Nagaur

Nagaur (also Nagor and Nagore) is a

The Nagaur Fort was built by Maharaja of

Following the defeat of combined armies of Shams Khan and the Gujarat Sultanate at the hands of the powerful Rajput ruler Rana Kumbha in 1455, the town and nearby areas subsequently fell under the dominion of the Sisodiya Rajput rulers of Mewar.^[4]

During the Mughal reign in the 17th century, Amar Singh Rathore (30 December 1613 – 25 July 1644) was made the emperor's representative (subedar) of Nagaur.^[5]

Most of the palatial structures inside the fort were built by Bakht Singh of Marwar. Bakht Singh was made the lord of Nagaur by his elder brother Abhai Singh of Jodhpur. As the lord of Nagaur, Bakht invaded Bikaner and fought Jaipur at the Battle of Gangwana.^[6]

In 1755 Jai Appa Sindhia attacked on Nagaur after looting several places in Rajasthan. Jai Appa halted his army near Samas pond of Tausar which was 3.5 Km from Nagaur fort. He surrounded Nagaur fort and cut off food and water supply. Maharaja Vijay Singh ji called the Darbar and asked volunteers to kill Scindia. Gaji Khan Khokhar (Chawata Kallan) and Kan Singh (Dotalai) volunteered and took responsibility to kill Jai Appa Scindia. Both changed their outfit as traders and opened shop near Jai Appaji's army. They observed their activities for two months. On Friday, 25 July 1755 at 11 am ,they attacked on Jai Appa with daggers and killed him( Painting situated in Mandore musium). While fighting, both the loyal soldiers of Jodhpur were martyred. From than a common proverb still people say "Khokhar bada khuraki kha gaya appa jaisa daaki"( Khokhar are great gormandiser,eaten demon like appa). Even after killing of Jai Appa Sindhia, Maratha army continued fighting for few more months near Nagaur but they lost hope after Jai Appa's death.

Climate

Nagaur has a dry climate with a hot summer. Sand storms are common in summer. The district's climate is marked by extreme dryness, large variations of temperature & highly irregular rainfall patterns. The maximum temperature recorded in the district is 117F (47.2°C) with 32F (0°C) as the lowest recorded temperature. The average temperature of the district is 74 °F (23 °C). The winter season extends from mid-November until the beginning of March. The rainy season is relatively short, extending from July through mid-September. There are ten climatological stations within the district, being within the cities of Nagaur, Khinvsar, Didwana, Merta, Parbatsar, Makarana, Nawa, Jayal, Degana & Ladnun. The average rainfall in the district is 36.16 cm & 59% relative humidity.

Geography

Nagaur is located at 27°12′N 73°44′E / 27.2°N 73.73°E / 27.2; 73.73.^[7] It has an average elevation of 302 metres (990 feet). Nagaur is situated amidst seven districts namely Bikaner, Churu, Sikar, Jaipur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur. Nagaur is the fifth largest district in Rajasthan with a vast terrain spreading over 17,718 km² (6,841 sq mi) Its geographical spread is a good combine of plain, hills, sand mounds and as such it is a part of the great Indian Thar Desert.

Demographics

Forest, flora and fauna

The district of Nagaur is poor in forest resources. The total area under including hills, is reported to be 240.92 km²., which is 1.3 percent of total geographical area of the district. Scanty rainfall & other geographical constraints account for this. The western part of the district is divided of natural vegetation cover except for low herbs & grass which grows on low sand dunes. However, the south-eastern part of the district & part of the northern Tehsil of Ladnun & Didwana have much greater greenery as compared to north-west part of the district.

Tourism

• Nagaur Fort is one of the finest examples of Rajput-Mughal architecture.^[8] Built in the early 12th century and repeatedly altered over subsequent centuries, it witnessed many battles. Underwent major renovations in 2007.^[9][8] 90 fountains are now running in the gardens and buildings. The fort's buildings and spaces, both external and internal, serve as venue, stage and home to a Sufi Music Festival.
• state of Rajasthan. The village has many mosques, including Shahi Jama Masjid. There is Jubba Mubarak of Muhammad, which are said to possess holy relic brought by Qazi Hamiduddin Nagauri from Bukhara, Russia. Devotees from various parts of the country gather on urs of Quazi Sahab to celebrate the occasion. There is an annual Urs Mela (Urs Fair) organised in village.^[10]
• Jain Vishva Bharti University - A centre of Jainism; a school of thought; a centre of spirituality & purification; a society of Ahimsa
  .

• Bairathal Kallan - The Bairathal Kallan village was established about 700–750 years ago.
• Khinvsar town - Khimsar Fort - Situated 42 km from Nagaur on the National Highway No. 65 towards Jodhpur; 500-year-old fort in the middle of the Thar Desert; turned into a hotel furnished with modern facilities. Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb used to stay here; Khinvsar town has 25 small temples; black deer roaming in herds are a tourist attraction.
• Dadhich Brahmins
  .
• Meera Bai
  Temple - Also known as the Charbhuja temple; 400 years old; evidence how total surrender helps attain godly qualities; how deep faith converts poison to 'Amrit'.
• Kuchaman City - Kuchaman Fort - One of the oldest & most inaccessible forts of Rajasthan, situated on top of a straight hill, unique water harvesting system, Jodhpur rulers used to mint their gold & silver currency here. Fort is converted into a hotel.
• Prathviraj Raso, Khatu's old name was Khatwan. Old Khatu is almost destroyed. Now there are two villages, one is called Bari Khatu & other Chhoti Khatu. On the hillock of Chhoti Khatu a small fort is standing. Fort was built by Prithviraj Chauhan. An old stepwell
  is located in Chhoti Khatu, known as Phool Bawadi, it is believed that this stepwell was constructed in Gurjara Pratihara period. This stepwell is artistic in its style of architecture.
• Meera Bai
  , about 30 km from Merta.
• Jat
  .
• Untwaliya - It is situated 15 km from Nagaur and 10 km from Alai.
• Saint Baba Hariram
  .
• Banshiwala Mandir - Situated within the city, the historical and ancient Banshiwala temple is an unmatched specimen of architecture, the art of adding pieces of glass on the walls of this temple is made on sight, displaying the panoramic workmanship.

See also

• Nagori, a breed of cattle
• Nagori (caste)
• Didwana
• Meethari Marwar
• Gotan
• Lampolai
• Bairathal Kallan

References

1. ^ "Nagaur (Rajasthan)". Archived from the original on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 10 January 2008.
2. ^ Rana Khan (2005). The Rajputs History, Clans, Culture, and Nobility · Volume 1. p. 262.
3. ^ Iqtidar Husain Siddiqi (1987). Islam and Muslims in South Asia: Historical Perspective. p. 27.
4. ISBN 978-81-241-1064-5
   .
5. ISBN 978-0-19-530434-3
   , ... Amar Singh Rathore was seventeenth-century noble belonging to Jodhpur's royal Rajput family during the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan ... made the emperor's representative (subedar) of Nagaur district ...
6. ^ Munis pp. 316
7. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Nagaur
8. ^ ^{a b} Abraham, Melissa (2 July 2013). "India's Vibrant Cultural Heritage Comes to Life at Nagaur Fort". The Getty Iris. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
9. ^ "Rehabilitation of Nagaur Fort". Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Aga Khan Development Network. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
10. ^ Rol Urs Mela nagaur.rajasthan.gov.in ^{[verification needed]}

   7.^ Annals and Antiquities of 
   Rajputana - Col James Todd

External links

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• Khimsar
• Shital Kund Balaji Temple
• Nagaur Fort