Words are sadly inadequate to express the immeasurable delicacy of the palaces here. Every inch is exquisitely decorated till the senses are numbed by excess. Photography is permitted at a fee, but all the photographs in the world could hardly do justice to the labours of those hundreds of craftsmen who, with skill and patience, created this masterpiece. Of special interest is the Diwan-e-khas, an enormous hall, intricately carved, seemingly of wood, but in fact entirely of stone. There is a window in blue Dutch tiles, highly decorated chambers of the king and queen, and a pair of golden gates, now removed from their original moorings and secured behind iron bars. The tour of the fort takes you five storeys high, to the terrace, which affords a spectacular view of the gardens. This is also the only chance to glimpse parts of the palace that are still inhabited by royalty and not open to the public.

Close to Junagarh fort is Lalgarh Palace. Lalgarh Palace was built by Maharaja Ganga Singh to commemorate his father, Maharaja Lal Singh. The building is carved in red sandstone and adorned with delicate filigree work. The estate is approached through an ornate gateway which is open to all, but once inside, sadly, most of the area in out-of-bounds for tourists. One part of the palace and most of the grounds are still inhabited by the royal family. Another part of it has been made into a hotel. Only a tiny portion, which houses a museum, is open to tourists. The museum contains a collection of photographs and preserved trophies of wildlife. The hotel is open to guests only. Photography is prohibited almost everywhere. This means that the only pictures that you can carry away with you are the ones in your mind. It is tempting to stroll around the quadrangle outside the museum, or to venture onto the lawn in its midst and inspect the marble seating area in the centre. It is, however, forbidden.

Adding to the overall air of exclusiveness and leisure, traditional Rajasthani musicians wander around in twos and threes, flaying folk music on rustic instruments for anyone willing to listen, often with a small child to dance to the music. These wandering minstrels are not uncommon in Bikaner, but here in this palace, their effect is particularly pleasing.

Wildlife Around Bikaner

After the architectural splendours of Junagarh and Lalgarh, it’s now time for a different sort of splendour. The camel breeding farm, 10 km from Bikaner, is the only such facility in India. It is a research institute and photography is – you guessed it – prohibited. There is a strong smell around the area, which city people like me find somewhat intolerable. It is worth tolerating this for a while, though, because here is a sight one may never see again, outside of a movie hall (or even within one). In a large enclosure, there are hundreds of camels, rubbing shoulders with each other, the young ones staggering around, close to their mothers, stretching their long necks high; the sounds of their ethereal whoops and cries fills the air. The whole scene is like something out of Hollywood and it is hard to believe that this is real. It is possible to reach out and touch the camels through the fence, but probably inadvisable, since camels are not known to be the most docile of creatures and are quite capable of biting the hand that doesn’t even feed them.