A maharaja after the maharajas
Narendra Singh inherited a famous name and very little power. His grandfather Sadul Singh had signed Bikaner into India, his father Karni Singh sat in parliament and shot for India at the Olympics, and in 1971 the privy purses were abolished. He lived as a maharaja without a kingdom, in this house.
The line: Ganga Singh the statesman, Sadul Singh who signed Bikaner into India, Karni Singh the parliamentarian, and Narendra Singh, the last to carry the title in the city's memory.
- Father
- Maharaja Karni Singh, MP and Olympic shooter
- Great-grandfather
- Maharaja Ganga Singh, ruled 1887 to 1943
- Bikaner joined Rajasthan
- 1949
- Privy purses ended
- 1971
- Lived here until
- His death in 2003
- The house: Narendra Bhawan was his residence, separate from the great palace of Lalgarh, and he lived here until he died in 2003.
- His world: the hotel draws on the stages of his life, from childhood and the army to the end of empire and the return to an India that had changed for ever.
- His passions: animals, music, books and collecting, all of which turn up in the furniture, the library and the objects around the house.
- The family history: our page on Lalgarh Palace tells the story of the dynasty, and our journal on royal families today explains what titles mean now.
How a home became a hotel
When a royal house becomes a hotel, the usual instinct is to freeze it, polish the silver and hang the portraits straight. The team here did the opposite. They kept the maharaja's spirit and let the building play, so that a stay feels less like visiting a museum and more like being his house guest.
The collection: it belongs to the Suryagarh Collection, which also runs Suryagarh on the road to the Jaisalmer dunes. The two make a natural pair on a desert journey.
- When: the house opened as a hotel in the late 2010s, after the maharaja's death.
- The idea: rather than restore a palace to look as it did, the designers told a story, so the hotel reads like a biography you can walk through.
- The look: an art deco thread, a gentleman's club in one room, regimental touches from the army years, and a dining room dressed in pearls and chiffon for the ladies of his life.
- The tone: witty rather than reverent. Uniforms, menus and rituals all have a touch of theatre.
- Heritage or modern: the building has been more thoroughly reinvented than Bikaner's other heritage hotels, so the plumbing and comforts feel new.
Rooms that follow a life
Themed by life stage: guest rooms and public spaces draw on different phases of the maharaja's life, so rooms differ in mood as well as size.
Indian themes, past and present: the designers mixed memories of his travels with Rajasthani craft and twentieth-century style.
- Named spaces: look for the Diwali Chowk, a courtyard named for the festival of lights, and the Verandah, the place for tea and conversation.
- The library: a real collection of books, which also feeds the hotel's literary dinners.
- Animals everywhere: his love of animals shows up in furniture, prints and objects. Children enjoy hunting for them.
- Choosing a room: we don't promise a particular room, but we tell the hotel what matters, a quiet corner, a view, a family layout.
Dining as theatre
Gaushala: the relaxed all-day room, its name meaning cowshed, with small plates and cocktails.
Pearls and Chiffon: the formal dining room, with a careful wine list, table-side preparations and tiffin lunches in the old style.
- All-day dining
- Gaushala, small plates and cocktails
- Formal dining
- Pearls and Chiffon
- Mughal grills
- Crescent Grill
- Bakery
- Mad Hatter, the Bake House
- Bar
- The Closet, handcrafted cocktails
- Crescent Grill: Mughal cooking, kebabs and breads from the courts of the north.
- Literally Literary: a dinner pairing food with passages from seven literary classics, drawn from the maharaja's books.
- Darbari and the White Nights: sundowners and dinners in white, under the desert sky, in the manner of a royal darbar, a court gathering.
- The Museum Dinner: one of the hotel's set pieces. Ask what is running when you stay, as experiences change.
- Bikaneri breakfast: ask for bajra and sabudana dishes, kachoris and the city's famous bhujia, then the Mad Hatter bakery for something sweet.
A pool above the city, and a quiet clinic
The pool: set high with views over Bikaner, the best place to spend the hot middle of the day, and lovely at sunset.
Clinic, the spa: a private wellness space using flower and plant-based treatments. Menus change, so we don't list them.
- The gym: for travellers who can't skip a morning workout.
- When to swim: after a morning at Junagarh, before the late-afternoon walk in the old city.
