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Jodhpur जोधपुर
—  metropolitan city  —
Jodhpur, also known as Sun City and Blue city
Jodhpur Location of Jodhpur in Rajasthan and India
Coordinates	26°17′N 73°01′E / 26.28°N 73.02°E / 26.28; 73.02Coordinates: 26°17′N 73°01′E / 26.28°N 73.02°E / 26.28; 73.02
Country	India
State	Rajasthan
District(s)	Jodhpur[1]
Governing body	Municipal corporation of Jodhpur
Mayor	Mr. Rameshwar Dadhich
Population • Density	1,210,000[2] (2012[update]) • 11,210 /km2 (29,034 /sq mi)[3]
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 231 metres (758 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 342005 • Vehicle • RJ 19

Jodhpur /ˈdʒɒdpʊər/ (Rajasthani: जोधाणा  Jodhpur.ogg (help·info); Hindi: जोधपुर) is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located 335 kilometres (208 mi) west from the state capital, Jaipur and 200 kilometres (124 mi) 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[link]

Jodhpur Panorama, seen from the Mehrangarh Fort.

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.^[4][5]

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.

View of the Rajasthan High Court, Sardar museum in Umaid Park and upper right is Jodhpur fort in 1960.

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 23,543 sq mi (60,980 km²) 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.^[6]

Panorama of Jodhpur from 2010-10-15

Panorama of Jodhpur from 2011-09-27

Demographics[link]

As per provisional reports of Census India,^[7] 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.

Climate[link]

Economy[link]

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[link]

The present Member of Parliament from Jodhpur is Chandresh Kumari of Congress, 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[link]

Mehrangarh Fort

Umaid Bhavan Palace

The Jaswant Thada mausoleum

Kaylana

Tourism[link]

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[link]

Folk dance of Rajasthan.

• Marwar festival
• Gangaur
• Teej
• Nag Panchmi fair
• Mahavir Jayanti
• Shietla Mata

Cuisine[link]

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[link]

Indian Institute of Technology, Rajasthan

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[link]

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[link]

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[link]

Further reading[link]

• 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[link]

• Yaduvanshi Ahirs
• Rajputs
• Mandore

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jodhpur

• Bird's eye view of Jodhpur (Satellite picture)
• Official website
• Jodhpur travel guide from Wikitravel

Naomi Campbell
Campbell at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008
Born	(1970-05-22) 22 May 1970 (age 42)[1] Streatham, London, England
Ethnicity	British Jamaican
Occupation	Model, actress, singer, writer, designer
Height	5 ft 9.5 in (1.77 m)[2]
Hair colour	Black
Eye colour	Brown
Measurements	34-24-35 in (86-61-89 cm)
Manager	TESS Management (London) Marilyn Agency (Paris) d'management group (Milan) Marilyn Model Mgmt (NYC)

Naomi Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is a British model. Scouted at the age of 15, she established herself among the top three most recognisable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and early 1990s,^[3] and she was one of six models of her generation declared "supermodels" by the fashion world.^[4] As the most famous black model of her time,^[5] Campbell has been outspoken throughout her career against the racial bias that exists in the fashion industry.^[6] Her personal life is widely reported, particularly her relationships with prominent men—including boxer Mike Tyson and actor Robert De Niro^[7]—and several highly-publicised convictions for assault.^[8]

Early life[link]

Campbell was born in the working-class Streatham district of South London, the daughter of Jamaican-born dancer Valerie Morris.^[9] In accordance with her mother's wishes, Campbell has never met her father,^[10] who abandoned her mother when she was four months pregnant,^[9] and who went unnamed on her birth certificate.^[10] She took on the surname Campbell from her mother's second marriage.^[9] Her half-brother, Pierre, was born in 1986.^[11] Campbell is of Afro-Jamaican descent, as well as of Chinese Jamaican ancestry through her paternal grandmother, who carried the family name Ming.^[9]

During her early years, Campbell lived in Rome, where her mother worked as a modern dancer.^[7] Following their return to London, she was left in the care of her maternal grandmother, Ruby, while her mother travelled across Europe with the dance troupe Fantastica.^[11] At five years old, Campbell was enrolled at the Barbara Speake Stage School,^[11] and at the age of ten, she was accepted into the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, where she studied ballet.^[9]

Career[link]

Campbell's first public appearance came at the age of seven, in 1978, when she was featured in the music video for Bob Marley's "Is This Love".^[12] That same year, she played Snow White in two episodes of the Children's Film Foundation television series The Chiffy Kids.^[13] At the age of twelve, she tap-danced in the music video for Culture Club's "I'll Tumble 4 Ya".^[7]

