Bharatpur

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This article is about the city in Indian. For the city in Nepal see Bharatpur, Nepal.

Bharatpur
Bharatpur
State  - District(s)	Rajasthan  - Bharatpur
Coordinates	27.22° N 77.48° E
Area  - Elevation	- 183 m
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Population (2001)  - Density	204,456  -

Bharatpur is a city in Rajasthan state of India. It was founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1733. Located in Mewat region, Bharatpur was once an impregnable, well-fortified city, and the capital of a kingdom ruled by Jat maharajas. The trio of Bharatpur, Deeg and Dholpur has played an important part in the Jat history of Rajasthan. Located 50 km west of the city of Agra (the city of the Taj Mahal), it is also the administrative headquarters of Bharatpur District.

[edit] Geography

Bharatpur is located at 27.22° N 77.48° E^[1]. It has an average elevation of 183 metres (600 feet).

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census^GRIndia, Bharatpur had a population of 204,456. 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.

[edit] History

The young Maharaja of Bharatpur Jaswunt Singh, aged about eleven, in his durbar or court in 1862. The young prince sits in the centre of his guddee or royal seat, which is of velvet richly embroidered with gold. Behind him are four servants, two of whom hold merchauls of peacocks' feathers, and the chouree of yak's tail hair.In two rows on either side of the Rajah, the nobles and sirdars of the state are seated, who may be relatives, or officers in various parts of the state services.

The town was named Bharatpur after Bharata, a brother of Lord Rama, whose other brother Laxman is the family deity of the erstwhile royal family of Bharatpur. The name 'Laxman' was engraved on the arms, seals and other emblems of the state.

The city and the fort of Bharatpur have been believed to be founded by Rustam, a Jat chieftain belonging to the Sogariya clan. With the decline of the mughal empire in the early 17th century, the Jats established a state in the Mewat region south of Delhi, with its capital at Deeg. Leaders like Gokula, Raja Ram, Churaman and Badan Singh brought the Jats together 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. Suraj Mal took over the site of Bharatpur from Khemkaran, a son of Rustam, and established it as the capital of his state. He fortified the city by building a massive wall around it.

During the British Raj, the state covered an area of 5,123 km².; 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.

[edit] Chronology of Bharatpur rulers

The Royal House of Bharatpur traces their history to the 11th Century AD. They claim descent from Yadav Vanshi Sind Pal, common ancestor with the House of Karauli. Than Pal, twelfth in descent from Sind Pal, left several sons, including Dharam Pal, the eldest son and progenitor of Karauli. Madan Pal, the third son of Than Pal, being ancestor of Bharatpur. His descendant, Bal Chand or Balchandra of Sinsini, having no issue by his wife, took a Jat lady as a concubine, by whom he had two sons named Birad (Bijji) and Surad (Sijji). Birad was the ancestor of Thakur Khanu Chand, with whom we treat. The descendants of Khanu Chand became leaders of the Jat race and rose to considerable power during the Mughal decline in the late seventeenth century.

The Jat rulers of Bharatpur were from Sinsinwar clan. Before the formation of Bharatpur state the capital of Sinsinwars was at Sinsini.

Sinsini earlier was known as 'Shoor saini' and its inhabitants were known as 'Saur Sen'. The influence of Saur Sen people can be judged from the fact that the dialect of the entire north India at one time was known as 'Saursaini'.

Shoor Sain people were Chandra Vanshi kshatriyas. Lord Krishna was also born in vrishni branch of Chandravansh. A group of Yadavas was follower of Shiv and Vedic God in Sindh. Some inscriptions and coins of these people have been found in 'Mohenjo Daro'. ' Shiv Shani Sevi' words have been found engraved on one inscription. Yajur Veda mentions 'Shinay Swah'. 'Sini Isar' was found on one gold coin. Atharva Veda mentions 'Sinwali' for Sini God.

The above group of Yadavas came back from Sindh to Brij area and occupied Bayana in Bharatpur district. After some struggle the 'Balai' inhabitants were forced by Shodeo and Saini rulers to move out of Brij land and thus they occupied large areas. 'Saur Saini' was changed to 'ShinShoor' or 'Sinsini' after their God 'Shin'. These people of Sinsini were called Sinsinwar. The chronology of Sinsinwar Jat clan rulers of Bharastpur is as under:

• Gokula,  ? - 1670
• Raja Ram, 1670 - 1688
• Churaman, 1695 - 1721
• Badan Singh, 1722 - 1756
• Maharaja Suraj Mal, 1756 - 1767
• Maharaja Jawahar Singh, 1767 - 1768
• Maharaja Ratan Singh, 1768 - 1769
• Maharaja Kehri Singh, 1769 - 1771
• Maharaja Nawal Singh, 1771 - 1776
• Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 1776 - 1805
• Maharaja Randhir Singh, 1805 - 1823
• Maharaja Baldeo Singh, 1823 - 1825
• Maharaja Balwant Singh, 1825 - 1853
• Maharaja Jashwant Singh, 1853 - 1893
• Maharaja Ram Singh, 1893 - 1900 (Exiled)
• Maharani Girraj Kaur, regent 1900-1918
• Maharaja Kishan Singh, 1900 - 1929
• Maharaja Brijendra Singh, 1929-1947 (Joined the Indian Union)

[edit] Keoladeo National Park

Main article: Keoladeo National Park

Now declared a World Heritage by UNESCO, this former 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.

[edit] Places to see

• Keoladeo National Park
• Lohagarh Fort
• Government Museum
• The Palace
• Jawahar Burj and Fatej Burj

Fairs and festivals

• Brij festival
• Jaswant exhibition
• Gangaur
• Teej

Surrounding area

• Deeg Fort
• Gopal Bhavan

[edit] References

1. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Bharatpur

• 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

[edit] See also

Bharatpur (Lok Sabha constituency)