Kingdom of Bikaner

The **Kingdom of Bikaner** is a Puppet State of the Empire of Iran located northwest of the Kingdom of Jaisalmer, east of the Kingdom of Pakistan North of the Kingdom of Jaipur, Northeast of the Kingdom of Dholpur, west of the Sultanate of Delhi and Southwest of the Kingdom of Punjab.

## History

### Rise of Rao Bika

About 1465 Rao Bika, a Rathore Rajput, and an elder son of Rao Jodha, king of Marwar, provoked by a stray comment by his father, left Marwar (Jodhpur) with a small contingent of Rathore warriors (500 soldier and 100 cavalrymen) to create his own kingdom. He was accompanied by his uncle, Rawat Kandhal and his brother Rao Bida, who provided politico-strategic advice.

Encouraged by the mystic Karni Mata, whom he had met early in his travels, he took advantage of the internal rivalries of the Jat clans so that by 1485 he was able to establish his own territory and build a small fort called Rati Ghati at the city which still bears his name. In 1488 he began the building of the city itself. In the beginning, the neighboring Bhati chiefs were suspicious of the new growing power in their vicinity. Karni Mata, who had become the *kuladevi* of Rao Bika brought the rivalry between the Rathore & Bhatis to an end by inspiring Rao Shekha - the powerful Bhati chief of Pugal, to give the hand of his daughter in marriage to Rao Bika. This consolidated Rao Bika's power in the region and proved to be a milestone in the history of the state.

Upon Rao Jodha's death in 1488 Rao Bika stormed Mehrangarh Fort, an event that was to lead to 200 years of intermittent wars between Marwar and Bikaner.

Remains of the original small fortress Rao Bika built can still be seen around the walled city, near Lakshminath ji temple. The royal family of Bikaner lived there, till Raja Rai Singh Ji built a new fort called "Chintamani" (now Junagarh) between 1589 and 1593 AD.

According to legend Bika Lunkaran consulted a holy man called Jas Nathji, who foretold that Bika's line would reign for 450 years. While Bika was pleased with this prediction, his brother Gharsiji when he heard of the prediction thought a longer period of power should have been prophesied. He confronted the holy man while he was in a deep trance and roused him by thrusting burning incense under his nose. Jas Nathji told him 'All right take 50 years more or less but of trial and tribulation'.

Rao Bika died in 1504. His successors benefited from the weak rule of Suraj Mal of Marwar and the disruption caused by Babur's invasion of India to consolidate and extend their possessions  until by the 17th century all the Jat clans (including the powerful Godara clan) had accepted the suzerainty of the rulers of Bikaner.

One of the most successful earlier rulers was Jait Singh (1526–39) until he was killed by the forces of Rao Maldev of Marwar. He was succeeded by his son Kalyan Mal (1539–71) who under pressure from the Marwar forces retreated to the Punjab where he joined with Sher Shah Suri who expelled the Mughal ruler Humayun in 1540. With Sher Shah Suri's support, Kalyan Mal was able by 1545 to recover his lost territories from Rao Maldev.

### Mughal Era

The return of Humayun to power meant that Bikaner due to its involvement with Sher Shah Suri came into conflict with the Mughals again. However Kalyan Mal by using all the advantages of the harsh desert environment around Bikaner was able to defeat any invading Mughal army. The coming of Akbar to power saw the Mughal empire turn to diplomacy instead of force to bring the individual Rajput states into the empire. As a result, Raja Rai Singh, the sixth ruler of Bikaner was among the first Rajput Chiefs to make an alliance with the Mughal Empire. As a result, during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar the rulers of Bikaner were esteemed among the most loyal adherents of the empire and held high ranks as Mansabdars of special order in the imperial court. They served as military commanders in various Mughal campaigns all over the Indiasub-continent.

### British Rule

By the middle of the 19th century the years of internal strife together with the financial and military demands put on Bikaner by the British had put the kingdom in debt. A sharp turnaround in the fortunes of the kingdom occurred in 1842 when Maharaja Ratan Singh took advantage of a shortage of pack animals to supply Bikaner's renowned camels at considerable profit to the British for their Afghan expedition. Ths turnaround was such that by 1844 he was able to reduce the dues on goods passing through Bikaner. He also gave assistance in both Sikh campaigns to the British.

