Native name	Jodhpur
Other name	जोधपुर
Type	METROPOLITAN CITY
Skyline	JodhpurIndia.jpg
Skyline caption	Jodhpur, also known as ''Sun City'' and ''Blue city''
State name	Rajasthan
Subdivision type	Sovereign state
Subdivision name	India
Subdivision type1	Constituent country
Subdivision type2	Region
Subdivision name2	West Rajasthan
Altitude	231
Government type	Division, Division
District	Jodhpur
Leader name	Municipal corporation of Jodhpur
Leader name 3	Mr. Rameshwar Dadhich
Leader title	Governing body
Leader title 3	Mayor
Population as of	2011
Population total	1,033,918
Population total cite
Population density	11210
Population metro cite
Area magnitude	8
Area total km2	165.50
Postal code type	Postal Index Number
Postal code	342005
Area code	0291
Vehicle code range	RJ 19
Footnotes	}}

Jodhpur ( ; ) is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar. Jodhpur is a popular tourist destination, featuring many palaces, forts and temples, set in the stark landscape of the Thar desert.

The city is known as the "Sun City" for the bright, sunny weather it enjoys all year. It is also referred to as the "Blue City" due to the blue-painted houses around the Mehrangarh Fort. The old city circles the fort and is bounded by a wall with several gates. However, the city has expanded greatly outside the wall over the past several decades. Jodhpur lies near the geographic centre of Rajasthan state, which makes it a convenient base for travel in a region much frequented by tourists.

History

According to Rajasthan district Gazetteers of Jodhpur and the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' (composed up to 4th century AD), Abhiras were the original inhabitants of Jodhpur and later Aryans spread to this region.

Jodhpur was also part of the Gurjara - Pratihara empire and until 1100 CE was ruled by a powerful Bargujar King. Jodhpur was founded in 1459 by Rao Jodha, a Rajput chief of the Rathore clan. Jodha succeeded in conquering the surrounding territory and thus founded a state which came to be known as Marwar. As Jodha hailed from the nearby town of Mandore, that town initially served as the capital of this state; however, Jodhpur soon took over that role, even during the lifetime of Jodha. The city was located on the strategic road linking Delhi to Gujarat. This enabled it to profit from a flourishing trade in opium, copper, silk, sandals, date palms and coffee.

Early in its history, the state became a fief under the Mughal Empire, owing fealty to them while enjoying some internal autonomy. During this period, the state furnished the Mughals with several notable generals such as Maharaja Jaswant Singh. Jodhpur and its people benefited from this exposure to the wider world: new styles of art and architecture made their appearance and opportunities opened up for local tradesmen to make their mark across northern India. Aurangzeb briefly sequestrated the state (c.1679) on the pretext of a minority, but the rightful ruler Maharaja Ajit Singh was restored to the throne by Veer Durgadas Rathore after Aurangzeb died in 1707 and a great struggle of 30 years. The Mughal empire declined gradually after 1707, but the Jodhpur court was beset by intrigue; rather than benefiting from circumstances, Marwar descended into strife and invited the intervention of the Marathas, who soon supplanted the Mughals as overlords of the region. This did not make for stability or peace, however; 50 years of wars and treaties dissipated the wealth of the state, which sought and gratefully entered into subsidiary alliance with the British in 1818.

During the British Raj, the state of Jodhpur had the largest land area of any in Rajputana. Jodhpur prospered under the peace and stability that were a hallmark of this era.The land area of the state was its population in 1901 was 44,73,759. It enjoyed an estimated revenue of £35,29,000/. Its merchants, the Marwaris, flourished without let or limit and came to occupy a position of dominance in trade across India. In 1947, when India became independent, the state merged into the union of India and Jodhpur became the second city of Rajasthan.

Oswal Jains were mainly concentrated in Gorwar Region which was again ruled by Maharaja of Jodhpur . And Oswal jains also played main role in strengthening foundation of Jodhpur by donating mass wealth, gems to Maharaja of Jodhpur & in turn Maharaja of Jodhpur used to honour these wealthy Oswal Jain Merchants as Nagar Seth or various other honourable titles.

At the time of partition, ruler of Jodhpur Hanwant Singh did not want to join India, but finally due to the effective persuasion Maharana of Mewar and Sardar Vallab Patel the then Home Minister at centre princely state of Jodhpur was included in Indian Republic. Later after State Reorganization Act, 1956 it was made part of the state of Rajasthan.

