British Rule in Bikaner

With the decline of he Mughal rule, began the British Rule in Bikaner. The rule of the British in Bikaner is an important part of the history of Bikaner as it is the witness to the growth of the city in infrastructure and economy. The British rule in the city of Bikaner ended with the downfall of the British empire in the country. Bikaner was one of the first princely states of the country to accede to the Union of India. Bikaner was made a part of the state of Rajasthan with the end of the British rule.

The rulers of Bikaner severed cordial alliances with the Mughal dynasty that ruled from the capital city of Delhi. With the death of Aurangazeb began the slow downfall of the Mughal dynasty. The pomp and glory that the city of Bikaner enjoyed during the rule of the Mughals declined in the interim period till the arrival of the British. The Maratha rulers were not able to traverse the difficult terrain of the desert in which the city of Bikaner was located.

It was the British who approached the kingdom of Bikaner, which signed a treaty of perpetual friendship with the British company in the year 1818. The exertions of the British colonial rule turned the princely kingdom of Bikaner into a mere colony of the British. The economy of the city of Bikaner profited during the Afghan Wars when the king of Bikaner provided the British troops with a regular supply of camels who could conveniently traverse the deserts and carry loads for the British.

As a result of the growth of the economy with the Afghan War, the city of Bikaner became the first to introduce electricity in the year 1866. The economic prosperity of Bikaner also allowed it to build a strong police force. The glorious rule of the valiant princes in the city of Bikaner came to an end when the princely state acceded to become a part of the Union of India.