Harsawa
Encyclopedia
Harsawa is a village located in the Sikar
district of Shekhawati
region, in Rajasthan
state, India
. Harsawa is within the Fatehpur
Tehsil, 8 km south along National Highway-11 from Fatehpur
town. Sand dunes of the Thar Desert
can be seen from Harsawa. , the village had a total population of 1695.
After the defeat of the last Hindu
King of Delhi
, Prithviraj Chauhan, in the second Battle of Tarain (1192), the Jats in his army moved to the countryside and settled as cultivators at various places in India
. Initially Saharan
gotra Jats came to this area and started temporary cultivation, but after some time they left. Subsequently, Nehra
gotra Jats from the nearby village of Banthod migrated to this place and started cultivation. One of these Nehra gotra Jats was Harsa Nehra, who founded the village of Harsawa in 1287 AD. Later settlers included Dhaka
gotra Jats from Juliasar and Datujala villages, Thor
i gotra Jats from Ramsisar, Bhaskar
gotra Jats from Rajas, Lamoria
gotra Jats from Antroli
and Dhayal gotra Jats from Fuskani villages.
Harsawa is located at 27°55' North, 74°59' East. The total geographical area of the village is 4000 bigha
. National Highway-11, from Bikaner to Jaipur
, passes through Harsawa, as does the railway line from Bikaner to Jaipur
. Harsawa is near to the historical village of Garinda.
The natural climatic conditions in the village are very harsh and extreme. Temperatures range from sub-zero in winter to more than 50 °C in summer. The summers bring hot waves of air called "loo". The village lies in the Thar Desert
region, and annual rainfall is very low, on the scale of 450 mm. The ground water in the village is hard and salty and as deep as 200 feet (60 m). The people in the region depend on rainwater for agriculture
. Rainwater is also stored in pucca tanks for drinking purposes. On average the region faces a dry year every third year, and a famine year every eighth year. During famine years it becomes very difficult for the animals to survive, for want of fodder, and the cattle population goes down drastically.
religion, and about ninety percent are of the Jat
caste
. castes include Rajput
s, Brahman
s, Swami
, Harijan
s, Naik
and Jangir. There is one temple of Hanuman
ji, one temple of the Goddess
Mawali and one than (a sacred place) of Gogaji
.
. There are 140 persons serving the Indian Army, central and state governments. About 110 people have gone to Arab
countries to work; three families of Dhadhi caste are engaged in music and have gone to Pakistan
. A large number of villagers work in the Agricultural Research Station, Fatehpur, and the Central Sheep Breeding Farm, Fatehpur, which are located just adjoining the village.
started formal education in 1935 with the help of Birlas under the "Vernacular" scheme. The first primary school was instituted by the state government in 1949, and it has now been upgraded to encompass a Sr.school. There is also a number of private schools.Social workers Chaudhary Bhagu Ram Bhaskar and Choudhary Gharsi Ram Nehra and Chunni Lal Nehra show the way of technical education in the village.
s. Before independence
in 1947, the conditions of the farmers were very bad. The farmers were exploited and oppressed by the Jagirdars during the British Raj
, and were deprived of fundamental rights. When the Jagirdars did not receive cesses, known as “lag” or “begar”, in time, the farmers were given hard punishments and their crops were destroyed.
The farmers of Harsawa united against the oppression of the Jagirdars and stopped giving cesses. Chaudhari Motaram and Chaudhari Bhagu Ram Bhaskar 15 others of Harsawa village were arrested by Raja of Sikar
in 1935 and imprisoned for three months. Farmers, mainly Jats, joined "Sikar Jat-Kisan-Panchayat" and "Jaipur Praja-Mandal", along with the Shekhawati
farmers. After a long struggle the farmers got rid of oppression and acquired ownership rights over the land they had been cultivating.
under the leadership of Chaudhari Hardev Singh nehara.
Sikar
Sikar is a city located in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan state in India. It is the administrative headquarter of Sikar District. Sikar is a historical city and contains many old Havelis which are a huge tourist attraction. The best way to reach the city is to use road transport from Jaipur...
district of Shekhawati
Shekhawati
Shekhawati is a semi-arid historical region located in the northeast part of Rajasthan, India got its name from Shekhawat Rajputs....
region, in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
state, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Harsawa is within the Fatehpur
Fatehpur, Shekhawati
Fatehpur is a town of Sikar district in Rajasthan, India. It is part of the Shekhawati region. It is midway between Jaipur and Bikaner on National Highway 11. Fatehpur is famous for grand havelis with frescos, which is a specialty of the Shekhawati region...
