Bikaner and Deshnoke
To view a larger image, select one of the sizes beside the image thumbnail.
640
full
A number of members of our party, including our wonderful tour guide
Margriet (with the red hair, second from the right), getting off the
overnight train in the morning. Train station, Bikaner.
640
full
A mixture of cars and military vehicles in the parking lot. It turned
out our train was carrying a large military contingent (something we
had not known the previous night). As a result, it skipped a number
of stops in the middle of the night (!) and got in ahead of
schedule.
640
full
A few of soldiers in the foreground, along with the walk-way over the
train tracks, and one last picture of our train. Bikaner.
640
full
The streets -- yes, this really is a street, cracks and dirt heaps and
puddles and all -- were quite deserted at this hour of the morning.
In our bus again, near Bikaner.
640
full
Mom and Dad (posed, obviously) in the garden of our first "palace"
hotel, the Hotel Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner. The garlands, which came in
various forms, were a frequent treat on arrival. These were made of
strung marigolds, and we often wondered where they grew enough of
those to make all the garlands they must give away!
640
full
This is a view of one of the interior walls facing the central
court-yard in our hotel. Henni (from Veldhoven) is looking down from
the top of the wall, which may have been the balcony for the upstairs
rooms. Hotel Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner.
640
full
There was a small temple inside the courtyard. I didn't want to be
sacrilegious by taking a photo of the idol or statue inside, so I'm
not quite sure who this temple was devoted to. It was one of the
deities typically portrayed in black stone rather than in white marble
-- maybe Vishnu or Kali?
Hotel Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner.
640
full
Feral dogs abound in India, but only on a few occasions did we see
cats, and every time I can recall, it was in a palace of some sort,
including in this case the hotel we were staying in. Guess that
reinforces a stereotype about cats, huh? Hotel Bhairon Vilas,
Bikaner.
640
full
640
full
640
full
Parrots were also common in the hotels where we stayed. Look for them
here on the small ledge halfway down the left wall. Hotel Bhairon
Vilas, Bikaner.
640
full
I wasn't quite sure what the fruit on this tree was, but it was
pretty. Hotel Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner.
640
full
I loved how the flowers complemented the leaves and the red sandstone
in the background. This is winter? Hotel Bhairon Vilas,
Bikaner.
640
full
Extra: Hotel Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner.
640
full
A picture of Hotel Bhairon Vilas itself -- this is one of the sides of
the main courtyard; breakfast was served in front of the arches, and
my parents' room was actually the door in the middle of the center
arch -- extending out to both sides. Bikaner.
640
full
The view of Junagarh Fort from my own balcony -- just a ten minute
walk away.
Hotel Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner.
640
full
A different view of the courtyard, now from my second-story balcony.
Hotel Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner.
640
full
A view from the roof top of Hotel Bhairon Vilas, out across the city
and toward some other cupola-ed building in the background. Bikaner.
640
full
An even better (if hazy) view of Junagarh Fort from the rooftop.
Hotel Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner.
640
full
We always seemed to be booked in double rooms, but there were no other
single men in the group, so I wound up with my choice of two beds.
Many people found the beds here painfully hard, though mine did not
bother me. Of course since every room was unique, I may have just had
good mattress luck.
640
full
The sheets were colorfully tie-died. Apparently the owner of the
place is an aging hippie, and I think I even heard a rumor that he had
been part of the Beatles circle when they were in India. Hotel
Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner.
640
full
The view from between the beds out the door, to give some sense of
perspective of the room. Also interesting to note are the built-in
mirrors and the fact that all the walls are 18" thick sandstone!
Hotel Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner.
640
full
I also had an odd extra room with no apparent purpose, but it had a
lovely window view out onto the gardens in the outer courtyard. Hotel
Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner.
640
full
And, of course, there were lots of hand-made Indian carpets.
Hotel Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner.
640
full
These tapestries with small mirrors sewn in are typical Rajasthani
art. Also interesting is the staircase leading to a tiny door, which
was just marginally chained. (It turns out this led to the roof, from
where some of my photos were taken!)
Hotel Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner.
