Rajasthan
Rajasthan Day
- 01 Apr 2025
- 3 min read
Why in News?
Recently, the Rajasthan government has announced to celebrate Rajasthan Foundation Day on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada instead of 30th March 2025.
Key Points
- An age-old demand:
- The Nav Varsh Samaroh Samiti, formed in 1992 had been demanding from the state government for years that Rajasthan Foundation Day be celebrated on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada (Nav Samvatsar) instead of 30th March.
- of Foundation Day lies in this day.
- The committee argued that the true significance of Foundation Day lies in the fact that Rajasthan was established on this day during an auspicious time according to the Hindu calendar.
- Importance of Chaitra Shukla Pratipada:
- Chaitra Shukla Pratipada is the day of the year when the Earth completes a full cycle around the Sun , making day and night equal.
- It symbolizes balance and new beginnings .
- Establishment of Rajasthan
- On 14th January 1949, in Udaipur, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had announced in principle the merger of the princely states of Jaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer.
- He inaugurated Greater Rajasthan in a ceremony held on 30 March 1949 in Jaipur, hence Rajasthan Day is celebrated every year on 30 March.
- At the time of independence, there were a total of 22 princely states in Rajasthan. In present-day Rajasthan, 19 of the then princely states were ruled by kings. Whereas, there was chiefship in three princely states (Neemrana, Luv and Kushalgarh). The Ajmer-Merwara province here was ruled by British rulers.
- The Government of India merged the British-ruled Ajmer-Merwara province into Rajasthan on 1 November 1956 on the recommendation of the States Reorganisation Commission headed by Afzal Ali.
- During this period, Suneltappa village of Mandsaur tehsil of Madhya Pradesh was also included in Rajasthan. Whereas, Sironj village of Jhalawar district of Rajasthan was included in Madhya Pradesh.
- On the basis of the recommendations of the Rao Committee constituted by the Government of India, Jaipur was made the capital of Rajasthan state on 7 September 1949.
- Rajasthan is the largest state in the country. Its area is 3 lakh 42 thousand 239 square kilometers. This is 1/10th of the country's land area.
