Bharatpur, Rajasthan
Template:Infobox Indian jurisdiction Bharatpur (Rajasthani: भरतपुर) is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1733. Located in the Brij region, Bharatpur was once an impregnable, well-planned and well-fortified city, and the capital of Jat kingdom ruled by Sinsinwar Maharajas.The trio of Bharatpur, Deeg and Dholpur has played an important part in the history of India. Located 55 km west of the city of Agra (the city of the Taj Mahal) and 35 km from Mathura, it is also the administrative headquarters of Bharatpur District and also the headquarters of Bharatpur Division of Rajasthan. The Royal House of Bharatpur traces their history to the 11th Century AD. of this region are of most respected royal status in Rajasthan.
Bharatpur is located at 27°13′N 77°29′E / 27.22°N 77.48°E.[1] It has an average elevation of 183 metres (600 feet). Bharatpur is also known as Lohagarh. Bharatpur is famous for Keoladeo National Park.
Demographics
As of the 2001[update] Indian census,[2] Bharatpur had a population of 304,560. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Bharatpur has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 75% and female literacy of 56%. 15% of the population is under 6 years of age. The languages commonly spoken in Bharatpur are English, Hindi and Brij-Bhasha .
Social Groups
Jats, Ahirs and Gujars are some dominant castes in Bharatpur district.[3]
History
The history of Bharatpur has immediate correlations with the history of Rajasthan. The town was named Bharatpur after Bharata, brother of Lord Rama, whose other brother Laxman is the family deity of the erstwhile royal family of Bharatpur. The rulers of Bharatpur claim originally to have been Yadavs[4], the descendants of Sri Krishna. The Bharatpur rulers of Sinsinwar gotra have originated from Sini/Shini in the ancestry of Krishna.[5][6] Though, some historians also claims that Sinsinwar gotra originated from a village named Sinsina[7], named after Sinsina; who is considered to be the patron saint of all Sinsinwars, and also has a temple in his name "Sinsina Baba ka Mandir" in Bharatpur. It has also been claimed that a Rajput of Yadav origin, is said to have migrated from Bayana to the Dig jungles and founded a village named Sinsini, named after Sinsina, the tutelary deity.[8] The city and the fort of Bharatpur have been believed to be founded by Maharaja Surajmal in the early seventeenth century. He established a state in the Braj region south of Delhi, with its capital at Deeg. Leaders such as Gokula, Raja Ram, Churaman and Badan Singh brought together all the Jats and moulded them into a force to be reckoned with. Maharaja Suraj Mal was the state's greatest ruler; he made the state a formidable force in the region. During the British Raj, the state covered an area of 5,123 km² and its rulers enjoyed a salute of 17 guns. The state acceded unto the Dominion of India in 1947. It was merged with three nearby princely states to form the "Matsya Union", which in turn was merged with other adjoining territories to create the present-day state of Rajasthan.
Economy
Economy of Bharatpur district is dependent to a large extent on agriculture and its products. The main crops grown here are wheat, mustard, cotton, red-chillies and potatoes . There are more than 60 oil mills in Bharatpur due to mustard grown in large quantity in the surrounding areas. Bharatpur is famous for its sweets which are well prepared here and there are a large number of shops here.In some areas stone mining is also done like bansi paharpur as Aravalli is extended in this area.
Keoladeo National Park
Being a UNESCO's World Heritage Site , the duck-hunting reserve of the Maharajas is one of the major wintering areas for large numbers of aquatic birds from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China and Siberia. Some 364 species of birds, including the rare Siberian Crane, have been recorded in the park. The name "Keoladeo" is derived from the name of an ancient Hindu temple devoted to Lord Shiva in the sanctuary's central zone while the Hindi term "Ghana" implies dense, thick areas of forest cover. It is mainly famous for siberian crane. It was the only habitat of siberian crane in the world, other than siberia. Now with course of time, this endangered species has stopped reaching the park.
Places to see
Tourist attractions in Bharatpur
- Keoladeo National Park
- Lohagarh Fort
- Government Museum
- Golbagh Palace
- Moti Mahal
- Kishori Mehal
- Laxmi Vilas Palace
- Jawahar Burj
- Fateh Burj
- Ganga mandir
- Laxman mandir
- Vishwapriya shastri park
- Bankebihari temple
- Nehru Park
Tourist attractions in surrounding area
- Deeg Palace
- Gopal Bhavan
- Laxman mandir [deeg]
- Bayana Fort
- Kailadevi Temple [teh-Bayana]
- Temples at Kaman
- Fatehpur Sikri
- Taj Mahal
Fairs and festivals
- Brij Mahotsav: Brij Mahotsav is held in the month of February–March.
- Jaswant Exhibition: Jaswant Exhibition is held in the month of September–October during Dussehra.
- Gangaur: Gangaur festival is held in March–April.
- Teej: Teej festival is held in July–August.
Notes
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Bharatpur
- ^ Template:GR
- ^ http://books.google.co.in/books?ei=UJmJTcDsK8PnrAeSh_TfDg&ct=result&id=LSluAAAAMAAJ&dq=ahirs+of+Bharatpur&q=jats+and+ahirs
- ^ http://books.google.co.in/books?id=kWptYbzpXE8C&pg=PA33&dq=yadav+rajputs&hl=en&ei=vGuVTcnLDYbUrQe8rP2EDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CF0Q6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=yadav%20rajputs&f=false
- ^ Sinha, Purnendu Narayana (1901). A study of the Bhagavata Purana; or, Esoteric Hinduism. Freeman (in Benares). p. 222.
- ^ Panwar, Hukum Singh (1993). The Jats:Their Origin, Antiquity and Migrations. Manthan Publications, Rohtak. ISBN 81-85235-22-8.
- ^ Sadasivan, S. N. (2005). Political and administrative integration of princely states.
- ^ http://books.google.co.in/books?ei=vGuVTcnLDYbUrQe8rP2EDA&ct=result&id=2EuKAAAAMAAJ&dq=yadav+rajputs&q=yadav+
References
- Brief history and detailed genealogy of the ruling chiefs of Bharatpur
- Genealogy of the ruling chiefs of Bharatpur
- Imperial Gazeteer of India Vol 8, P-73 Bharatpur State
- R.C.Majumdar, H.C. Raychaudhury, Kalikaranjan Datta: An Advanced History of India, fourth edition, 1978, ISBN 0333 90298 X, p. 535-36
- Female infanticide and child marriage
