Dholpur

This article is about the municipality in Rajasthan, India. For its namesake district, see Dholpur district.
Dholpur
धौलपुर
Dhaulpur
city

Nickname(s): dang
Dholpur

Location in Rajasthan, India

Coordinates: 26°42′N 77°54′E / 26.7°N 77.9°E / 26.7; 77.9Coordinates: 26°42′N 77°54′E / 26.7°N 77.9°E / 26.7; 77.9
Country  India
State Rajasthan
Founded by Dhaval Dev in 11th century
Area
 • city 3,034 km2 (1,171 sq mi)
Elevation 177 m (581 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
 • city 126,142
 • Density 42/km2 (110/sq mi)
 • Metro[2] 133,229
Languages
 • Official Hindi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 328001
Telephone code 05642
Vehicle registration RJ 11
Sex ratio 862 ♂/♀
Website dholpur.rajasthan.gov.in
Dholpur Bus Stand

Dholpur is a city in eastern-most parts of the Rajasthan state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Dholpur District and was formerly seat of the Dholpur princely state, before Independence.

Dhaulpur became a separate district in 1982 comprising four tehsils of Bharatpur: Dholpur, Rajakhera, Bari and Baseri. It is bordered by Bharatpur district of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Pradesh to the south, Karauli district to the west and Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh to the east.

Geography

The geographical coordinates for Dholpur (Dhaulpur) are 26° 42' 0" North, 77° 54' 0" East.[3] Total area of Dholpur district is 3,034 sq. kilometers.[4]

History

During the Buddha's period

During Buddha’s time there were sixteen Mahajanapadas in Bharatvarsh. Dholpur at that time was included in Matsya Janpad. During the Mauryan rule it was included in the Mauryan Empire. From Gupta period to the arrival of Chinese traveler Huansuang Bharatpur, Karauli and Dholpur were a part of Mathura Janpad. Around the 8th to 10th centuries, Chauhans ruled over it. In the year 1194 it remained under Mohammed Gauri.

Tomar rule

Dholpur or Dhawalpuri was established in 700 AD by Raja Dholan Dev Tomar and most likely the name of city was changed to Dholpur after him. He resided 10 km south west of Dholpur at a place called Bilpur near chambal where a fort still exists.[5] His descendant Raja Dhawal Deo built the new town of Dholpur in 1050 AD. Their descendants are still living in the area and till independence were rulers of many small chieftainships in Morena and Gwalior. He was ruler of country between Chambal and Banganga. The Dholeshwar Mahadev Temple built by this Raja was washed away in Chambal floods of 1868 AD.[6] The Tomars lost sovereignty to Jadu's of Karauli.

Yadava rulers of Karauli

The Dholpur fort was built by Dharampal, Raja of Karauli in 1120 A.D.[6]

During Delhi sultans

Any invader, who wished to capture Gwalior and Malwa, had to pass through Dholpur. In the year 1489 Bahlol Lodi before fighting with Gwalior king, faced the forces of the ruler of Dholpur. During the year 1502 Sikandar Lodi had to fight with Dholpur King Vinayak Dev for about a year and then with great difficulty was successful in defeating him and capturing Dholpur. Thus Dholpur came into prominence and bore the brunt of all the invading forces of the North Realising the strategic and geographical importance. It was Sikandar Lodi who first thought of having a military cantonment at Agra which was a small village under Bayana and at Dholpur in the year 1504, so that he could successfully carry out military designs against Gwalior and Malwa region. Dholpur being situated on the banks of the river Chambal was considered sate for the establishment of military cantonment and forts, during the medieval period. According to the "Tawarikh Shershahi" and "Babarnama" written by their courtiers, the credit for the construction of the Shergarh for goes to Shershah Suri.

Mughal period

Dholpur State part of the Rajputana Agency, 1909

After the battle of Panipat, Babar became the first Mughal ruler of Hindustan. His rule was not a bed of roses in the early years of his reign. After the death of Ibrahim Lodi, many states declared themselves independent. Talai Khan became the ruler of Gwalior. Similarly, Mohammed Jaifoon declared himself the ruler of Dholpur. Babar sent Junniad Barlas to Dholpur, who crushed the rebellion and took over the administration of Dholpur in his own hands.

Dholpur was known for its natural beauty, dense forests and ample games that attracted the royal princes regularly visiting this region during Mughal period. According to Humayunnama, Babar once took all his wives and consorts to Dholpur on the death of his son Anwar Mirza for a change. The beauty of Dholpur fascinated Akbar so much that he constructed the palaces at Khanpur on the banks of Talab-shahi near Bari. According to legends he constructed these palaces to make this place his capital. Later, on being offended by the residents, he left them and founded Fatehpur Sikri. The incident which paved the way for Aurangzab's stability occurred at the place which sealed that fate of Dara Shikoh.

Once Dholpur became a matter of dispute between Shahjahan and Nur Jahan. Shahjahan requested Emperor Jehangir to give him the pargana of Dholpur. Shahjahan, taking it for granted that the Emperor would give his consent, sent his faithful officer to Dholpur. On the other hand, Nur Jahan had already acquired the Paragana of Dholpur for prince Shahryar. She deputed Sharif-ul-Malik to take charge of the administration. There was a clash between the two, in which Sharif-ul-Malik had an eye injury and many people died.[7] For this act of insolence Shahjahan was reprimanded and was asked to send his troops from the south to Agra immediately.