640
full
Madeleine, Guido, and Barbara in front of our tour bus. (Alex and
Cora in the background.) Bikaner, near Hotel Bhairon Vilas.
640
full
Our first trip in the morning was to take the tour bus out from
Bikaner to nearby Deshnoke, to visit the Karni Mata temple.
Here you can already see that we're on the edge of the desert.
640
full
Around here, camels are common and serve an important role in
transporting goods and (to a lesser extent) people.
640
full
Even though this looks pretty barren, we drove through far more sparse
areas later on.
640
full
The desert goes on and on...
640
full
The desert goes on and on. Here it really starts to look like what we
concieve of as desert. Outside Bikaner.
640
full
We came to a full stop -- a get out of the bus, wander around and take
photos stop -- because we had arrived at a train crossing and the
gates were down. This one was pretty quick -- we heard that at times,
the wait can be half an hour or more, for a very long, slow-moving
train. In the foreground is a cart brought out by a guy who
apparently makes his living from selling to people stuck at the grade
crossing. Also note the colorfully decorated and (in the back)
ridiculously overloaded trucks.
Between Bikaner and Deshnoke.
640
full
These trees, with their nasty thorns, appear to be an essential part of survival in this part of the world. They were referred to a Mimosa, but are probably Prosopis cineraria.
Purdue University's Horticulture Department talks about how this plant saved many people from famine in 1988 and 1939.
It is used for food (a couple of times we had a local dish called Kher
Sangri which is made from the pods), for animal fodder, and for
firewood. During the winter season that we were there, the trees were
frequently stripped back so that only the trunk and a few branches at
the top remained, presumably to generate new growth when the weather
warms and the rains come.
I became acutely aware of things like this during my trip, as one of my constant companions was Jared Diamond's recent book
Collapse.
640
full
Finally, the train arrives.
640
full
Another brown train, on narrow gauge rails. In a somewhat
self-referential twist, this train is carrying... more rails.
640
full
Part of the train is carrying nothing at all -- maybe it left its
cargo somewhere along the way? Maybe I was just trying to get a photo
of the plant!
640
full
Finally, we have arrived at Karni Mata, also known as the "Rat
Temple." You'll see why in a moment. I thought the flag and trident
were interesting.
Deshnoke.
640
full
Again, the carvings on the building were incredibly ornate. I don't
know if the birds overhead are birds of prey, but if so, they are
probably drooling.
640
full
More details of the ornate carvings. Karni Mata temple, Deshnoke.
640
full
More details of the ornate carvings. Our tour guide, Margriet, can
just be seen on the left-hand side. Karni Mata temple, Deshnoke.
640
full
The "Rat Temple" in Deshnoke near Bikaner is probably its most famous
attraction. The rats are believed to be the reincarnated spirits of
the devotees of the particular saint who built this temple. They run
around all over inside, although concerns about stepping on them (for
which one is expected to make a sizeable donation in apology) were
seriously overblown. Although relatively tame, they are still shy and
tend to stick close to the food and hide in dark corners.
You do have to go through the temple in socks or bare feet, but even
my mom, who was quite apprehensive at first, enjoyed the visit in the
end.
Karni Mata temple, Deshnoke.
640
full
This baby rat is so cute!
640
full
Rats snoozing?
640
full
Toss out a little bit of food and they come from all over.
640
full
... including all over each other.
640
full
Are you sure your tail is enough to balance that whole slice of
orange? Don't fall down!
640
full
The rat mess hall. Emphasis on the mess.
640
full
To keep the little guys safe (after all, they might be your
grandparents reincarnated) there is a wire net over the whole temple
to keep out the hawks and others who might otherwise think it was
their own mess hall.
640
full
The smaller birds, however, find a way in and get their own share of the food.
640
full
I guess this rat figured that if it was going to be worshipped, it
ought to have its own pedestal. Either that, or it was the first to
find something yummy left there!
Karni Mata temple, Deshnoke.
640
full
The pigeons, not being quite as smart as rats, thought standing on top
made more sense.
Karni Mata temple, Deshnoke.
640
full
As Om above, so Om below. My Dad is standing under the giant Om
symbol wearing a shirt covered with tiny Om symbols. If you don't want to
take my word for it, you'll probably have to download the full size image.
