Barmer, Rajasthan

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Barmer (बाड़मेर)
Barmer (बाड़मेर)
Location of Barmer (बाड़मेर)
in Rajasthan and India
Coordinates 25°45′N 71°23′E / 25.75°N 71.38°E / 25.75; 71.38
Country  India
State Rajasthan
District(s) Barmer
Population 83,517 (2001)
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
Elevation

227 m (745 ft)

Barmer (बाड़मेर) is the headquarters of the Barmer district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is a city and a municipality.

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[edit] Origin of name

The name Barmer is derived from the ruler Bahada Rao Parmar (Panwar) or Bar Rao Parmar (Panwar) who is said to have founded the town in the 13th century, when it was named Bahadamer (“The Hill Fort of Bahada”).

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census,[1] Barmer had a population of 83,517. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Barmer has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 63% of the males and 37% of females literate. 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.

[edit] Geography

Barmer is located at 25°45′N 71°23′E / 25.75°N 71.38°E / 25.75; 71.38.[2] It has an average elevation of 227 metres (744 feet). The total area of Barmer district is 28387 km². The whole district lies between 24°58′ - 26°32′ N and 70°5′ – 72°52′. On its north is Jaisalmer, to the south is Jalore, and Pali and Jodhpur are to the east. Pakistan is 270 km to the west.

Barmer district is 3,727 ft (1,136 m) above sea level and 22 km in length. The longest river in the district is the Luni. It is 480 km in length and drain into the Gulf of Kutch passing through Jalore. The variation in temperature in various seasons is quite high. In summers the temperature soars to 46 °C to 51 °C. In winters it drops to 0°C (41 °F). Primarily Barmer district is a desert where average rainfall in a year is 277 mm. However, extreme rainfall of 549 mm rain between 16 August and 25 August 2006 left many dead and huge losses due to flood in a nearby town kawas and whole town submerged. As many as 20 new lakes formed, and 6 covered an area of over 10 km².

[edit] Tourism

To the immediate west of the city lie the remains of Juna or Juna Barmer and to the south are the ruins of three Jain temples. There is an inscription dated 1295 AD on one of the pillars of the hall of the largest temple at Juna. This mentions a Maharajakula Sri Samanta Sinha Deva ruling Barmer at the time. Barmer is famous for its carved wooden furniture and hand block printing industry, woolen industries, gaur industries, oil.

There are number of festivals held in Barmer, the most famous of which is a cattle fair held every year at Tilwara village situated on the banks of the Luni river. The fair goes on for a fortnight in the months of March and April. The other major festival is the Barmer Thar Festival, started as a practice to enhance the tourism potential of this town. During the annual Barmer festival in March, the town is at its colourful best and that is the best time to visit Barmer.

[edit] References

[edit] External links