Bikaner Laxmi Niwas PalaceMaharaja Anup Singh of Bikaner hunting elephantsHonorific insignia in gold offered to the Maharaja of Bikaner by the Mughal Emperor.Raja Karan Singh of Bikaner, Aurangzeb's ally and enemy.MaharajaGanga Singh of Bikaner with his son Sadul Singh in 1914.Bikaner Camel CorpsBoard of combat daggers at the Darbar Hall
Bikaner State was a princely state in the Rajputana from 1465 to 1947. The founder of the state, Rao Bika, was the eldest son of Rao Jodha, ruler of Jodhpur. Rao Bika chose to build his own kingdom instead of inheriting his father's. Bika defeated the Jat clans of Jangladesh along with his uncle Rao Kandhal and his adviser Vikramji Rajpurohit and founded his own kingdom. Its capital was the city of Bikaner in the northern area of present-day Rajasthan State in India. Karni Mata has been designated as the kuldevi of the Royal family of Bikaner.
Covering an area of 60,391 km2 (23,317 sq mi), Bikaner State was the second largest state under the Rajputana Agency after Jodhpur State with a revenue of Rs.26,00,000 in 1901.[3] Heeding the 1947 call of Vallabhbhai Patel to integrate the princely states into the new independent India, Bikaner's last king, Maharaja Sadul Singh, advised by his dewanK. M. Panikkar, a respected historian, was one of the first rulers of a princely state to display willingness to join the Indian Union. By issuing a public appeal in April 1947 to his fellow princes to join the Constituent Assembly of India, the Maharaja of Bikaner set an example for other heads of the native states to follow.[4]
The state of Bikaner was founded in 1465. It became a British protectorate on 9 March 1818. They were accorded a 17 gun salute by the British authorities. By the time of Indian Independence, the territory of the state of Bikaner shared a border with Pakistan. The accession to the Indian Union was signed by the Maharaja on 7 August 1947.[5]
Rulers
The rulers were Rathor Rajputs. Related to the ruling family of Jodhpur.[6]
1542 – 1571 Rao Kalyan Mal (acknowledged the suzerainty of Emperor Akbar)
1571 – 1612 Rao / Raja Rai Singh I (Important General in the Mughal army. Given title of Raja. From 1585 to 1594 he was employed in the Deccan by Emperor Akbar, where he was Subedar of Burhanpur)
1612 – 1613 Raja Dalpat (Sur Singh revolted against his elder brother Dalpat and killed him along with his guards with the consent of Emperor Jahangir)
1613 – 1631 Raja Sur Singh
1631 – 1667 Raja Karan Singh(deposed by Aurangzeb and exiled to Karanapura in the Deccan)
1667 – 1669 Interregnum
Maharaja's
1669 – 1698 Maharaja Anup Singh (First to be granted title of Maharaja by Emperor Aurangzeb)
19 Jun 1698 – 15 December 1700: Maharaja Sarup Singh (b. 1689 – d. 1700)
15 Dec 1700 – 16 December 1735: Maharaja Sujan Singh (b. 1690 – d. 1735)
16 Dec 1735 – 15 May 1746: Maharaja Zorawar Singh (b. 1713 – d. 1746)
15 May 1746 – 25 March 1787: Maharaja Gaj Singh (b. 1723 – d. 1787)
25 Mar 1787 – 25 April 1787: Maharaja Raj Singh II (b. 1744 – d. 1787)
25 Apr 1787 – 9 October 1787: Maharaja Pratap Singh (b. 1781 – d. 1787)
25 Apr 1787 – 25 March 1828: Maharaja Surat Singh (Regent to 9 October 1787) (b. 1766 – d. 1828)
25 Mar 1828 – 7 August 1851: Maharaja Ratan Singh (b. 1790 – d. 1851)
7 August 1851 – 16 May 1872: Maharaja Sardar Sungh (b. 1818 – d. 1872)
16 May 1872 – 19 August 1887: Maharaja Dungar Singh (b. 1854 – d. 1887)
19 Aug 1887 – 2 February 1943: Maharaja Ganga Singh (b. 1880 – d. 1943) (from 24 July 1901, Sir Ganga Singh)
Martinelli, Antonio; Michell, George (2005). The Palaces of Rajasthan. London: Frances Lincoln. p. 271 pages. ISBN978-0-7112-2505-3.
Tod, James. Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, Volume II (With a Preface by Douglas Sladen). Oriental Books Reprint Corporation. 54, Jhansi Road, New Delhi-1100055.
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