Karni Mata temple, Deshnoke.
640
full
I'm not sure what I like best here -- the delicate carved leaves on
the left, the lifelike (in both detail and color) elephants on the
right, or the tiny row of nose-to-tail rats running up the middle!
Karni Mata temple, Deshnoke.
640
full
This family shows a bit of the east-west culture clash that occurs in
India -- the two women may well be sisters, but one is wearing a
traditional sari while the other is in jeans and a denim jacket.
Outside Karni Mata temple, Deshnoke.
640
full
And now we trek back across the desert to return to Bikaner. You
might notice the painted stripes on the trees -- white-orange-white.
These are used to help make the trees more obvious to drivers at
night... so they don't drive into them.
640
full
It was hard to get good photos from inside the bus, but there were
many interesting shots to be captured, like this cow-drawn-cart. The
expanse of the city of Bikaner can be seen just below the horizon.
640
full
Arriving at Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Barb, Alex, Guido, and Madeleine, arriving at Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
This wall shows the handprints of a number of women. Historically
(and tragiclly continuing into present times) widowed women in India
fall into terrible circumstances. They are rarely able to remarry,
because it is thought that they will transfer the bad luck to their
new husband and he will die young as well. From this and perhaps
other beliefs developed the practice of
sati, or the suicide of the widow (including sometimes self
immolation on the husband's funeral pyre).
The handprints in this photo were made by actual women with some
kind of dye on their hands, before they went off to die. Later, in
commemoration of the women who died (probably after the practice was
banned) someone came in and carved away the stone around the
handprints, to leave a permanent record of the tragedy.
640
full
Entering one of the gates ("fateh") into Junagarh Fort. My mom (in
the back) of course had to stop and comment on the name of the gate,
since it contained one of her favorite words: "Prole." (She got this
from de Toqueville. Long story.)
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
I don't know if these elephants were exactly life sized, but pretty
close. Ironically, they're being used as decorations right outside a
gate designed to stop an invasion by elephant. In these gates, the
doors have rows of giant spikes (maybe 8-12 inches long and half an
inch to an inch wide at the base) right at the elephant's head height
to keep them from pushing the doors in.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
A close up of the elephant statue.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
These forts have layer upon layer. At this point, we have already
gone through two or three gates, but we're still in an "outer"
courtyard. Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
640
full
These places are so unbelievably massive!
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
The sandstone in different places varies dramatically in color. Here
it is tending toward yellow-brown, compared to the red-brown of the
Red Fort. More amazing, intricate carving.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
640
full
Here I was impressed by all the carved "screens" -- thin sheets of
sandstone with beautiful patterns of holes carved to make it possible
to see through. Oddly, while individual sections appeared to be
symmetric (like the staircases at the bottom), the overall structure
was not.
640
full
Another beautiful carved screen.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Our tour guide (on the left) along with Margriet, Gé, and other tour
group members. Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
This was part of a cleverly designed ramp. The ridges would help get
traction (for people, or horses, or elephants) going up or down the
ramp, but the cuts in the bottoms of the V's would allow water to flow
down the ramp and not remain standing in pools behind the ridges.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
This is the ruler's viewing balcony over one of the main court-yards
of the fort.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
A lovely ornate brass or copper door.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
This is the court swimming pool. It has an intersting story to go
with it. Tradition prohibits the women from being seen by men -- but
they still wanted to be able to swim. To accomodate this, there were
rings in the ground and along the walls that allowed a giant canopy to
be raised over the pool, giving the women privacy while they bathed.
Above, in the background, you can see another set of screens which
were used to allow the women, unseen, to view what was happening in
the courtyard, which might have included shows of various sorts.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Here is the same swimming pool seen from above... just the view that
would have been prevented by the ladies' tent.
640
full
This particular ornamentation was made from Delft blue porcelain,
which was uniquely amusing to the Dutch members of our tour group.
