A fortune made in Calcutta, spent in Bikaner
In the nineteenth century, families from Bikaner and Shekhawati followed the trade routes to Calcutta, then the capital of British India. Many became bankers, traders and mill-owners. They kept their wives, temples and family seats in the desert, and sent home fortunes. The Rampurias were among the richest of them, and their houses show it.
The family: the Rampurias are a Jain merchant family whose fortune was made in textiles and property in Kolkata, as Calcutta is now called.
- Built
- 1927, courtyard and rooms around it
- Built by
- Seth Bhanwarlal Rampuria
- Family trade
- Textiles and property in Kolkata
- Became a hotel
- 1990s
- Still owned by
- The Rampuria family
- A cluster of houses: Bhanwar Niwas is one of the Rampuria havelis, a group of family mansions in the old city built over generations.
- The founder of this house: its courtyard and the rooms around it were built in 1927 by Seth Bhanwarlal Rampuria, whose name it carries.
- Older roots: the family's houses in Bikaner date back further, to the merchant ancestor who first made the family's fortune in Calcutta.
- A hotel since the 1990s: the family turned the house into a heritage hotel, and still owns it, so it feels more like a private home than a hotel.
- The wider story: our Bikaner guide explains the city's merchants, and our page on painted havelis explains how they built.
Rajput carving, European taste
The stone: rose-coloured Dulmera sandstone, the same red stone used for Lalgarh Palace and the other Rampuria havelis.
The facade: carved balconies, screens, brackets and flowers cut as finely as woodwork.
- Stone
- Rose-coloured Dulmera sandstone
- Style
- Rajasthani carving with 1920s European taste
- Look for
- Gold leaf, painted ceilings, marble stairs
- Heart of the house
- The central courtyard
- The courtyard: the heart of the house, where the family once lived its daily life and guests now take breakfast and tea.
- Gold leaf: painted and gilded walls and ceilings in the Bikaner manner, some of the finest you can sleep beside in Rajasthan.
- European touches: marble staircases, tiled floors, chandeliers and furniture made to Calcutta designs, the taste of the 1920s.
- A mixed world: look for European figures and motifs among the Indian ones. Bikaner's merchants loved to show they knew the empire's fashions.
- Learn the words: our journal on what a haveli is explains the parts of a merchant house.
The Buick at the gate
What it is: a blue Buick of 1927, the year the house was finished, standing in the entrance.
Why it matters: cars were the great status symbol of the merchant princes, and a Buick in a desert lane said everything about Calcutta money.
- The merchants' world: families like the Rampurias moved between Calcutta and Bikaner, bringing home cars, furniture, glass and tiles that no desert workshop could make.
- Photographs: it is the most photographed thing in the house, so ask before you lean on it.
- More cars: for Rajasthan's royal and vintage collections, see our page on vintage and classic cars.
Rooms with character, each one different
Individually decorated: rooms keep painted walls, period furniture and old fittings, with modern bathrooms added.
Around the courtyard: rooms off the main courtyard put you at the heart of the house, with the sounds and life of the haveli around you.
- Upper floors: rooms higher up can be quieter and brighter.
- Ask us: we don't promise a particular room, but we tell the family what matters to you, from light to quiet to stairs.
- Heritage trade-offs: steep steps, varied bathroom sizes and the odd creak. Tell us about mobility before you book.
- What you won't find: a pool, large gardens or big modern suites. For those, see Narendra Bhawan or Laxmi Niwas Palace.
Gold leaf in the making
What usta is: a technique of raised gold-leaf painting, named after the Usta family of artists who worked for the Bikaner court.
Where you see it: on lamps, bottles and boxes made from camel hide, and on the walls and ceilings of Junagarh's palaces.
- The workshop: a family of usta artists works in the haveli, and the owner has supported the craft for decades.
- How to watch: sit quietly, ask before photographing, and let the artists explain their work.
