Mandawa and Bikaner

Mandawa is a small town on the way between Jaipur and Bikaner and is famous for having been a town where many merchants became very rich from it being a location along the spice route.

These merchants built themselves beautiful large houses (Haveli), size wasn’t enough, they tried to out do each other by decorating the houses in beautiful paintings and carved wood.

When the spices, opium, etc began to be delivered via other routes which didn’t rely on the camel trains the merchants slowly abandoned Mandawa and moved to the big cities to continue their businesses, leaving villagers as caretakers of their houses.

More recently some Havelis have been converted into hotels for tourists, like us, on their way to Bikaner. We only spent one night there, the village is still very poor but tourism is helping the local economy.

Our room was very quaint (it did have a bathroom but I forgot to take a photo)

It was on the first floor over looking the courtyard

We had a guide to take us around the town and show us the highlights

Yet it is still very lovely.

There had even been a Art Nouveaux cinema here at one point.

This Haveli is now one of the most expensive in Mandawa and was only opened after the Covid closedown.

That evening there was a puppet show in the courtyard.

BIKANER

Founded by Rao Bika in 1486, he was the second son of a Maharaja of Jodpur, Rao Jodha, so wouldn’t inherit. He had heard that this area had been abandoned and along with a couple of his younger brothers, some knights and a hundred or so soldiers went to conquer the area, and as they say the rest is history.

It is very arid and there are many desert areas but I was pleasantly surprised at just how much vegetation there is whilst we were driving here. Obviously today there is plenty of water which is brought in from the mountains but it was only last century when the first canal was built bringing relief to the desert people.

The main tourist attraction here is Jungarh Fort constructed between 1587 and 1593 by the third ruler of Bikaner, Rai Singh. It has never been conquered so it’s in its original state, a hotch potch of different palaces (we couldn’t tell where one ended and another one began) as they all lead on via corridors or stairs. No imposing gates and massive interior courtyards here.

We entered via the Hall of Audience which now houses an old WWI DeHavaland which has been constructed from parts of planes which were shot down. So it can’t be used, just for show.

The Hall also lends itself to become a museum, with railed off areas with sets of dining furniture, cabinets housing military uniforms (this century), along with coins and medals from different era. All a bit random but interesting.

In the throne room was a cabinet with a set of armour which weighs 56k Can you imagine even walking carrying that much weight let alone fighting!

The guide book also said to look out for a dagger which had a pistol attached. Very innovative for its time.

We then walked through a series of rooms which displayed lots of weapons of various descriptions.

And into a hall which was part of the women’s quarters. With beautiful painted doors.

The Hall overlooked some gorgeous gardens.

In the next room was a swing used by the queens, when it swings back and fro the small dolls on the side panels move up and down.

Through to the next room which had an amazing Dutch blue tiled window (both inside and out.)

We almost missed this throne room, everything you see which looks gold is actually gold. Which is why it’s all covered up with plastic and glass partitions.

The next room is called the cloud room, with gold zigzags for lightening.

Just on the outside of Bikaner is this huge grave yard where the Royal family members are cremated and then a cenotaph built in their memory. The earliest was from 1657 and the latest from 2023.

Wow, how much did we manage to fit into 2 days!!!

On to Jaisalmer next.