When I discovered frescoed havelis in Churu, I thought all of Rajasthan was like that - mansions with paintings on the walls.
But in Bikaner, I found a completely different style - here the focus is on wood carving!
The delicacy of the work is amazing!
In the very heart of the old city, there is a little corner of beauty and tidiness - that's the home to Bikaner's most iconic mansions: Rampuria Road.
Here, you feel like you’ve shrunk to the size of a mouse inside a shop full of dressers and wardrobes, lol.
Yes, it all reminds me of fine antique furniture - gorgeous one:
I visited the area several times as I stay not far.
In the late afternoon, the sunlight floods Rampuria Road.
Boys are running to ask a "selfie" (to photograph them). After posing, they didn't leave the frame, and this is what came out:
https://www.reddit.com/r/IncredibleIndia/comments/1oft2bs/bikaner_rajasthan_boys_on_rampuria_road_oc/
This street is the city’s face (check out "Bikaner" on Google, and you'll see endless shots of Rampuria), so it gets special care - look how clean it is, even in the side alleys:
But just a little off to the side, the situation changes.
I took this shot in a very curious alley, where the smell of manure reached epic levels:
"Hello! Where are you from?!"
They just wanted me to photograph them, nothing serious.
Although they do sweep here:
But the broom only lifts dust made of dirt and dung, which then settles right back down.
There are plenty of cows in old Bikaner, yes.
Keeping them in a stone city seems strange enough, but... it's practical otherwise people wouldn't bother. Perhaps.
Another curious artifact: a public urinal for men - an attempt - an unsuccessful one, alas - to solve the problem of public urination since there are still plenty of men peeing against walls on the streets.
The part of India I especially love: the abundance of art:
A portrait of Shiva just hanging on the wall on the street - scratched and smeared, but it seems to look even better with these traces of neglect.
Some things in Bikaner still live the old-fashioned way: for instance, goods are sometimes carried by zebu carts.
And of course, there’s the Indian classic: autorickshaws, or tuk-tuks.
There are dozens of such mansions across the city, though the continuous stretch is only along part of Rampuria Road.
But Rampuria isn't the only location, many havelis are far from there, like this beautiful old building in Dauji Road area:
Exploring architecture is cool, but meeting people is even better. In the next post, I’ll show my best portraits of Bikaner’s residents. 🙂
The photos were taken with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G and a Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D on a full-frame DSLR Nikon D750 in October 2025, in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India.