The reign of Maharaja Ganga Singh was notable for great socio-political and economic development in every sphere of life, namely, education, health, sanitation, water supply, power generation and electricity, irrigation, post and telegraph, roads and railways, trade and commerce, etc.

Drought is a common occurrence, and the region faced the most severe famine in 1899–1900 which was so severely felt that by 1901 it reduced the population to 584,627, a decrease of 30%. When Maharaja Ganga Singh died in 1943, he was succeeded by Maharaja Sadul Singh. he was the colonel of the Regiment of 2nd lancers.

### Joining India

With the departure of the British in 1947, the subsidiary alliance of 1818 came to an end and Bikaner was left as an independent state, with the choice falling to Maharaja Sadul Singh of acceding to one of the new dominions, India or Pakistan. In the event, Sadul Singh was one of the first rulers of a princely state to sign an Instrument of Accession, on 7 August 1947, choosing India. Bikaner became part of the state of Rajputana, which was later renamed Rajasthan.

### Iranian Rule

Bikaner gained independence in the 1990s when Imperial Iran invaded India, the titular Princely Ruler Narendra Singh has collaborated with Imperial Iran in order to restore his Kingdom as an independent Kingdom in order to establish a homeland for the Punjabi people of Hindu faith and the Haryanvi people and to save his family from the Communist aggression. Bikaner after this was able to gain independence as a country and they were able to get economic, military and political backing from Iran. However progress is hard as the Punjabi people of Hindu faith and the Haryanvi people were not pleased with having to live in a rural desert kingdom with blistering hot temperatures. Narendra Singh had died in 2001 and due to the fact that he only had daughters who only had daughters themselves, Narendra Singh was succeeded by his cousin Ravi Raj Singh who became the new Maharajah.

## Government

Bikaner is an Absolute Monarchy in which the King has full on Autocratic Powers and can create laws and make decisions without the approval of the Majilis. The Succession law is Semi-Saliac in which the King can adopt a male heir who is either paternally or maternally related to the royal family if he has no male sons or grandsons of his own.

* **Maharajah:** Shiromani Ravi Raj Singhji Bahadur
* **Crown Prince:** Shiromani Amir Ravi Raj Singhji, Crown Prince of Bikaner
* **Foreign Minister:** Ali Mohammad Besharati
* **Minister of of Tourism, Art and Culture:** Mohammad Hosseini
* **Minister of Defense:** Mohammad Reza Fallahzade
* **Minister of Intelligence:** Sadegh Mahsouli
* **Chief of Staff:** Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi
* **Chief of State Forces:** Brigadier General Qasem Rezaee

## Military

Bikaner only has 150 Infantry Brigades, 140 Artillery Brigades and 130 Arnored Brigades as their official Military. This is due to the fact that Bikaner's landscape and size with being a Landlocked country are the main contributors of why Bikaner only has an army. This army is commanded by the Commander of the State Forces and Prime Minister, Hassan Shateri.

## Economy

### Transportation

Bikaner is well known for being a famous city for making money off of it's transportation system. Bikaner railway station is a major railway junction in the North Western Railway zone of Indian Railways. The first railway link to Bikaner was established on 9 December 1891 as part of Jodhpur State Railway and it has undergone many administrative modifications since then. Today Bikaner Railway Station is efficiently well connected to the Sultanate of Delhi, Kingdom of Punjab, Kingdom of Jaipur, Kingdom of Dholpur, Kingdom of Jaisalmer, Kingdom of Jodhpur and the Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir. Central Bus Stand is the main bus station in Bikaner. It connects Bikaner to other cities in Rajasthan and nearby states via road. Bikaner has the Domestic Civil Airport Nal Airport which is located 15 km west of the city.

These transportation hubs are mainly used to travel around Iran and it's various puppet regimes, but it only allows transport to those areas. The Republic of India and the Socialist State to the East are off Limits.

### Tourism

Bikaner has many places of Interest and because of this, Tourism is another way for Bikaner to make money. Bikaner has 6 places of interest that are the reason why it's tourism industry makes money.