Demographics

As per provisional reports of Census India, population of Jodhpur is 1,033,918 in 2011; of which male and female nearly constitute 52.62 percent and 47.38 percent respectively. Average literacy rate of Jodhpur city is 81.56 percent of which male and female literacy was 88.42 and 73.93 percent respectively. Total children under 6 years of age constitute nearly 12.24 percent of city population. Jodhpur city is governed by Municipal Corporation which comes under Jodhpur Urban Agglomeration. The Jodhpur Urban/Metropolitan area include Jodhpur, Kuri Bhagtasani, Mandor Ind. Area, Nandri, Pal Village and Sangariya. Its Urban/Metropolitan population is 1,137,815 of which 599,332 are males and 538,483 are females.

Economy

The Handicrafts industry has in recent years eclipsed all other industries in the city. By some estimates, the furniture export segment is a $200 million industry, directly or indirectly employing as many as 200,000 people. Other items manufactured include textiles, metal utensils, bicycles, ink and sporting goods. A flourishing cottage industry exists for the manufacture of such items as glass bangles, cutlery, carpets and marble products.

After handicrafts, tourism is the second largest industry of Jodhpur. Crops grown in the district include wheat and the famous ''Mathania'' red chillies. Gypsum and salt are mined. The city serves as an important marketplace for wool and agricultural products. The Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Border Security Force maintain training centers at Jodhpur.

The administration of Jodhpur is consisting of a District Collector, followed by 4 Additional District Magistrates (I,II, Land Conversion and City ADM). Presently, the Collector and District Magistrate is ''Mr. Siddharth Mahajan (I.A.S)''.The city is also under Police Commissioner system,with "MR.Bhupinder Kumar Dak (I.P.S)" as Police commissioner of the city.

Elected representatives

The present Member of Parliament from Jodhpur is Chandresh Kumari of Kangras, who is the sister of Gaj Singh, the former Maharaja of Jodhpur. The current MLAs from the 3 constituencies of Jodhpur are from Jodhpur City: Shri Kailash Bhansali, Chartered Accountant; from Sardarpura: Shri Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajasthan; from Soorsagar: Smt. Suryakanta Vyas

Culture

Tourism

Jodhpur's attractions include Mehrangarh Fort, Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jaswant Thada, and Ghanta Ghar (Clock Tower). Tourists can make excursions to '''Mandore, Kaylana Lake and Garden, Balsamand lake, Sardar Samand lake and palace, Masooria Hill, Veer Durgadas Smarak(monument, park and museum), Dhawa (Dholi) forest area, Khichan, Osian, Nakoda ji.

Fairs and festivals

Marwar festival

Gangaur

Teej

Nag Panchmi fair

Mahavir Jayanti

Shietla Mata

Cuisine

A number of Indian delicacies have originated in Jodhpur. To name a few, the Makhaniya Lassi, Mawa Kachori, Pyaaj Kachori, Hot & Spicy Mirchibada (A preparation made with potato, onion, chilli and gramflour), Dal Bati Churma, Panchkuta, Lapsi (a special kind of dessert made with wheat, Jaggery, and ghee), Kachar mircha curry (made with chilli and kachar, a special type of vegetable grown in desert area) and Kadhi (made with gramflour, curd and chilli) with Baajre ka sogra (a sweet preparation of pearl millet and jaggery). Jodhpur is known for its sweets ranging from traditional "''Makhanbada''", "''Mawa Kachori''" to Bengali "''Roshogollas''","''Ras madhuri''".

Education

Jodhpur is fast becoming a major education hub for higher studies in India.

Major Institutions are -

- Indian Institute of Technology Rajasthan (A premier technical institute of India)

- NLU (National Law University, Jodhpur),

- JNU (Jodhpur National University, Jodhpur),

- NIFT National Institute of Fashion Technology,

- Ayurveda University (Second University of its kind in India)

- JNVU (Jai Narayan Vyas University) (NAAC accredited "A" Grade University)

- MBM Engineering College, which falls under JNVU university, is the world's only institute which has its own mines.

