After getting down the train, we had decided to have some light breakfast and planned out all the details of our trip that was lay ahead. Earlier, we had short listed some famous destinations in the city of Bikaner and accordingly we sorted out the modes of transportation available to visit each such place. Since we had decided to start with the Junagarh Fort, Bikaner and the place was completely unknown to all of us, we hired a car. The fort was built way back during the period 1589–1594 by the then King Raja Rai Singh. The fort was built with red sandstones and marbles and it was then controlled by the Government of Rajasthan. The fort was initially named as the Chintamani, but later on, in the twentieth century it was renamed as the Junagarh Fort. This was the most important fort and built on land, not like the other forts which were present on hill tops. The Bikaner city was developed surrounding that fort and we learnt that it drew lots of foreign tourists every day.
The best part about the fort was its design and till that day, the designs and sculptures looked brand new. They made us realize the quality of the work of the designers and sculptors in those times. The designers were of high quality and the fort was the perfect example of their brilliance. We thanked the local workers employed by the state government for taking the initiative to maintain that historical building which was a symbol of pride for our country. The fort was famous for its connection to various memorable events in history. We even found a museum where lots of ancient things and collections were kept for the visitors.
Photography was undoubtedly one of my favourite pastimes and I was thrilled to have pictures of such a famous fort. I had always dreamt of visiting forts like that and I was extremely happy as my dream had come true that day. Since it was winter, the sky wasn’t clear that time. The view of the huge Junagarh Fort, Bikaner in the foggy sky was amazing. Our next destination was the Lalgarh Palace, which we learnt was nearby.