- Buying: pieces made in front of you, from the hands that made them, are the best souvenir of Bikaner. Our page on block printing and crafts has more on Rajasthan's crafts.
The old city outside the door
Our grandmother, who grew up in a walled city, used to say you only know a town once you have heard it wake. In old Bikaner that means the clank of milk cans, a temple bell, a shutter rolling up and the hiss of the first batch of bhujia going into hot oil.
The Rampuria havelis: the family's other mansions stand nearby, their facades of carved red stone best seen in the late afternoon light.
- The Bhandasar temple: a Jain temple dedicated to Sumatinatha, painted and gilded inside, said to have ghee mixed into its mortar. Historians date it to the fifteenth or early sixteenth century.
- The bazaars: spice sellers, sweet shops, cloth merchants and bhujia makers, busiest in the evening.
- Morning walks: at dawn the lanes belong to milkmen, temple-goers and women drawing rangoli patterns at doorsteps.
- With a guide: our guides know which families welcome visitors into their havelis. Our heritage walks page explains how we plan them.
- More ideas: our things to do in Bikaner page covers the city.
A day at Bhanwar Niwas
Dawn
- Walk out of the gate: the lanes at first light, with milkmen, temple-goers and the first kachoris frying.
- Or drive to Deshnoke: Karni Mata at the hour of the morning prayers.
Morning
- Breakfast in the courtyard: then Junagarh as it opens, a short drive away.
- Back before the heat: the stone of the haveli keeps the rooms cool through the late morning.
Afternoon
- Rest: a quiet hour in your room or the courtyard.
- The usta workshop: watch the artists lay gold leaf, then walk to Lalgarh and the Sadul Museum.
Evening
- The Rampuria havelis at four: as the light turns the red stone gold.
- The bazaar after dark: sweets, bhujia and the busiest hour of the old city, then dinner at home in the haveli.
Eating in a merchant's house, and in his city
At the haveli: home-style Rajasthani cooking, served in the house. Tell us about dietary needs in advance.
Bhujia: crisp strands of spiced moth-bean flour, Bikaner's pride, carrying a Geographical Indication tag. Buy it warm from the shops in the lanes.
- Rasgullas: the city's spongy cheese balls in syrup are famous across Rajasthan.
- Papad: thin lentil wafers, often spiced with black pepper, made in homes across the city.
- Kachoris and chai: the old city's breakfast, eaten standing at a stall.
- Jain food: without onion, garlic or root vegetables, easy to find in a city of Jain merchants. Our Bikaner food guide explains it all.
Bikaner from the haveli
Junagarh Fort
- Why: built between 1589 and 1594, with painted palaces never looted, because the fort was rarely attacked.
- When: at opening, for two to three hours with a guide. A short drive from the haveli.
Lalgarh Palace and the Sadul Museum
- Why: the red palace of Maharaja Ganga Singh, designed by Swinton Jacob, its first wing finished in 1902, with the family museum in the west wing.
- When: mid-afternoon. Read our Lalgarh Palace page.
Karni Mata at Deshnoke
- Why: the temple of the rats, about 30 km south, revered by the royal families of Bikaner and Jodhpur.
- When: early morning, barefoot. Read our Karni Mata Temple page.
The camel research centre
- Why: the National Research Centre on Camel, set up in 1984, where herds of the main Indian breeds come home from grazing.
- When: late afternoon. Try camel-milk tea at the milk parlour.
Gajner
- Why: the old royal lake and lodge about 30 km west, now a sanctuary for blackbuck, chinkara and waterbirds.
- When: an afternoon outing, or a final night by the water.
What most visitors miss
The ceilings: the painting is often finest overhead, where it has been out of reach of hands and sun.
The European figures: on some haveli walls in the old city, stucco reliefs show English royalty and Western scenes, the merchants' nod to the empire.
- The doors: heavy carved wooden doors with iron studs and small inset wickets, designed to open only to the trusted.