- Dr. S.N Medical College and group of Hospitals - S.L.B.S Engineering College

- Jodhpur Engineering College & Research Centre

- Jodhpur Institute of Engineering & Technology.

- Marwar Engineering College

- Vyas Institute Of Higher education

Also, a new campus of All India Institute of Medical Sciences is going to be established in CAZRI(Central Arid Zone Research Institute)campus.

The other educational institutions include ICMT, Lachoo Memorial College, Somani College,VIET, SLBS, MAYURAKSHI etc.

Jodhpur is also India's largest hub for preparation of CA entrance.

Judiciary

Rajasthan High Court (Marwadi: राजस्थान मोटी कचेरी, Hindi: राजस्थान उच्च न्यायालय) is the High Court of the state of Rajasthan. It was established on 21 June 1949 under the Rajasthan High Court Ordinance, 1949.

The seat of the court is at Jodhpur. The court has a sanctioned judge strength of 40. View of the Rajasthan High Court, Sardar museum in Umaid Park and upper right is Jodhpur fort in 1960.

The High Court of Rajasthan was founded in the year 1949 at Jodhpur, and was inaugurated by the Rajpramukh, Maharaja Sawai Man Singh on 29 August 1949. The first Chief Justice was Kamala Kant Verma. A bench was formed at Jaipur which was dissolved in the year 1958 and was again formed on 31 January 1977. Currently the sanctioned strength of the judges is 40 and actual strength is 29.

Transportation

The city is very well connected with Road, Rail and Air. It is mostly connected with railways to major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Trivandrum, Pune, Kota, Kanpur, Bareilly, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Guwahati, Nagpur, Lucknow and Jaipur.The railway station is also the originating point for various trains like Jodhpur - Indore Express, Jodhpur - Bhopal Express, Jodhpur - Puri Express, Mandore Express, Suryanagri Superfast Express etc.

Jodhpur Airport is one of the prominent airports of western India. It was primarily constructed as an Air Force base because of its important strategic location ( Jodhpur Airport played the crucial role during Indo-Pak wars in 1965, 1971). It is the most powerful air base in South Asia.

Airlines and destinations

Further reading

''Jodhpur'', Published by [s.l.], 1933.

''Maharaja of Marwar'' 1973.

''Marwar under Jaswant Singh, (1658-1678): Jodhpur hukumat ri bahi'', by Satish Chandra, Raghubir Sinh, Ghanshyam Dattan Singh of Jodhpur and His Times (1803-1843 A.D.)'', by Padmaja Sharma. Published by Shiva Lal Agarwala, 1972.

''The Administration of Jodhpur State, 1800-1947 A.D.'', by Nirmala M. Upadhyaya. International Publishers, Sharma. Published by Meenakshi Prakashan, 1976.

''The History of Rajputana-Vol.IV, PartII.The History of the Jodhpur State'', Part II,Veer Durgadas. 1941, Dr.Gaurishankar Hirachand Ojha.

''Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer: Desert Kingdoms'', by Kishore Singh, Karoki Lewis. Lustre Press Ltd. 1992.

''The House of Marwar: The Story of Jodhpur'', by Dhananajaya Singh. Lotus Collection, Roli Books, 1994. ISBN 81-7436-002-6.

''Modern Indian Kingship: Tradition, Legitimacy & Power in Jodhpur'', by Marzia Balzani. Published by James Currey Limited, 2003. ISBN 0-85255-931-3.

'' Rathod Durgadas'' by Pt.Bishweshharnath Reu, 1948, Archaeological Department, Jodhpur.

'' Veer Durgadas Rathor'' by Dr.L.S.Rathore, Thar Bliss Publisher, Jodhpur, 1987.

''Jodhpur and the Later Mughals, AD 1707-1752'', by R. S. Sangwan. Published by Pragati Publications, 2006.

See also

Yaduvanshi Ahirs

Rajputs

Mandore

References

External links

Bird's eye view of Jodhpur (Satellite picture)

Official website

Category:Jodhpur Category:Indian Princely States Category:Cities and towns in Jodhpur district Category:1459 establishments Category:Populated places established in the 1450s Category:Jodhpur railway division Category:Divisions of Indian Railways Category:North Western Railway Zone Category:Railway junction stations in India Category:Former Indian capital cities

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Bhanwari Devi is an Indian woman, whose alleged gang rape in 1992 and the subsequent court case attracted widespread media attention nationally and internationally.

