Kishangarh
Encyclopedia
Kishangarh is a city and a municipality
in Ajmer district
in the India
n state
of Rajasthan
. It lies 18 miles north-west of Ajmer
. It is well connected via Indian Railways and National Highway #8. It is the birth place of the Kishangarh style of painting, which is known for the beautiful depiction of a courtesan known as Bani Thani
. In recent years, Kishangarh has come to be known as the marble city of India. It is purported to be the only place in the world with a temple of nine planets.
Kishangarh was the capital of the eponymous princely state
during the British Raj
, which was located in the Rajputana Agency
. It had an area of 2210 km² (858 miles²) and a population in 1901 of 90,970. This figure for population represented a decrease of 27% over the census figure of 1891, something presumably attributable to the famine of 1899-1900. The state enjoyed an estimated revenue of Rs.34,000/- and paid no tribute to the British Raj
. In 1840, Prithvi Singh, became the 15th Maharaja of Kishangarh, and reigned till his death in 1879, after which he was succeeded by his son, Sardul Singh.
Major Daulat Singh ji from Sardar Singh ji ki Dhani was Prime Minister of Shahpura State, later on he was Jagir Commissioner in Govt of Rajasthan, He has served Rajasthan State as distinguished bureocrate, later on he was honoured having accorded with the Managing Directorship of The bank of Rajasthan Ltd.
Advocate Ghanshyam Das Chaudhari was the first Chairman of Municipal Board Kishangarh after Independence. His son Justice Kishan Swaroop Chaudhari is the only person elevated as Judge, Rajasthan High Court from Kishangarh subdivision
,_15th_maharaja_of_kishangarh,_early_1870s.jpg)
The state was founded in the early 17th century by Kishan Singh, a younger son of the raja of Jodhpur
, during the reign of Akbar (r.1556-1605). He was a courtier of the Mughals, and was rewarded for services rendered to the emperor Akbar. In 1818, Kishangarh first came into direct relations with the British
by entering into a treaty, in common its neighbouring states, for the suppression of the Pindari
marauders by whom the country was at that time overrun. The chief, who held the title of Maharaja
, was a Rajput
of the Rathor
clan.
Maharaja Madan Singh ascended the throne in 1900 at the age of sixteen, at a time when the state was reeling from the impact of a devastating drought. The administration under him and his diwan was widely deemed worthy of approbation; irrigation from tanks and wells was extended and factories for ginning and pressing cotton were started. A social reform movement for discouraging excessive expenditure on marriages made remarkable impact during his reign.
The present maharaja (sic) is Brijraj Singhji. The town of Kishangarh has a beautiful palace-hotel known as PhoolMahal. The city also has a large pond known as the Gond Talav. There are many picnic and religious places situated at the banks of Gond Talav such as Mukham Vilas and Bhairu Ghat. The city also have a small temple of nine planets known as NavGrah. The Kishangarh Fort is being surrounded by canal that was built by Kishan Singh.
, Kishangarh had a population of 116,156. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Kishangarh has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 52%. In Kishangarh, 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in Ajmer district
Ajmer district
Ajmer District is a district of the state of Rajasthan in western India. The city of Ajmer is the district headquarters.Ajmer District has an area of 8,481 km², and a population of 2,180,526 ,Three main groups are; Hindu 1,869,044, Muslim 244,341, Jains 47,812...
in the 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...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of 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...
. It lies 18 miles north-west of Ajmer
Ajmer
Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
. It is well connected via Indian Railways and National Highway #8. It is the birth place of the Kishangarh style of painting, which is known for the beautiful depiction of a courtesan known as Bani Thani
Bani Thani
Bani Thani is an Indian painting in the Kishangarh school of paintings. It has been labeled as India's "Mona Lisa". The painting's subject, Bani Thani, was a singer and poet in Kishangarh in the time of king Savant Singh ....
. In recent years, Kishangarh has come to be known as the marble city of India. It is purported to be the only place in the world with a temple of nine planets.
Princely history
Kishangarh State was founded by the Jodhpur prince Kishan Singh in 1609.Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
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...
, which was located in the Rajputana Agency
Rajputana Agency
The Rajputana Agency was a political office of the British Indian Empire dealing with a collection of native states in India , under the political charge of an Agent reporting directly to the Governor-General of India and residing at Mount Abu in the Aravalli Range...
. It had an area of 2210 km² (858 miles²) and a population in 1901 of 90,970. This figure for population represented a decrease of 27% over the census figure of 1891, something presumably attributable to the famine of 1899-1900. The state enjoyed an estimated revenue of Rs.34,000/- and paid no tribute to 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...
. In 1840, Prithvi Singh, became the 15th Maharaja of Kishangarh, and reigned till his death in 1879, after which he was succeeded by his son, Sardul Singh.
