8/9/2014 State Profile

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Rajasthan Profile

Introduction: Rajasthan, the l argest state of Indi a i s l ocated i n the north-western part of the subconti nent. It i s bounded to the north and north-east by the states of Punjab
and Haryana, to the east and south-east by the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, to the south-west by the state of Gujarat, and to the west and north-west by
Paki stan. The southern part of the state i s about 225km from the Gul f of Kutch and about 400 km from the Arabi an Sea. Jai pur i s the capi tal ci ty and l i es i n the east-central
part of the state.

History: The hi story of Rajasthan i s about 5000 years ol d and the mythol ogi cal ori gi n of thi s gi ganti c l and i s rel ated to the famous myth of Ram, the seventh i ncarnati on of
Lord Vi shnu. In the anci ent peri od, Rajasthan was a part of di fferent dynasti es i ncl udi ng the Mauryan Empi re . The fi rst batch of Aryans who came to Indi a settl ed i n the
regi on of Dundhmer and the fi rst i nhabi tants of thi s area were the Bhi l s and the Mi nas. The earl i est Rajput dynasty that emerged around 700 AD was the Gurjara and
Parti haras and si nce then Rajasthan was known as Rajputana (the l and of the Rajputs). Soon, the Rajput cl an gai ned supremacy and the Rajputs were di vi ded i nto 36 royal
cl ans and 21 dynasti es. The armed confl i cts and the struggl e for supremacy among the Parmars, Chal ukyas, and Chauhans resul ted i n a l ot of bl oodshed.

In the medi eval era, the major regi ons of the state such as Nagaur, Ajmer and Ranthambhore became a part of the Mughal empi re, whi ch was headed by Akbar. The most
famous Rajput warri ors of thi s era were Rana Uday Si ngh, hi s son Rana Pratap, Bhappa Rawal , Rana Kumbha and Pri thvi raj Chauhan. Wi th the end of the Mughal regi me i n
1707, the Marathas gai ned supremacy and captured Ajmer i n 1775. The Maratha ascendancy ended i n the l ate 17th century wi th the arri val of Bri ti sh. The present state of
Rajasthan was formed in 1956.

The land: The Araval l i Range forms a l i ne across the state runni ng roughl y from Guru Peak (1,722 metres), near the town of Abu (Mount Abu) i n the south-west, to the town of
Khetri i n the northeast. About three-fi fths of the state l i es northwest of thi s l i ne, l eavi ng two-fi fths i n the southeast. These are the two natural di vi si ons of Rajasthan. The
north-western tract i s general l y ari d and unproducti ve, al though i ts character shi fts gradual l y from desert i n the far west and north-west to comparati vel y ferti l e and
habi tabl e l and toward the east. The area i ncl udes the Thar (The Great Indi an) Desert. The name Thar i s deri ved from thul , the general term for the regi ons sand ri dges.

Nati onal parks and wi l d l i fe sanctuari es: The di verse l andscape of the state, houses a number of wel l -known wi l d l i fe sanctuari es and nati onal parks. It i s a home to some of
the most majesti c beasts that the whol e worl d i s struggl i ng to save. Here one can have a rendezvous wi th a vari ety of ani mal s whi ch i ncl ude the worl d-famous Indi an ti gers,
chi nkara, bl ack bucks, the greatl y threatened caracal and the great Indi an bustard. Exoti c bi rds l i ke the common crane, ducks, coots, pel i cans and the rare Si beri an cranes,
i mperi al sand grouse, fal cons, buzzards fl ock to the state to escape the bi tter col d i n thei r homel and. Rajasthan has two nati onal parks, over a dozen sanctuari es and two
cl osed areas. Most of these are open for touri sts around the year except for the monsoon months. Ranthambhore Nati onal Park and Sari ska Wi l dl i fe Sanctuary are both
known worl dwi de for thei r ti ger popul ati on and consi dered by both wi l derness l overs and photographers as the best pl aces i n Indi a to spot ti gers. Promi nent among the
wi l dl i fe sanctuari es are Mount Abu Sanctuary, Bhensrod Garh Sanctuary, Darrah Sanctuary, Jai samand Sanctuary, Kumbhal garh Wi l dl i fe Sanctuary, Jawahar Sagar
sanctuary and Si ta Mata Wi l dl i fe Sanctuary.

Economy: The economy of the state i s pri mari l y agri cul tural and pastoral . Wheat, barl ey, pul ses, sugarcane and oi l seeds are the mai n food crops, whi l e cotton and tobacco
are the states cash crops. A major porti on of edi bl e oi l s i s produced by Rajasthan, whi ch i s al so the second l argest producer of oi l s seeds. Rajasthan i s the bi ggest producer
of wool and opi um i n the country. The crops are i rri gated usi ng water from wel l s and tanks. The north-western regi on of the state recei ves ampl e water from the Indi ra
Gandhi Canal .

