Day 3 - Bikaner
After 13 hours on the train, our group arrived in Bikaner, a "small town" of 800,000 people, at 7:15 a.m. Thankfully, the hotel was expecting us and we were able to check in and freshen up. The hotel is gorgeous! Hotel Bhairon Vilas Palace used to be the home of the Prime Minister. It is very much what I was expecting from Indian hotels: colourful, architecturally interesting, elegant finishing work, beautiful gardens and breezy spaces. I took SO many photos!
It was an incredibly full day. First we walked to the fort adjacent to our hotel. The Junagahr Fort is the ancestral property of the rulers of Bikaner since it was built in 1588 AD. The maharajas and their families would live there. It is especially impressive to note the fort was never successfully sacked.
After the fort and lunch, the group set out on our most daring adventure yet... A rat temple! Karni Mata temple was created by the Hindu goddess of the same name. She believed all living things have value and should be appreciated. She created a temple for the most unwanted animals of all: rats.
After the rat temple we went to a Jainist temple and an extravagant Jain merchant home which is now a hotel.
Our local guide explained the significance of the hanging fruit we'd seen above homes, shops and hotels. Every Saturday, Indians hang a lime and a chili for every day of the week (so 7 chilies) to ward off the evil eye. Some had a few cardamon or black pepper pods on the bottom as well. When Saturday rolls around again, they crush the lime and discard the chilies, replacing the bunch with fresh supplies.
At the home, we met scores of local children just fascinated by us. Everyone said hello and asked our names. One little guy and his friend even sang for us. He was quite the little ham! We sort of caused a traffic jam with the parade of people on the way back to the cars. I have never been to a place where the locals are just as interested in us and our culture as we are in theirs!
Tomorrow is camel safari day!
After the fort and lunch, the group set out on our most daring adventure yet... A rat temple! Karni Mata temple was created by the Hindu goddess of the same name. She believed all living things have value and should be appreciated. She created a temple for the most unwanted animals of all: rats.
After the rat temple we went to a Jainist temple and an extravagant Jain merchant home which is now a hotel.
Our local guide explained the significance of the hanging fruit we'd seen above homes, shops and hotels. Every Saturday, Indians hang a lime and a chili for every day of the week (so 7 chilies) to ward off the evil eye. Some had a few cardamon or black pepper pods on the bottom as well. When Saturday rolls around again, they crush the lime and discard the chilies, replacing the bunch with fresh supplies.
At the home, we met scores of local children just fascinated by us. Everyone said hello and asked our names. One little guy and his friend even sang for us. He was quite the little ham! We sort of caused a traffic jam with the parade of people on the way back to the cars. I have never been to a place where the locals are just as interested in us and our culture as we are in theirs!
Tomorrow is camel safari day!
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