Tehsil, 8 km south along National Highway-11 from Fatehpur
Fatehpur, Shekhawati
Fatehpur is a town of Sikar district in Rajasthan, India. It is part of the Shekhawati region. It is midway between Jaipur and Bikaner on National Highway 11. Fatehpur is famous for grand havelis with frescos, which is a specialty of the Shekhawati region...
town. Sand dunes of the Thar Desert
Thar Desert
The Thar Desert |Punjab]] province. The Cholistan Desert adjoins the Thar desert spreading into Pakistani Punjab province.-Location and description:...
can be seen from Harsawa. , the village had a total population of 1695.
History
After the defeat of the last Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
King of Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Prithviraj Chauhan, in the second Battle of Tarain (1192), the Jats in his army moved to the countryside and settled as cultivators at various places in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Initially Saharan
Saharan (gotra)
Saharan or Sran or Saran is a gotra of jats in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh in India and Some districts of Punjab, Pakistan claim from Rajputs still today, Saharan's lineage goes to both Brahmins and Kshatriya Rajput. This is an ancient clan of India and belong to Hindu as...
gotra Jats came to this area and started temporary cultivation, but after some time they left. Subsequently, Nehra
Nehra
Nehra is an Indian Jat surname. It is based on gotra Nehra. Nehra gotra Jats are found in Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in India. The origin of Nehra is derived from Nehra mount in Sindh where they were the rulers. Nehras are descendant of Narishyanta , son of Vaivasvata Manu and...
gotra Jats from the nearby village of Banthod migrated to this place and started cultivation. One of these Nehra gotra Jats was Harsa Nehra, who founded the village of Harsawa in 1287 AD. Later settlers included Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
gotra Jats from Juliasar and Datujala villages, Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
i gotra Jats from Ramsisar, Bhaskar
Bhukar
Bhukar or Bhuker or Bhooker is a gotra of Jats found in Rajasthan and Haryana in India.The Bhukar are also found in Jhelum and Multan districts of Punjab, Pakistan.-History and origin:...
gotra Jats from Rajas, Lamoria
Lamoria
Lamoria is a genus of small moths belonging to the family Pyralidae.-Selected species:* Lamoria anella * Lamoria eumeces * Lamoria idiolepida Turner, 1922* Lamoria jordanis Ragonot, 1901...
gotra Jats from Antroli
Antroli
Antroli is a mid-size village in Kheda district in Central Gujarat with a population of approximately 15,000.Antroli is a village in Kapadwanj Taluka, Kheda district in Gujarat state. Its current population is about 6000 people. It is a primarily a farming community with a mixed caste of people...
and Dhayal gotra Jats from Fuskani villages.
Geography
Bigha
The bigha is a unit of measurement of area of a land, commonly used in Nepal, Bangladesh and in a few states of India including Uttaranchal, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan etc. The precise size of a bigha appears to vary considerably...
. National Highway-11, from Bikaner to Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
, passes through Harsawa, as does the railway line from Bikaner to Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
. Harsawa is near to the historical village of Garinda.
The natural climatic conditions in the village are very harsh and extreme. Temperatures range from sub-zero in winter to more than 50 °C in summer. The summers bring hot waves of air called "loo". The village lies in the Thar Desert
Thar Desert
The Thar Desert |Punjab]] province. The Cholistan Desert adjoins the Thar desert spreading into Pakistani Punjab province.-Location and description:...
region, and annual rainfall is very low, on the scale of 450 mm. The ground water in the village is hard and salty and as deep as 200 feet (60 m). The people in the region depend on rainwater for agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Rainwater is also stored in pucca tanks for drinking purposes. On average the region faces a dry year every third year, and a famine year every eighth year. During famine years it becomes very difficult for the animals to survive, for want of fodder, and the cattle population goes down drastically.