#### Junagarh Fort

The Junagarh Fort was built around 1594 CE by Raja Rai Singh. The fort was originally called *Chintamani*. It is one of the few major forts in Rajasthan which was not built on hilly terrain. The modern city of Bikaner has developed around the fort. The fort is studded with temples, grand palaces and huge pavilions and walls. In 1961, a museum was set up by Maharaja Karni Singh. Its temples and palaces are preserved as museums and provide insight into the grandiose living style of the past Maharanas of Rajasthan.

#### Rao Bikaji's Fort

Rao Bikaji's first fort, 'Bikaji Ki Tekri' built in 1478 is now in ruins. A hundred years later a new fort was built about 1.5 km from the city centre, named Junagarh Fort.

#### Karni Mata Temple

The Karni Mata (करणी माता) Temple or the Rat Temple of Rajasthan is situated around 30 km away from the Bikaner city and is dedicated to Karni Mata, a famous mystic of her times, believed to be an incarnation of goddess Durga. The locals will be quick to point out that the creatures running around in the temple are not rats, they are *kaabe* (plural, kaaba singular). Kaabe are believed to be reincarnations of humans who had been devotees of Karni Mata, and the brevity of human life did not sufficiently satisfy their devotion.

The shrine of Karni Mata can be found in the town of Deshnoke 30 km south from Bikaner on the road to Jodhpur. Karni Mata is worshiped as an incarnation of Goddess Durga.

#### Mukam Bishnoi Temple

The Mukam Temple, also known as Mukti Dham Mukam, is located near Nokha. The Mukam is a holy place of 29 rules of followers of Bishnois. Bishnoi sect was founded by Guru Jambeshwar. Bishnois are quite protective of nature. Mukam Temple is the place where the soul of guru Jambeshwar lies.

#### Shri Laxminath Temple

Built by Maharaja Rao Lunkaran, Shri Laxminath Temple is one of the oldest temples in Bikaner and just 4 kilometres away from the famous Junagarh Fort. Lord Vishnu and Goddess Laxmi, grace the sacred sanctum of the temple. The most exquisite artwork inside the temple apart from the shrines is the doorway which is embellished in silver work. Festivals like Janmashtmi, Nirjala Ekadashi, Rama Navami, Diwali and Gita Jayanti are majorly celebrated at the temple.

#### Bhandasar Jain Temple

Bhandasar Jain Temple is known for its beautiful leaf paintings, frescoes and ornamented mirror work. This temple was constructed by Bhandasa Oswal in the 15th century. This temple is constructed using red sandstone with beautiful paintings on walls and pillars of the sanctum and mandapa. The temple is dedicated to the 5th Tirthankara sumatinatha. The temple consist of *garbhagriha*, *antarala*, *mahamandapa*, and *ardhamandapa*.

## Demographics

The population of Bikaner city, the capital of the Kingdom was 644,406 placing it in the top 70 major cities of South Asia. The female to male ratio in the city was 904/1,000. The literacy rate in the city was about 79%, male literacy being 87% and female literacy being 71%.

## Culture

### Food

The city is most famous for its savoury snack Bikaneri bhujia which is sold all over the world and also have geographical indicati (GI) tag to keep its originality intact. Other special food items for which Bikaner is well known are *Bajre ki Roti* (Chapati made up of Pearl millet flour), Dal baati Churma, Ghevar, Halvas, Papads/Papadum, Rasgulla, Gulab Jamun, Kachori and Samosa.

### Animal Husbandry

The Kingdom of Bikaner has decided to set up its first cow sanctuary in Bikaner. It has a dedicated Ministry of Cow Husbandry. The sanctuary is likely to be set up near Amarpura village, about 70 km from Bikaner.

### Camel Festival

International Camel Festival is held every year in January. Organised by the Department of Tourism, Art and Culture, the city celebrates the festival in honour of the "Ship of the Desert – The Camel". Beautifully adorned camels and performances by artists from different regions are the key attraction for both domestic and foreign tourists. The event includes spectacular camel performances like *Camel dances*, *Camel races*, *Neck shaking Camel rides*. Competitions like *Mr Bikana* and *Miss Marwan* are also held during the festival.

## Education

Educational Institutes located in Bikaner are Sardar Patel Medical College, Government Engineering College Bikaner, Government Polytechnic College Bikaner, Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Marudhar Engineering College and newly established Bikaner Technical University.