Bikaner : My ancestoral town and the hidden city of Rajasthan

While Bikaner is off the tourist map of most visitors to Rajasthan. But it provides the raw charm of the ancient desert city that no other touristy city does. It has the sophistication of the times and charms of the traditional lifestyles. Tucked away close to the India-Pakistan border, this ancestral home of mine makes you live the history away from the usual museums and in walls of the the narrow, winding lanes of the old city. Bikaner was established by Rao Bika of the Rathor clan of Rajputs. He separated from his family and established the city, giving up his claim on the Kingdom of Jodhpur which his father, Rao Jodha had established. Bikaner's architectural identity is defined by the haveli's. These centuries old merchant mansions, carved from flamboyant red sandstone, feature intricate jalis (lattice work). Walking through these narrow lanes, one realises why the city is not on the tourist map. Its not an ancient history to be told via museums but the raw living history. Though…