Rajasthan, land of princes
The term Rajasthan first appears in a publication dated 1829: "Annales des Antiquités du Rajasthan ou des États rajpoutes de l'ouest et du center de l'Inde" A contraction of the Sanskrit word raja, meaning "king", and the Persian word sthan, referring to land, Rajasthan literally means "land of kings". Interestingly, the etymology of the word refers directly to the great historical influences that have passed through the region. Archaeological excavations have revealed that the region was inhabited by Vedic and Aryan civilizations, at least 3,000 years BC. In the 12th century, Muslim warlords arrived from northern Rajasthan and quickly seized Nagaur, Ajmer and Ranthambore. The medieval period was marked by numerous conflicts and alliances between princely states to counter Mughal influence and attacks. Powerful kingdoms emerged in Marwar, divided between the Rathores of Bikaner and Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and the Bathi clan, Mewar and the House of Sisodia, and Jaipur and the Kacchwahas clan. Smaller states such as Alwar, Shekhawati and Bundi placed themselves under the protective umbrella of the great kingdoms or sided with the Mughals. The British definitively pacified the region and entered into entente cordiale agreements with the rulers. They retained their powers and attributes, while accepting in exchange the supervision of the current British governor. Thus, the appointment of a new maharaja as head of state was subject to British approval, as were the accounts. The British set the borders of a vast territory they named Rajputana. These corresponded more or less to the current borders of Rajasthan, and also included a small part of northern Gujarat, eastern Pakistan and western Madhya Pradesh. In 1947, when the time came for Indian independence, the princes of Rajasthan were faced with the choice of joining the Union or retaining their autonomy. The 19 princely states and two chiefdoms signed up to join the federation of India. Rajasthan's borders are definitively fixed, bounded by Pakistan to the west, Gujarat to the south, Madhya Pradesh to the southeast, Uttar Pradesh to the northeast, and Haryana and Punjab to the north. Rajasthan thus became the country's largest state, covering a vast territory of 342,239 km².
The Aravalli line
Rajasthan is divided into two major geological regions, separated by the Aravalli mountain range. The ridgeline crosses the state from southwest to northeast, from Mount Abu to Khetri in Shekhawati, creating a 560-kilometer-long fold. The massif is between 10 and 100 kilometers wide, with an average altitude of 600 meters. The highest peak, Guru Shikhar Peak, rises to 1,722 metres above sea level. It is in the shadow of this peak that Mont Abu, Rajasthan's only mountain resort, has developed. Many Indians from Rajasthan and Gujarat come here in summer to cool off. Around 60% of Rajasthan lies to the west of the Aravalli mountains. The land here is semi-desert, with sandy soils unsuitable for agriculture and sparse, stunted vegetation. The Aravalli range is much more fertile and benefits from higher rainfall. The mountains are carpeted with deciduous forests made up mainly of teak and acacia trees. The relief, although not very high, is also little exploited agriculturally, due to the stony quartzite soils. The southern Aravalli, south of Udaipur, receives the highest rainfall. This is where the forests are densest. They gradually thin out as you move north-eastwards.
Watercourse
Rajasthan's main rivers all flow in the south of the state. The north and west have none. The Luni forms west of Ajmer and the Marwar and south of the Thar desert, ending its course in the Rann plain of Kutch in Gujarat. It is fed by rainwater drainage from the western slopes of the Aravalli mountains. The Banas River rises north of Udaipur, and flows north-eastwards through Mewar to the towns of Bhilwara and Tonk, before emptying into the Chambal River to the east of Ranthambore National Park. The Chambal River is the longest in Rajasthan. It rises in the Janapav hills of Madhya Pradesh and flows northwards towards Kota, through which it passes, before dipping eastwards to become a natural border between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The River Parvati is another of its tributaries. It is formed in Madhya Pradesh, between Indore and Bhopal, and flows northwards to form the border between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The course of these rivers and their flow have been largely modified by water retention dams. The Banas and Chambal rivers flow into the Yamuna, the main tributary of the Ganges.
To make up for the lack of a river in northern Rajasthan and enable agriculture to develop, an idea germinated in the mind of engineer Kanwar Sain in the 1940s. He came up with the idea of building a canal fed by Himalayan waters to irrigate northern and western Rajasthan. In 1960, an agreement was signed with Pakistan to use and divert water from 3 rivers passing through Punjab. Work could begin. Administrative and financial constraints slowed down the project, and it wasn't until 1983 that the first section linking the Harike dam in Punjab to Hanumangarh in Rajasthan was completed. The 650 kilometers of canals (a main canal and branch canals) leading to Jaisalmer, via Bikaner, were fully impounded in 2005. Initially named the Rajasthan Canal, it was renamed the Indira Gandhi Canal, in tribute to the former Prime Minister who was assassinated in 1984.
