Culture

Music and dance
Every region has its very own dialect of music and dance. The Ghoomar dance from Udaipur and Kalbeliya dance of Jaisalmer have international recognition. Folk music is a vital part of Rajasthan culture. Songs are used to tell the legendary battles of Rajputs. Folk songs are commonly ballads which relate heroic deeds, love stories, and religious or devotional songs known as bhajans and banis and often accompanied by musical instruments like dholak, sitar, sarangi etc.

Art
Rajasthan is known for its traditional and colorful art. The block prints, tie and die prints, Bagaru prints, Sanganer prints, Zari embroidery are major export products from Rajasthan. Handicraft items like wooden furniture and handicrafts, carpets, blue potteries are some of the things you will find here. Rajasthan is shoppers paradise.

Architecture
Rajasthan is famous for the majestic forts, intricately carved temples and decorated havelis. Jantar Mantar, Dilwara Temples, Chittorgarh Fort, Lake Palace Hotel, City Palaces, Jaisalmer Havelis are true architectural heritage. Jaipur, the Pink City, is noted for the ancient houses made of a type of sand stone dominated by a pink hue.

Shopping
Rajasthan is often called the shoppers paradise. Rajasthan is famous for textile, semi-precious stones and Handicraft.

History

Rajasthan was earlier called Rajputana (state of Rajputs) after the ruling class of Rajputs. Rajput literally means 'son of kings'. Rajput clans rose to prominence in the 6th century , establishing kingdoms in Rajasthan and across northern India. The Rajputs resisted Muslim incursions into India, although a number of Rajput states became tributaries to the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire during those empires' peak of expansion. As these empires weakened, the Rajputs reasserted their independence. With the decline of the Mughal Empire in the 18th century, Rajputana become more and more independent.The Rajput kings concluded treaties with the British in the early 19th century, accepting British sovereignty. Ajmer became a province of British India, while the autonomous Rajput states and a few non-Rajput states (Tonk, Bharatpur, and Dholpur) were organized into the Rajputana Agency.

Rajasthan's independent kingdoms created a rich architectural and cultural heritage, seen today in its numerous forts, palaces (Mahals) and havelis, which are complemented by exceptional examples of Muslim and Jain architecture.

Introduction

Rājasthān राजस्थान, is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. It borders Pakistan to the west, Gujarat to the southwest, Madhya Pradesh to the southeast, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to the northeast and Punjab to the north. Rajasthan covers an area of 342,239 km² (132,139 mi²).

The state capital is Jaipur. Geographical features include the Thar Desert in western Rajasthan and the termination of the Ghaggar River. One of the world's oldest mountain ranges, the Aravalli Range, cradles the only hill station of Rajasthan, Mount Abu, and its world famous Dilwara Temples. Eastern Rajasthan has two national tiger reserves, Ranthambore and Sariska, as well as Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur, famous for its bird life.

People

Rajasthan is thickly populated in Bharatpur area in the east and sparsely populated tracts with a density as low as about four people per square kilometer in Jaisalmer in the extreme west.

Rajasthan is the region of the proud Rajputs who are generally regarded as the personification of Chivalry and whose exploits and bravery in battle are legendary. Rajputs are Scythian descent- a stock which moved out from the Caucasus in Central Asia towards the Indus Valley on the one side and the Germanic parts of Europe on the other.

In 'Rajasthan Ki Jatiyan' written by Bajranglal Lohia, according to 1891 census report the society in Rajasthan is divided into castes, sub-castes and group under eight broad heads. The martial Rajputs not only belong to the well-known clans such as the Sisodias, Rathors, Chauhans, Kachawahas, Bhattis, Panwars and Solankis but have-off-shoots known as Musalman Rajputs or 'Musalman Sipahis'. The Bhatti Rajputs who were forced to embrace Islam between 1193 and 1684 were called Sindhi Sipahis and the Chauhans who were subjected to this conversion around 1383 formed the sizeable group called Kaimrhani in the Shekhawati and Nagaur areas.

