Ajmer-Merwara, also known as Ajmir Province and as Ajmer-Merwara-Kekri, was a former province of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

in the historical

Ajmer region Ajmer is a historical region in central Rajasthan, a central part of a Shakambari Chahamana (''Chauhan'') kingdom in 11–12th centuries during the reign of Prithviraj Chauhan. The region includes a present-day Ajmer district and is bounded on ...

. The territory was ceded to the British by

Daulat Rao Sindhia Shrimant Daulat Rao Shinde (also Sindhia; 1779 – 21 March 1827) was the Maharaja (ruler) of Gwalior state in central India from 1794 until his death in 1827. His reign coincided with struggles for supremacy within the Maratha Empire, and war ...

by a treaty on 25 June 1818. It was under the

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...

until 1836 when it became part of the

North-Western Provinces The North-Western Provinces was an administrative region in British India. The North-Western Provinces were established in 1836, through merging the administrative divisions of the Ceded and Conquered Provinces. In 1858, the nawab-ruled kingdo ...

comissionat el 1842. Finally on 1 April 1871, it became a separate province as Ajmer-Merwara-Kekri. It became a part of

independent India Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

on 15 August 1947 when the British left India. The province consisted of the

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

s of

Ajmer Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "' ...

and Merwar, which were physically separated from the rest of British India forming an enclave amidst the many princely states of Rajputana. Unlike these states, which were ruled by local nobles who acknowledged British suzerainty, Ajmer-Merwara was administered directly by the British. In 1842, the two districts were under a single commissioner, then they were separated in 1856 and were administered by the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

. Finally, after 1858, by a chief commissioner who was subordinate to the

Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...

's agent for the

Rajputana Agency The Rajputana Agency was a political office of the British Indian Empire dealing with a collection of native states in Rajputana (now in Rajasthan, northwestern India), under the political charge of an Agent reporting directly to the Governor ...

Extent and geography

The area of the province was . The plateau, on whose centre stands the town of Ajmer, may be considered as the highest point in the plains of

North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

; from the circle of hills which hem it in, the country slopes away on every side - towards river valleys on the east, south, west and towards the

Thar Desert The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is an arid region in the north-western part of the Subcontinent that covers an area of and forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. It is the world's 20th-largest desert, a ...

region on the north. The

Aravalli Range The Aravalli Range (also spelled ''Aravali'') is a mountain range in Northern- Western India, running approximately in a south-west direction, starting near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana, Rajasthan, and ending in Ahmedabad Gujarat. ...

is the distinguishing feature of the district. The range of hills which runs between Ajmer and Nasirabad marks the watershed of the continent of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The rain which falls on the southeastern slopes drains into the Chambal, and so into the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line betwee ...

; that which falls on the northwest side into the

Luni River The Luni is the largest river in the Thar Desert of northwest India. It originates in the Pushkar valley of the Aravalli Range, near Ajmer, passes through the southeastern portion of the Thar Desert, and ends in the marshy lands of Rann of Kutch ...

, which discharges itself into the

Rann of Kutch The Rann of Kutch (alternately spelled as Kuchchh) is a large area of salt marshes that span the border between India and Pakistan. It is located in Gujarat (primarily the Kutch district), India, and in Sindh, Pakistan. It is divided into ...

. The province is on the border of what may be called the

arid zone A region is arid when it severely lacks available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Regions with arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most a ...

; it is the debatable land between the north-eastern and south-western

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...

s, and beyond the influence of either. The south-west monsoon sweeps up the Narmada valley from

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

and crossing the tableland at

Neemuch Neemuch or Nimach is a town in the malwa region. Neemuch crowns the north western part of MP. It has been also referred to city of Nature and Peace. The town shares its northwestern border with the state of Rajasthan and is the administrati ...

gives copious supplies to

Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syn ...

