A young maharaja outgrows his fort
Ganga Singh inherited the throne as a child in 1887, when his elder brother died without a son, and the state was governed by a regency while he studied at Mayo College in Ajmer. Those around him judged Junagarh cramped and dark. So, on empty land north of the walled city, a new palace began to rise.
The ruler: Ganga Singh reigned from 1887 to 1943, raised the Bikaner Camel Corps, sat on the Imperial War Cabinet in the First World War and brought water to the desert with the Ganga Canal.
- Work began
- Late 1890s, under the regency
- First wing finished
- 1902, Laxmi Niwas
- Whole palace finished
- 1926
- Named for
- Laxmi, goddess of wealth and fortune
- Became a hotel
- Around the turn of the 21st century
- The palace: the complex took the name Lalgarh, after his father Maharaj Lal Singh, and also because lal means red. Laxmi Niwas, its first wing, bears the name of the goddess of wealth.
- The budget: the early plans were modest. They did not survive the young maharaja's ambitions, and the first wing alone is said to have cost about ten times the original estimate.
- The old fort: once the court moved here, the citadel became Junagarh, literally the old fort. Our page on Junagarh Fort tells its story.
- The full history: our page on Lalgarh Palace covers the whole complex, and our Bikaner guide covers the city.
Swinton Jacob and the art of the screen
Who he was: Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, a British engineer in the service of Jaipur state, who designed the Albert Hall Museum and became the leading builder in the Indo-Saracenic style.
The style explained: modern buildings, with modern plans and plumbing, dressed in Indian forms: domes, arches, kiosks, screens and brackets from Rajput, Mughal and Gujarati traditions.
- His method: Jacob studied old Indian buildings closely and published portfolios of their details for craftsmen to follow, so the carving here follows real precedents.
- A famous verdict: the journalist Stanley Reed, reporting the royal tour of 1905 and 1906, called Laxmi Niwas 'the most perfect modern building in the Indo-Saracenic style in India'.
- Look for: canopied balconies with filigree screens, lotus-bud brackets, deep cornices throwing shade and small domed kiosks along the roofline.
- Learn the vocabulary: our guide to reading Rajasthani architecture explains every term.
Carved in Dulmera sandstone
The stone: red Dulmera sandstone, the same that the merchant families used for the Rampuria havelis of the old city.
The carvers: local craftsmen's families worked on both palaces and havelis, and walking the old city the same afternoon you will see their hands in both.
- Outside: screens, balconies and arcades are cut so finely that in the low sun they read like lace.
- Inside: carved friezes, ornate ceilings, golden painted decoration, marble courtyards and colonnaded corridors with stone lattice.
- Imports of the age: Italian-style colonnades, fireplaces, tiled floors and European furniture sit beside the Rajput carving, the taste of a ruler at home in London and Delhi.
- Best hour to look: the hour before sunset, when the shadows deepen in every cut.
Kings, viceroys and the sandgrouse shoot
Royal visitors: King George V and Queen Mary, viceroys including Lord Curzon, Lord Hardinge and Lord Irwin, and fellow maharajas all stayed at the palace.
A Frenchman: in 1920 Georges Clemenceau, who had led France through the First World War, came as Ganga Singh's guest. The two had sat together at the peace conference.
- The shooting: guests came above all for the imperial sandgrouse shoots at Gajner, the royal lodge and lake west of the city.
- Hospitality as politics: many in Bikaner say the waters of the Ganga Canal were won as much over Lalgarh's dinners as in any government office.
- Our view: the palace was built for a tiny elite in a poor desert state, and the hunting of that age is not something we would want back. Ganga Singh's grandson Karni Singh later made Gajner a wildlife sanctuary.
How a royal wing became a hotel
1949: Bikaner merged into the new state of Rajasthan, after Sadul Singh, Ganga Singh's son, signed the state into India.
1972: Maharaja Karni Singh set up a charitable trust in his grandfather's name and endowed part of Lalgarh to it.
- Two hotels: two wings were turned into hotels. One is Laxmi Niwas. The other, run by the trust, is the Lallgarh Palace hotel, using an older spelling.