Biography

Bhanwari Devi is a low-caste potter from Bhateri, a small village in Rajasthan located 55 km from the state capital Jaipur. Most of the villagers belonged to the conservative Gurjar community, which is higher in the caste hierarchy than the Kumhar caste, to which Bhanwari belongs.

As a saathin

In 1985, when she needed money, Bhanwari became a ''saathin'' ("friend"), a grassroots worker employed as part of the Women's Development Project (WDP) run by the Government of Rajasthan. As part of her job, she took up issues related to land, water, literacy, health, Public Distribution System, and payment of minimum wages at famine relief works. In 1987, she took up a major issue of the attempted rape of a woman from a neighbouring village. All of these activities had the full support of the members of her village. However, in 1992, Bhanwari found herself alienated, when she took up the issue of child marriage.

In 1992, the State Government of Rajasthan had decided to launch an anti-child-marriage campaign during the fortnight preceding Akha Teej, which is considered an auspicious date for marriages. The WDP members and other government employees tried to convince the local villagers against child marriage. However, some influential conservative Gurjar families in the village were determined to perform child marriages. In one such family, Ram Karan Gurjar was planning to marry off his 9-month old daughter. Bhanwari's attempts to persuade the family against this move met with hostile response.

On May 5, the day of Akha Teej, the Deputy Suprintendent of Police (DSP) and SDO came to Bhateri and stopped the marriage of Ram Karan's infant daughter. The marriage, however, took place next day at 2 a.m and no police action was taken. The Gurjar community in the village felt that the police interference in their affairs must have been a consequence of Bhanwari's report to the police. The annoyed villagers refused her water from the well, refused to sell her milk and started threatening her regularly.

The alleged gang-rape

According to Bhanwari, on 22 September 1992, at 6 p.m., five villagers attacked her husband Mohan Lal and left him unconscious, while the couple was working on their field. The five men were Ram Karan Gurjar, Ram Sukh Gurjar, Gyarsa Gurjar, Badri Gurjar and Shravan Sharma. When she came to her husband's rescue, Gyarsa and Badri raped her, while the other three held her.

Bhanwari reported the incident to Ms. Sharma, the ''pracheta'' (a block-level worker). The ''pracheta'' took her to the Bassi police station to lodge a First Information Report (FIR). The DSP who examined Bhanwari for signs of injury, doubted her story, and sent her to the Primary Health Center (PHC). The Indian medical procedure and legal guidelines stipulate that the examination of a female rape victim be performed by female doctors, but the two female doctors at the PHC were not available at the time. The only male doctor available refused to conduct the examination, and instead sent her to the Sawai Man Singh hospital in Jaipur, with a chit requesting a medical examination "confirming age of victim". The Medical Jurist at Jaipur said that he couldn't conduct the test without orders from the Magistrate. The Magistrate refused to give the orders until the next day, as it was past his working hours.

The order was sanctioned next day, but only for a general medical examination. The vaginal swab was taken more than 48 hours after the alleged rape, although the Indian law requires this to be done within 24 hours. Although the medical examination was conducted 52 hours after the rape, the trial began only two years later, in a lower court.

At the police station, Bhanwari was asked to deposit her "lehanga" (long skirt) as evidence. She had to cover herself with her husband's blood-stained ''saafa'' (turban) and walk 3 km to the nearest saathin's village Kherpuria, at about 1 a.m.

On 25 September 1992, Rajasthan Patrika carried a small news item stating that a woman from Bhateri had registred an FIR in Bassi 'thana' alleging gang rape. Following this, a number of local Hindi dailies as well as national dailies reported the incident. On 2 October 1992, the Rajasthan Patrika carried an editorial article ''Kroor Hadsa'' ("Brutal Incident") condemning the incident. Soon after, many Jaipur-based women's groups and other social organizations began making inquiries about the incident. However, Bhanwari was accused of fabricating the entire incident by the alleged rapists and their supporters, and faced public humiliation in her village. She refused monetary compensation to avoid allegations that she had cooked up the rape story to get money.

The court case

In 1994, Bhanwari Devi was offered compensation by the accused to withdraw the court case against them. She refused, and instead asked them to restore her dignity by accepting that they had raped her. Bhanwari's brothers wanted her to accept the compensation, and broke all ties with her when she refused to do so. Sometime later, her elder son, daughter-in-law and her in-laws followed suit.

