Rajasthan Day 2023

• 31 Mar 2023

Why in News?

On 30 March 2023, the 74th Foundation Day of Rajasthan was celebrated. On this day, 30 March 1949, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel inaugurated Greater Rajasthan at a function in Jaipur.

Key Points

• Significantly, on 14 January 1949, in a public meeting in Udaipur, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel announced the merger of the princely states of Jaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer in principle.
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel inaugurated Greater Rajasthan at a function in Jaipur on 30 March 1949, to give shape to this declaration, hence Rajasthan Day is celebrated every year on March 30.
• Before independence, Rajasthan was known as 'Rajputana'. Historians believe that George Thomas gave the name 'Rajputana' in the year 1800 AD. Historians also claim that Colonel James Tod named this state Rajasthan. In the local literary language, the region where the kings lived was called Rajasthan.
• At the time of independence, there were a total of 22 princely states in Rajasthan. In present-day Rajasthan, kings used to rule in the then-19 princely states. Whereas, there was a chiefship in three princely states (Neemrana, Luv and Kushalgarh). The Ajmer-Merwara province here was ruled by British rulers.
• The process of merger of the erstwhile princely states lasted from 18 March 1948 to 1 November 1956. This process was completed in seven steps.
• The Government of India merged the British-ruled Ajmer-Merwara province with Rajasthan on 1 November 1956, on the recommendation of the States Reorganization Commission headed by Afzal Ali.
• During this period, the village Sunel Tappa of Mandsaur tehsil of Madhya Pradesh was also included in Rajasthan. Whereas village Sironj in the Jhalawar district of Rajasthan was included in Madhya Pradesh.
• On 7 September 1949, Jaipur was made the capital of the state of Rajasthan on the basis of the recommendations of the Rao Committee constituted by the Government of India.
• Rajasthan is the largest state in the country. Its area is three lakh 42 thousand 239 square kilometres. This is 1/10th of the country's land.
• According to the 2011 census, the population of Rajasthan is 6.89 crore, which is 5.66 percent of India's population. According to population, it is in seventh place in the country.
• Till now there were seven divisions and 33 districts in Rajasthan. On 18 March 2023, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced the formation of 19 new districts and three new divisions by merging two districts. Since then, there are now 10 divisions and 50 districts in Rajasthan. However, the notification of new districts and divisions has not been issued yet.
• Rajasthan is adjacent to the neighbouring country Pakistan. It shares an international border of 1,070 km with it. The Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner and Sriganganagar districts of Rajasthan share their international border with Pakistan. Kuldhara village is the oldest village in the Jaisalmer district, adjacent to the international border. It is believed that this village has been deserted for 200 years.
• Rajasthan's 4850 km border meets other states of the country, in which Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat are the border states of Rajasthan.
• Rajasthan has a special identity on the tourism map. There are dozens of tourist places here, where thousands of domestic and foreign tourists come daily. On the other hand, Jaisalmer, the land of Dhors, has its own distinct identity. There, hitchhiking tourists can be seen enjoying Camel Rides. Be it the City of Lakes Udaipur or Pink City Jaipur, there are many places to visit from the point of view of tourism.
• There are many forts in Rajasthan, and 13 are the main ones. Among these, the Amer and Jaigarh forts of Jaipur, Mehrangarh fort of Jodhpur, Kumbhalgarh fort of Rajsamand, Ranthambhore fort of Sawai Madhopur, Junagarh fort of Bikaner, Lohagarh fort of Bharatpur have worldwide recognition. Other forts and palaces include Gaagraun Fort, Jaisalmer, Sirohi's Achalgarh, Nagaur's Ahichhatragarh, Jalore Fort, Sirohi's Khimsar Fort, Alwar's Nimrana Fort, City Palace etc. are also famous. Along with the impregnable forts, luxurious palaces were also built for the queens to live in.
• Rajasthan has preserved the history of warriors & heroes like Prithvi Raj Chauhan, Maharana Pratap, Rana Sanga, and Rana Kumbha. In the country and the world, Rajasthan is recognized as the land of heroes. The Battles of Haldi Valley, the battles of Chittor, Khanwa, Tarain, and Ranthambhore took place on the land of Rajasthan only.
• At present, the Indian Army has a large number of youths from the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan (Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu). To serve the country, a maximum number of youths from Shekhawati in Rajasthan go to the army.