- Why it matters: Bikaner's palace hotels are grand, but Narendra Bhawan is the one with a real pool for the heat. Our luxury hotels in Bikaner guide compares them.
Bikaner, the Narendra Bhawan way
Merchant explorations
- What: a walk through the old merchant quarter, the Rampuria havelis and the lanes around them, with time inside a haveli.
- Why: Bikaner's merchants made fortunes across India, especially in Kolkata, and spent them on carved stone at home.
Junagarh and the Prachina Museum
- What: the great fort, built between 1589 and 1594, with painted palaces never looted, and the Prachina Museum of royal costume and objects inside.
- When: first thing in the morning, with a guide, for two to three hours. Read our Junagarh Fort page.
Devi Kund Sagar
- What: the royal cenotaphs of the Bikaner rulers, domed chhatris beside a tank, and nearby Jain temples.
- When: late afternoon, when the stone warms and the site is quiet.
Sundowners at a desert oasis
- What: the hotel's evenings in the desert outside the city, with drinks as the light fades.
- Pair with: a ride or a visit to the camel research centre, where herds return from grazing at dusk.
Karni Mata at Deshnoke
- What: the famous temple of the rats, about 30 km south, with marble facade and silver doors given by Ganga Singh.
- When: early morning, barefoot. Read our Karni Mata Temple page.
A day at Narendra Bhawan
Early morning
- Junagarh at opening: the fort's painted rooms are quietest and coolest in the first hour.
- Or Deshnoke: the Karni Mata temple at dawn, with the pilgrims and the morning prayers.
Late morning
- Back for breakfast: a long Bikaneri breakfast in Gaushala, then the pool before the sun is high.
- The library: a book and a pot of tea on the Verandah, the quietest hour of the day in the house.
Afternoon
- Rest: the spa, a sleep or a slow wander through the house's rooms and objects.
- Old city at four: the merchant walk through the Rampuria havelis as the light turns the red stone gold.
Evening
- Sundowner: in the desert outside the city, or at the camel research centre as herds come home.
- Dinner: one of the themed set pieces, or a quiet supper at Crescent Grill.
The Bikaner around you
Founded: in 1488 by Rao Bika, a son of Rao Jodha, the founder of Jodhpur, on the dry country then called Jangladesh.
Camel country: the Bikaneri camel is one of India's great breeds, and Ganga Singh's Camel Corps rode them across the empire.
- Bhujia: the city's savoury snack carries a Geographical Indication tag, and the old city smells of it frying.
- Usta art: raised gold-leaf painting, the city's signature craft, decorates Junagarh's rooms and is still made by hand in workshops.
- The Bhandasar temple: a Jain temple in the old city, painted and gilded, said to have ghee mixed into its mortar.
- Read more: our things to do in Bikaner and Bikaner food guides.
The food of Bikaner beyond the hotel
Bhujia: crisp strands of spiced moth-bean flour, the city's pride. Watch it being made in the old city and buy it warm.
Rasgullas: Bikaner's spongy cheese balls in syrup are famous across Rajasthan, best eaten fresh from a sweet shop.
- Papad: thin lentil wafers, often spiced with black pepper, made in homes and small workshops across the city.
- Kachoris: stuffed, fried breakfast pastries, best eaten standing at a stall with a glass of chai.
- Ghevar: the honeycomb sweet of the monsoon Teej season, sold in towers in July and August.
- Desert dishes: ker sangri, bajra roti, kadhi and dal baati, the home cooking of Marwar. Our Bikaner food guide and Rajasthani sweets guide explain them all.
What most visitors miss
The objects: almost everything on the walls and shelves connects to a story about the maharaja. Ask a member of staff to tell you three.
The library: take a book to the Verandah. Some of them turn up later on your dinner menu.
- The uniforms: staff dress is part of the design, nodding to the army and the household of the old court.
- The view at dusk: from the pool terrace, watch the lights come on across the old city and listen for the evening temple bells.
- Lalgarh nearby: the great red palace of the family is a short drive away, with the Shri Sadul Museum. The photographs there complete the story.
- Gajner: the old royal lake and sanctuary, about 30 km west, makes a fine afternoon of blackbuck and birds.
When to come
October and November: warm days, cool nights and the festival season of Diwali, when the hotel lights up.
