Bikaner is the 25th largest Hindi speaking city of India with a total population of 6,44,406. Highest employment in the Bikaner district is in the sectors of Food Products, Wool, Silk, Synthetic Fibre Textiles, Cotton, Minerals, Leather and other household industries. 61% of the workforce is employed in the Agricultural Sector, 36% in the Industrial Sector and the remaining 3% are Household workers. Bikaner is situated in the middle of the Thar desert and has a hot semi-arid climate with very little rainfall and extreme temperatures. In summer temperatures can exceed 45 °C, and during the winter they may dip below freezing. The major crops cultivated are Bajra, Jowar, Wheat, Gram, Barley, Sesamum, Mustard, Groundnut, Cotton and Spices. Bikaner is located 330 kilometers (205 mi) northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. Bikaner city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Formerly the capital of the princely state of Bikaner, the city was founded by Rao Bika in 1486 and from its small origins it has developed into the fourth largest city in Rajasthan. Rao Bika was the first son of Maharaja Rao Jodha of the Rathor clan, the founder of Jodhpur and conquered the largely arid country in the north of Rajasthan. As the first son of Jodha he wanted to have his own kingdom, not inheriting Jodhpur from his father or the title of Maharaja. He, therefore, decided to build his own kingdom in what is now called Bikaner. The Ganges Canal, completed in 1928, and the Indira Gandhi Canal, completed in 1987, facilitated its development.