- Today: Laxmi Niwas is run on a lease by a private hotel company, and became a luxury hotel around the turn of the twenty-first century.
- The family: the palace has remained in the family and today belongs to Karni Singh's daughter, Rajyashree Kumari.
- The museum: the west wing holds the Shri Sadul Museum and a private library, telling the story of Ganga Singh, Sadul Singh and Karni Singh.
What staying at Laxmi Niwas feels like
Period rooms: many rooms keep painted ceilings, carved stone, old furniture and portraits. Each is different in size, light and outlook.
Ask carefully: in the Lalgarh hotels, rooms in the original wing with views onto courtyards or gardens usually have the most character. We request the right one for you.
- The public rooms: hung with portraits, trophies and period furniture, they are a museum you can sit down in.
- The gardens: lawns and trees around the palace give children space and adults a quiet walk at dusk.
- Heritage trade-offs: stairs, long corridors, older plumbing and bathrooms that vary in size. Tell us if mobility or noise matters, and we will plan around it.
- Events: Lalgarh is popular for weddings in season, so we check the calendar before you book.
Dinner in the courtyard
The courtyard: dinner under the arches, with the stone lit warmly and folk musicians on many evenings, is the reason many guests choose the hotel.
Non-residents: guests staying elsewhere can sometimes reserve a meal here, which we arrange.
- Order Bikaneri: ker sangri, bajra roti, kadhi and dal baati, and for meat-eaters laal maas, mutton in a fierce red chilli gravy.
- The sweets: Bikaner is famous for its rasgullas, and in season for ghevar. Our Rajasthani sweets guide explains them.
- Bhujia: the city's savoury snack, made from moth-bean flour and carrying a Geographical Indication tag, appears at every teatime.
- More food: our Bikaner food guide covers the city's kitchens and street food.
Rest, the spa and the long afternoon
The spa: the hotel offers massage and Indian therapies. Menus change, so we don't list them.
When to book: after the morning at Junagarh and before the late-afternoon walk in the old city.
- The gardens: a book under a tree on the lawn is the palace's oldest pleasure.
- The museum next door: the Shri Sadul Museum is a short walk away, a cool hour among photographs and trophies.
- Wellness: our page on spas and Ayurveda explains what to ask for.
Bikaner from the palace gate
Junagarh Fort in the morning
- Why: built between 1589 and 1594, its painted palaces are among the finest in Rajasthan, because the fort was rarely attacked and never looted.
- When: as soon as it opens, for two to three hours with a good guide. About fifteen minutes from the hotel.
The old city in the late afternoon
- Why: the Rampuria havelis and the Bhandasar Jain temple glow in low light, and the lanes smell of frying bhujia.
- Stay inside: if you want to sleep among them, see Bhanwar Niwas, a Rampuria haveli hotel.
Karni Mata at Deshnoke
- Why: the temple of the rats, about 30 km south, given its marble facade and silver doors by Ganga Singh.
- When: early morning, barefoot, with a pair of socks. Read our page on Karni Mata Temple.
The camel research centre at dusk
- Why: the National Research Centre on Camel, set up in 1984, where herds return from grazing in the late afternoon.
- Try: camel-milk tea or ice cream at the milk parlour. Children love it.
Gajner, the royal lake
- Why: about 30 km west, the old royal lodge and lake, now a sanctuary for blackbuck, chinkara, nilgai and waterbirds.
- When: a late afternoon or a final night. Our guide to luxury hotels in Bikaner describes the palace hotel there.
What most visitors miss
The roofline: step back far enough to see the small domed kiosks along the top. Each is a miniature pavilion, and no two are quite the same.
The brackets: look up under the balconies at the carved lotus buds and scrolls. The same motifs appear on the Rampuria havelis in the old city.
- The link with Jaipur: if you have seen the Albert Hall, look for Swinton Jacob's habits: symmetry in the large forms, endless variety in the detail.
- The photographs: the Shri Sadul Museum's pictures of shooting parties, durbars and the Camel Corps bring the empty rooms back to life.
- The ghee temple: Bikaner's Bhandasar Jain temple, said to have ghee mixed into its mortar, is one of the city's treasures and often skipped.