Mineral-based, agriculture-based and textile industries domi nate the scenari o i n the state. Rajasthan i s the second l argest producer of pol yester fi bre and cement i n Indi a.
Several promi nent chemi cal and engi neeri ng compani es are l ocated i n the ci ty of Kota, i n southern Rajasthan. The state i s al so known for i ts marbl e quarri es, copper, zi nc
mi nes and sal t deposi ts i n Sambhar Lake.

Barmer district i n Rajasthan ranks second i n crude oi l producti on i n the country. Currentl y, the state government i n col l aborati on wi th Cai rn Indi a, i s i n the process of
setti ng up an oi l refi nery i n Barmer.

Demographics and administration: Rajasthan has a popul ati on of 68,621,012 as per the 2011 census. The popul ati on growth over the l ast ten years has been around 21.44%.
The sex rati o of Rajasthan i s 926 per 1000 mal es. The l argest ci ti es of Rajasthan are Jai pur, Jodhpur and Kota. The state of Rajasthan has 33 di stri cts and 25 Parl i amentary
consti tuenci es. Rajasthan has a si ngl e-chamber l egi sl ati ve assembl y wi th 200 seats. The state sends 35 members to the Indi an nati onal parl i ament: 10 to the Rajya Sabha
(Upper House) and 25 to the Lok Sabha (Lower House). Local government i s based on 30 admi ni strati ve di stri cts. In pol i ti cs, Rajasthan i s domi nated by two major parti es: the
Bharati ya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indi an Nati onal Congress (INC).

Educati on: The l i teracy rate i n Rajasthan has i ncreased si gni fi cantl y i n the recent year. From an average of 38.55 % (54.99% mal e and 20.44% femal e) i n 1991, the states
l i teracy rate has i ncreased to 67.06% (80.51% mal e and 52.66% femal e) i n 2011. Rajasthan has a number of wel l known uni versi ti es and more than 250 col l eges. It has more
than 50,000 pri mary and 7,000 secondary school s. There are many engi neeri ng col l eges wi th an annual enrol ment of approxi matel y 11,500 students. The state has more
than 20 pol ytechni cs and more than 100 Industri al Trai ni ng Insti tute (ITIs) whi ch i mpart vocati onal trai ni ng.

Tourism: Rajasthans hi stori cal forts, pal aces, art and cul ture attract mi l l i ons of nati onal and i nternati onal touri sts every year. Endowed wi th natural beauty and a great
hi story, Rajasthan has a fl ouri shi ng touri sm i ndustry. The pal aces of Jai pur, l akes of Udai pur, and desert forts of Jodhpur, Bi kaner and Jai sal mer are among the most
preferred desti nati ons of many touri sts, Indi an and forei gn. As a matter of fact, Jantar Mantar i n Jai pur and the hi l l forts of Rajasthan whi ch i ncl ude Chi ttorgarh Fort,
Kumbhal garh Fort, Ranthambore Fort, Gagron Fort, Amber Fort, Jai sal mer Fort and Amber Fort have recentl y been decl ared worl d heri tage si tes by UNESCO (Uni ted Nati ons
Educati onal Sci enti fi c Cul tural Organi sati on. Touri sm accounts for ei ght percent of the state's domesti c product. Many ol d and negl ected pal aces and forts have been
converted i nto heri tage hotel s. Touri sm has i ncreased empl oyment i n the hospi tal i ty sector.

Culture: The state i s known for i ts ri ch and vari ed arti sti c and cul tural tradi ti ons, whi ch depi ct the Indi an way of l i fe. The i nspi rati on for the dances and the musi c of
Rajasthan has been deri ved from nature, as wel l as the day-to-day rel ati onshi ps and chores, more often focused around fetchi ng water from wel l s or ponds. Ghoomar dance
from Udai pur and Kal bel i ya dance of Jai sal mer have gai ned i nternati onal recogni ti on. Fol k musi c i s a vi tal part of Rajasthani cul ture. Kathputal i , Bhopa, Chang, Teratal i ,
Ghi ndar, Kachchhi ghori , Tejaji , parth dance are the exampl es of the tradi ti onal Rajasthani cul ture. Fol k songs are commonl y bal l ads whi ch rel ate heroi c deeds and l ove
stori es; and rel i gi ous or devoti onal songs known as bhajans and bani s (often accompani ed by musi cal i nstruments l i ke dhol ak, si tar, sarangi etc.) are al so sung. Rajasthan
i s famous for semi -preci ous stones and handi crafts, and for i ts tradi ti onal and col ourful art. Rajasthani furni ture has i ntri cate carvi ngs and bri ght col ours. Bl ock pri nts, ti e
and dye pri nts, Bagaru pri nts, Sanganer pri nts and Zari embroi dery are major export products from Rajasthan. The bl ue pottery of Jai pur i s qui te famous.

