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RAJPUTANA
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RAJPUTANA , a collection of native states in See also:India, under the See also:political See also:charge of an See also:agent to the See also:governor-See also:general, who resides at See also:Abu in the Aravalli Hills. It lies between 23° and 30° N. and between 69° 30' and 75° 15' E., and includes r8 states and 2 estates or chiefships. For political purposes these are subdivided into eight subordinate See also:groups, consisting of three residencies and five agencies. These are as follow: (1) Mewar residency, with headquarters at See also:Udaipur, comprising the states of Udaipur (Mewar), See also:Dungarpur, See also:Partabgarh and See also:Banswara; (2) See also:Jaipur residency, with headquarters at Jaipur, comprising the states of Jaipur and See also:Kishangarh, with the See also:estate of Lawa; (3) Western Rajputana states residency, with See also:head-quarters at See also:Jodhpur, comprising the states of Jodhpur, See also:Jaisalmer and See also:Sirohi; (4) See also:Bikanir agency, with headquarters at Bikanir; (5) See also:Alwar agency, with headquarters at Alwar; (6) Eastern Rajputana states agency, with headquarters at See also:Bharatpur, comprising the states of Bharatpur, See also:Dholpur, and See also:Karauli; (7) Haraoti-See also:Tonk agency, with headquarters at Deoli, comprising the states of Tonk and See also:Bundi, with the estate of Shahpura; (8) See also:Kotah-See also:Jhalawar agency, with headquarters at Kotah, comprising the states of Kotah and Jhalawar. All of these states are under See also:Rajput rulers, except Tonk, which is See also:Mahommedan, and Bharatpur and Dholpur, which are Jat. The small See also:British See also:province of See also:Ajmere-Merwara is also included within the See also:geographical See also:area of Rajputana. See also:Physical Features.—The See also:total area of Rajputana is about 127,541 sq. m. It is bounded on the See also:west by See also:Sind, and on the See also:north-west by the See also:Punjab See also:state of See also:Bahawalpur. Thence its See also:northern and north-eastern frontier See also:marches with the Punjab and the See also:United Provinces until it touches the See also:river See also:Chambal, where it turns See also:south-eastward for about zoo m., dividing the states of Dholpur, Karauli, Jaipur and Kotah from See also:Gwalior. The See also:southern boundary runs in a very irregular See also:line across the central region of India, dividing the Rajputana states from a number of native states in Central India and See also:Gujarat. The most striking physical feature is the Aravalli range of mountains, which intersects the See also:country almost from end to end in a line See also:running from south-west to north-See also:east. See also:Mount Abu is at the south-western extremity of the range, and the north-eastern end may be said to terminate near Khetri in the Shaikhawati See also:district of Jaipur, although a See also:series of broken ridges is continued in the direction of See also:Delhi. About three-fifths of Rajputana lies north-west of the range, leaving two fifths on the east and south. The See also:tract lying to the north-west contains the states of Bikanir, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. With the exception of the sub-montane districts of Jodhpur, which See also:lie immediately below the Aravallis, this-See also:division is sandy, See also:ill-watered and unproductive, improving gradually from a See also:desert in the north-west and west to comparatively fertile See also:land on the east. The country to the east and south-east of the Aravallis affords a striking contrast to the sandy plains on the north-west of the range, and is blessed with fertile lands, See also: Banas and the Sabarmati, which rise among the south-west hills of Udaipur and take a south-See also:westerly course. The river See also:Mahi, which passes through the states of Partabgarh and Banswara, receiving the Som, drains the south-west corner of Rajputana through Gujarat into the Gulf of See also:Cambay. Rajputana possesses no natural See also:freshwater lakes, but there are several important artificial lakes, all of which have been constructed with the See also:object of storing See also:water. The only See also:basin of any extent is the Sambhar See also:salt See also:lake, of about 50 m. in See also:circuit. See also:Geology.—Geologically considered, the country may be divided into three regions—a central, and the largest, comprising the whole width of the Aravalli system, formed of very old sub-metamorphic and gneissic rocks; an eastern region, with sharply defined boundary, along which the most See also:ancient formations are abruptly replaced by the See also:great basin of the Vindhyan strata, or are overlaid by the still more extensive spread of the See also:Deccan See also:trap, forming the plateau of See also:Malwa; and a western region, of very ill-defined margin, in which, besides some rocks of undetermined See also:age, it is more or less known or suspected that See also:Tertiary and Secondary strata stretch across from Sind, beneath the sands of the desert, towards the flanks of the Aravallis. Rajputana produces a variety of metals. Ore of See also:cobalt is obtained in no other locality in India, and although See also:zinc See also:blende has been found elsewhere it is known to have been extracted only in this province. See also:Copper and See also:lead are found in several parts of the Aravalli range and of the See also:minor ridges in Alwar and Shaikhawati, and See also:iron ores abound in several states. See also:Alum and See also:blue See also:vitriol (sulphate of copper) are manufactured from decomposed See also:schists at Khetri in Shaikhawati. See also:Good See also:building materials are obtained from many of the rocks of the country, among which the Raialo See also:limestone (a See also:fine-grained crystalline See also:marble) and the Jaisalmer limestone stand pre-eminent. See also:Climate.—The climate throughout Rajputana is very dry and hot during the summer; while in the See also:winter it is much colder in the north than in the See also:lower districts, with hard See also:frost and See also:ice on the Bikanir See also:borders. The rainfall is very unequally distributed: in the western See also:part, which comes near to the limits of the rainless region of See also:Asia, it is very scanty, and scarcely averages more than 5 in.; in the south-west the fall is more copious, sometimes exceeding See also:loo in. at Abu; but, except in the south-west highlands of the Aravallis, See also:rain is most abundant in the south-east. Notwithstanding all its drawbacks, Rajputana is reckoned one of the healthiest countries in India, at least for the native inhabitants. See also:Population.