- The gold-leaf craft: Bikaner's usta art, raised gold-leaf painting, decorates Junagarh's rooms. Workshops in the city still make it by hand, and we take guests to meet the artists.
When to come
October to March: sunny days, cool nights and the light that makes the red stone glow.
December and January: cold mornings and evenings. Bring a warm layer for the courtyard after dark.
- Best months
- October to March
- Coldest
- December and January, near freezing at night
- Camel Festival
- January
- Karni Mata Fair
- Spring and autumn Navratri
- Hottest
- April to June, close to 50 degrees
- The Camel Festival: every January, with decorated camels, races, dances and moustache contests. See our Bikaner Camel Festival page; we confirm dates each year.
- The Karni Mata Fair: pilgrims walk to Deshnoke in their thousands during Navratri. See our Karni Mata Fair page.
- Summer: April to June is extremely hot, and we rarely plan Bikaner then.
- Month by month: our guide to the best time to visit Bikaner has the detail.
Who Laxmi Niwas suits
First-time visitors wanting a palace: this is the grandest stay in Bikaner, and the most palace-like.
Families: gardens, space and a short drive to the camel farm and Junagarh. Ask early for interconnecting rooms or suites.
- History lovers: you sleep in the building that Lord Curzon, King George V and Clemenceau knew.
- Honeymooners: a palace suite here, then perhaps a final night by the lake at Gajner.
- Design lovers who have seen many palaces: Narendra Bhawan is more playful and thoroughly reinvented.
- Travellers wanting the old city on the doorstep: Bhanwar Niwas puts you inside a merchant haveli.
- Those who need seamless modern comfort: heritage buildings have quirks. Be honest with us, and we will match you well.
Laxmi Niwas on our journeys
Under the Thar Sky: the journey ends with two nights in Bikaner after Jodhpur, Manvar and Jaisalmer.
Forts and palaces grand tour: two nights between Jaipur and Jaisalmer.
- The heritage havelis trail: Bikaner follows the painted towns of Mandawa.
- The desert triangle: Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner, with Khimsar to finish.
- Winter in Rajasthan: Bikaner in its best season, with Jaipur, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur.
Before you go
Rooms vary greatly: in size, light, outlook and stairs. Tell us what matters most and we will ask for it, though allocation stays with the hotel.
Weddings: Lalgarh is a favourite wedding venue in the cool months, so we check the calendar for music and crowds before we book.
- Allow
- Two nights in Bikaner
- Ask for
- A room in the original wing
- Pack
- Warm layer for winter evenings
- At temples
- Shoes off, shoulders covered
- Good for
- Families, couples, history lovers
- Mobility: long corridors and steps are part of a palace built in 1902. Tell us early if walking is difficult.
- Temple dress: at Deshnoke and the Jain temples, remove shoes and leather, cover shoulders and knees. Our page on temple etiquette explains more.
- Shopping: buy usta work, bhujia and textiles from makers we trust, not from showrooms a stranger recommends.
Getting to Laxmi Niwas
From Jodhpur: via Nagaur and Deshnoke, so you can see Karni Mata on the way in. Our page on road distances has more.
From Jaisalmer: across some of the emptiest desert in the state.
- From Jodhpur
- About four to five hours by road
- From Jaisalmer
- About five to six hours
- From Jaipur
- About five to six hours
- From Shekhawati
- About three hours
- Airport
- Nal, about 15 km, limited flights
- From Shekhawati: about three hours from the painted towns of Mandawa, a natural route between Bikaner and Jaipur or Delhi.
- By air: Nal Airport, west of the city, has limited domestic flights that change by season.
- By train: Bikaner is connected by rail to Delhi and Jaipur. Our page on trains in Rajasthan explains classes.
What we tell friends before Laxmi Niwas
Stay two nights: one for Junagarh and the old city, one for Deshnoke, the museum and the camels.
Ask for the old wing: courtyard or garden views, and say if stairs are a problem.
- Eat in the courtyard at least once: on a winter night with the stone lit, it is unforgettable.
- Visit the museum next door: the photographs explain the palace better than any guide.
- Bring socks for Deshnoke: you enter barefoot.
- Buy bhujia fresh: from the old city, not the airport. Our shopping guide has more.