Bikaner, Jan 2 : A camel race organised in Bikaner on Friday as a part of the three-day-long annual camel festival attracted thousands of foreign tourists.

The festival began on Wednesday (December 30) at the Karni stadium named after Maharaja Karni Singh, an ace sportsman and champion marksman of the Bikaner royalty.

This year''s camel festival happened to be the 17th edition that the Rajasthan Tourism department had organised in collaboration with the Bikaner district administration.

Locals, including foreign tourists cheered as they witnessed the camel race.

Bikaner, Dec 31 : Foreign and domestic tourists have converged in large numbers at the annual Camel Festival hosted at Bikaner amid ethnic traditions of Rajasthan

They are delighted to witness and experience the colourful cultural heritage of Rajasthan at the ongoing Camel Festival.

An annual three-day long carnival of camels commenced on Wednesday (December30) at the Karni Stadium.

Rajasthan Tourism in collaboration with the Bikaner district administration has organised this festival.

The Indian government will introduce a multimillion-pound plan to import Cheetahs, a species on the verge of extinction, for Indian grasslands. Jairam Ramesh, the Minister of State for Environment and Forests, said: "We have to get cheetahs from abroad to repopulate the species. We soon hope to do so."

The minister said that the government had failed to check the rampant killing of tigers, despite reserving a sum of £93 millions for the protection of the national animal of the country.

Bikaner, Jan. 11 : Tourists visiting the Bikaner city of Rajasthan are having a great time at the ongoing camel fair here, as they are getting a chance to watch the ships of the desert performing several acts they are generally not known for. 

The three-day annual camel fair kicked off in Bikaner on Saturday (Jan. 10). It began with procession of beautifully ornamented camels heading towards the open sand grounds on the outskirts of Bikaner city. 

Rajasthani folk dances and music have added to the appeal of annual fair. 

Bikaner, Nov. 17 : Although election fever has gripped the Bikaner constituency, the voters in this Rajasthani city are wary of political outfits and their local leaders.

The main contenders in the State Assembly elections are Congress party and Bharatiya Janata Party, whose candidates have started door-to-door campaign to woo the voters who are reluctant this time to oblige.

Bikaner is famous for its big Havelis and the lip smacking crunchy-munchy snacks like Bhujia and Namkeen. Local residents here are not so enthusiastic this time to exercise their electoral franchise and choose a new State Government.

Bikaner (Rajasthan), Sept 8 : Congress President Sonia Gandhi today said that the Indo-US civil nuclear pact will put India in the league of elite nations, which dominate the atomic power sector, and enable the country to meet its energy requirements.

After inaugurating the Barsingsar Lignite Mine and Thermal Power Station, 30 kms from Bikaner in Rajasthan Sonia Gandhi said, "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh''s achievement on Indo-US nuclear deal is historic as India would be fulfilling its energy needs in near future."

Bikaner, Sept 8 : Congress president Sonia Gandhi today inaugurated Rajasthan’s first lignite ‘opencast’ mine of a total capacity of 2.1 million tonnes in Barsingsar village in Bikaner district. The lignite mine has been set up by “Mini Ratna” Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) Limited.

The lignite mine will produce 250 Megawatts of power, 2190 million units of electricity per year, through two units of thermal power plant, of 125 MW each. While the first unit of the plant will be commissioned in December, the second would start functioning in March next year.

Bikaner, Aug. 7 : Residents of Gajrupdeshar and a few other villages under Nokha Tehsil in Rajasthan’s Bikaner District are claiming to have set a new record by planting 105,000 saplings in three minutes and fifty seconds this past week.

Over 8,000 schoolchildren and more than 6,000 villagers participated in the mass plantation drive organized with the objective of encouraging villagers to take up afforestation and bring greenery to the desert State.

Bikaner, June 17 : Doctors found a 600-gram lump of hair inside the stomach of a 12-year-old Kausar Parveen from Bikaner after her family asked for a check up on complains about stomach ache.

According to the doctor, this was a rare case in the world.

Parveen, who was in a critical situation, has pledged not to eat hair again in life.

"I have been eating hair for the past seven years because I liked it. It was my habit but I won't eat it again," said Parveen.

Bikaner, Apr 1: The Gangaur festival that marks the end of winter and the onset of spring season is being celebrated with great fervour in Bikaner.

The 18-day festival started with the subsequent day of Holi.

The festival is of immense significance for Rajasthani women who believe that if unmarried girls observe the rituals, they will get married to spouses of their choice. Those who are already married observe a fast seeking longevity of life for their husbands.

The festival provides livelihood to many artisans who engage themselves in painting and decorating Gangaur idols.

Bikaner, Mar 21: Characters from mythologies and Bollywood flicks got a new lease of life as Rajasthan celebrated Holi, the festival of colours.

Over 40 enthusiasts participated in a friendly soccer match called as 'Phalgunya Football' (spring football) organised as a part of the Holi festivities.

Some of the participants were dressed up as politicians to add a new flavour to the traditional festivities.

Bikaner, Jan 22 : Bikaner came alive to the entertaining acts of the 'ships of the desert' as the three-day annual camel festival was kicked off here.

The festival started with the procession of beautifully decorated camels heading towards the open sand on the outskirts of the city.

Organised by the state tourism department, the festival is expected to boost tourism in the state.

"Only through this festival, we are able to propagate our values and culture to other parts of the country and the whole world," said Alok Gupta, District Collector.

Bikaner (Rajasthan), Jan 19 : Sporting long moustaches may not be in trend nowadays, but for Girdhar Vyas of Rajasthan it is a matter of great pride.

Vyas is a regular feature at the Annual Camel festival of Bikaner as his trademark 11 feet long moustaches have become a big tourist attraction.

His long moustaches have not only fascinated foreign tourists but also inspired some of them to follow suite.

"He has got the longest moustaches we have ever seen. We think it's looking quite handsome. I am thinking of growing just like this myself," said Ben Radcliff, a foreign tourist.

Bikaner (Rajasthan), Dec 31 : Bikaner is playing a perfect host to tourists for the New Year celebrations as the desert city, located
320 kilometres from Jaipur, is bustling with party hoppers.

The number of domestic tourists is very high as compared to their international counterparts who have thronged here for recreational activities like camel safari and folk dances.

The calm and serene environs are luring a lot of tourists that gives them time to relax as well as enjoy at the same time.

Khunga, a tourist from Holland, said that she likes to watch and also participate in folk dance in Bikaner.