Bikaner is where I departed from Churu:
Delhi - Churu - Bikaner, that's my railroad Rajasthani trip so far. Bikaner on Google Maps
One of the first shots I took in Bikaner - on October 12, 2025:
The presence of ancient technologies, including half-rotten motor rickshaws and hawkers' rusty carts, struck me, and I instantly fell in love with this city.
But there was also the hard part - the level of people’s sociability, lol - when you're squeezed between the chaotic traffic and everyone’s friendliness ("hello! where are you from?!"), like between a rock and a hard place, all while trying to watch your path so you don't step on a dog or into a pile of dung.
A good illustration of the point above, but in this case, it’s an example of the best kind of friendliness - the guy performed a little show for me and invited me to see his workplace. Grateful to him for that. And saying hello each time I am walking this road, lol.
And here, thanks to the kids’ sociability, I got a seemingly great shot:
The story is this: I chose the place to shoot the street and then saw these kids on bikes, and they spotted me and headed toward me. It was clear they were going to ask me to take their photo. Meanwhile, I was happily photographing them as they approached. The kids politely asked me to take their picture, lined up, posed, asked for my Instagram, and then started taking selfies with me on their phones... And that's where I started losing my patience... I had gone out around 4 p.m., the best light, basically a solid hour and a half of shooting, and these kids kept me busy for a good 15 minutes, so I literally started straightforwardly requiring them to leave me alone, lol. As they were leaving, they suddenly stopped and started this little communication among themselves - and that's then I shot this scene, happy with the result.
And, yes, the houses are beautiful - the most famous part of the old town, called Rampuria Street. I'll share more images from there in the next post.
Rajasthani women, the way they dress is another remarkable thing in Bikaner - all shades of red, from deep orange to dark pink.
And this is how they shield themselves from the sun and dust (while local Muslim women wear black). Some men also cover their faces with a scarf - dust in the streets can be disturbing.
Since we’re talking about red:
A railway runs through the center of the city - a good photo opportunity!
This train passes right through this crowd of people - Mahatma Gandhi Road.
Did I tell you men sometimes cover their faces with a cloth? Look above at the guy on a motorbike - this way.
A green veil with a golden trim - love it! In the background is the Kote Gate, and this is what’s right beneath it:
Another pleasure of India - too see how diversely people look.
And again the Kote Gate, at night this time:
These gates are the heart of Bikaner - the Diwali celebration culminated right around them. I got a few decent night portraits during it, but that’s a story for the next time. Thanks for tuning in — I’m clicking "Publish" and running for another late afternoon photo walk in Bikaner! 😊
The photos were taken with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G and a Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D (only the Rampuria Street shot) on a full-frame DSLR Nikon D750 in October, 2025, in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India.