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Banswara
—  city  —
Banswara Location of Banswara in Rajasthan and India
Coordinates	23°33′N 74°27′E / 23.55°N 74.45°E / 23.55; 74.45Coordinates: 23°33′N 74°27′E / 23.55°N 74.45°E / 23.55; 74.45
Country	India
State	Rajasthan
District(s)	Banswara
Population	100,128 (2011[update])
Sex ratio	954 per 1000 males ♂/♀
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 302 metres (991 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 327001 • Telephone • +02962 • Vehicle • RJ03
Website	http://banswara.nic.in/

'BANSWARA CITY' is a city in Banswara District in south Rajasthan in India. Banswara princely state was founded by Maharawal Jagmal Singh. It is named for the "bans" or bamboo forests in the area. It is also known as 'City of Hundred Islands', due to presence of numerous islands in the Mahi River, which flows through Banswara.Banswara city is governed by City Council(Nagar Parishad) which comes under Banswara Urban Agglomeration. Although Banswara city has population of 100,128; its urban / metropolitan population is 101,177 of which 51,941 are males and 49,236 are females.

Geography[link]

Banswara is located at 23°33′N 74°27′E / 23.55°N 74.45°E / 23.55; 74.45.^[1] It has an average elevation of 302 metres (990 ft). Banswara District is situated in southern Rajasthan with an area of 5,037 square kilometres (1,945 sq mi) located between 23.11° N to 23.56° N latitudes and 73.58° E to 74.49° E. longitudes. It is bounded on the north by Dhariawad tehsil of Udaipur district and Pratapgarh district; on the east by Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh; on the west by Sagwara and Aspur tehsils of Dungarpur district; and on the south by Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh and the Panchmahal district of Gujrat on the south-west.

The region represents a rugged terrain undulated by short ridges west of Banswara. The eastern part of it is occupied by flat-topped hills of the Deccan trap. It has the southern end of the Aravali mountains. The drainage system belongs to the Mahi river which originates from Amjera hills near Dhar in Madhya Preadesh. Its main tributaries are Anas, Chanp, Erav, Haran and Kagdi. The Mahi Bajaj Sagar dam has been constructed on the Mahi, about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) away from Banswara town. The Right and Left Main Canals and their distributaries irrigate 60,149 hectares (601.49 km²) of land. Normal annual rainfall is about 82.59 centimetres (32.52 in).

Maize, Wheat, Cotton and Gram are the main crops. Graphite, Soapstone, Dolomite, Rock Phosphate, Limestone and a variety of marbles are also mined in the region, with some deposits of Gold also found around Jagpura. About 20% of the area is designated as forested land but most of the forest land is devoid of trees in the non-monsoon months.^[2]

History[link]

Banswara (literally "the bamboo country"), was a Rajput feudatory state in Rajputana during British India. It borders on Gujarat and is bounded on the north by the native states of Dungarpur and Udaipur or Mewar; on the north-east and east by Partabgarh; on the south by the dominions of Holkar and the state of Jabua; and on the west by the state of Rewa Kantha.

Banswara state was about 45 miles (72 km) in length from North to South, and 33 miles (53 km) in breadth from East to West, and had an area of 1,606 square miles (4,160 km²). The population in 1941 was 258,760.^[3]

Banswara district forms eastern part of the region known as Vagad or Vagwar. The district was formerly a princely state ruled by the Maharavals. It is said that a Bhil ruler Bansia or Wasna, ruled over it and Banswara was named after his name. Bansia was defeated and killed by Jagmal Singh who became the first Maharaval of the princely state. It is also named so because of the bamboo (Hindi: बांस) which were found in abundance in the forests.

In 1913 some Bhils revolted under the headship of a social reformer Govindgiri and Punja which was suppressed in November, 1913. Hundreds of Bhils were shot dead at the Mangarh hillock where they were holding a peaceful meeting by the Mewar and Sirohi forces.The place has become sacred and is better known as the Mangarh Dham. With the merger of the princely states in the Union of India, the Banswara State and Kushalgarh chiefship got merged in the Rajasthan in 1949 and Banswara was carved out as a separate district by merging these principalities.^[4]

Demographics[link]

As of 2011^[update] India census,^[5] Banswara had a population of 100,128. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Banswara has an average literacy rate of 86.98%, higher than the national average of 59.5%, with 92.76% of the males and 81.01% of females literate. 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. The density of population according to 2001 census is 298 per square kilometer.

Location[link]

The Banswara district lies in the southern most part of Rajasthan. It is surrounded by Udaipur and Chittaurgarh in the North, Dungarpur in the west, Ratlam and Jhabua districts of Madhya Pradesh in the east and south and Dahod district, Gujarat to the south

Distance from major cities[link]

The closest major city to Banswara is Udaipur which is 157 km away. Indore and Ahmedabad are also close, at 215 km and 285 km away respectively. The town is 827 km from New Delhi and 816 km from Mumbai.

