Bikaner lies north of Jodhpur, its reddish-pink stone rising out of miles of barren thorn and scrub. Rao Jodha's sixth son, Bika (after whom the city of Bikaner is named), must have found nothing more than this wilderness when he rode out here in search of greener pastures to conquer, but he was obviously undeterred.
After the Maharaja of Jaipur and his son, Raja Rai Singh of Bikaner was the 'highest ranked Hindu' in Akbar's court. Relations worsened later thanks to Aurangzeb's bigotry, but Bikaner holds the distinction of maintaining its independence for the best part of 500 years. In a sense if Jaipur is called the pink city, Bikaner is no less with the colour a few shades deeper here, and a great deal more pervasive. Situated on elevated ground, the medieval city of Bikaner has all the romance of the Arabian nights.
Music , Dance , Fairs & Festivals
Bikaner is primarily an agrarian economy, dependent on farming. Cereal crops such as wheat, barley and millet are mainly cultivated, while the Rajasthan Canal provides irrigation to the arid town of Bikaner. Bikaner's folk traditions, interlinked with Rajasthan's have developed over the centuries. Itinerant balladeers like the Bhopas, Bhatts, Charans and Bandis developed their distinctive styles.
The festivals celebrated in Bikaner are Shitla Ashthmi, Gangaur, Navratri, Ram Navmi, Akshya Tritya, Sawni Teej, Bhadva Teej, Deepawali, Makar Sankranti and Holi. Kolayat fair, Shivbari fair, Jetha Bhutta fair, Ramdeoji Fair, Dusshera fair are the main melas.
The two main fairs which are exclusive to the the city of Bikaner are the Akshya Tritya Fair and the Camel Fair which is renowned all over Rajasthan
