao Bika Ji is situated in Rajasthan state in
northwestern India. This city is a beautiful city with palaces, forts,
beautiful and richly sculptured temples of red and yellow sand stones,
plus the desert sand dunes. Inspite of being a desert, this city has
bloomed with some of the finest creations of rajput civilization.
Demographics
According to population census 2001, total population was 19.02 lakhs
with male population 10.03 lakhs and female population 8.99 lakhs. The
literacy rate was 57.54% with 70.78% male literales and 42.55% female
literates.
Climate
Being a desert, Bikaner's climate is hot and humid. The average maximum
temperature in summer is 48ºC and in winter, it is around 22ºC.
How to reach Bikaner?
Located at a distance of 615 kms from Delhi, the city has good
connectivity with the major cities across the nation.
- Air : As of now, the city does not have its
airport but Nal airport is at a distance of 17 km only. The nearby
international airports are at Jodhpur (254km) and Jaipur (325km)
- Rail : Bikaner is directly linked by rail with
major cities such as New Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai (Bombay), Kolkata
(Calcutta), Jammu, Kalka, Ambala, Ahemadabad, Baroda, Surat, Agra,
Allahabad, Kanpur, Chandigarh, Bhatinda, Jodhpur etc.
- Bus : A wide network of bus services link
Bikaner with several destinations. There are Deluxe, Super deluxe
and air conditioned buses that can conveniently take to other places
like Agra, New Delhi, Ajmer and Udaipur.
Important Tourist Destinations
| Junagarh Fort |
Lallgarh Palace |
Gajner Palace |
| Prachina Museum |
Devi Kund Sagar (Cenotaphs) |
Shri Laxminath Temple |
| Bhandeshwar Jain Temple |
Camel Breeding Farm |
Bikaner Havelis |
| Shiv Bari |
Karni Mata temple (Deshnok), |
Kolayat |
| Kodamdesar |
Bhandasar Jain temple etc. |
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Education in Bikaner
Bikaner has developed as a fast growing education center of the state
and provides facilities for basic as well as higher education in almost
all disciplines. Some of the premier institutes of the region are as
follows:
| Bikaner Engineering College |
Sardar Patel Medical College |
Rajasthan Agriculture University. |
| Dungar College |
Sri Jain PG College |
Binnani Girls College |
| Veterinary College |
Polytechnic College |
Home Science College |
| Bikaner Boys School |
Sophia School |
Kendriya Vidhyalaya |
| Air Force School |
Jesus & Mary School |
National Institute Of Fashion Design (NiFD),
Bikaner |
Economy of Bikaner
- Situated in a desert in an arid tract of undulating sand hills,
the principal occupation is the breeding of camels, horses, and
sheep.
- A section of the population is involved in agriculture. Jowar and
Bajra are the two principal crops grown here.
- Another section of the population is involved in industry and
trade.
- Bikaner is a trade centre for wool, hides, building stone, salt,
and grain. Infact, it is the biggest Woolen mandi (Mart) in entire
Asia and has been a center of wool trade for over 185 years.
- The city has electrical and mechanical engineering works, railway
workshops, and factories that manufacture glass, pottery, felts,
chemicals, shoes, and cigarettes.
- The immigration to Bikaner is on an increase as businessman are
encouraged by the state authorities to start operations here. Also,
government has included Bikaner under its STED (Science and
Technology Entrepreneurship Development) Scheme.
- Bikaner has been dubbed as the shopper's paradise. Apart from the
local population and commercial set up, the city also witnesses
regular tourist activity. The city has a number of tourists all
through the year, specially from abroad.
Major industries in Bikaner
The most flourishing industries in Bikaner are:
- Wool
- Carpet Weaving
- Agricultural products
- Chemicals
- Ceramics
- Leather ware
- Jewellery
- Floor coverage
- Bhujiya and Namkeen Industry
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