640
full
The greenish colored screens (bamboo?) in the arches were apparently
used to provide privacy for the emperor when he viewed the events in
the courtyard. Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
The ceilings here were ornately painted... and part of the
paint was actual gold. Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Picture of the emperor's throne. Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
More of the ornate gilded ceilings. Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
This is a solid silver door that once adorned the palace.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Of course, if you're going to have a solid silver door these days, you
have to have something secure to put it in. This seems ironic
somehow. Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Many of the other doors were just as elaborate and beautiful.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
The detailed inlay work of the floors was equally beautiful.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
And even when not gilded, one can't forget the ceilings! Note the
detailed border of painted scenery. Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Here, I am trying to capture both the colors of the wall and the
lovely peacock-shaped sitar (or related instrument) in the glass case
below.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Even in places that were not technically armories, there were
often antique swords, scabbards, shields, and so forth on display.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
640
full
There were a large number of detailed laquer-painted doors and
windows, each with a unique design and artistry.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
This colorful piece was actually a wall which contained a long brass
strip across the middle. In the middle of the brass strip, a very
fine cut allowed water to be sprayed through and come out as a mist,
used for cooling and also (if I correctly understood our tour guide)
as "special effects" for productions that were done within the
adjacent courtyard.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
If the Greeks have their Ionic and Doric columns, are these perhaps
"Elephantic", or maybe "Elephantine"? The theme of elephants at the
top of columns, holding up the ceiling, was certainly quite common.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Another collection of swords on display. Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Here you can get some sense of the quality of light that comes through
one of the carved screens, as well as seeing the ornate geometries of
the screen itself.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
This is the only authentic "bed of nails" I saw in India. It looks
extremely uncomfortable.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
It's impossible for a picture to give a good sense of how very high we
were, at the top of the fort, but this is an attempt. It's also
interesting to see that even the rain downspouts are made of carved
sandstone. Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Even if you can't judge how high we are, you have to admit that it
gives you an expansive view of the surrounding land. Keeping in mind,
of course, that the crenelated wall in the far background is the
opposite wall of the fort, and all the manicured grounds in the middle
are within the fort!
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Another view of the fort grounds, continuing to the right of the
previous photo.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Another view of the fort grounds, continuing still further to the
right of the previous photo, and showing what struck me as an
interesting building and pool. Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Even within the part of the fort we visited, sone sections seemed to
continue on as far as the eye could see.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
This odd little splash of color, one of the highest parts of the fort,
turned out to be a small temple, but we wouldn't get to it for some
time.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
This was a sort of rocking chair or swing for the emperor. I suspect
it is gold plated, though I don't know that for sure.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Notice the small figures going up the sides of the frame. These are
connected to the pivot in such a way that they dance as the seat
swings back and forth.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
This struck me as a particularly nice "screen," because of the
sunlight shining through the stained glass. (Most screens were open,
and had no glass at all.) You can also see the gardens far below
through the open center.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
It seemed like every wall had its own unique and beautiful
ornamentation -- carving, inlay, painting...
640
full
Guido, Madeleine, and Alex enjoying a break inside the Junagarh Fort
in Bikaner.
640
full
At this point, we're up three or four stories above the main
courtyard, and this light-colored tower rises still higher. Can you
imagine being the crew who had to do the external mural paintings
three hundred years ago?
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Another high tower at the top of Junagarh Fort. One would have quite
a commanding view of the countryside from here!
640
full
This provides a bit of perspective on the size of the fort, and also
nicely shows off the gardens below.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Here you can see a bit more of the inside of the fort from a similar
perspective.
640
full
This was about the highest part of the fort that we visited. This
room had more colorful stained-glass screens, in addition to a
probably-not-period bed and an inexplicable ceiling decoration.
640
full
Here's a better shot of the ceiling and the afore-mentioned decoration.
640
full
We couldn't quite agree on whether the screen here was to keep pigeons
from landing in the courtyard below, or to act as some sort of safety
device. Given the relative precautions I later saw with animals and
humans, I'm now leaning toward the pigeon explanation.
640
full
Mom and Guido on top of Junagarh Fort, with a view out over Bikaner.
640
full
One of the interior courtyards in Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Another decoratively painted wall, but note the embedded mirrors.
These were often installed to reflect the light of the candles or
lamps to make the whole room brighter.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
I thought this was a particularly nicely painted ceiling.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Here you can see the entire ceiling, which unfortunately I couldn't
capture in the straight-on shot. There are more built-in mirrors
reflecting off the far back wall.
