Pilani is a small town in the Shekhawati region, Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. It is 200km west of Delhi and 220km north of Jaipur. It is known for being the home of the world renowned university BITS-Pilani (Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani).
Understand
Pilani is a small town known mainly because of it being the native of Birlas(a big business house of India. In the Shekhawati region it is also well known for its educational institutions for both primary/secondary level and professional level institutes. Pilani is also home to the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, which is the most revered private technical institute of the country, which has brought it on the national map and is responsible for bringing diverse demographics to this small "between nowhere" town.
Get in
By car
Direct buses to Pilani are frequently available from Delhi (ISBT, Kashmiri Gate) and Jaipur (RSRTC Bus Stand, Sindhi Camp). It takes about 4 hours by taxi and 6 hours by bus from either of these two cities to reach Pilani. Rajasthan Roadways Bus Service is available for Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, and other destinations all day. Haryana Roadways Bus Service is available towards Delhi and Chandigarh.
From Delhi (via Bhiwani-Rohtak or via Dadri-Jhajjar)
This bus route brings you directly to Pilani. The bus takes 5.5 hours to reach Pilani from Delhi. The appropriate buses are those that leave Delhi from ISBT (Kashmiri Gate) for Pilani / Jhunjhunu / Sikar / Churu as their destination. The bus frequency is about every half-hour during the early part of the day (6.00 am to 10.00 am) and is about every hour during the rest of the day. There are no bus between 5.00 pm and 10PM. The last bus is only at 10PM.
From Delhi (via Narnaul-Singhana-Chirawa)
This bus route requires changing bus at Chirawa for Pilani. Chirawa is 16 km away from Pilani. The total bus journey is about 5.5 hours by this route. The appropriate buses are those that leave Delhi from ISBT (Sarai Kale Khan) or from Dhaula Kuan (which is about 5 Km from Airport) for Jhunjhunu/Churu/Sikar. The bus frequency is about every half-hour.
From Jaipur (via Sikar-Nawalgarh-Jhunjhunu-Chirawa)
The total bus journey is about 5.5 hours. The appropriate buses are those that leave Jaipur (Sindhi Camp Bus-stand) for Pilani. The bus frequency is about every half-hour. Private buses to Pilani are also available from just outside the Sindhi Camp Bus-stand.
By train
The nearest railway heads to Pilani are Loharu (26 km away) on the Northern Railways and Chirawa (16km ) on the North Western Railway Delhi-Loharu Route. The BITS Pilani website can be referred to for more details.
By plane
Nearest airport is Jaipur (JAI IATA) or Delhi (DEL IATA). Pilani has a small air strip, but it is not functional and is only used for recreational activities.
Get around
See
- Birla Public School.
- Birla Science Museum. (On Bits Campus)
- BITS Pilani.
- CEERI campus.
- Durga temple.
- Khetri Fort. One of the most haunted places in India.
- Pahari. A small place for trekking.
- Panchwati udhyan.
- 1 Ram mandir temple & garden.
- Sai mandir bhagina road.
- 2 Shiv Ganga. (BITS Campus)
- 3 Surajgarh Fort. It also has a good resort for stay.
- Saraswathi Temple.
- Birla Haveli.
- Saraogion Ki Haveli.
- Birla Museum, BITS Campus.
Do
Buy
Eat
- ANC - A place which serves you all the night at minimal charges.(BITS Campus)
- Annapurna Restaurant(BITS Campus)
- Bunty da Dhaba - A family Restaurant where you can eat and spend time.
- Burger Stall - outside Sarla bar (the best burgers you will find in the city)
- Chicken Corner
- Golden Dragon Restaurant - (BITS Campus
- Green Field Restaurant - (BITS Campus)
- Nobles Bakery - (BITS Campus)
- Sharma's Restaurant - (BITS Campus)
- Sky Lab - near Birla Museum
- Vatika Restaurant
- Choti Ganga (Just outside the BITS campus through the small lane beside SkyLabz near the museum.). It is a good place for quick bites like sandwiches, samosas, different types of maggi. They also offer fruit juices and tea. It is famous among the students for being the only few places that sell "sutta"(cigarette).
- All the "redi"s in the BITS campus.
Drink
- Sarla Bar & Restaurant
- SkyLab - (No Alcohol Served here, Only fruit beer)
Sleep
- Birla Guest House - (01596-242105)
- Maheshwari Lodge - (01596-242967)
- Sitaram Yatri Niwas - (01596-244672)