People: Rajasthan has l arge i ndi genous popul aceThe Meo and Mi nas (Mi nawati ) i n Al war, Jai pur, Bharatpur, and Dhol pur areas. The Banjara are travel l i ng tradesmen and
arti sans. The Gadi a Lohar i s the i ronsmi th (l ohar) who travel s i n bul l ock carts (Gadi a); they general l y make and repai r agri cul tural and househol d i mpl ements. The Bhi l s are
one of the ol dest peopl es i n Indi a, and i nhabi t the di stri cts of Bhi l wara, Chi ttaurgarh, Dungarpur, Banswara, Udai pur, and Si rohi and are famous for thei r ski l l i n archery.
The Grasi a and nomadi c Kathodi l i ve i n the Mewar regi on. Sahari yas are found i n the Kota di stri ct, and the Rabari s of the Marwar regi on are cattl e breeders. The Oswal s
State Profile
Agri cul ture
Art & Cul ture
Busi ness Opportuni ti es
Cl i mate
Demography
Fl ora & Fauna
Geography
Gl i mpse of Rajasthan
Peopl e
Touri sm
Transport
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8/9/2014 State Profile
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hai l from Osi yan near Jodhpur are successful traders and are predomi natel y Jai ns. Whi l e the Mahajan (the tradi ng cl ass) i s subdi vi ded i nto a l arge number of groups, some
of these groups are Jai n, whi l e others are Hi ndu. In the north and west, the Jat and Gujar are among the l argest agri cul tural communi ti es. The Gujars who are Hi ndus dwel l i n
eastern Rajasthan. The nomadi c Rabari or Rai ka are di vi ded i n two groups the Marus who breed camel s and Chal ki as who breed sheep and goats. The Musl i ms form l ess
than 10% of the popul ati on and most of them are Sunni s. There i s al so a smal l but affl uent communi ty Shi ai te Musl i ms known as Bhoras i n southeastern Rajasthan. The
Rajputs though represent onl y a smal l proporti on of the popul ace are the most i nfl uenti al secti on of the peopl e i n Rajasthan. They are proud of thei r marti al reputati on and
of thei r ancestry.

Cuisine: Rajasthan has a ri ch tradi ti on of cui si nes for thi s l and of pri nces had some of the fi nest cooks i n the pal aces. The common-fol k al so took epi curean del i ght i n the
cul i nary art. Aptl y has i t been sai d that the royal ki tchens of Rajasthan rai sed the preparati on of food to the l evel of a subl i me art. It i s not surpri si ng therefore that the
'Khansamas' (the royal cooks) who worked i n the State pal aces kept thei r most pri zed reci pes to themsel ves. Some reci pes were passed on to thei r descendants and the rest
were passed on as ski l l s to the chefs of semi States and the branded hotel compani es.

Festivals: Fal sel y accused of bei ng devoi d of l i fe, Rajasthan cel ebrates the generosi ty of nature through i ts countl ess festi val s and fai rs. Such i s the spi ri t of i ts peopl e that
the state capi tal was l ovi ngl y anoi nted The Ci ty of Festi val s. Festi val s hol d an unusual l ure for the Rajasthani s and they need l i ttl e reason to cel ebrate, be i t the turn of a
season, a weddi ng or si mpl y a dry ti me of the year, the desert fol k are i n l ove wi th gai ety. The frequent pageantry serves wel l for trade too as i t makes for a thri vi ng market,
of whi ch l i ve off i ts arti sts and tradesmen. Each regi on boasts of i ts own form of fol k entertai nment, tradi ti ons and di al ect, addi ng to the states di versi ty. The festi val s make
way for fai rs. Ori gi nal l y a congregati on of cattl e breeders and smal l vendors, these gatheri ngs retai n thei r rusti c charm, but today they are far from bei ng merel y uti l i tari an.
Of the several hundred fai rs that have grown over the years some major ones, l i ke the Pushkar Fai r, the Desert Festi val , El ephant Festi val and Camel Festi val . Other fai rs, l i ke
Kajl i Bundi , Kai l a Devi Fai r, Ramdevra Fai r and Banehswar Fai r to name just a sel ect few, were purel y cel ebrati ons of fai th and remai n so even today.


At a glance


Quick facts about Rajasthan
Date of formation: November 1, 1956
Size: 342,239 sq km
Population: 68,621,012 (census 2011)
Capital: Jaipur
Legislature: Unicameral
Population density: 165/sq km
No. of districts: 33
Lok Sabha seats: 25
Judicature: Jodhpur High Court
Languages: Hindi and Rajasthani
Rivers: Beas, Chambal, Banas, Luni
Minerals: Zinc, mica, copper, gypsum, silver, magnesite, petroleum
Industries: Textiles, woollen, sugar, cement, glass, zinc smelters
Airports: Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur
Forests and national parks: Sariska Tiger Reserve, Keoladeo Ghana NP, Ranthambore NP, Dhawa WS
Neighbouring states: East: Madhya Pradesh; North-east: Uttar Pradesh; North: Haryana and Punjab; West : Pakistan, South: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh
State animal: Chinkara
Main crops: Mustard, jowar, bajra, maize, gram, wheat, cotton, millet


Interesting facts about the Thar Desert
It is the world's 18th largest subtropical desert.
The Thar Desert is the most densely populated desert in the world, with a population density of 83 people per square km.
India exploded its first nuclear bomb in the Thar Desert on May, 1974.
It is the biggest wool-producing area in India.
There are ten times more animals per person in Rajasthan than the national average.



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