- The roofs: at dusk, the view over the old city's rooftops, water tanks and temple spires shows how close the houses stand.
- The sounds: temple bells, the call to prayer from a nearby mosque and the clatter of the bazaar, all within a few minutes of each other.
- The family: the Rampurias still own the house. If a member of the family is at home, ask about its history.
When to come
October and November: warm days and cool nights, with Diwali lamps along the lanes.
December and January: cold mornings and evenings, sometimes near freezing. Stone houses hold the cold, so pack a warm layer.
- 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.
- The Karni Mata Fair: pilgrims walk to Deshnoke during Navratri. See our Karni Mata Fair page.
- Summer: April to June is extremely hot, and we rarely plan Bikaner then.
- Month by month: see our guide to the best time to visit Bikaner.
How long to allow
One night
- What you see: an evening walk in the lanes and Junagarh the next morning.
- Good for: a stop between Mandawa and Jaisalmer, though you will want more.
Two nights
- What you see: Junagarh, the havelis, Deshnoke, Lalgarh's museum and the camels at dusk.
- Good for: most guests. Our Bikaner itinerary is built on it.
Three nights
- What you add: Gajner's lake, a craft morning and a slow day in the haveli.
- Good for: photographers, craft lovers and Camel Festival visitors. Some guests split the nights with a palace hotel.
Who will love Bhanwar Niwas
Couples and solo travellers: a characterful room, the lanes at the door and quiet in the courtyard.
Lovers of old houses: you live inside the carved stone you came to see.
- Students of merchant history: the Rampurias' story is the story of Bikaner's trade with Calcutta and the empire.
- Photographers: early starts in the lanes, without a drive, and the courtyard light at dusk.
- Those who want a pool or gardens: choose Narendra Bhawan or Laxmi Niwas Palace.
- Families with small children or guests with limited mobility: steep stairs and an old building may not suit. Talk to us first.
- Compare: our luxury hotels in Bikaner guide sets the options side by side.
Bhanwar Niwas on our journeys
The heritage havelis trail: after Mandawa's painted mansions, a night in a carved Bikaner haveli completes the merchant story.
The textile and craft trail: the usta workshop in the house is a highlight.
- A food lover's Rajasthan: bhujia, rasgullas and Jain cooking at the door.
- The desert triangle: a characterful contrast to the palaces and forts of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer.
- Private chauffeur journeys: our long route through Mandawa, Bikaner and Jaisalmer.
Getting to Bhanwar Niwas
From Shekhawati: about three hours from Mandawa, the natural route on the havelis trail.
From Jodhpur: via Nagaur and Deshnoke, with a stop at Karni Mata. Our road distances page has more.
- 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
- In the old city: the lanes are narrow, so your chauffeur drops you as close as he can and the haveli's staff help with bags.
- By air: Nal Airport, west of the city, has limited domestic flights that change by season.
- By train: Bikaner has rail links with Delhi and Jaipur. Our page on trains in Rajasthan explains them.
Before you go
Pack light: the stairs are steep, and a smaller bag is kinder to everyone.
Bring a warm layer: stone rooms hold the cold in winter.
- Dress for the lanes: covered shoulders and knees in the old city and its temples. Our page on temple etiquette explains more.
- Respect the house: it is a family property full of old objects. Ask before touching or photographing anything that looks fragile.
- Shopping: buy usta work, bhujia and textiles from the makers. Our shopping guide explains how to tell handwork from machine work.
What we tell friends before Bhanwar Niwas
Stay two nights: one for the old city, one for Junagarh, Deshnoke and the camels.
Walk at dawn: before the shops open, the lanes are at their most beautiful.
- Visit the usta workshop: in the quiet of the afternoon, when the artists are at work.
- Eat in the lanes once: kachori and chai at a stall, with our guide to choose the right one.
- Look up: the ceilings and the upper facades hold the best work.
- Bring socks for Deshnoke: you enter the temple barefoot.