During the course of the case, five judges were changed, and the sixth judge ruled that the accused were not guilty, in November 1995. The district sessions judge pronounced that upper-caste men could not have raped a Dalit. The rapists included an uncle-nephew pair, and the judge insisted that a man could not possibly have participated in a gang-rape in the presence of his nephew. He also said that since the medical examination happened 52 hours after the alleged rape, Devi could be lying. He also said that Bhanwari's husband couldn't have passively watched his wife being gang-raped.

A state MLA organised a victory rally in the state capital Jaipur for the five accused declared not guilty, and the women's wing of his political party attended the rally to call Bhanwari a liar. The State Government decided to appeal against the judgment. The judgement led to a nationwide campaign for justice for Bhanwari Devi. However, by 2007, 15 years after the incident, the Rajasthan High Court held only one hearing on the case and two of the accused were dead.

Aftermath

Bhanwari Devi and her family were ostracized by the villagers, majority of whom belonged to the 'upper' castes. Her son Mukesh (who was barely four years old when she was raped) had been beaten up by local Gurjar boys when he went to a college in Dausa. He had a difficult time finding a family willing to marry their daughter to him. Bhanwari Devi's own caste ostracized her as they believed that she had been "polluted" by rape. Bhanwari Devi accepted Rs. 25,000 from the Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, but her brother spent the entire amount in organizing a Kumhar caste panchayat, where people were asked to accept her back into the community.

In 2001, Jag Mundhra made a film ''Bawandar'' on Bhanwari Devi's story, which renewed public interest in the case. The New Indian Express journalist Sukhmani Singh tracked her down, and reported: "Feisty, outspoken, innately hospitable, she openly expressed her resentment against both the women's groups and the government, all of whom have been fiercely guarding her like their pet mannequin all these many years." He reported that she was "weary, resigned and bitter" after all these years. According to him, a small-time political worker and businessman describing Bhanwari as a "rakhi sister" had brokered a deal with Mundhra for the film. He also reported that Bhanwari wanted to leave Bhateri, but couldn't afford to do so. Her sole source of income was a buffalo, as her two bighas of land had become unproductive due to three years of drought. Most of the money that she received as part of the ''Neerja Bhanot Memorial Award'' in 1994 was locked away in a trust to aid women.

Impact

Bhanwari Devi risked her life amidst threats from the conservative villagers, and showed courage in seeking justice in spite of social boycott. It was for the first time in the conservative region that a woman was not ashamed of rape and spoke openly about it. Bhanwari Devi's case shaped the women's movement in Rajasthan, and emboldened other rape victims to come forward and lodge complains against their rapists.

Bhanwari Devi had attracted the ire of her rapists solely on the basis of her work. This prompted several women's groups to file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court of India, under the collective platform of Vishakha. The petition, filed by Vishakha and four other women's organizations in Rajasthan against the State of Rajasthan and the Union of India, resulted in what are popularly known as the Vishakha Guidelines. The judgment of August 1997 provided the basic definitions of sexual harassment at the workplace and provided guidelines to deal with it. It is seen as a significant victory for Bhanwari Devi's fight for justice.

By 2007, the average age of the first-time mother in Rajasthan had gone up to 16.5 years. According to Shivam Vij, this change was brought about by the efforts of women's groups, catalyzed by the Bhanwari Devi case.

Recognition

Bhanwari Devi has received support both nationally and internationally, and was invited to be a part of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.

In 1994, she was awarded the ''Neerja Bhanot Memorial Award'' carrying Rs. 1 lakh cash prize, for her "extraordinary courage, conviction and commitment".

In 2002, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, alloted a residential plot to Bhanwari Devi and announced a grant of Rs. 40,000 for construction of a house on the plot. He also sanctioned an additional amount Rs. 10,000 for the education of her son.

In media

''Bawandar'' (2000), is a film based on the true story of Bhanwari Devi. It depicts the personal trauma, public humiliation and legal injustice that Bhanwari Devi went through, while pursuing in the Indian courts.

References

Category:Indian victims of crime Category:Rape in India Category:Indian women activists Category:People from Rajasthan Category:Rajasthani people Category:Living people