Gurjar rule

After the death of Aurangzeb, Raja Kalyan Singh Gurjar occupied the fort till 1761 AD, whence Raja of Bharatpur, the Jat ruler Maharaja Surajmal took control of the fort.[6]

Bamraulia rulers

In Second Anglo-Maratha War between the British and Marathas at Laswari on 1 November 1803, Lord Lake defeated Sindhia and vanished his reputation.[8][9] In this war the Jats helped the British. The British army officers had affection for Jats.[9]

Later the British concluded a treaty with the Jats and with their help defeated Marathas and won back Gwalior and Gohad from them. The British kept Gwalior with them but returned Gohad to the Jats in 1804.[10] Gohad was handed over to Marathas under a revised treaty dated 22 November 1805 between Marathas and British. Under the treaty Gohad ruler Rana Kirat Singh was given Dhaulpur, Badi and Rajakheda in exchange. Rana Kirat Singh moved to Dhaulpur in December 1805.[11] Sindhias were able to take over Gohad on 27 February 1806 with the help of the British. Thus the Rana Jat rulers of Bamraulia gotra ruled Gohad for 300 years from 1505–1805 and after that their rule was transferred at Dholpur.[12]

British rule and after

After Mughals Rana vansh of Jats become ruler of Dhaulpur, during British Raj, it was part of the Rajputana Agency, till the Independence of India. The former mansion of the ruler of the erstwhile Dholpur State, Kesarbagh palace, now houses the Dholpur Military School, while its official residence in New Delhi, Dholpur House, is used by the Union Public Service Commission.

Tourism and landmarks

Shergarh Fort
Machkund Temple

The prime tourist attractions in Dholpur are:

Economy

The economy of Dhaulpur is primarily agricultural. Dholpur sandstone is mined in the area, which is simply called "Dholpur", and was used in the construction of Rashtrapati Bhavan and Secretariat Building, New Delhi in the 1920s.[13] A gas-based thermal power plant of 330 Megawatt capacity has started working in Dholpur.

Dholpur Combined Power Station is located in Dholpur City and is situated above 7 km from district headquarters on the bari road near Chawani. Based on gas this project is compatively safe in view of environment and water pollution. A 70 Meter high stack has been provided to release fuel gases into the atmosphere so as to disperse the emitted matter over a widespread area. This is a project of Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd. The installed capacity of three units of Dholpur Combined Power Station is 330MW.

Environment

Talab-e-Shahi

Demographics

As of the 2011 census, Dhaulpur municipality had a population of 126,142[1] and the urban agglomeration had a population of 133,229.[2] The municipality had a sex ratio of 862 females per 1,000 males and 13.6% of the population were under six years old.[1] Effective literacy was 76.56%; male literacy was 84.22% and female literacy was 67.74%.[1]

Kesarbagh Palace, now the Dholpur Military School

Education

The notable Dholpur Military School is housed in Kesarbagh Palace, a magnificent mansion of the former ruler of the erstwhile Dholpur State. It is 10.5 kilometres away from Dholpur City and on Dholpur-Bari Road.

Climate

Dholpur is reputed to be the location of the highest recorded temperature in India, at 50 °C on June 3, 1995. The hottest months are May and June, which mark the oppressive summer season. Temperatures in summers are normally higher than 40 °C. Coldest months are December and January where temperatures sometimes reach near-zero and subzero levels. The lowest recorded temperature is -4.3 °C on January 29, 1990.[14]

Climate data for Dholpur
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 32.6
(90.7)		 36.8
(98.2)		 42.8
(109)		 47.3
(117.1)		 49.8
(121.6)		 50.0
(122)		 46.0
(114.8)		 42.2
(108)		 41.7
(107.1)		 41.8
(107.2)		 37.7
(99.9)		 32.6
(90.7)		 50.0
(122)
Record low °C (°F) −4.3
(24.3)		 0.2
(32.4)		 4.0
(39.2)		 11.0
(51.8)		 16.7
(62.1)		 18.4
(65.1)		 20.9
(69.6)		 17.4
(63.3)		 14.9
(58.8)		 8.9
(48)		 3.1
(37.6)		 −3.3
(26.1)		 −4.3
(24.3)
Source: India Meteorological Department[15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011; Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (pdf). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011; Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (pdf). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  3. ↑ Google. "maplandia.com". Google. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "Introduction".
  5. ↑ John Murray (Firm), Edward Backhouse Eastwick -Handbook of the Bengal Presidency, page 370
  6. 1 2 3 John Murray (Firm), Edward Backhouse Eastwick - Handbook of the Bengal Presidency, page 370
  7. ↑ Dholpur The Riyazu-s-Salatin (Gardens of the Sultans), a History of Bengal, by Ghulam Husain Salim 'Zayadpuri'. 1787-8.
  8. ↑ GS Desai:Marathon kaavin Itihas,partIII,p.446-47
  9. 1 2 Dr. Ajay Kumar Agnihotri (1985) : "Gohad ke jaton ka Itihas" (Hindi), p.62
  10. ↑ Dr. Ajay Kumar Agnihotri (1985) : "Gohad ke jaton ka Itihas" (Hindi), p.63
  11. ↑ Dr. Ajay Kumar Agnihotri (1985) : "Gohad ke jaton ka Itihas" (Hindi), p.71
  12. ↑ Dr. Ajay Kumar Agnihotri (1985) : "Gohad ke jaton ka Itihas" (Hindi)
  13. ↑ "The building Blocks of British empire". Hindustan Times. June 7, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Ever recorded Maximum and minimum temperatures upto 2010". India Meteorological Department. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  15. ↑ "Ever recorded Maximum and minimum temperatures upto 2010" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
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