Merta City is a city and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

located in

Nagaur district Nagaur district is one of the 33 districts of the state of Rajasthan in western India. Panchayati Raj was introduced here. It is the fifth largest district in Rajasthan and the area of the district is . The city of Nagaur is the district headqua ...

in the Indian

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

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 si ...

. Merta is also known for its link with

Mira Bai Meera, better known as Mirabai and venerated as Sant Meerabai, was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is a celebrated Bhakti saint, particularly in the North Indian Hindu tradition. Mirabai was born into a Rathore ...

, the devotee of Lord Krishna. Mira Mahal Museum houses memories related to Mira Bai's lifetime.

History

Merta city chaturbhujnath meera temple complex

Ancient name of Merta was Medantaka. NagaBhata Pratihar, from Pratihar Rajput dynasty of Mandore established himself at Medantaka and made this place his capital. In 13th Century, Alauddin Khilji took over control of this place and placed Tajuddin Ali as his viceroy at Medantaka. Later, Rao Jodha granted Merta as Jagir to his son

Rao Duda __NOTOC__ Rao may refer to: Geography * Rao, West Sumatra, one of the districts of West Sumatra, Indonesia * Råö, a locality in Kungsbacka Municipality, Halland County, Sweden Transport * Dr. Leite Lopes–Ribeirão Preto State Airport , IA ...

. From Merta, Duda's descendant got the name of Mertiya Rathores. Rao Duda built a palace, temple of Chaturbhuj Ji and Dudasar Pond. After Rao Duda, Rao Veeramdeo ruled in Merta. Veeramdeo's niece was the famous poet and devotee of Krishna,

. Veeramdeo also took part in

Battle of Khanwa The Battle of Khanwa was fought at Khanwa on March 16, 1527. It was fought between the invading Timurid forces of Babur and the Rajput confederacy led by Rana Sanga for suprermacy of Northern India. The battle was a major event in Medieval I ...

. When

Maldev Rathore Rao Maldeo Rathore (5 December 1511 – 7 November 1562) was a king of the Marwar from the Rathore dynasty, who ruled the kingdom of Marwar in present day state of Rajasthan. Maldeo ascended the throne in 1531 CE, inheriting a small ancestral p ...

became the King of Marwar, he expanded his territory and annexed Merta from Veeramdeo Mertiya. Rao Maldev built Malkot fort in Merta. After Battle of Sumel Giri, Merta came under control of Shershah. After sometime, Merta again came under control of Rao Maldeo. Veeramdeo's son Jaimal Mertiya moved to Mewar. Near Dagolai Talab, Capt. De Bourbon's grave is located. He was in Scindia's army and died of wounds he received in

Battle of Merta The Battle of Merta was fought on 10 September 1790 between the Maratha Empire and the Rajputs of Jodhpur which resulted in a decisive Maratha victory. The general of the Jodhpur army, Bhimraj Bakshi fled the battlefield with his horsemen before ...

Brief history of Mertiyas

Merta-Estate was soon merged with Jodhpur State and Jaimal's 14 sons were given small principalities nearby. Akbar give Merta half-half to Rao Surtan Singh and Rao Keshavdas Mertiya sons of Rao Jaimal. Merta was distributed in Jagirs and thikanas by independently Mertiya's like ''Riya, Budsu (4villages),Borawar(7villages),Badu-Jagir(13villages) Mannano,Ladoli,kalwo,Gular,Jawla,Meethri,Alniyawas,Maroth. Badnore-Jagir,Ghanerao.and others'' The same spirit was shown by many descendants of the Mertia Royal Family, including the Chiefs of Rian, Methri and Alniyawas who fought against the rebels of Kumpawat clan in the battle of Merta in 1790 AD and suffered mass annihilation. One of the scion of the family who rose to prominence during the reign of Badshah Aurangzeb was Maharaja Raghunath Singh Mertiya (1660–1683 AD), who conquered Maroth or Gaurawati and is ancestor of the rulers of

Panch Mahal Maroth Maroth is a village located in Nawa, Nagaur district, in the state of Rajasthan, India. The area surrounding the village is named Gaurati, which means "The Land of Gaurs". This area was a principality granted by Maharaja Vigharaj Chauhan to Mah ...

Demographics

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

, Merta City had a population of 40,252. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Merta City has an average literacy rate of 60%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 48%. About 16% of the population is under 6 years of age. Merta City is a holy city for Hindus as it is the birthplace of Meera Bai, the famous Devotee of Lord Krishna.

Transport

Three different generations of Indian railway locomotives

Merta City is off the Jodhpur-Bathinda line but with a link. Merta City is middle point of Rajasthan, facilitating easy access. 1) 15 km away from Merta Road Railway Junction 2) 35 km away from Butati Dham 3) 60 km Away from Pushkar 4) 80 km away from Ajmer 5) 120 km away from Jodhpur 6) 250 km away from Jaipur (capital)

References

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Merta Coordinates

Merta Population
{{Nagaur district Cities and towns in Nagaur district Tourist attractions in Nagaur district