Besides the Rajputs and the Musalmans, western region of the state enumerates at least 34 castes and sub-castes of Brahmins and seven interesting groups under the head 'Bards and other communities' among them being the Charan - the friend, philosopher and guide of the Rajput and the Bhat, who maintains the family tree and other chronological records of his patrons.

Rajasthan has eight, communities classified as 'writers and chroniclers'. They are Kayasthas, Khatris, Orwals, Mohnots, Bhandaris, Singhis, Lodhas and Mohatas, whose members are in the field of business, industry and administration.

The seven communities namely the Dholi, Dhadhi, Hinjara, Jagri-Patur, Bhagtan, Kalawat and Bhand are grouped under 'Minstrels and Instrument Players'. Among these the Hinjaras, Kalawats and Bhands are entertainers, jokers and festers.

The trading and business communities generally called Marwaris include the Mahajans, Sarawagis, Porals, Shrimals, Shrishrimals, Agarwals, Maheswaaris, Vijayvargias, Sunlas, Bohres, Pheriwalas, Baldias and Lohias.

Carpenters, barbers, tailors, black-smith, utensil makers, cloth-printers, dyers and tiers, patwaris, weavers, washer men, potters, cobblers sweepers, stone-dressers, nats, sansis, badris and scores of other workers, all belong to the artisan community.

TRIBES
Two prominent scheduled Tribes of this region are the Bhils and the Meenas. The total population is about 31,25,506 of the Scheduled Tribes in the State. The Bhils are mostly concentrated in the hill-locked districts of Udaipur, Dungarpur and Banswara while the Meenas are settled mainly in the Jaipur, Sawai- Madhopur and Udaipur districts.
Other Scheduled Tribes are the Garasias and the Sahrias. The Garasias are concentrated in the Pali and Sirohi districts, while the Sahrias are limited to a pocket of two tehsils in the Kota district.

The Bhils form the most significant tribal group in the State. The Most undeveloped tribal group are the Sahrias. All the Scheduled Tribes of Rajasthan are incorporated in the Hindu social order.

Places of Interest

Jaipur : pronunciation (Hindi: जयपुर, Urdu: جے پور), also popularly known as the Pink City, historically sometimes rendered as Jeypore, is the capital of Rajasthan state, India. Jaipur is also the capital of Jaipur District. Jaipur is the former capital of a princely state of the same name. The city was founded in 1728 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber. The population in 2003 was approximately 2.7 million.

The city was built of pink stucco in imitation of sandstone, and is remarkable among pre-modern Indian cities for the width and regularity of its streets. The city is laid out into six quarters, separated by broad streets 111 ft (34 m) wide. The urban quarters are further divided by networks of gridded streets. Five quarters wrap around the east, south, and west sides of a central palace quarter, with a sixth quarter immediately to the east. The Palace quarter encloses a sprawling palace complex (the Hawa Mahal, or palace of winds), formal gardens, and a small lake. Nahargarh Fort crowns the hill in the northwest corner of the old city. Another noteworthy building is Sawai Jai Singh's observatory, Jantar Mantar. Jaipur, with its rich and colourful past, resplendent with tales of valour and bravery is now one of the most important heritage cities in India, and is a must-see for tourists coming to India.

Jaisalmer : pronunciation ("The Golden City") is a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate Jain temples. Many of the houses and temples are finely sculptured. It lies in the heart of the Thar Desert and has a population of about 78,000. It is the administrative headquarters of Jaisalmer District.

Jodhpur : pronunciation (जोधपुर), is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, also known as Marwar. Jodhpur is a popular tourist destination, featuring many beautiful palaces, forts and temples, apart from a stark, scenic desert landscape. The city is known as the "Sun City" for the bright, sunny weather it enjoys all year. Jodhpur is also known for gentleness of its people. Jodhpur lies near the geographic center of Rajasthan state, which makes it a convenient base for travel in a region much frequented by tourists. The old city of Jodhpur is surrounded by a thick stone wall. The wall has six huge gates called Nagauri gate, Merati gate, Sojati gate, Jalori gate, Siwanchi gate and Chand pol.