Geography of Rajasthan- Rajasthan, lying between 23º30´ and 30º11’North latitudes and 69º 29’ and 78 º 17’ East longitudes at the northwestern part of India is one of the biggest states in the country. The state shares its north-western and western boundary with the Indo-Pakistan international border that extends about 1,070 km and touches the major districts Barmer, Bikaner, Ganganagar and Jaisalmer. Rajasthan is edged by Pakistan in the west and northwest, the states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana in the north and northeast. The state of Madhya Pradesh lies in the southeast and Gujrat in the southwest. The Tropic of Cancer passes across the southern point of the state in the Banswara district. The capital city of Rajasthan is Jaipur.
Rajasthan has an area of 3, 42,239sq.km comprising of the 11% of the total geographical area of India. The extensive topography includes rocky terrain, rolling sand dunes, wetlands, barren tracts or land filled with thorny scrubs, river-drained plains, plateaus, ravines and wooded regions .A massive portion of the state of Rajasthan( about 70% of total landmass) is desiccated and encloses the biggest Indian desert- the Thar Desert known as the 'Maru-kantar'. This desert region embraces the districts of Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner and Jodhpur.
The oldest chain of fold mountains- the Aravali Range spearheads the state into two geographical zones. The Mount Abu is the only hill station of the state which houses the loftiest summit of the Aravali ranges- Guru Shikhar Peak.
The soil and vegetation of Rajasthan alters with its wide-ranging topography of the state and the availability of water. Rajasthan soils are mostly sandy, saline, alkaline and chalky (calcareous), Clay, loamy and black lava and so on. Only 9.36% of the total geographical region lies under forest vegetation. The flora and fauna are particularly endemic to the arid regions and are specially adapted biologically to survive in the dry, waterless regions of the “Desert State of India”. The wildlife consists of 23 species of lizards, 25 species of snakes, various species of the deer family and450 species of avifauna.
Rajasthan experiences extreme climate or weather and consists of four distinct seasons- Pre-monsoon, Monsoon, Post-monsoon and winter.The average temperature in winter ranges from 8° to 28° C (46° to 82° F) and in summer the average temperature range from 25° to 46° C (77° to 115° F) making the region parched and draught-prone.
History of Rajasthan- The history of the Indian state of Rajasthan is about 5000 years old and the mythological origin of this gigantic land is related to the famous myth of Ram, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The history of Rajasthan can be classified into three parts owing to the different epochs- Ancient, Medieval and Modern. The ancient history of Rajasthan belongs to 1200 AD when Rajasthan was a part of different dynasties including the glorious Mauryan Empire in around (321-184 BC). The Dundhmer region was the first Aryan settlement and the first inhabitants of this area were the Bhil and the Mina. The earliest Rajput dynasty that emerged around 700 AD was the Gurjara Partiharas and since then Rajasthan was cited as Rajputana (the land of the Rajputs). During the eighth - twelfth century AD, the Rajput clan gained supremacy and the Rajputs were divided into 36 royal clans and 21 dynasties. The armed conflicts and the struggle for supremacy among the Parmars, Chalukyas, and Chauhans around 1000-1200 AD resulted in a lot of bloodshed.
In this medieval era around 1200 AD, the major regions of Rajasthan such as Nagaur, Ajmer and Ranthanbhor came under the Mughal hegemony headed by the Mughal ruler- Akbar. The most famous Rajput warriors who represented the vigor and valiance of the Rajput dynasty and whose tales of chivalry are still imprinted in the sands of Rajasthan were Rana Uday Singh, his son Rana Pratap, Bhappa Rawal, Rana Kumbha and Prithviraj Chauhan and others.
With the end of the Mughal regime in1707, the Marathas gained supremacy and captured Ajmer in1775. The Maratha ascendancy ended in the late 17th century with the British suzerainty in 1817-18. In 1stNovember, 1956 the state of present day Rajasthan came into existence after the amalgamation of the princely states.
Geography & History of Rajasthan
|
|
