Receive for Free - Discover & Explore eNewsletter monthly with advance notice of special offers, packages, and insider savings from 10% - 30% off Best Available Rates at selected hotels. 
local attractions
The NRCC
A trip to Bikaner is not complete without a visit to the National Research Center of Camel, where guests can eat camel milk ice cream and explore the expansive dunes atop the desert.
Fairs and Festivals
- The Annual Bikaner Camel Festival - Every January, Bikaner attracts thousands of visitors to experience The Annual Bikaner Camel Festival. Camel owners and visitors from all over the state celebrate the humped animal responsible for bridging distances and cultures. Beginning with a procession, the festival is a multi-day event with races, contests, performances, and an impressive arrangement of camel-milk products.
- Holi - Known as the festival of colors, Holi is a Hindu celebration welcoming the beginning of spring. While rituals vary from different regions, Holi is usually a multi-day festival celebrated with enactments from Hindu scripture, bonfires, and the iconic ritual of throwing scented powders and perfumes. Offering a truly distinct experience, Holi is a joyous occasion not to be missed.
- Paryushan - An 8- to 10-day festival, Paryushana is a significant occasion for the Jains to observe, reflect, and purify ones soul. Literally translated to "coming together" or "abiding," Paryushan is known as The Festival of Forgiveness as worshipers use this time to cleanse and become aware of new and pure motivations.
Shrines and Holy Places
- Kartik Poornima - Celebrated on the night of the full moon in the auspicious Hindu month of Kartik, Kartik Poornima is observed with prayers, religious rituals, and the worshiping of Vishnu and Harihara.
- Kolayat - The historic destination where thousands of devotees of the Sankhya philosophy make their annual pilgrimage, Kolayat is an ancient city featuring a series of marble temples, sandstone pavilions, and traditional ghats.
- The Karni Mata Temple - Built by Maharaja Ganga Singh in the early 20th century, The Karni Mata Temple is a sanctuary famous for the 20,000 black rats that live, and are honored, within the holy grounds. The temple celebrates Karni Mata, a Hindu sage and incarnation of the goddess Durga. In the temple, there are a few white rats, which are considered extremely holy as they are believed to be the manifestations of Karni Mata and her four sons.
- Bhandasar Temple - Dedicated to the fifth Tirthankara, the Bhandasar Temple is one of the 27 Jain temples that line the Bikaner landscape. Built of red sandstone, Bhandasar Temple features an impressive collection of Usta art and boasts a commanding view over Bikaner.
Shopping
Known as India's snack capital, Bikanker is the culinary jackpot for dalmoth, namkeens, and other fried foods. Markets and fairs are fitted throughout the city to browse and purchase beautiful watercolors painted with minerals and vegetable dyes, leather goods, and wooden carvings, including kata equipment.