Demographics
As of the census of 2001, the population was 1695, of whom 829 were male and 866 were female. Literacy in the village is at 81.17%. All the villagers belong to the HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
religion, and about ninety percent are of the Jat
Jat people
The Jat people are a community of traditionally non-elite tillers and herders in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and subsequently into the Delhi Territory,...
caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
. castes include Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s, Brahman
Brahman
In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead which is the Divine Ground of all being...
s, Swami
Swami
A swami sometimes abbreviated "Sw." is an ascetic or yogi who has been initiated into the religious monastic order founded by Adi Sankara, or to a religious teacher.The Oxford English Dictionary gives the etymology as...
, Harijan
Harijan
Harijan was a term used by Gandhi for Dalits. Gandhi said it was wrong to call people 'untouchable', and called them Harijans, which means children of God...
s, Naik
Naik
Naik is an administrative title and surname derived from the Sanskrit word "vash" means to control. Naik is a surname attributed to the Anavil Brahmin caste.Naik may refer to:...
and Jangir. There is one temple of Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
ji, one temple of the Goddess
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
Mawali and one than (a sacred place) of Gogaji
Gogaji
Gogaji also known as Jahar Veer Gogga is a folk deity of Rajasthan state in India. He is an eminent warrior-hero of the region. He is also venerated as a saint and even as 'snake-god'.- Introduction :He is known as Goga among the Hindus...
.
Economy
The main occupation of the villagers is agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. There are 140 persons serving the Indian Army, central and state governments. About 110 people have gone to Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
countries to work; three families of Dhadhi caste are engaged in music and have gone to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. A large number of villagers work in the Agricultural Research Station, Fatehpur, and the Central Sheep Breeding Farm, Fatehpur, which are located just adjoining the village.
Education
Harsawa is considered to be a progressive village for the region. Education in the village was started in 1934 with the cooperation of villagers. Hardev Singh NehraNehra
Nehra is an Indian Jat surname. It is based on gotra Nehra. Nehra gotra Jats are found in Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in India. The origin of Nehra is derived from Nehra mount in Sindh where they were the rulers. Nehras are descendant of Narishyanta , son of Vaivasvata Manu and...
started formal education in 1935 with the help of Birlas under the "Vernacular" scheme. The first primary school was instituted by the state government in 1949, and it has now been upgraded to encompass a Sr.school. There is also a number of private schools.Social workers Chaudhary Bhagu Ram Bhaskar and Choudhary Gharsi Ram Nehra and Chunni Lal Nehra show the way of technical education in the village.
Role in the abolition of Jagirs
Harsawa played an important role in the abolition of JagirJagir
In historic India, a jagir was a small territory granted by the ruler to an army chieftain in fairly short terms usually of three years but not extending beyond his lifetime, in recognition of his military service...
s. Before independence
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
in 1947, the conditions of the farmers were very bad. The farmers were exploited and oppressed by the Jagirdars during the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, and were deprived of fundamental rights. When the Jagirdars did not receive cesses, known as “lag” or “begar”, in time, the farmers were given hard punishments and their crops were destroyed.
The farmers of Harsawa united against the oppression of the Jagirdars and stopped giving cesses. Chaudhari Motaram and Chaudhari Bhagu Ram Bhaskar 15 others of Harsawa village were arrested by Raja of Sikar
Sikar
Sikar is a city located in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan state in India. It is the administrative headquarter of Sikar District. Sikar is a historical city and contains many old Havelis which are a huge tourist attraction. The best way to reach the city is to use road transport from Jaipur...
in 1935 and imprisoned for three months. Farmers, mainly Jats, joined "Sikar Jat-Kisan-Panchayat" and "Jaipur Praja-Mandal", along with the Shekhawati
Shekhawati
Shekhawati is a semi-arid historical region located in the northeast part of Rajasthan, India got its name from Shekhawat Rajputs....
farmers. After a long struggle the farmers got rid of oppression and acquired ownership rights over the land they had been cultivating.
under the leadership of Chaudhari Hardev Singh nehara.
Notable persons from the village
- Hardev Singh NehraHardev Singh NehraHardev Singh Nehra was a freedom fighter and social worker who played a leading role in Shekhawati farmers’ movement for abolition of Jagirdari system...
- Freedom fighter - Chaudhary Deeparam Nehra
- Chaudhary Bhagu Ram Bhaskar