In 1986, Campbell was scouted by Beth Boldt, head of the Synchro model agency, while window-shopping in Covent Garden.^[14] Her career quickly took off—in April, just before her sixteenth birthday, she appeared on the cover of British Elle.^[7] Over the next few years, Campbell's success grew steadily: she walked the runway for such designers as Gianni Versace, Azzedine Alaïa, and Isaac Mizrahi, and posed for such photographers as Peter Lindbergh, Herb Ritts, and Bruce Weber.^[7] By the late 1980s, Campbell was part of a trio of models—the others being Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista—known as the "Trinity",^[7] who became the most recognisable and in-demand models of their generation.^[3]

When faced with discrimination, Campbell received support from her friends; she later quoted Turlington and Evangelista as telling Dolce & Gabbana, "If you don't use Naomi, you don't get us."^[14] In December 1987, she appeared on the cover of British Vogue, as that publication's first black cover girl since 1966.^[6] In August 1988, she became the first black model to appear on the cover of French Vogue,^[7] after her friend and mentor, designer Yves St. Laurent, threatened to withdraw his advertising from the magazine if it continued to refuse to place black models on its cover.^[15] The following year, she appeared on the cover of American Vogue, which marked the first time a black model graced the front of the September issue, traditionally the year's biggest and most important issue.^[7]

In January 1990, Campbell, who was declared "the reigning megamodel of them all" by Interview,^[16] appeared with Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, and Tatjana Patitz on an iconic cover of British Vogue, shot by Peter Lindbergh.^[17] The group was subsequently cast to star in the music video for George Michael's "Freedom! '90".^[3] By then, Campbell—along with Turlington, Evangelista, Crawford, and Claudia Schiffer—formed an elite group of models declared "supermodels" by the fashion industry.^[4] With the addition of newcomer Kate Moss, they were collectively known as the "Big Six".^[4]

In March 1991, in a defining moment of the so-called supermodel era, Campbell walked the runway for Versace with Turlington, Evangelista, and Crawford, arm-in-arm and lip-synching the words to "Freedom! '90".^[3] Later that year, she starred as Michael Jackson's love interest in the music video for "In the Closet".^[12] In April 1992, she posed with several other top models for the hundredth-anniversary cover of American Vogue, shot by Patrick Demarchelier.^[18] That same year, she appeared in Madonna's controversial book Sex, in a set of nude photos with Madonna and rapper Big Daddy Kane.^[19]

In 1993, Campbell twice appeared on the cover of American Vogue; in April, alongside Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer, Stephanie Seymour, and Helena Christensen, and again, solo, in June. She famously fell on the runway in Vivienne Westwood's foot-high platform shoes, which were later displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.^[14] Despite her success, however, Elite Model Management, which had represented Campbell since 1987, fired her in September, on the grounds that "no amount of money or prestige could further justify the abuse" to staff and clients.^[20] Elite founder John Casablancas described her as "manipulative, scheming, rude, and impossible."^[20]

In the mid 1990s, Campbell branched out into other areas of the entertainment industry.^[20] Her novel Swan, about a supermodel dealing with blackmail, was released in 1994 to poor reviews.^[21] It was ghostwritten by Caroline Upcher, with Campbell explaining that she "just did not have the time to sit down and write a book."^[22] That same year, Campbell released her album babywoman, named after designer Rifat Ozbek's nickname for her.^[7] A critical and commercial failure,^[23] the album produced the single "Love and Tears", which reached No. 40 on the UK charts.^[24] In 1995, Campbell and fellow models Claudia Schiffer and Elle Macpherson invested in an ill-fated chain of restaurants called the Fashion Cafe.^[4] Campbell also attempted an acting career: she had small roles in Miami Rhapsody and Spike Lee's Girl 6, as well as a recurring role on the second season of New York Undercover.^[13]

Campbell on the runway for Peter Som in 2007

In 1998, Time declared the end of the supermodel era.^[4] By then, Campbell had mostly retired from the runway,^[4] but she continued print modelling. In 1999, she signed her first cosmetics contract with Cosmopolitan Cosmetics, a division of Wella, through which she launched several signature fragrances.^[7] In November of that year, she posed with twelve other top models for the "Modern Muses" cover of the Millennium Issue of American Vogue, shot by Annie Leibovitz.^[7] The following month, she appeared in a white string bikini and furs on the cover of Playboy.^[7] In October 2001, she appeared with rapper Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs on the cover of British Vogue, with the headline "Naomi and Puff: The Ultimate Power Duo".^[7]

After more than two decades as a model, Campbell was still in demand.^[25] In 2007, she walked the runway for Dior's sixtieth-anniversary fashion show at Versailles.^[7] In July 2008, she appeared with fellow black models Liya Kebede, Sessilee Lopez, and Jourdan Dunn on the gatefold cover of a landmark all-black issue of Italian Vogue, shot by Steven Meisel. In September of that year, Campbell reunited with Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, and Stephanie Seymour for "A League of Their Own", a Vanity Fair feature on the supermodel legacy.^[7]