Rajasthan is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. It is located in the northwestern part of the subcontinent. It is bounded on the west and northwest by Pakistan, on the north and northeast by the states of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, on the east and southeast by the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, and on the southwest by the state of Gujarat. Rajasthan is divided into 33 districts and seven divisions. After independence Rajasthan was organised into a state in 1956. It has an area of about 132,139 square miles (342,239 square km).
The capital of Rajasthan is Jaipur, popularly known as the Pink City. It is gifted with natural beauty, a great history, splendid forts & palaces, colourful festivals & fairs, lively culture, varied landscape and thick forests. Most area of Rajasthan is encompassed by Great Indian Desert (Thar Desert), which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with Pakistan. The Tropic of Cancer passes through its southern tip in the Banswara district. Rajasthani is the official language. It consists of five prime dialects i.e. Marwari, Dhundhari, Mewari, Mewati and Hadauti. It is derived from Apabhramsa, with all its linguistic and orthographical peculiarities. Rajasthani as a language of literature suffered a great set back during the British period.
The word Rajasthan means the 'Land of Kings'. This is the home of the Rajputs, a group of warrior clans who have controlled this part of India for a thousand years with a code of chivalry and honour akin to that of the mediaeval European knightsj) The Rajputs were never a united forced like the Marathas of central India; when they were not warring against outsiders they were generally squabbling amongst themselves. Thus they were never a real opposition to the Moghuls but their bravery and sense of honour were un-paralled.
The Rajput warriors would fight on against all odds and, when no hope was left, the women and children would commit suicide by marching into a funeral pyre in a ritual known as jauhar. Meanwhile the men would don the saffron robes of rejoicing worn at weddings and ride forth to certain death. Over and again this grim tale would unfold as stronger forces attacked the Rajputs. In Chittorgarh's long history three times the women consigned themselves to the flames while the men rode out to martyrdom. It's hardly surpising that Akbar persuaded Rajputs to lead his army or that Aurangzeb clashed unsuccessfully with them.
Under the British Rajasthan continued as a collection of princely states under the collective name of Rajputana, each with its own Maharaja. Independent India combined them with Ajmer to make Rajasthan. Huge, often battle scarred, forts dominate almost every town in Rajasthan. They're a clear reminder of the state's warlike past. And what forts they are — battlements, turrets, massive walls and inside palaces of amazing luxury and whimsical charm. They're redolent of that impossibly romantic Rajput sense of honour and bravery above all.
Rajasthan's economy is mainly agricultural; millet, wheat, maize (corn), and cotton are grown. Cotton mills and cement.industries produce textiles, chemicals, nylon, precision instruments, calcium carbide, and caustic soda. Handicrafts earn foreign exchange. Oil has been found in Rajasthan, and other mineral deposits include gypsum. Major industrial towns are Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, and Kota. Population of Rajasthan includes Rajput, Bhil, Minas, and other ethnic groups.
The capital of Rajasthan is Jaipur, popularly known as the Pink City. It is gifted with natural beauty, a great history, splendid forts & palaces, colourful festivals & fairs, lively culture, varied landscape and thick forests. Most area of Rajasthan is encompassed by Great Indian Desert (Thar Desert), which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with Pakistan. The Tropic of Cancer passes through its southern tip in the Banswara district. Rajasthani is the official language. It consists of five prime dialects i.e. Marwari, Dhundhari, Mewari, Mewati and Hadauti. It is derived from Apabhramsa, with all its linguistic and orthographical peculiarities. Rajasthani as a language of literature suffered a great set back during the British period.
The word Rajasthan means the 'Land of Kings'. This is the home of the Rajputs, a group of warrior clans who have controlled this part of India for a thousand years with a code of chivalry and honour akin to that of the mediaeval European knightsj) The Rajputs were never a united forced like the Marathas of central India; when they were not warring against outsiders they were generally squabbling amongst themselves. Thus they were never a real opposition to the Moghuls but their bravery and sense of honour were un-paralled.
The Rajput warriors would fight on against all odds and, when no hope was left, the women and children would commit suicide by marching into a funeral pyre in a ritual known as jauhar. Meanwhile the men would don the saffron robes of rejoicing worn at weddings and ride forth to certain death. Over and again this grim tale would unfold as stronger forces attacked the Rajputs. In Chittorgarh's long history three times the women consigned themselves to the flames while the men rode out to martyrdom. It's hardly surpising that Akbar persuaded Rajputs to lead his army or that Aurangzeb clashed unsuccessfully with them.
Under the British Rajasthan continued as a collection of princely states under the collective name of Rajputana, each with its own Maharaja. Independent India combined them with Ajmer to make Rajasthan. Huge, often battle scarred, forts dominate almost every town in Rajasthan. They're a clear reminder of the state's warlike past. And what forts they are — battlements, turrets, massive walls and inside palaces of amazing luxury and whimsical charm. They're redolent of that impossibly romantic Rajput sense of honour and bravery above all.
Rajasthan's economy is mainly agricultural; millet, wheat, maize (corn), and cotton are grown. Cotton mills and cement.industries produce textiles, chemicals, nylon, precision instruments, calcium carbide, and caustic soda. Handicrafts earn foreign exchange. Oil has been found in Rajasthan, and other mineral deposits include gypsum. Major industrial towns are Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, and Kota. Population of Rajasthan includes Rajput, Bhil, Minas, and other ethnic groups.
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