Banswara district General information

History

           The 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 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 bamboos (Bans) 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. The event is also known as the Mini Jalianwala Bagh massacre. 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 Greater Rajasthan in 1949 and Banswara was carved out as a separate district by merging these principalities.

Geography

 District Banswara is situated in the southern - most part of Rajasthan. It has an area of 5037 square kilometre and lies 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. It also touches the boundary of 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 M.P. Its main tributaries are Anas, Chanp, Erav, Haran and Kagdi. The Mahi Bajaj Sagar dam has been constructed on the Mahi, some 16 k.m. away from Banswara town. Right and Left Main Canals and their distributaries irrigate 60,149 hect. of land. Normal annual rainfall is about 82.59 cms.

          Maize, Wheat, Cotton, Gram are main crops. Graphite, Soapstone, Dolomite, Rock Phosphate, Limestone and a variety of marbles are found. Gold mineral is also found around Jagpura. Forest land consists of 20% of the told area but most of the forest land is devoid of trees. Hills have become bald-headed.

People

          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.

Festival

Bhill community is a rivalry and very laborers community, so they could managed to get the entertainment on particular festival occasions only. Bhills are commonly tradition followers and they 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.

PLaces of interest

Nandni Mata Mandir Barodiyan (Nandnimata),Tripura Sundri mandir Talvara,