Jhalawar Jhalawar () is a city, municipal council and headquarter in Jhalawar district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located in the southeastern part of the state. It was the capital of the former princely state of Jhalawar, and is the admin ...

and Kota and the countries which lie in the course of the Chambal River. The clouds which strike

Kathiawar Kathiawar () is a peninsula, near the far north of India's west coast, of about bordering the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the Gulf of Khambhat (Gulf of Cambay) in the east. In the northeast, it is ...

and Kutch are deprived of a great deal of their moisture by the hills in those countries (now the majority of this region is in

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

state within independent

), and the greater part of the remainder is deposited on

Mount Abu Mount Abu () is a hill station in the Aravalli Range in Sirohi district of the state of Rajasthan in western India.The mountain forms a rocky plateau 22 km long by 9 km wide. The highest peak on the mountain is Guru Shikhar at above ...

and the higher slopes of the Aravalli Range, leaving but little for Merwara, where the hills are lower, and still less for Ajmer. It is only when the monsoon is in considerable force that Merwara gets a plentiful supply from it. The north-eastern monsoon sweeps up the valley of the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

from the Bay of Bengal and waters the northern part of Rajasthan, but hardly penetrates farther west than the longitude of Ajmer. The rainfall of the district depends on the varying strength of these two monsoons. The agriculturist of Ajmer-Merwara could never rely upon two good harvests in succession.

British rule

Part of the

, the territory of the future province was ceded to the British by

Gwalior State Gwalior state was a semi-autonomous Maratha state. It was centred in modern-day Madhya Pradesh, arising due to the rise of the Maratha Empire and fragmentation of the Mughal Empire. It was ruled by the Scindia, House of Scindia (anglicized fro ...

as part of a treaty dated 25 June 1818. Then in May 1823 the Merwara (Mewar) part was ceded to Britain by

Udaipur State Kingdom of Mewar, sometimes known as Udaipur State, was ruled by the Sisodia dynasty. It was an independent kingdom in Rajputana region of India. It was established around the 7th century as minor rulers of the Nagada-Ahar region of Udaipur an ...

. Thereafter Ajmer-Merwara was administered directly by the British

. After the Indian Mutiny of 1857, in 1858 the powers of the company were transferred to the British Crown and the

. His administration of Ajmer-Merwara was controlled by a chief commissioner who was subordinate to the British agent for the

.Ajmer Merwara

The Imperial Gazetteer of India ''The Imperial Gazetteer of India'' was a gazetteer of the British Indian Empire, and is now a historical reference work. It was first published in 1881. Sir William Wilson Hunter made the original plans of the book, starting in 1869.< ...

, 1909, v. 5, p. 137-146.

Superintendents for Ajmer

* 9 Jul 181817 Jul 1818 Nixon *18 Jul 181815 Dec 1824 Francis Boyle Shannon Wilder (1785–1849) *16 Dec 182421 Apr 1825 Richard Moore (1st time) *22 Apr 182523 Oct 1827 Henry Middleton *24 Oct 182728 Nov 1831 Richard Cavendish *29 Nov 18311 Jul 1832 Richard Moore (2nd time) * 2 Jul 183216 Apr 1834 Alexander Speirs *17 Apr 183430 Jun 1836 George Frederick Edmonstone (1813–1864) * 1 Jul 183625 Jul 1837 Charles E. Trevelyan (1807–1886) *26 Jul 1837Feb 1842 J.D. Macnaghten

Superintendents for Merwara (from Feb 1842, Ajmer-Merwara)

*18231836 Henry Hall (1789–1875) *18361857 Charles George Dixon (died 1857)

Agents of the Governors-general for the Rajputana agency

*183229 Nov 1833 Abraham Lockett (1781–1834) *29 Nov 1833Jun 1834 Alexander Speirs *Jun 18341 Feb 1839 Nathaniel Alves * 1 Feb 18391839 John Ludlow (acting) (1788–1880) *Apr 1839Dec 1847 James Sutherland (died 1848) *Jan 1844Oct 1846 Charles Thoresby (died 1862) (acting for Sutherland) *Dec 1847Jan 1853 John Low (1788–1880) *25 Jun 184819 Nov 1848 Showers (acting for Low) * 8 Sep 18511 Dec 1851 D.A. Malcolm (acting for Low) *18521853 George St. Patrick Lawrence (1804–1884) (1st time) * 5 Mar 1853Feb 1857 Henry Montgomery Lawrence (1806–1857) *15 Mar 1857Apr 1864 George St. Patrick Lawrence (s.a.) (2nd time) *10 Apr 185924 Nov 1860 William Frederick Eden (1814–1867) (acting for Lawrence) *Apr 18641867 William Frederick Eden (s.a.) *18671870 Richard Harte Keatinge (1825–1904) *15 Jun 18701 Apr 1871 John Cheap Brooke (1818–1899) (acting for Keatinge)

