Dhundhar, also known as ''Jaipur region'', is a
historical region
Historical regions (or historical areas) are geographical regions which at some point in time had a cultural, ethnic, linguistic or political basis, regardless of latterday borders. They are used as delimitations for studying and analysing soc ...
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 ...
state in western
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 ...
. It includes the districts of
Jaipur
Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known ...
, parts of
Sikar
Sikar is a city and municipal council in the Sikar district of the state of Rajasthan in India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Sikar district. It is part of the Shekhawati region, which consists of Sikar, Churu and Jhunjhunu.Si ...
District lying to the east of 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. ...
,
Dausa
Dausa is a city and administrative headquarters of Dausa district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is 55 km from Jaipur, 240 km from Delhi and located on Jaipur-Agra National Highway (NH-21).Current population is around 1.25 lak ...
,
Sawai Madhopur
Sawai Madhopur is a city and Municipal Council (Nagar Parishad) in the Sawai Madhopur District in Rajasthan state, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Sawai Madhopur District of Rajasthan. Ranthambore National Park which is 7&nbs ...
, and
Tonk and the northern part of
Karauli District.
The region lies in east-central Rajasthan, and is bounded by 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. ...
on the northwest,
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 "' ...
to the west,
Mewar region to the southwest,
Hadoti
Hadoti is a region of Rajasthan state in western India, which was once called the Bundi Kingdom. The biggest cities are Jhalawar and Kota. It includes the districts of Bundi, Baran, Jhalawar and Kota and is bounded on the west by the Mew ...
region to the south, and
Alwar
Alwar (Pronunciation: lʋəɾ is a city located in India's National Capital Region and the administrative headquarters of Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. It is located 150 km south of Delhi and 150 km north of Jaipur. ...
,
Bharatpur, and Karauli districts to the east.
Geography
In 1900, at the times of Jaipur Kingdom, region had a total area of 15,579 square miles (40,349 km²).
The southern and central portions of the region lie in the basin of the
Banas River
The Banas is a river which lies entirely within the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is a tributary of the Chambal River, itself a tributary of the Yamuna, which in turn merges into the Ganga. The Banas is approximately 512 kilometre ...
and its
ephemeral
Ephemerality (from the Greek word , meaning 'lasting only one day') is the concept of things being transitory, existing only briefly. Academically, the term ephemeral constitutionally describes a diverse assortment of things and experiences, fr ...
tributaries, including the
Dhund River
Dhund may refer to:
*Dhund (tribe) (also Dhond) a tribe of northern Pakistan
*Dhund (1973 film), ''Dhund'' (1973 film), Indian Hindi-language thriller film by B. R. Chopra, starring Sanjay Khan, Zeenat Aman and Danny Denzongpa
*Dhund (2003 film), ...
, which gives its name to the region. The northern portion of the region is drained by the ephemeral
Banhanga River, which originates in Jaipur district and flows east to join the
Yamuna
The Yamuna ( Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of B ...
in
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
state.
History
The state of Jaipur was earlier known as Dhundhar and was ruled by
Meenas
Meena () is a sub-group of Bhils. They speak Meena language. They started adopting the Brahmin worship system. Its name is also transliterated as ''Meenanda'' or ''Mina''. Historians claim that they belong to the Matsya tribe. They got the sta ...
. Later
Kachhawahas supplanted the
Meenas
Meena () is a sub-group of Bhils. They speak Meena language. They started adopting the Brahmin worship system. Its name is also transliterated as ''Meenanda'' or ''Mina''. Historians claim that they belong to the Matsya tribe. They got the sta ...
.
After Dulherai, his son Kokil Deo defeated the Meenas of Amer and made Amer the capital of Dhundhar after
Khoh
Khoh is a historical region of Rajasthan state in western India. Which was located just five miles to the east of Jaipur city. Colonel James Tod
Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod (20 March 1782 – 18 November 1835) was an officer of the ...
.
Culture
Generally liberal policies of the rulers permitted
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle bein ...
to flourish at
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In ...
and later at Jaipur.
It continues to be one of the most important centers of Jainism in India. It is here where the
Bispanthi/
Digambar Terapanth
Kanji Swami (1890–1980) was a teacher of Jainism. He was deeply influenced by the ''Samayasāra'' of Kundakunda in 1932. He lectured on these teachings for 45 years to comprehensively elaborate on the philosophy described by Kundakunda and ot ...
i divisions among the Jains emerged in the 17th century. In the 17th century the
Chittor
Chittorgarh (also Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in Rajasthan state of western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It was a major stronghold ...
seat of the
Bhattarakas of
Mula Sangh
''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being '' Śvētāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing ...
Saraswati gachchha moved from Champawati to Sanganer and then to Amber and finally to Jaipur where the last Bhattarka was present until 1965. The lineage is:
*Narendrakirti (
Samvat
The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a s ...
1691, Sanganer) –
*Surendrakirti (
Samvat
The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a s ...
1722, Amber) –
*Jagatkirti –
*Devendrakirti –
*Mahendrakirti –
*Kshemendrakirti (
Samvat
The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a s ...
1815, Jaipur) –
*Surendrakirti –
*Sukhendrakirti –
*Nayankirti –
*Devendrakirti –
*Mahendrakirti
[Varni, Jinendra, Jainendra Siddhanta Kosa, in 4 volumes. New Delhi, 1970-1973] –
*Chandrakirti.
References
History of Jaipur
Regions of Rajasthan
Historical regions
{{Historical regions of North India, state=expanded