Development & Technical Education[link]

A government engineering college will open in banswara.And education level will also increases and almost all bheel are well educatated.

The Nuclear plant will open in near future.

People[link]

The district is predominantly inhabited by tribals mainly Bhils, Bhil Meenas, Damor, Charpotas, Ninamas, etc. The district population is 14,20,601 (2001). The rural population is 13,13,238 (2001) and the urban population is 1,07,363 (2001). The main occupation of the people, specially of tribals, is agriculture. The tribals live in a small one-room houses, known as "tapra", which lie scattered all over the area.The other major castes are Patels, Rajputs, Brahmans, Mahajans, and Muslims. The dialect spoken in the district is Wagri, a mixture of Gujrati and Mewari. Literacy percentage is 44.63 (2001) but women literacy, though doubled as per 2001 census, is only 28.43%. Increase in total literacy percentage has been by 18.22 because of the intensive literacy campaign in the district.Rajasthan is home to many tribes who have very interesting history of origin, customs and social practices. So much so that even today they are fart distinct from the 'civilized' society around them. While a few tribes are medieval in their origin, mainly due to events in history, there are a few who date their origin back to one of the oldest prehistoric civilizations in world viz. the Indus valley civilization.The history of these tribes dates back to around 1400 BC. At that time the Bhil and Mina tribes roamed and ruled the land. The Aryan invasion, represented by horse drawn chariots and superior bows and arrows, seems to have tyrannized tribal migration to the south and the east. Pushed into the natural hideout forests and the ancient and craggy Aravalli ranges, the Bhil and the Mina tribes survived more easily. The northern, nomadic ethnic intrusions continued into Rajasthan. They were respected by the Sakas, Kusanas, Abhiras, Hunas and others. Quite a large number of these invaders are now covered by the blanket term Rajput whose royal lineage stood upon the ruins of the Gurjara (Pratihara Empire). All too naturally, the warrior- invaders fitted the Aryan material caste of Kshatriyas which in time came to be divided into 36 Rajputs clans. The camouflaged existence of Rajasthan's original inhabitants certainly isolated them from the main stream, keeping them unaware of the changes. Today, they may be considered a backward people but that does not, in anyway, call for any pejorative interpretations of their primitivism.http://banswara.nic.in/e_tribal.htm

Culture[link]

Situated amidst the Aravali valley, Banswara represents tribal culture in Rajasthan. With a landscape predominated by bamboo trees (Hindi: बाँस) the region came to be known as Banswara. Banswara town was founded by King Jagmal Singh.^[6] The town has eleven and a half Swayambhoo Shivalingas, it was also called 'Lodhikashi' or little Kashi. Yet another name for it is 'An area of Hundred Islands'. Situated in southern Rajasthan, the town borders Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Due to this inter-regional neighborhood, the Vagdi culture has emerged as a mixture of Gujarati, Malwi, Rajasthani and Mewari cultures. Banswara district is rich in forests, hills and wildlife. Tribals are the natives of this region. The place is known for its ancient temples and natural beauty.

Climate and rainfall[link]

The district has a climate which is very much milder than that in the desert regions in further north and north-west.

• Maximum temperature is 45 degrees Celsius to 46 degrees Celsius.
• Minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius to 20 degrees Celsius
• Normal annual rainfall is 922.4 mm

• Population: 15,00,420(2001 census)
• Density of population: 298/km²
• Literacy: 48.22 %
• Total working population: 32.46 %
• Percentage distribution of work force

• Cultivators: 75.58 %
• Agricultural labourers: 9.36 %
• Household industry, manufacturing
• Processing servicing and repairs: 1.25 %
• Other workers: 13.80 %

Civic administration[link]

Recently Banswara municipality(nagar palika) is upgraded to city council(nagar parishad) on the orders of chief minister of Rajasthan, Mr. Ashok Gehlot.

Government and politics[link]

Presently in 2010 MLA of this region is Arjun Bamaniya.

Economy[link]

Industrial Scenario Number of Large and Medium Scale Units: 8, Number of Small Scale Units: 5312, Main Existing Industries Agro-based (oil mills), Blended yarn, Dress material, Marble slabs and tiles, Portland cement, Shirting and suiting, Synthetic yarn and texturised gray cloth yarn.

Utility services[link]

The total transformer capacity in the district is 63.1 MV·A. Of the 1,431 villages 1,219 villages were electrified up to 31 March 2000. The Mahi river flows on the borders of Peepalkhoot and Ghatol and Banswara Panchayat Samitis. The Mahi project has the capacity to irrigate an area of 800 square kilometres.

Transport[link]

Road[link]

Road transport is the only mode of goods and passengers movement from and to the district. The district head quarter has direct road connection with Ratlam, Dungarpur, Dohad and Jaipur. Total road length in the district is 1,747 km, as of 31 March 2000.

Rail[link]

The Railway Ministry has approved railway line to be established to connect the Dungarpur and Ratlam station. The total distance between Ratlam to Dungarpur is around 195 km, Banswara is situated in the centre of these two stations.

