Jaisalmer district is the largest district in the Indian state of Rajasthan, and the third largest district in India. Located in Marwar (Jodhpur Division),[3] the city of Jaisalmer is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is around 289 km (180 mi) from the city of Jodhpur, and around 559 km (347 mi) from Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. As of the 2011 population census, it is the least populous district out of all 50 districts in Rajasthan.[2]
Jaisalmer district | |
|---|---|
     From top, left to right: Jaisalmer city from Jaisalmer Fort, Bada Bagh, Lodhruva Jain Temple, Watchtower in Pokhran Fort, Sand dunes in the Thar Desert | |
.svg) Location of Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Rajasthan |
| Division | Jodhpur |
| Headquarters | Jaisalmer |
| Area | |
• Total | 38,401 km2 (14,827 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 669,919 |
| • Density | 17/km2 (45/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
Geography
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2021) |
With an area of 38,401sq km,[1] Jaisalmer is the largest district in Rajasthan, and the third-largest in the country by area.
The Jaisalmer district lies in the Thar Desert, which straddles the border of India and Pakistan. It is bound in the northeast by Bikaner District, in the east by Jodhpur District, in the south by Barmer District, and in the west and north by Pakistan.
The district is located within a rectangle lying between 26°.4’ –28°.23' north parallel and 69°.20'-72°.42' east meridians.
The international border adjacent to the district is around 464 km (288 mi) long.
Jaisalmer is almost entirely a sandy landscape, forming a part of the great Indian desert. The general aspect of the area is that of an interminable sea of sandhills, of all shapes and sizes, some rising to a height of almost 150 ft (46 m). The hills in the west are covered with log bushes, while those in the east feature tufts of long grass. Water is scarce, and generally brackish; the average depth of the wells is said to be about 250 ft (76 m). There are no perennial streams, and only one small river, the Kakni, which, after flowing a distance of 28 m (92 ft), spreads over a large surface of flat ground and forms a lake called the Bhuj-Jhil. The climate is hot and dry. Throughout Jaisalmer crops such as bajra, jowar, motif, and til, are grown; spring crops of wheat and barley are very rare. Owing to the scant rainfall, irrigation is almost unknown except for small areas irrigated by lift canals of Indira Gandhi Canal Project.
Climate
editThe climate is hot semi arid (Koppen: BSh).
| Climate data for Jaisalmer | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 23.7 (74.7) |
27.2 (81.0) |
32.8 (91.0) |
38.4 (101.1) |
48.0 (118.4) |
48.0 (118.4) |
42.8 (109.0) |
36.0 (96.8) |
36.5 (97.7) |
36.1 (97.0) |
31.1 (88.0) |
25.4 (77.7) |
35.5 (95.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.9 (46.2) |
10.9 (51.6) |
16.8 (62.2) |
22.2 (72.0) |
25.7 (78.3) |
27.1 (80.8) |
26.5 (79.7) |
25.4 (77.7) |
24.3 (75.7) |
20.5 (68.9) |
13.8 (56.8) |
8.9 (48.0) |
19.2 (66.5) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 1.3 (0.05) |
4.0 (0.16) |
3.2 (0.13) |
18.1 (0.71) |
9.2 (0.36) |
36.1 (1.42) |
86.1 (3.39) |
109.0 (4.29) |
36.2 (1.43) |
12.5 (0.49) |
1.3 (0.05) |
2.5 (0.10) |
319.5 (12.58) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 4.9 | 5.9 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 21.7 |
| Source: WMO | |||||||||||||
Paleontology
editIn 2021, a Middle Jurassic hybodont Strophodus jaisalmerensis was named in a reference to this district and the geologic formation of the same name where its holotype was found.[4]
Economy
editIn 2006, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Jaisalmer one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).[5] It is one of the twelve districts in Rajasthan currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[5]
Demographics
edit| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 75,551 | — |
| 1911 | 87,162 | +1.44% |
| 1921 | 69,224 | −2.28% |
| 1931 | 78,646 | +1.28% |
| 1941 | 96,958 | +2.12% |
| 1951 | 109,658 | +1.24% |
| 1961 | 141,242 | +2.56% |
| 1971 | 167,824 | +1.74% |
| 1981 | 243,082 | +3.77% |
| 1991 | 344,517 | +3.55% |
| 2001 | 508,247 | +3.96% |
| 2011 | 669,919 | +2.80% |
| source:[6] | ||
According to the 2011 census, Jaisalmer district has a population of 669,919,[2] roughly equal to the nation of Equatorial Guinea[8] or the US state of North Dakota.[9] This gives it a ranking of 508th in India (out of a total of 640).[2] The district has a population density of 17 inhabitants per square kilometre (44/sq mi).[2] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 32.22%.[2] Jaisalmer has a sex ratio of 849 females for every 1000 males,[2] and a literacy rate of 58.04%. 13.29% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 14.80% and 6.33% of the population respectively.[2]
Languages
editAt the time of the 2011 census, 51.07% of the population spoke Rajasthani, 40.95% Marwari, 2.80% Hindi, 2.56% Sindhi and 1.02% Urdu as their first language.[10] Marwari is the local language, while Dhatki and Sindhi is spoken in border areas and by Hindu refugees from nearby Thar regions of Sindh.
