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BIKANIR
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BIKANIR , a native See also:state of See also:India, in the See also:Rajputana agency, with an See also:area of 23,311 sq. m. The natural aspect of the See also:country is one desolate See also:tract, without a single permanently See also:running stream. Its See also:surface is overspread with undulating See also:sand-hills, of from 20 to 100 ft. above the See also:average level, and so loose that men and quadrupeds stepping off the beaten track sink as if in See also:snow. Two streams, the Katli and Ghaggar, See also:attempt to flow through this See also:dismal region, but are lost in its sands. See also:Water is very scarce, and is raised from See also:wells of from 250 to 340 ft. in See also:depth. A few shallow See also:salt lakes are filled by See also:rain water, but they dry up on the setting in of the hot See also:weather, leaving a thick crust of salt on their beds, which is used for commercial and domestic purposes. The inhabitants are very poor. They live chiefly by pasturage—rearing camels, of which their See also:chief agricultural stock consists, and horses of a See also:fine breed, which fetch See also:good prices. From the See also:wool which their See also:sheep yield they manufacture every See also:article of native See also:dress and good blankets. The other See also:industries are See also:leather See also:work, See also:sugar-refining, See also:goldsmith's work, See also:ivory See also:carving, See also:iron, See also:brass, See also:copper, See also: The See also:revenue is £141,000. The military force consists of 500 men, besides the Imperial Service See also:Corps of the same strength. The See also:schools include a high school affiliated to the university of See also:Allahabad, a school for the sons of nobles, and a girls' school called after See also:Lady See also:Elgin. The railway from See also:Jodhpur has been extended towards Bhatinda in the See also:Punjab; on the See also:northern border, the Ghaggar See also:canal in the Punjab irrigates about 5000 acres. Drought is of See also:common occurrence. The famine of 1899–1900 was severely See also:felt. The See also:city of Bikanir has a railway station. The city is surrounded by a stone See also:wall, 6 ft. thick, 15 to 30 ft. high and 31 M. in See also:circuit, with five See also:gates and three sally-ports. The citadel is See also:half a mile ncrth-See also:east of the city, and is surrounded by a rampart with bastions. The population in 1901 was 53,075. There are manufactures of fine blankets and sugar-candy. See also:History.—In the 15th See also:century the territory which now forms the state of Bikanir was occupied by See also:Rajput clans, partly Jots, partly Mahommedans. About 1465 Bika, a Rathor Rajput, See also:sixth son of See also:Rao Jodha, chief of Marwar, started out to conquer the country. By taking See also:advantage of the rivalries of the clans he succeeded; in 1485 he built the small fort at the capital which still bears his name, and in 1488 began the See also:building of the city itself. He died in 1504, and his successors gradually extended their possessions. In the reign of See also:Akbar the chiefs of Bikanir were esteemed among the most loyal adherents of the See also:Delhi See also:empire, and in 1570 Akbar married a daughter of See also:Kalyan Singh. Kalyan's son, Rai Singh, who succeeded him in 1571, was one of Akbar's most distinguished generals and the first See also:raja of Bikanir; his daughter married See also:Selim, afterwards the See also:emperor See also:Jahangir. Two other distinguished chiefs of the See also:house were Karan Singh (1631–1669), who in the struggle of the sons of Shah Jahan for the See also:throne threw in his See also:lot with See also:Aurangzeb, and his eldest son, Anup Singh (1669–1698), who fought with distinction in the See also:Deccan, was conspicuous in the See also:capture of See also:Golconda, and earned the See also:title of maharaja. From this See also:time forward the history of Bikanir was mainly that of the See also:wars with Jodhpur, which raged intermittently throughout the 18th century. In 1802, during one of these wars, See also:Elphinstone passed through Bikanir on his way to See also:Kabul; and the maharaja, See also:Surat Singh (1788–1828), applied to him for See also:British See also:protection, which was, however, refused. In 1815 Surat Singh's tyranny led to a See also:general rising of his thakurs, and in 1816 the maharaja again applied for British protection. On the 9th of May 1818 a treaty was concluded, and See also:order was restored in the country by British See also:BILASPUR 929 troops. Ratan Singh, who succeeded his See also:father in 1828, applied in vain in 1830 to the British See also:government for aid against a fresh outbreak of his thakurs; but during the next five years dacoity became so rife on the See also:borders that the government raised a See also:special force to See also:deal with it (the Shakhawati See also:Brigade), and of this for seven years Bikanir contributed See also:part of the cost. Hence-forth the relations of the maharajas with the British government were increasingly cordial. In 1842 Ratan Singh supplied camels for the Afghan expedition; in 1844 he reduced the dues on goods passing through his country, and he gave assistance in both See also:Sikh See also:campaigns. His son, Sardar Singh (1851–1872), was rewarded for help given during the See also:Mutiny by an increase of territory. In 1868 a rising of the thakurs against his extortions led to the despatch of a British See also:political officer, by whom affairs were adjusted. Sardar Singh had no son, and on his See also:death in 1872 his widow and principal ministers selected Dungar Singh as his successor, with the approval of the British government. The principal event of his reign was the See also:rebellion of the thakurs in 1883, owing to an attempt to increase the dues payable in lieu of military service; this led to the permanent location at Bikanir of a British political See also:agent. Dungar Singh died in 1887 without a son; but he had adopted his See also:brother, Ganga Singh (b. r88o), who succeeded as 21st chief of Bikanir with the approval of the government. He was educated at the See also:Mayo See also:College at See also:Ajmere, and was invested with full See also:powers in 1898. He attended See also: Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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