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JAISALMER, or JEYSULMERE

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 129 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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JAISALMER, or JEYSULMERE , a See also:town and native See also:state of See also:India in the See also:Rajputana agency. The town stands on a See also:ridge of yellowish See also:sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the See also:palace and several ornate Jain temples. Many of the houses and temples are finely sculptured. Pop. (19ot), 7137. The See also:area of the state is 16,062 sq. m. In 1901 the See also:population was 73,370, showing a decrease of 37% in ten years, as a See also:con-sequence of See also:famine. The estimated See also:revenue is about £6000; there is no See also:tribute. Jaisalmer is almost entirely a sandy See also:waste, forming a See also:part of the See also:great See also:Indian See also:desert. The See also:general aspect of the See also:country is that of an interminable See also:sea of sandhills, of all shapes and sizes, some rising to a height of 150 ft. Those in the See also:west are covered with phog bushes, those in the See also:east with tufts of See also:long grass. See also:Water is scarce, and generally brackish; the See also:average See also:depth of the See also:wells is said to be about 250 ft.

There are no perennial streams, and only one small See also:

river, the Kakni, which, after flowing a distance of 28 m., spreads over a large See also:surface of See also:flat ground, and forms a See also:lake or jhil called the See also:Bhuj-Jhil. The See also:climate is dry and healthy. Throughout Jaisalmer only See also:rain-crops, such as bajra, joar, See also:moth, til, &c., are grown; See also:spring crops of See also:wheat, See also:barley, &c., are very rare. Owing to the scant rainfall, See also:irrigation is almost unknown. The See also:main part of the population See also:lead a wandering See also:life, grazing their flocks and herds. Large herds of camels, horned See also:cattle, See also:sheep and goats are kept. The See also:principal See also:trade is in See also:wool, ghi, camels, cattle and sheep. The See also:chief imports are See also:grain, See also:sugar, See also:foreign See also:cloth, piece-goods, &c. See also:Education is at a See also:low ebb. Jain priests are the chief schoolmasters, and their teaching is elementary. The ruler of Jaisalmer is styled maharawal. The state suffered from famine in 1897, 1900 and other years, to such an extent that it has had to incur a heavy See also:debt for extraordinary See also:expenditure.

There are no See also:

railways. The See also:majority of the inhabitants are Bhatti Rajputs, who take their name from an ancestor named Bhatti, renowned as a See also:warrior when the tribe were located in the See also:Punjab. Shortly after this the See also:clan was driven southwards, and found a See also:refuge in the Indian desert, which was thenceforth its See also:home. Deorajj, a famous See also:prince of the Bhatti See also:family, is esteemed the real founder of the See also:present Jaisalmer See also:dynasty, and with him the See also:title of rated commenced. In 1156 Jaisal, the See also:sixth in See also:succession from Deoraj, founded the fort and See also:city of Jaisalmer, and made it his See also:capital. In 1294 the Bhattis so enraged the See also:emperor See also:Ala-ud-din that his See also:army captured and sacked the fort and city of Jaisalmer, so that for some See also:time it was quite deserted. After this there is nothing to See also:record till the time of Rama] Sabal Singh, whose reign marks an See also:epoch in Bhatti See also:history in that he acknowledged the supremacy of the See also:Mogul emperor Shah Jahan. The Jaisalmer princes had now arrived at the height of their See also:power, but from this time till the See also:accession of Rawal Mulraj in 1762 the fortunes of the state rapidly declined, and most of its outlying provinces were lost. In 1818 Mulraj entered into See also:political relations xv. 5with the See also:British. Maharawal Salivahan, See also:born in 1887, succeeded to the chiefship in 1891.

End of Article: JAISALMER, or JEYSULMERE

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