Enjoy the Bikaner Camel Festival, India's Other Famous Camel Festival
Published by Paromita Goswami, Writer
Country: India 
The Experience
Every January, the small village of Ladera in Bikaner, Rajasthan becomes the venue of the two-day and night Bikaner Camel Festival. People from all over the world come to India to attend the Bikaner Camel Festival where camel owners flock to show-off their camels.
Camel and owner alike, dressed in their finest designer jewellery and accessories, kick-off the Bikaner Camel Festival with a regal march. This is a spectacular sight as the camels parade past spectators to the open sands with the Royal Junagarh Fort in the background. Colorful bridles, bejeweled necks, jingling anklets and long, lanky camel shadows on the dusky sand casts a magical atmosphere over the Bikaner Camel Festival.
The Bikaner Camel Festival also holds numerous sports and cultural activities, but the camel race is the essence of the festival. Hundreds of camels are corralled to the starting line, and with an explosive gunshot launches a growing swell of dust that follows the camels to the finish line. If that isn't enough, enjoy the camels as they dance to traditional Rajasthan music: swaying their necks and tapping their feet to the beat of the music. The camel milking competition is another very popular game at the Bikaner Camel Festival. The milk is salty in taste but has many nutritious values. Throughout the Bikaner Camel Festival you can enjoy the sweets and tea made from camel milk.
The Bikaner Camel Festival activities define the culture and traditions of Rajasthan, and in the evening, you can enjoy the gypsy dance or folk songs of the state. No matter what part of the world you come from, the music will cast its spell on you. Evenings at the Bikaner Camel Festival are lit by campfires, as folk dancers and musicians lure droves of eager spectators. A desert fireworks spectacle concludes the festivities on the second evening.
Enjoy the lustrous traditions of Rajasthan while celebrating the humble camel, ship of the desert, at the annual Bikaner Camel Festival.
Camel and owner alike, dressed in their finest designer jewellery and accessories, kick-off the Bikaner Camel Festival with a regal march. This is a spectacular sight as the camels parade past spectators to the open sands with the Royal Junagarh Fort in the background. Colorful bridles, bejeweled necks, jingling anklets and long, lanky camel shadows on the dusky sand casts a magical atmosphere over the Bikaner Camel Festival.
The Bikaner Camel Festival also holds numerous sports and cultural activities, but the camel race is the essence of the festival. Hundreds of camels are corralled to the starting line, and with an explosive gunshot launches a growing swell of dust that follows the camels to the finish line. If that isn't enough, enjoy the camels as they dance to traditional Rajasthan music: swaying their necks and tapping their feet to the beat of the music. The camel milking competition is another very popular game at the Bikaner Camel Festival. The milk is salty in taste but has many nutritious values. Throughout the Bikaner Camel Festival you can enjoy the sweets and tea made from camel milk.
The Bikaner Camel Festival activities define the culture and traditions of Rajasthan, and in the evening, you can enjoy the gypsy dance or folk songs of the state. No matter what part of the world you come from, the music will cast its spell on you. Evenings at the Bikaner Camel Festival are lit by campfires, as folk dancers and musicians lure droves of eager spectators. A desert fireworks spectacle concludes the festivities on the second evening.
Enjoy the lustrous traditions of Rajasthan while celebrating the humble camel, ship of the desert, at the annual Bikaner Camel Festival.
When to Go to Bikaner Festival
The Bikaner Camel Festival is typically held in late December or early January. The city is well connected with all the major cities in Rajasthan. However, being a desert region, the summers here are very hot and the temperature range is 48°–50°C degrees. Winters are pleasant, and you can enjoy the outdoor activities like the wildlife safari or desert trek.
Reaching the Bikaner Camel Festival is also very easy by various routes. The nearest airport is located in Udaipur and is well linked with Bikaner. The city is connected by railways with Chandigarh, Jodhpur, Delhi, Mumbai, and other major parts of the country. Bus services are also available to Bikaner from all major cities.