Major Daulat Singh ji from Sardar Singh ji ki Dhani was Prime Minister of Shahpura State, later on he was Jagir Commissioner in Govt of Rajasthan, He has served Rajasthan State as distinguished bureocrate, later on he was honoured having accorded with the Managing Directorship of The bank of Rajasthan Ltd.
Advocate Ghanshyam Das Chaudhari was the first Chairman of Municipal Board Kishangarh after Independence. His son Justice Kishan Swaroop Chaudhari is the only person elevated as Judge, Rajasthan High Court from Kishangarh subdivision
Jodhpur
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...
, during the reign of Akbar (r.1556-1605). He was a courtier of the Mughals, and was rewarded for services rendered to the emperor Akbar. In 1818, Kishangarh first came into direct relations with the British
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...
by entering into a treaty, in common its neighbouring states, for the suppression of the Pindari
Pindari
The Pendharis or Free Companions were dispersed throughout the Maratha states and were countenanced and protected by the Maratha chiefs to whom they acted as agents for supplying all the commissariat required by their armies. They were composed of different tribes who congregated together solely...
marauders by whom the country was at that time overrun. The chief, who held the title of Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
, was a 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...
of the Rathor
Rathor
Rathor may refer to:* Rathore or Rathor, a Suryavanshi Rajput clan of India and Pakistan* Rathor, Pakistan...
clan.
Maharaja Madan Singh ascended the throne in 1900 at the age of sixteen, at a time when the state was reeling from the impact of a devastating drought. The administration under him and his diwan was widely deemed worthy of approbation; irrigation from tanks and wells was extended and factories for ginning and pressing cotton were started. A social reform movement for discouraging excessive expenditure on marriages made remarkable impact during his reign.
The present maharaja (sic) is Brijraj Singhji. The town of Kishangarh has a beautiful palace-hotel known as PhoolMahal. The city also has a large pond known as the Gond Talav. There are many picnic and religious places situated at the banks of Gond Talav such as Mukham Vilas and Bhairu Ghat. The city also have a small temple of nine planets known as NavGrah. The Kishangarh Fort is being surrounded by canal that was built by Kishan Singh.
Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Kishangarh had a population of 116,156. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Kishangarh has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 52%. In Kishangarh, 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Economy
Kishangarh has become a center of marble (stone) processsing. It has almost 500 companies engaged in cutting marble using gangsaws. There are 5000 retail shops (warehouses, or godowns) used for retailing marble. The economy of this small place mostly depends on this industry.Main Attractions of the City
- Phool Mahal Palace
- Gundolav Lake
- Marble Mandi
- Khoda Ganesh
- Kishangarh Fort
- Mountain Reign
- Swadri Dhani
- Bani Thani
- Kishangarh Painting
- Pitambar Ki Gaal
Kishangarh Painting
Kishangarh painting emerged as a distinctive style in the middle of 18th century under the patronage of Maharaja Sawant Singh. Nihal Chand, a gifted artist in the Maharaja's court, produced some highly individualistic Radha and sophisticated works. The chief characteristics of the Kishengarh paintings were the elongation of human faces, lavish use of green and depiction of panoramic landscapes. Portrayal of Radha and Krishna in elongated faces is a common subject of Kishangarh paintings. The elongated neck, the long stylised eyes with drooping eyelids, the thin lips and pointed chin of Radha standing in a graceful pose with her head covered with a muslin odhni, is undoubtedly the most striking creation of the Kishangarh school. This style continued into the 19th century and a series of paintings of the Gita Govinda were produced in 1820.Bani Thani
The most famous Kishangarh painting is called Bani Thani. The Indian government has engraved it on one of its postal stamps. The Bani Thani style of painting got its name from a story with a twist of romance to it. In the Kishangarh court during the 18th century there ruled a poet-king called Raja Samant Singh (1699–1764) who had eyes only for Bani Thani, a court singer and poet. Bani Thani’s eyes were what drew Samant Singh to her, and so did her singing. Seeing Bani Thani singing in his court each day helped the king’s heart grow fonder. Now Samant Singh wrote poetry under the name of Nagari Das, and since Bani Thani was a poet in her own right too, love was not far behind.External links
- Kishangarh City
- Genealogy of the ruling chiefs of Kishangarh
- Justice Kishan Swaroop ChaudhariJustice Kishan Swaroop ChaudhariKishan Swaroop Chaudhari, B.Com. LLB. was a former Justice of Rajasthan High Court of India, serving the court between 2008 and 2010.Coming from a family of lawyers, both Chaudhari's father and grandfather were also advocates in the Indian legal system. Chaudhari studied at Kishangarh and Ajmer. He...