Alwar

Alwar (Rajasthani Pronunciation: [əlʋəɾ]) is a city in Rajasthan and the administrative headquarters of Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. It is located 150 km south of Delhi and 150 km north of Jaipur.

Alwar (Rajasthani Pronunciation: [əlʋəɾ]) is a city in Rajasthan and the administrative headquarters of Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. It is located 150 km south of Delhi and 150 km north of Jaipur.

History

Ancient history

The ancient name of Alwar is Salva or Salwa. Alwar was a part of the Matsya Kingdom, one of the 16 ancient Mahājanapadas. In late Vedic texts (such as the Jaiminiya Brahmana), the Salva or Salvi tribe is described as a non-Vedic tribe that occupied Kurukshetra and conquered the Kuru kingdom. The Matsya kingdom is generally identified with parts of present-day Rajasthan, including the Alwar region, and its historical geography is associated with the wider cultural and political landscape of northwestern India during the Vedic period.

Colonial era

The princely state of Alwar was established in 1770¹ by a Kachwaha Rajput named Pratap Singh Naruka who was earlier a jagirdar of "Dhai Gaon" (two-and-a-half villages) near Machari. His successor, Bakhtawar Singh Naruka, was defeated after launching an armed incursion into neighbouring Jaipur State (ruled by their Kachwaha seniors, erstwhile overlords of his predecessor) and being forced to accept the consequent treaty mediated by East India Company prohibiting him from political relations with other states without the consent of the colonial British. According to the "Gazetteer of Ulwar" published by the British Raj, Alwar State was subdivided into four regions: Rath region: current Behror and Neemrana, was ruled by Lah Chauhan Rajput zamindar who had descended from Prithviraj Chauhan. Sahesh Mal was a son of Raja Sangat Singh Chauhan. Sangat was the great-grandson of Chahir Deo Chauhan, brother of famous king Prithviraj Chauhan. In accordance with the pledge by the Raja Sangat Singh Chauhan to his younger queen for marrying her in his old age, her two sons from him were bestowed the Rath area and its headquarter of Mandhan near Neemrana. King Sangat Singh Chauhan's 19 sons from the older queen set out to seek their fortunes. Of the 19 brothers, Harsh Dev Chauhan and Sahesh Mal Chauhan arrived in the Gurgaon district. Lah Chauhan, the ruler of Rath, was a son of raja Sangat Singh Chauhan by the younger Rani whose two sons became inheritors of Raja Sangat Singh's territory of Rath with its headquarter at Mandhan when other 19 sons from the other wives were required to quit the kingdom as per the promise of Raja Sangat. Rao NandRam Ahir rule rath and Tijara during Aurangzeb rule. Later Rao Mitrasen Ahir defeated combined forces of Sekhawat and kachwa Rajput at Mandhan. After decline of Mughal Empire, Rao Tez Singh (1766-1823) was ruler of Rath and Tijara (Ahirwal). He was grandfather of freedom fighter Rao Tula Ram. Alwar Wai region: current Bansur and Thana Ghazi, was ruled by Shekhawat rajput zamindars. Narukhand region: current Rajgarh and Laxmangarh, was ruled by Naruka clan of Rajputs same as that of the ruling kings of the Alwar State Mewat region: current Palwal and Nuh districts, had the highest population of the Meo Muslims.

Post-independence

Alwar acceded to the dominion of India following the independence of India in 1947. On 18 March 1948, the state merged with three neighbouring princely states (Bharatpur, Dholpur and Karauli) to form the Matsya Union. On 15 May 1949, it was united with neighbouring princely states and the territory of Ajmer to form the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan. Alwar was designated as part of the National Capital Region, resulting in additional development projects including rapid-rail to Delhi and drinking water improvements. The military cantonment of Itarana lies on the outskirts of Alwar.

Tourist attractions

Sariska Tiger Reserve

The Sariska Tiger Reserve, a National Park and Tiger Reserve, is located in the Aravali hills only a few kilometres away from Alwar. Declared a Wildlife reserve in 1955 and a National Park in 1982, it is the first reserve in the world to have successfully relocated tigers. The sanctuary, which became a part of India's Project Tiger in 1978, also preserves other species including rare birds and plants. In addition to its biodiversity, Sariska is also home to ancient temples and historical ruins, adding cultural significance to its natural beauty.

Bhangarh Fort

Bhangarh Fort, is a 17th-century fort built by Bhagwant Das for his younger son Madho Singh I. The fort, a monument protected by the Archaeological Survey of India and is known for its association to legends and paranormal activities, is a tourist attraction for visitors across the world.

Geography

Alwar is located at . It has an average elevation of . The Ruparail River is a major river near the city. Alwar is fairly rich in mineral wealth; it produces marble, granite, feldspar, dolomite, quartz, limestone, soap stone, barites, copper clay, copper ore and pyrophylite. Alwar has been ranked 40th best “National Clean Air City” under (Category 2 3-10L Population cities) in India.

Demographics

At the time of the 2011 census, the population of Alwar city and Alwar district were 341,422 and 3,674,179 respectively. At the time of the 2011 census, 63.61% of the population recorded their language as Hindi, 3.43% Punjabi and 1.60% Mewati as their first language.

Education

Raj Rishi Bhartrihari Matsya University was established in 2012¹–13. Alwar has several schools such as Alwar Public School, Shri Oswal Jain Senior Secondary School, St. Anselm's Senior Secondary School, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Adinath Public School, Knowledge City School, Chinar Public School, Lords International School, Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, Step By Step Senior Secondary School, Raath International School, National Academy and Silver Oak, and colleges (Raj Rishi college, Siddhi Vinayak College, Presidency College, Government Law College, KCRI College, IET College). The Employee's State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical College started operating from 2017.

Notable people

Saurabh Singh Shekhawat Sakshi Tanwar Jitendra Kumar Imran Khan Aastha Chaudhary Bhuvneshwari Kumari Mahesh Sharma Jitendra Singh Alok Bhargava

References

Bibliography

External links

History of District Alwar

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1377395350 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.