Reaching the Bikaner Camel Festival is also very easy by various routes. The nearest airport is located in Udaipur and is well linked with Bikaner. The city is connected by railways with Chandigarh, Jodhpur, Delhi, Mumbai, and other major parts of the country. Bus services are also available to Bikaner from all major cities.
Odds n' Ends
The Bikaner Camel Festival is the best means of witness to the rural lifestyle and culture of Rajasthan. The jubilant skirt-swirling dances, the awe-inspiring fire dances, and many other equally interesting performances entertain visitors at the festival.
The city of Bikaner was formerly known as the Princely State of Bikaner, and it's the only camel breeding grounds in Rajasthan. There are lots of things on offer within the city, and you can take a walk around and inside Junanagar Fort, which was built by Raja Rai Singh in association with Mughal emperor Akbar. This is one of the rare forts in Rajasthan that is not built on a hilltop.
Bikaner also has another impressive feat of architecture—the Lalgarh Palace, which was built by Maharaja Ganga Singh. The Palace is an example of hybrid architecture combining Mughal, Rajput and European styles. The exterior of the Palace is distinctly Rajput style, while the interiors of the Palace are distinctly oriental. One can also see the Usta art here in which miniature paintings and gold embossing is done on camel hide. This is a world-famous craft of Bikaner,
Bikaner is also famous for its Indian food delicacies: Bhujiya and Namkeen.
The city of Bikaner was formerly known as the Princely State of Bikaner, and it's the only camel breeding grounds in Rajasthan. There are lots of things on offer within the city, and you can take a walk around and inside Junanagar Fort, which was built by Raja Rai Singh in association with Mughal emperor Akbar. This is one of the rare forts in Rajasthan that is not built on a hilltop.
Bikaner also has another impressive feat of architecture—the Lalgarh Palace, which was built by Maharaja Ganga Singh. The Palace is an example of hybrid architecture combining Mughal, Rajput and European styles. The exterior of the Palace is distinctly Rajput style, while the interiors of the Palace are distinctly oriental. One can also see the Usta art here in which miniature paintings and gold embossing is done on camel hide. This is a world-famous craft of Bikaner,
Bikaner is also famous for its Indian food delicacies: Bhujiya and Namkeen.
Want a Guide?
- Bikaner Tour
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- Bikaner Tour Packages
- The tour to Bikaner is one of most attractive proposition among the Tours to Rajasthan for its beauty.
Recommended Places to Stay
- Hotel Lallgarh Palace, Bikaner
- Lallgarh palace today is one of the most popular heritage hotels in Rajasthan for the magnificent Indo-Saracenic architecture and the sheer royal experience that it provides.
- Hotel Raj Vilas Palace, Bikaner
- Hotel Raj Vilas Palace provide the utmost luxury and comfort to the guests visiting Bikaner
Additional Places to Stay Nearby
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With its central location, Bhanvar Niwas Hotel is within easy reach of most tourist attractions and business addresses in Bikaner.This 2.5-star property offers travelers a ...
With its central location, Sagar Hotel is within easy reach of most tourist attractions and business addresses in Bikaner.All 40 guestrooms at the hotel provide ...
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More Experiences Nearby
- Rat Temple at Bikaner
- Strictly speaking, this temple is called the Karni Mata Temple, but to call it by anything other than the “rat temple” would depart from essentially what it is—a temple infested with rats. My mother used to tell me not to feed stray cats as they will come back every day. Try feeding about five thousand rats each day and see what happens. Happy well-fed rats will breed faster than their unfed brethren, which in rat terms is extremely fast! My bus arrived at the Rat Temple on the northern ridge of Rajasthan at 4 a.m. from Pushkar. I alighted into ...95 miles away.
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Elsewhere on the Web
- Camel Festival - Rajasthan.org
- Camel Festival - Rajasthantravelguide.com
- Bikaner Camel Festival
- Known as the Ship of the Desert, the Camel has been a fundamental part of the lives of the Rajasthani lifestyle since time immemorial.
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