—In 1901 the population was 9,723,301, showing a decrease of 20% in the See also:decade owing to the great famines of 1897–1898 and 1900–1901. The greatest mortality was caused by virulent malarial See also:fever, which raged during the autumn months of 1900 and the See also:early months of 1901. Epidemics of See also:cholera, which occurred during the years of scarcity and See also:famine, also swept away large See also:numbers. It is commonly supposed that, because nearly the whole country is ruled by Rajputs, therefore the population consists mainly of Rajput tribes; but these are merely the dominant See also:race, and the territory is called Rajputana because it is politic-ally possessed by Rajputs. The whole number of this race is 620,229, and nowhere do they See also:form a See also:majority of the whole population in a state; but they are strongest, numerically, in the northern states and in Udaipur. By rigid See also:precedence the Brahmans occupy the first See also:rank; they are numerous and influential, and with them may be classed the See also:peculiar and important See also:caste of Bhats, the keepers of See also:secular tradition and of the genealogies. Next come the See also:mercantile castes, mostly belonging to the Jain See also:sect; these are followed by the powerful cultivating tribes, such as the See also:Jats and Gujars, and then come the so-called aboriginal tribes, chief of whom are the See also:Minas, See also:Bhils and Meos. See also:Rajasthani is the chief See also:language of the country, one or other of its dialects being spoken by 7,035,093 persons or more than 72 % of the total population. The See also:gross See also:revenue of all the states is estimated at 24 millions See also:sterling. The See also:mass of the See also:people are occupied in See also:agriculture. In the large towns banking and See also:commerce flourish to a degree beyond what might be expected. In the north the See also:staple products for export are salt, See also:grain, See also:wool and See also:cotton, in the south See also:opium and cotton; while the imports consist of See also:sugar, hardware and piece goods. Rajputana is very poor in See also:industrial See also:production. The See also:principal manufactures are cotton and woollen goods, carvings in See also:ivory and working in metals, &c., all of which handicrafts are chiefly carried on in the eastern states. The system of agriculture is very See also:simple; in the country west of the Aravallis only one See also:crop is raised in the See also:year, while in other parts south and east of the Aravallis two crops are raised annually, and various kinds of cereals, pulses and See also:fibres are grown. In the desert tracts fine breeds of camels, See also:cattle, horses and See also:sheep are to be found wherever there is pasturage. See also:Irrigation, mostly from See also:wells, is almost confined to the N. portion. The country is traversed throughout by the Rajputana railway, with its Malwa See also:branch in the south, and diverging to See also:Agra and Delhi in the north. Jodhpur, Udaipur and Bikanir have constructed branch See also:railways at their own cost, the first of which was extended in 1901 to See also:Hyderabad in Sind. In 1909 another line was opened running N. near the E. boundary from Kotah to Bharatpur. See also:History.—Only faint outlines can be traced of the See also:condition of Rajputana previous to the invasion of Upper India by the Mahommedans, and these indicate that the country was subject for the most part to two or three powerful tribal dynasties. Chief of these were the Rahtors, who ruled at See also:Kanauj; the Chauhans of Ajmere; the Solankis of Anhilwara, in Gujarat; the Gehlots with the Sisodhyias See also:sept, still in Mewar or Udaipur; and the Kachwaha See also:clan, still in Jaipur. These tribal dynasties of Rajputs were gradually supplanted by the Moslem invaders of the 11th See also:century and weakened by See also:internal feuds. At the beginning of the 16th century the Rajput See also:power began to revive, only to be overthrown by See also:Baber at See also:Fatehpur Sikri in 1527. The clans were finally either conquered, overawed or conciliated by See also:Akbar—all except the distant Sisodhyia clan, which, how-ever, submitted to Jehangir in 1616. From Akbar's See also:accession to See also:Aurangzeb's See also:death, a See also:period of 151 years, the See also:Mogul was India's See also:master. Aurangzeb's death and the invasion of See also:Nadir Shah led to a triple See also:alliance among the three leading chiefs, which internal See also:jealousy so weakened that the See also:Mahrattas, having been called in by the Rahtors to aid them, took See also:possession of Ajmere about 1756; thenceforward Rajputana became involved in the general disorganization of India. By the end of the century nearly the whole of Rajputana had been virtually subdued by the Mahrattas. The victories of Generals See also:Wellesley and Lake, however, saved the Rajputs; but on See also:Lord Wellesley's departure from India the floodgates of anarchy were reopened for ten years. On the outbreak of the Pindari See also:War in 1817 the British See also:government offered its See also:protection. The See also:Pindaris were put down, See also:Amir See also:Khan submitting and See also:signing a treaty which constituted him the first ruler of the existing state of Tonk. By the end of 1818 similar See also:treaties had been executed by the other Rajput states with the See also:paramount power. Sindhia gave up the district of Ajmere to the British, and the pressure of the great Mahratta See also:powers upon Rajputana was permanently withdrawn. Since then the political history of Rajputana has been comparatively uneventful. The great See also:storm of the See also:Mutiny of 18J7, though dangerous while it lasted, was See also:short. Most of the rajas remained loyal; and the See also:capture of the See also:town of Kotah, which had been held by the mutineers of that state, in See also: Additional information and Commentsdear : respected sir/madam i am padhiya rajput from gujarat we went out from rajasthan. but i dont know padhiyar history so if u know abt padhiyar history so can u send me abt padhiyar history . i hope u will send me eamil at [email protected]
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