640
full
Here's a nice collection of spears in the armory. Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Most of these (besides the one tomahawk-like weapon) are Katar
dagger blades. Here and there, one would find a dagger that
looked similar to these, but with an internal mechanical apparatus
that would cause the blade to spring apart along the middle when the
two bars of the handle were squeezed together. (I don't think there
are any in this collection.) I was told the basic move was stab,
squeeze, twist. I leave further details (entrails?) to your
imagination.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
These swords don't look like they need to spring apart to do plenty of damage.
640
full
I was quite fond of how these shields, already quite appealing in
their individual decoration, were artistically arranged on the wall.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Likewise, here is a mandala of daggers and (apparently) powder horns.
640
full
I don't think these fans were quite original equipment in the
Fort, but they looks like they could be pretty close.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
I'm sure the guide had just told us something interesting about the
architecture of the ceiling. Let this picture serve as an explanation
for why I'm not including every photo I took...
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
I suspect it was something about the confluence of different
architectural styles.
640
full
This whole throne is carved out of sandalwood for the emperor.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Bows and arrows and crossbow bolts, oh my! (Does anyone actually ever
get shot at with fleur-de-lis and crescent-moon shaped arrows???)
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Here were swords of every shape I could imagine, and at least one I
couldn't. I've heard of two handed swords before, but never one where
the hands needed to be on two different soldiers.
640
full
Here is another mandala -- shield and Katar daggers. I believe
this armory had by far the most creative displays of weaponry that we
saw in India.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
This armory also had types of weapons I didn't see anywhere else in
India, such as these maces.
Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
640
full
Suit of chain mail in the Junagarth Fort museum.
640
full
Other armor parts including bracers, chest plate, and helmet from 16th
century (?) Indian armor.
640
full
An older an more ornamental suit of armor. Junagarth Fort museum.
640
full
Indian military dress uniforms from ~late 19th century. Junagarth Fort
museum.
640
full
A maharaja's fancy carved chair. Junagarth Fort museum.
640
full
Caricature of the participants in the 1930-31 Indian Round-Table
Conference. Junagarth Fort museum.
640
full
Life-sized, realistic looking leopard statues, and a decorated throne.
Junagarth Fort museum.
640
full
One of a very small number of remaining World War One Sopwith Camel
airplanes (think Snoopy and the Red Baron). The Junagarth Fort museum
says there are only two, but the web estimates more like seven.
640
full
A highly decorated palanquin. Junagarth Fort museum.
640
full
A side view of the Sopwith Camel. Junagarth Fort museum.
640
full
Another palanquin, this one behind bars because it is painted with
real gold. Junagarth Fort museum.
640
full
Solid silver (?) ornamentation on one of the palanquins.
Junagarth Fort museum.
640
full
Solid silver (?) statue in Junagarth Fort museum. With the patina and
the lighting, it looks more like jade, but the little signs assured me
it was in fact silver.
640
full
While we were sitting down to lunch in the outdoor restaurant at
Junagarth Fort museum, we noticed a rather striking bird of prey
above. There was also a cat prowling around below, and I'm not sure
which one was planning on having the other for lunch.
640
full
A different outlook for our bird of prey. Restaurant at Junagarth Fort museum.
640
full
A closer view of auto-rickshaw, also known as a took-took or Indian
helicopter. This one, in particular, belonged to the
driver/tour-guide who took us all around Bikaner the afternoon of Jan
28th.
640
full
This was one of the first of many Havelis that we saw --
this one on some side street in Bikaner that we visited as part of a
fast-paced, full afternoon auto-rickshaw tour. The haveli is a
particular style of residence built for well-to-do families, and
often characterized by finely detailed sandstone carving as seen here.
640
full
More Haveli carving details. Bikaner auto-rickshaw tour.
640
full
This is another haveli just around the corner from the first.
Bikaner auto-rickshaw tour.
640
full
In some places, including Bikaner, the elegant havelis were in
neighborhoods that otherwise looked rather unkempt... or in this case,
nearly uninhabited.
640
full
Bikaner auto-rickshaw tour.