December and January: cold mornings and evenings, near freezing at times. The pool is for the brave.
- Best months
- October to March
- Coldest
- December and January
- Camel Festival
- January
- Karni Mata Fair
- Spring and autumn Navratri
- Avoid
- April to June, extreme heat
- The Camel Festival: every January, with parades, races and moustache contests. See our Bikaner Camel Festival page; we confirm dates each year.
- February and March: pleasant and bright, our favourite weeks.
- Summer: April to June is extremely hot, close to fifty degrees on the worst days.
- Month by month: see our best time to visit Bikaner guide.
How long to allow
One night
- What you see: Junagarh, a quick walk in the old city and one dinner.
- Good for: a stop on a long desert circuit, though you will leave wanting more.
Two nights
- What you see: Junagarh, the havelis, Deshnoke, Devi Kund Sagar, the camels and two evenings at the hotel.
- Good for: most guests. Our Bikaner itinerary is built on it.
Three nights
- What you add: Gajner's lake and sanctuary, a desert sundowner and a slow day at the hotel.
- Good for: food lovers, photographers and anyone in Bikaner for the Camel Festival.
Who will love Narendra Bhawan
Design lovers: every corner rewards attention, and the design is as interesting as any museum in the city.
Repeat visitors: if you have seen many palaces, this one will surprise you.
- Food lovers: the themed dinners are among the most imaginative in Rajasthan.
- Couples: stylish rooms, a pool at sunset and a white dinner under the stars.
- Travellers wanting a true palace: choose Laxmi Niwas Palace, the carved first wing of Lalgarh.
- Travellers wanting the old city: choose Bhanwar Niwas, a Rampuria haveli within walking distance of the lanes.
- Those who find theatre tiring: the hotel's sense of drama is constant. If you want quiet anonymity, say so.
Narendra Bhawan on our journeys
The desert triangle: pair it with Suryagarh in Jaisalmer for two nights of the same collection's style.
Under the Thar Sky: two nights in Bikaner to end a week in the desert.
- A food lover's Rajasthan: Bikaner's bhujia, sweets and the hotel's literary dinners make it a highlight.
- The heritage havelis trail: a stylish counterpoint to nights in painted havelis.
- Three weeks in Rajasthan: two nights between Mandawa and Jaisalmer.
Before you go
Tell us your mood: some guests love joining every ritual and dinner, others want quiet. The hotel can do both if it knows.
Dietary needs: the themed menus are elaborate, so give notice of Jain, vegan or allergy needs before you arrive.
- Allow
- Two nights
- Book ahead
- Themed dinners and weekend stays
- Pack
- Swimwear, a warm layer in winter
- At temples
- Shoes off, shoulders covered
- Good for
- Couples, design lovers, foodies
- Children: the house is fun to explore, but the evening theatre suits older children best. Tell us ages when we book.
- Temple dress: at Deshnoke and the Jain temples, remove shoes and leather and cover shoulders and knees. Our page on temple etiquette explains more.
- Shopping: buy usta work, bhujia and textiles from makers we trust. Our shopping guide explains how to tell handwork from machine work.
Getting to Narendra Bhawan
From Jodhpur: via Nagaur and Deshnoke, with a stop at Karni Mata on the way. Our road distances page has more.
From Jaisalmer: across some of the emptiest desert in the state, best with an early start.
- From Jodhpur
- About four to five hours by road
- From Jaisalmer
- About five to six hours
- From Jaipur
- About five to six hours
- From Mandawa
- About three hours
- Airport
- Nal, about 15 km, limited flights
- From Shekhawati: about three hours from Mandawa, on the route to or from Jaipur and Delhi.
- By air: Nal Airport, west of the city, has limited domestic flights that change by season.
- By train: Bikaner has rail links to Delhi and Jaipur. Our page on trains in Rajasthan explains them.
What we tell friends before Narendra Bhawan
Stay two nights: one for the hotel's world, one for Junagarh, Deshnoke and the old city.
Book a themed dinner early: the set pieces fill up, especially at weekends.
- Ask what is running: experiences change with the season, so check with the hotel or with us.
- Swim at sunset: the view over the city is the best in Bikaner.
- Bring socks for Deshnoke: you enter barefoot.
- Buy bhujia in the old city: fresh from the shop where it is made, not in a gift box at the airport.