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CAMEL FARM
The Camel Farm in Bikaner The camels of Bikaner played a major role in the history of the kingdom, contributing greatly to its economy, as well as its defence, over the centuries. The camel breeding farm set amid rolling sand dunes, was formed in 1960 to produce superior strains of camels. One of the efforts at the farm, interestingly is to breed camels with longer, thicker eyelashes, which offer greater protection in sandstorms Bikaner camels have traditionally been renowned for their heavy load-carrying capacity.
The camel farm breeds camels both for domestic haulage as well as, even today, for military use. The Indian army still boasts a crack Camel Corps, indispensable for desert warfare. It traces its origin back to the Ganga Risala regiment, raised by Maharaja Ganga Singh in the late 19th century. The regiment's temperament beasts were so superbly trained that a member of a visiting Viceroy's party to Bikaner in the 1920's on seeing a guard of honour, noted that the camels were "immovable, as if carved out of gray granite".
Camel Fair
Bikaner is really camel country, with the city famous for its bestriding humped creatures all over the world. The camel fair is a dazzling spectacle of camel perfomances held every year in January. Should not be missed if you are in the area, it is an experience to remember. Camel races, camel acrobatics, camel dances and even a camel milking competition are part of the festivities. The next fair will be around 20-21 January 2000. |