640
full
In towns, one sometimes just couldn't find an angle to get a picture
without capturing all the power lines overhead. But then, they may be
interesting in and of themselves.
Bikaner auto-rickshaw tour.
640
full
It turned out that one of the attractions our tour guides thought
particularly fine was the old automobile museum. It was an
interesting sight (mom being particularly fond of the snake
crawing up the fender), but not necessarily what I came to India to
see.
However, it was rather entertaining that our tour guide (completely
unaffiliated with the museum) tried to convince us to get into the car
so he could take our picture in it. No "do not touch" signs here,
apparently.
Bikaner auto-rickshaw tour.
640
full
We stopped for a short while at another hotel, which, like ours, was
an old haveli that had been cleaned and polished and electrified.
Unlike ours, it was right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of
the town. I'm not sure if these chairs are actually gilded, or
just look that way.
Bikaner auto-rickshaw tour.
640
full
Another view of the "competing" hotel, especially showing off the
marble floor and the ornate carving around the doors. Cora and
Caroline are in the background checking out the courtyard.
Bikaner auto-rickshaw tour.
640
full
Of course, then I had to take a picture of the courtyard myself.
Bikaner auto-rickshaw tour.
640
full
Another, brighter hallway. I thought the carved eagle was
particularly nice. Bikaner auto-rickshaw tour.
640
full
Dog on cow. Doggone cow? Something like that. They both wander the
streets, but more than once we saw them teaming up in this fashion.
Luckily for the dogs, we never saw the converse. Bikaner
auto-rickshaw tour.
640
full
Being a fan of hot peppers, I had to get a picture of these giant bags
of delicious pain. Shops like this, with phenomenal quantities of
bulk spices, were actually quite common.
Bikaner auto-rickshaw tour.
640
full
The Bhandashah Jain Temple in Bikaner is its oldest building or
monument. This is especially interesting because we were told that
the foundations were laid using butter rather than water in the making
of the concrete. The place apparently oozes when it gets hot out, but
obviously this doesn't impact its structural integrity.
640
full
This is a photo out over the city of Bikaner from the Jain Temple.
640
full
My parents are entering the Jain Temple. The colors are striking; I'm
not certain whether they are inlay or painted. Bikaner.
640
full
... but the outside decorations are nothing next to the ones inside!
Jain Temple, Bikaner.
640
full
Although we saw many temples (Jain, Hindu, and others), these are
still particularly striking examples of the full-color statuary. Jain
Temple, Bikaner.
640
full
I particularly liked this pattern in the marble floor of the Jain
Temple in Bikaner.
640
full
The intricacies of some of the scenes were quite amazing. I wish now
that I cuold have had the time to find out the story behind each one.
Jain Temple, Bikaner.
640
full
Other parts of the temple were as striking in their monochrome
intricacies. Jain Temple, Bikaner.
640
full
Most Jain Temples are filled with statues, which as far as I can tell
are representations of the Tirthankaras or
Jivas. Jain Temple, Bikaner.
640
full
View over Bikaner from the Jain Temple.
640
full
Jain Temple, Bikaner.
640
full
View over Bikaner from the Jain Temple. Apparently one of the
buildings we are looking at is a cow hospital, but don't ask me which
one!
640
full
This young man was our tour guide -- not only did he drive us around
the whole town in his took-took, but he went into the temple and other
places with us to explain the history and show us points of particular
interest.
Jain Temple, Bikaner.
640
full
Fresh vegetables in the marketplace. We believe the long skinny
vegetables front and center are carrots -- pink carrots. Bikaner
auto-rickshaw tour.
640
full
Another image of the marketplace, showing off peppers ("mirchi"),
cauliflower ("gobi"), and carrots ("gajar") in the foreground.
Bikaner auto-rickshaw tour.
640
full
On the street in Bikaner, returning to our hotel. Auto-rickshaw tour.
640
full
This was part of a series of attempts to capture a bat flying around
against the sunset. I never got a great picture of the bat, but the
sky colors are great! Back at our hotel, Bhairon Vilas, in Bikaner.
640
full
Sunset at Hotel Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner.
640
full
Sunset at Hotel Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner.
640
full
Sunset at Hotel Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner.
