Located in the western Rajasthan and forming a part of the Thar Desert, Barmer is the third largest district by area in the state. The city is famous for wood carving, pottery, embroidery work and ajrak prints. Several festivals are held in Barmer, Most important being the Mallinath Cattle festival which is held at Tilwara village in remembrance of Rawal Mallinath who was founder of Mallani Pargana.
History of Barmer
In the early 13th century, Rao Sihaji, founder of the Rathore clan, conquered this place from the Guhil Rajputs. There is an inscription dated 1295 AD which proves the existence of the Rajput clan in the area in the 13th century. Barmer was under the rule of Maharajakula Sri Samantha Sinha Deva at that time.
In the 14th century, Rajput ruler Jaitmal Rathore built the famous Fort Siwana. The fort is also known as ‘Garh Siwana’. In 1308 AD, Allaudin Khilji attacked the place and the fort came under the Khilji rule. The fort of Siwana was restored by Lutinga Chouhan in the years between 1318 AD and 1320 AD when he was able to defeat the Muslim ruler.
The Name:
In earlier times, the area was known by the name “Mallinath” (मल्लिनाथ) after Mallinath, the son of Rao Salkha. Mallinath is considered a God and still worshiped by Rajputs. The area around the “Luni” river was called “Malani” or “मलानी”, derived from the name Mallinath.
In the 18th century, British rulers adopted the name Barmer or Balmer . The name Barmer is derived from the name of the earlier 13th century ruler Bahada Rao Parmar (Panwar) or Bar Rao Parmar (Panwar), it was named Bahadamer (“The Hill Fort of Bahada”).
Geography of Barmer:
Barmer is located in the western part of the state forming a part of the Thar Desert and has arid, semi-arid type of climate. The longest river in the district is the Luni. It is 480 km in length and drain into the Gulf of Kutch passing through Jalore.
Natural Places of Barmer
Desert National Park
Most of the desert national park lies in Jaisalmer district. The park is habitat of Rajasthan’s state bird Great Indian Bustard.
Mahabar Sand Dunes
Mahabar Sand Dunes are about 5 km away from Barmer which is a sandy site and famous for sunrise and sunset viewing.
Interesting Places:
Panchpadra:
- Construction of oil refinery of 9mppd has been started in Pachpadra in Barmer.
Uttarlai
- Uttarlai, India’s first under ground airbase is situated in Barmer.
Location, Area & Administration:
Barmer district is located between 24,58′ to 26, 32’N Latitudes and 70, 05′ to 72, 52′ E Longitudes. The district is located in western Rajasthan, with Jaisalmer to its North, Jalore on its South, Pali and Jodhpur to its East and Pakistan to its West.
The total area of the district is 28,387 square kilometres.
Administratively, the district is divided into 14 tehsils namely Barmer, Baitu, Chohtan, Dhorimanna, Gida, Gadraroad, Gudhamalani, Ramsar, Samdhari, Sedwa, Shiv, Sindhari, Siwana and Panchpadra.
Barmer Population
According to 2011, the district has population of 26,03,751 with 93.02 percent of population residing in rural areas & 6.98 percent in urban areas. The district had an average literacy rate of 56.53%, with 70% of the males and 40% of females being literate.
Map
How to Reach:
- By Air: The nearest airport is at Jodhpur around 220 km from the city.
- By Train: The city railway station is well connected to Jodhpur, which in turn is well-connected to other major cities of India.
- By Road: State-run buses connect the town with most of the cities in the state including Jodhpur, Jaipur, Udaipur.