Administration
editIAS Pratap Singh Nathawat is the District Collector of Jaisalmer District. Jaisalmer district has four sub-divisions: Jaisalmer, Pokaran, Bhaniyana, and Fatehgarh. Jaisalmer and Pokaran are the nagar palikas, while 744 villages come under 140 gram panchayats. District developmental activities are being looked after by three panchayat samities, that is, Jaisalmer, Sam, and Sankra.
Tourism
editJaisalmer is one of the largest tourism district in Rajasthan.[11] About 276,887 tourists visit the district every year, out of which about 100,000 tourists are foreigners.[12] Some of the tourist attractions in Jaisalmer are:
- Jaisalmer Fort
- Patwa Haveli
- Salim Singh's Haveli
- Nathmal's Haveli
- Mehra Haveli
- Mandir Palace
- Gadsisar Lake
- Government Museum
- Tanot Mandir
- Longewala
- Pokharan
- Thar desert
- Bada Bagh
- Lodhruva
- Akal Wood Fossil Park
- Ramdevra
- Maru Udyan
- Mohangarh
Every year, Maru Mahotsav is celebrated for the tourists. Ramdevra is also a big attraction for the Baba Ramdevji's pilgrims.[13]
See also
edit- Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School, a school in the rural thar desert of Jaisalmer with unique architecture
- Thar Desert
- Tharparkar
- Moolchand Prol, Jhinjhinyali
References
edit- ^ a b "District Census Handbook - Jaisalmer" (PDF). censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
See page 24
- ^ a b c d e f g h "District Census Handbook 2011 - Jaisalmer" (PDF). Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
- ^ "Basic about Jaisalmer district".
- ^ Krishna Kumara, Sunil Bajpaib, Pragya Pandeya, Triparna Ghosha, Debasish Bhattacharya (2021). "Hybodont sharks from the Jurassic of Jaisalmer, western India". Historical Biology. 34 (6): 953–963. doi:10.1080/08912963.2021.1954920.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Ministry of Panchayati Raj (8 September 2009). "A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme" (PDF). National Institute of Rural Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- ^ Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
- ^ "Table C-01 Population By Religion - Rajasthan". census.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
- ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
Equatorial Guinea 668,225 July 2011 est.
- ^ "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
North Dakota 672,591
- ^ a b "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Rajasthan". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
- ^ "Jaisalmer Opts for Community-Managed Tourism Revival". www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ^ "2 lakh tourists celebrated New Year in Jaisalmer | Jodhpur News - Times of India". The Times of India. TNN. 2 January 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ^ Trivedi, Santosh Kumar (31 August 2019). "Ramdevra Mela 2019: तैयारियां पूरी, रविवार से शुरू होगा रामदेवरा का मेला - Ramdevra Mela 2019: How to go on Ramdevra". Patrika News (in Hindi). Retrieved 1 March 2022.
External links
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