Driving through Rajasthan was something I had always considered but didn't think it will happen. The impression was that Rajasthan was overhyped and hotels there during the season were over priced. But the trip happened and initiative surprisingly came from my wife Devicka who happens to be a reluctant traveller and hates long car journey's (and matter of fact long plane journey's). The covid 19 lockdowns and confinements had got to her as well. In these covid times she didn't want to travel by air to anyplace so Rajasthan worked out to be the frontrunner for our road trip. So at the crack of dawn on the Saturday preceding Diwali we loaded my Toyota Fortuner with our suitcases and were on our way.
Some thought had gone into the itinerary but even I could not fathom at that time that we would cover Bikaner, Jaiselmer, Sam Dunes, Jodhpur, Kumbhalgarh, Udaipur and Pushkar in these 6 days. Rajasthan is a large state and the itinerary we ultimately followed did involve considerable mileage to be covered as it encompassed much of the state. Did we stress ourselves in doing so much in so little a time ? Not really. On the contrary I would say it was a nice and relaxed trip and we returned feeling rejuvenated and happy.
The Journey to Bikaner
Over five hundred songs were downloaded on my ipad for the journey. This was besides the thousands it already had in its memory. Soft drinks, water and poori-aloo were all tucked away for the first leg which was expected to be 8.5 hours long and culminated at Bikaner. Diesel gauge showed that the car could travel for 800 km without refueling and effort had been made to learn how to maneuver the spare tyre so that it would not give any trouble if I needed it for the way. From Gurgaon the google map showed that best way would be through Najafgarh in Delhi and then back to Haryana via Bahadurgarh, Rohtak, Hisar etc before entering Rajasthan. Midway through the journey we decided to take a break for a cup of tea but then also decided to have a parantha at one of the dhabas. Tea was sugary and milky but was needed after 4 hours of driving. It was the white butter on crisp tandoori parantha which was worth the photograph. During the entire trip this was the only meal that we had on the highway.
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| White Butter ! |
Hisar was the last major Haryana town before we reached Rajasthan. Hisar is known for steel industry and for some reason the google maps took us through the city. I don't know if the city has a bypass or not. As soon as we crossed Hisar, the topography started changing and the landscape started becoming dryer and harsher. The dhabas sort of disappeared and civilisation became scarce. It was fun driving through this rugged terrain in bright sunlight with some great music playing.
Contrary to expectation, most of the highways were just two laned but the roads were good (meaning - no potholes !) and not too many vehicles were on the highway. But as the car would reach 90 km/hr it would start wobbling. This was disconcerting as it was taking the pleasure out of driving. And just 2 hours before destination- a truck forced me to get on to gravel path and a stone must have pierced the tyre as it burst. Luck was with us as this didn't result into some kind of catastrophe and thankfully we found someone to help us with changing of tyre and as we reached Bikaner - I not only bought a new tyre but got all the tyres balanced. It did take more than an hour of our valuable time but eventually it was worth every minute. From then on the vehicle would glide over the roads smoothly at whatever speed. The wobble became a history and driving became pleasurable.
Our Bikaner hotel - Narendra Bhawan
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We were greeted by this friendly dog
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King Narendra was the last king of Bikaner. Narendra Bhawan was his house and is now a boutique hotel. Not far from here was his palace called Laxmi Niwas palace which also is a hotel now with some great artefacts. Narendra Bhawan was very impressive with pink sandstone building and had a typically Rajasthani look full of jharokhas. Verandah had a bright red piano and yellow Jaiselmer stone had been laid on the ground. Photographs, books and artefacts made this long verandah very attractive. They had a bar, restaurant , a spa and a lovely rooftop infinity pool. It was the only place where pool and spa was operational but water was too cold for me to think of a dip. As tourism is almost non existent currently, we got a very good price for staying in royal surroundings. This perhaps is the biggest plus of the state - that you can live where Maharajas used to live and identify with the opulence associated with the royal families.
Pictures of Narendra Bhawan
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Red Piano catches your attention the moment you enter
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| The artefacts and the books all belong to the king |
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| This area as you enter the hotel makes you feel like royalty |
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| The sit out area |
A vintage car was parked near the entrance for good effect and we were welcomed by a very friendly dog. The lawn area outside the verandah was perfect for drinks and dinner and before driving off to Junagarh fort we booked a table there for dinner.
Junagarh Fort
We were certainly not lazy on this trip. The forts and museums shut down early during winter so we barely had time to check in and freshen up before we were on our way to historical Junagarh fort. One could drive till inside the fort as parking was there so much time was saved. A friendly guide met us there and as he had contacts with all the personnel of the fort, several doors were left open for us till after the closing time.
I do know some history of Jaipur and Alwar but other than that there is not much about Rajasthan that I know other than from films like 'Padmavat' . The rulers of most states of Rajasthan were friendly to the Mughals as well as to the British. Most wars they fought were amongst themselves (Bikaner vs Jaiselmer or Jodhpur vs Udaipur etc) and Junagarh fort has a unique distinction of never falling to an enemy. This is astonishing as Bikaner is quite flat and not on a hilltop so invading armies did have an advantage. This fort is now a lovely museum with one of the best armory collections. The zari work on clothes exhibited is astonishing. The fort itself has very high quality of workmanship. The fort was built in 1594 by Raja Rai Singh and was known as initially known as 'Chintamani.' We spent around an hour at the fort but ideal time would be around 2 hours.
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| A lot of intricate and expensive art work and engraved work has been done. |
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| Lot of work has gone into the flooring and Jharokas |
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This was quite breathtaking
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| workmanship on floors, walls, doors and roof is top class |
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The fort has verandas, Jharokas and intricate jaali work.
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Such beautiful work has to be admired. Worth travelling miles to watch. This is the famous phool mahal of Junagarh Fort
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The evening
We decided to take a walk in the market which was not very far from the fort. Bikaner is known for its sweets, bhujiya and Kundan jewellery. I did have chaat at Bikaner mishtaan bhandar and Devicka tried finding some kundan jewellery but with not many people wearing masks we felt unsafe in that crowded environment. We looked at some havelis from outside but then decided to call it a day and considered hotel to be a better option. The Lalgarh palace was also nearby and the Royal family still stays there though much part of that has been converted into heritage hotel. Going back to hotel was indeed a better option as I had my drinks and dinner in the open air dining area. We were to travel to Jaiselmer the next morning so I was already looking forward to the 5 hour road trip through the desert.
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| Our dinner under the open sky was pollution free |
Bikaner is not a very popular destination as tourists normally give it a miss. We visited Bikaner as drive directly to Jaiselmer was too long. Those who go to Jaiselmer often go via Jodhpur. My recommendation is that Bikaner must be visited as Junagarh fort is exquisite with a wonderful museum and the hotels like Narendra place, Laxmi Niwas palace and Lalgarh palace are affordable royal places to stay a night or two.
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