Air[link]

The nearest airport is at Udaipur 192 kilometres (119 mi), where there is a helipad and runways for charter planes to Talwada village airstrip around 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from Banswara city. There is no airport at Banswara itself, but nearby at Udaipur 160 kilometres (99 mi), Indore (Madhya Pradesh) 212 kilometres (132 mi) & Ahmedabad (Guj) 285 kilometres (177 mi) are major airports close to Banswara.

Fairs & Festivals[link]

Bhill community managed to get the entertainment on particular festival occasions only. Bhills traditionally follow Kharo, Moto and Bhalo Dharms.

Holi : Holi is the main festival for the tribals. Tribes wear their traditional dresses carrying swords & sticks and performs the "Gair dance" which is a typical tribal dance of this region.

Divasa (Haryali Amavasya) : Divasa is a festival and it is being celebrated on the last day of first fortnight of Shravanmas. On that day special bath will perform to Bullocks and Animals, and prays them as they are God's different posture. Special food items will prepare on that day and enjoys with full of joy.

Aamligyaras : It is celebrated on the 11th day of the bright half of Phalgun and unmarried boys and girls observe fast on this day. They go to a pond in the afternoon, wash themselves and bring small branches of tamarind trees. The Bhils attend the fair armed with bows, arrows and swords. This festival is held at Ghodi Ranchod, Bhim Kund, Sangmeshwar, etc.

Baneshwar Fair The biggest tribal fair is held at Baneshwar at the confluence of Mahi, Som and Jhakham, which are believed to be holy rivers of the region. A number of tribals from Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan gather to immerse the mortal remains of the dead. They worship, sing and dance on Magh Purnima falls sometime in the month of February, which is considered to be a holy period in this region. It starts in Magh Shukla Gyaras and Magh Krishna Panchami (peak period of this fair is Magh Purnima).

Ghotia Amba Fair This is a colorful and traditional fair held every year from Chaitra Thrayodashi to Chaitra Shukla Duje. The Bhils gather to take a holy dip in the tank near the temple with idols of Pandavas. They demonstrate their faith in the holy mango trees and Kaila Pani.

Mangarh This is an important fair of the tribals and is held on Margshirsha Purnima. At this fair the tribals o Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh & Gujarat participate and they pay tribute to Guru Govindgiri, founder of the Samp sabha.

Communication facilities[link]

• Number of Post offices 276
• Number of Telegraph offices 58
• Number of Telephone exchanges 34
• Number of Public call offices 815

Temples[link]

Vagvar Sammed Shikhar Teerth Nasiyaji(Nougama),Andeshwar Parshwanath Teerth, Nandni Mata Mandir Barodiyan Nandnimata, Shree Tripura Sundari Temple Umrai (Talwara), Shree Bhrahmaji's Temple, Shree Gatrod Dham (Choupasag,Partapur). There are many Jain Temples - Navgarh Adinath Jinalaya Temple in Suryanand Nagar, Sumtinath Digambar Jain Mandir in Bahubali Colony.

Medical and Public Health Service[link]

Number of Hospitals 5, Number of Dispensaries 3, Number of Primary Health Centres 42, Number of Community Health Centre 13, Number of T.B. Hospitals 1, Number of Sub-health Centres 401.

Education[link]

Schools and higher educational institutions in Banswara are administered either by the Directorate of Education, the government, or private organizations. In 2008–09, there were 1,995 primary and middle schools, 283 secondary and senior secondary schools in the city. The higher education institutions in the city included 4 colleges and 2 ITI and 1 polytechnic college.

Private schools in the city—which employ either English or Hindi as the language of instruction—are affiliated to one of two administering bodies: the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education Rajasthan (RBSE) and the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE).

Media[link]

The focus on political reportage, including regular television broadcasts of Indian parliament sessions. Many country-wide media agencies, among them the state-owned Press Trust of India and Doordarshan, are based in the city. Television programming in the city includes two free terrestrial television channels offered by Doordarshan, and several Hindi, English and regional-languages cable channels offered by multi system operators. Satellite television, in contrast, is yet to gain large-scale subscribership in the city.

Print journalism remains a popular news medium in the City. During the year 2005–06, newspapers—in Hindi languages—were published from the city. Of these, Hindi language newspapers, and included Dainik Bhaskar, Rajasthan Patrika. Other major English newspapers include Indian Express, Business Standard, Times of India, The Hindu.

Sports[link]

As in the rest of India, cricket is the most popular sport in the city. There are several cricket grounds (or maidans) located across the city, including the Kushalbagh ground and collage ground, one of the oldest cricket grounds also has the status as venue for cricket matches. Many archers of the city also made it to the top level. Other sports such as field hockey, football (soccer), basketball, tennis, badminton and table tennis are also popular in the city. Hanumant Singh, from the royal family of Banswara was a renowned cricketer of India.

References[link]

•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Banswara". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

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