Chief Commissioners

* 1 Apr 187121 Jun 1873 Richard Harte Keatinge (s.a.) * 1 Apr 187121 Jun 1873 John Cheape Brooke (s.a.) (acting for Keatinge) *21 Jun 18736 Apr 1874 Sir Lewis Pelly (1st time) (1825–1892) (acting to 6 Feb 1874) * 6 Apr 18746 Jul 1874 William H. Beynon (acting) (1903) * 6 Jul 187412 Nov 1874 Sir Lewis Pelly (2nd time) (s.a.) *12 Nov 187418 Aug 1876 Alfred Comyns Lyall (acting) (1835–1911) *18 Aug 18765 Mar 1877 Charles Kenneth Mackenzie Walter (1833–1892) (1st time)(acting) * 5 Mar 187712 Dec 1878 Sir Lewis Pelly (3rd time) (s.a.) *12 Dec 187827 Mar 1887 Edward Ridley Colborne Bradford (1836–1911) (1st time) *17 Mar 188128 Nov 1882 Charles Kenneth Mackenzie Walter (s.a.) (2nd time) (acting) *28 Nov 188227 Mar 1887 Edward Ridley Colborne Bradford (s.a.) (2nd time) *27 Mar 188720 Mar 1890 Charles Kenneth Mackenzie Walter (1833–1892) (3rd time)(acting to 1 Apr 1887) *20 Mar 189027 Aug 1891 George Herbert Trevor (1st time) (1840–1927) *27 Aug 18912 Dec 1891 P.W. Powlett (acting) * 2 Dec 189122 Nov 1893 George Herbert Trevor (2nd time) (s.a.) *22 Nov 189311 Jan 1894 William Francis Prideaux (acting) (1840–1914) *11 Jan 189520 Mar 1895 George Herbert Trevor (3rd time) (s.a.) *20 Mar 189510 Mar 1898 Robert Joseph Crosthwaite (1841–1917) *10 Mar 18981 May 1900 Arthur Henry Temple Martindale (1854–1942) (1st time) * 1 May 19001 Apr 1901 William Hutt Curzon Wyllie (acting)(1848–1909) * 1 Apr 19013 Feb 1902 A.P. Thornton (acting) * 3 Feb 19021 Apr 1905 Arthur Henry Temple Martindale (s.a.) (2nd time) * 1 Apr 19054 Jan 1918 Elliot Graham Colvin (1861–1940) * 4 Jan 191822 Dec 1919 John Manners Smith (1864–1920) *22 Dec 19197 Aug 1925 Robert Erskine Holland (1873–1965) * 7 Aug 192518 Mar 1927 Stewart Blakeley Agnew Patterson (1872–1942) *18 Mar 192714 Oct 1932 Leonard William Reynolds (1874–1946) *14 Oct 193228 Oct 1937 George Drummond Ogilvie (1882–1966) *28 Oct 19371 Dec 1944

Arthur Cunningham Lothian Sir Arthur Cunningham Lothian, KCIE, CSI (1887 – 16 November 1962) was a member of the Indian Civil Service and of the Indian Political Service. He was Rajputana Agency, Resident for Rajputana and Chief Commissioner of Ajmer-Merwara from 1937 to ...

(1887–1962) *May 1939Oct 1939 Conrad Corfield (1893–1980) (acting for Lothian) * 1 Dec 194415 Aug 1947 Hiranand Rupchand Shivdasani (1904–1949)

Post-independence

From the date of

partition Partition may refer to: Computing Hardware * Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive * Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job Software * Partition (database), the division of a ...

and independence in 1947 until 1950, Ajmer-Merwara remained a province of the new

Dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India,* Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and N ...

. In 1950 it became

Ajmer State Ajmer State was a separate state within India from 1950 to 1956 with Ajmer as its capital. Ajmer State was formed in 1950 out of the territory of former province of Ajmer-Merwara, which became a province of the Indian Union on 15 August 1947. I ...

, which on 1 November 1956, was merged into the state of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

. The Rajasthan Land Reforms and Resumption of Jagirs Act, 1952 was the landmark in the legal history of land reforms in Rajasthan which was followed by Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955 that became applicable to the whole of Rajasthan. The overriding effect of this Act provided relief to the existing tenants and the rights accrued to tenants accordingly. Now the Jats are major land holders in the region.

References

{{Authority control Provinces of British India Historical Indian regions History of Rajasthan Ajmer district 1818 establishments in British India 1936 disestablishments in British India History of Ajmer