With its majestic fortresses and its amber sand dunes, Barmer speaks a million words about the heritage of the land of the kings. The royal grandeur of the ancient bricks reflects the sunlight like molten gold.

Location of Barmer

In terms of geographic area, Barmer is the largest district in entire India after Jaisalmer and it covers a huge part of the Thar Desert.  The climatic conditions being unreceptive, it gets too hot during the day and too cold at late night hours. This makes survival onerous for living creatures in the core area of the desert.

Climatic Conditions in Barmer

The annual rainfall is scarce and it ranges between 50 mm and 500 mm, therefore turning the area into a drought prone one. There is a major drought in this area every alternate year and once in every three years a severe drought affects livelihood here. The ground water level does to quench the thirst of the population living in this area and they have to walk miles afar to fetch drinking water. The India Gandhi Canal was extended to the Barmer district in 2012 and this initiative proved to be of immense help.

Towards the northern side of Barmer the level of ground water is higher than other parts of the district, so the farmers practise crop rotation or double crop farming and they grow both summer and winter crop. The Narmada Canal has been extended to the southern side of Barmer so the farmers have begun the cultivation of summer and winter crops there too. Wheat is the staple food of the people of this area. The other major crops that are grown consistently are Castor, Cumin and Oil Seed (mustard).

History of Barmer

Rajasthan seems to be a state that is wrapped with forts and olden temples. The name Barmer has been derived from the name of the ruler Bar Rao Parmar. Many of his subjects knew him by the name Bahada Rao Parmar. History says he had founded this kingdom in the 13th Century and then it was named Bahadamar meaning the Hill Fort of Bahada.

How to Reach Barmer

Barmer stands at a distance of just 153 kilometres from Jaisalmer and you can reach in two hours by road. Udaipur is at a distance of 371 kilometres. The other nearby weekend getaways that are few hours by road from Barmer are Pokhran, Pali, Kheechan, Ranakpur, Kumbhalgarh, Khimsar, Nagaur, Nathdwara, Pushkar, Ajmer and Udaipur.

Pokhran which is at a distance of 208 kilometres will astonish you with the five huge salt rocks the town is bordered with. Pali which is located at a distance of 237 kilometres is the industrial town of Rajasthan. Ranakpur is a tiny village nestled in the Pali district at a distance of 285 kilometres from Barmer. Kheechan is within a distance of 243 kilometres and you can get there just by a four hour drive. At a distance of 293 kilometres is situated the petite village of Khimsar and it falls in the core desert area. The town of Nagaur is at a distance of 333 kilometres and it had been built by the Naga Kshatriyas and thus it holds incredible historical value. Nathdwara is located at a distance of 334 kilometres in the Udaipur district on the banks of the river Banas and it is well known as the ‘Apollo of Mewar’. Ajmer is at a distance of 378 kilometres and Pushkar the fifth largest city of the state, is at a distance of 391 kilometres and in Ajmer district.

Specialities of Barmer

Barmer is well known for its carved wooden furniture, hand block printed ethnic wear like Ghagra cholis, and also for woollen wear. Barmer is also famous for oil industry and it exports oil on intra state and inter-state contract basis.

Tourist Attractions

What does the Barmer remind you of? Little thatched ‘Dhanis’ scattered all over a desert plain? Do you get eager to watch the colourful wooden puppets and artistic historic forts? There is a lot more to see in this part of incredible Rajasthan.

The remains of Juna and the Jain Temples

To the west of Barmer town you will discover the Juna ruins and if you go southwards you will find the ruins of three Jain temples. Inside the largest temple at Juna, one of the pillars has an inscription engraved on it that dates back to 1295 AD. In this 918 year old inscription you will find the mention of the then ruler Mharajakula Sri Samanta Sinha Deva.

The Mallinath Fair of Tilwara

Have you ever heard of a cattle fair? Yes, you heard that right. A cattle fair is one where people from all over come to buy and sell domestic animals. The Mallinath Fair is the largest cattle fair of Rajasthan which is annually held in Tilwara, a village in Barmer district.

Barmer Thar Festival

The District Administration in association with the Department of Tourism of Barmer organises this festival every March and it has been the breather of art and handicrafts since 1986. The sole motive of the Thar Festival is to give a boost to the town’s tourism potential. This festival gives the culture, handicrafts and art of Rajasthan a life. Life here means colours and shades beyond imaginable tourist guides and traveller tales. It is a three day festival and it upholds the handicrafts, folk music, art and cuisines of authentic Barmer and other districts of Rajasthan.