princely state · Indian princely states

Bikaner State

1465 CE – 1949 CE · capital Bikaner

The Rathore desert kingdom of northern Rajasthan, founded by a son of Rao Jodha, whose 20th-century Maharaja turned it green with the Ganga Canal.

Origins

In 1465 Rao Bika, a son of Rao Jodha of Marwar, led followers north into the Jangladesh region of the Thar and carved out a kingdom from local Jat and Bhati lands. He founded the city of Bikaner in 1488.

Rule and society

Raja Rai Singh served Akbar as a general and built the Junagarh fort. Bikaner traded across the desert and was home to many Marwari merchant families. Maharaja Ganga Singh (r. 1887–1943) raised the Ganga Risala camel corps, sat in the Imperial War Cabinet during the First World War and built the Ganga Canal, opened in 1927 to irrigate the north of the state.

Decline and legacy

Bikaner signed a treaty with the British in 1818 and acceded to India in 1947. It merged into Greater Rajasthan in 1949 and is now a district of Rajasthan.

Lineage

Bikaner StateUnited State of Rajasthan 1948 CE – 1950 CE

Connections (3)

Bikaner State was a vassal of Mughal Empire1570 CE – 1707 CE
Bikaner State was a protectorate of Company rule in India1818 CE – 1858 CE
Bikaner State was a protectorate of British Raj1858 CE – 1947 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Bikaner State. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bikaner-state
MLA: “Bikaner State.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bikaner-state. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Bikaner State.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bikaner-state.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Bikaner State’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bikaner-state (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