Hin: अजमेर ajamer ‘Invincible Ridge’ [Ajay Meru] City, District Rajasthan. From Ajayaraj or Skt: ajay/ajayya, ‘invincible’; and Hin: meru, ‘mountain’, ‘ridge’. Ajmer was founded by Ajayaraja I in the 7-9thC. It is positioned in a scenic valley surrounded by the...
Hin: अलवर alavar. ‘Salwar Town’ [Salwapur] City, District Rajasthan. Cunningham’s theory is that Alwar is a corruption of Salwapur [→Salwar→Halawar→Alwar] a.k.a. Saubhanagara/Salwanagar, associated with the tribe of Salwas mentioned numerous times in the Mahabharata...
Hin: आमेर amer ‘Ambikeshwar (Mahadev)’ – Fort/City, Rajasthan From Ambikeshwar. Amber Fort and Palace, and the town of Amer, date back to the 10thC. They took on their current form after being re-built and developed by Raja Man Singh I and Jai Singh I in the...
Rajasthan (Raj) Hin: राजस्थान rājasthān ‘Land of Kings’ From Skt: rāj, ‘king’; and Skt: sthāna, ‘country’, ’region’. During British rule, this area was known as Rajputana, land of the Rajputs. The Rajputs [Skt:(raja)putra, ‘sons (of kings’)] are loosely defined as a...
Hin: अरावली arāvalī ‘Line of Jagged Peaks’ – Mountain Range From Skt: ārāvalī, ‘row of awl-shaped hills’ [Skt: ārā, ‘shoemaker’s awl/knife; Skt: āvali, ‘row’, ‘range’]. The mountains stretch 700 km through Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat reaching a...
Hin: बांसवाड़ा bānsavāṛā ‘Bamboo Country’ – City/District, Rajasthan From Bansia, a Bhil tribal chief or Hin: bã̄s/bans, ‘bamboo’ forests; and vāṛā, ‘abode/place with’, ‘settlement’. Banswara is something of a green oasis with an abundance of thick bamboo...
Hin: बाराँ bāran ‘Twelve Towns’ [Varah Nagari] City/District Rajasthan From Hin: bārah, ‘twelve’; and Hin: nagar, ‘city’, ‘town’. In the 14-15thC the Chalukya (a.k.a. Solanki Rajputs) ruled the ‘twelve’ towns that constituted Baran state [Hin: bārah]. Varaha, the...
Hin: बाड़मेर bāramēr ‘Bahada’s Hill Fort’ [Malani, Bahadamer Kot] -City/District, Rajasthan From Bahada; Hin: mer(u), ‘mountain’, ‘ridge’; and Skt/Hin: koṭa, ‘fortress’. Barmer is derived from Bahada Rao Parmar who built Bahadamer Kot in Juna (some 25km away) in the...
Hin: भरतपुर bharatapūra ‘Bharat’s City’ [Bhurtpore] City/District, Rajasthan From Bharata and Skt: pura, ‘fort’, ‘city’. The city, founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1733, is named after Bharat, the half-brother of Rama who served as the king of Ayodhya during the...
Hin: भीलवाड़ा bhilavāṛā ‘Bhil Country’ City/District, Rajasthan From Bhil tribe and Hin: vāṛā, ‘abode’, ‘settlement’, ‘colony’. Bhil are tribal people found in western and central India. According to legend Bhils from this region were allies of Maharan Pratap...
Hin: बीकानेर bikānēr ‘Bika’s Grove’ [Bikanagar] City/District, Rajasthan From Bika and Skt: nagar(a)→ner, ‘town, ‘settlement’. Rao Bika, one of Rao Jodha’s sons, the founder of Jodhpur, built Bikaner in the 15thC in an arid wilderness called Jangladesh...
Hin: बूंदी bundī ‘Narrow Passage’ [Bunda-ka-Nal, Boondi] – City/District, Rajasthan From Hin: band/bund, ‘narrow’; Hin: nal, ‘passage’, ‘channel’. Bundi is situated, like an oasis, in a narrow passage in a valley in the Aravalli Hills. Bundi lies north-east...
Hin: चित्तौड़गढ़ c(h)ittōṛagaṛh ‘Chitranga’s Fort’ [Chitrakuta] – City/District, Rajasthan From Chitrangada and Hin/Skt: gaṛh, kuṭa/koṭa, ‘fort’. Chitrangada, a Mauryan ruler, founded Chittorgarh in the 3rdC, although mythology connects the fort to the...
Hin: चूरू c(h)urū ‘Churuman’s City’ – City/District, Rajasthan King Churaman, a Rajput, founded Chura in the Jangladesh region [Skt: jangala, ‘desert’; Skt: deśa, ‘country’] in 1620. Thereafter ii was ruled by Rathore Rajputs and then became part of Bikaner...
Hin: धौलपुर dhaulapur ‘Dhaulya City’ – City/District, Rajasthan Dhawalpuri. From Dhaulya and Skt: puri, ‘town’, ‘city’. The Dhaulyas (also Dhauliya, Dholya, Dhavala, Dholia) are a clan of Jats (a non-elite pastoral community in north and west India) who ruled...
Hin: डूंगरपुर duṅgārapur ‘Dungar’s City’ – City/District, Rajasthan From Dungar(ia) and Skt: pura, ‘fort’, ‘city’. The chiefs of Dungarpur are descended from Mahup of Mewar state (centred around Udaipur) in the 12thC. After being disinherited by his father,...
Hin: हनुमानगढ़ hanumānagaṛh ‘Hanuman Fort’ [Bhatner] – City/District, Rajasthan From Hanuman and Hin: gaṛḥ, ‘(hill) fort’ Bhatner, the city’s previous name, came from the Bhati rajputs who ruled here [from Bhati and Skt: nagar→ner, ‘city’] and built...
Hin: जयपुर jayapur ‘Jai Singh’s City’ [Jeypore] City/District, Capital, Rajasthan From Skt/Hin: [Jai Singh II] jay/jaya, ‘victory’ and Skt: pura, ‘fort’, ‘city’. Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan. It is the largest city of India’s largest state, and was India’s...
Hin: जैसलमेर jaisalamer ‘Jaisal’s Ridge’ – City/District, Rajasthan From Jaisal and Hin: meru, ‘mountain’, ‘ridge’. Rawal Jaisal, a Bhati Rajput ruler, founded the city and state of Jaisalmer in the 12thC. He moved here from Lodurva because the city had water...
Hin: जालौर jālaur ‘Jabal’s Town’ [Jabalipura, Suvarngiri/Songir] – City, District, Rajasthan From Jalandhar/Jabal and Skt: pur →or/ore, ‘fort’, ‘town’. Jalore as a fort and a town dates back to the 8-9thC. There is a temple to the west of the town on...
Hin: झालावाड़ jhālāvād ‘Jhala’s City’ City/District, Rajasthan From Jhala and Skt: pura→wara, ‘fort, ‘city’. Jhalawar was founded by Jhala Zalim Singh, the Rajput Dewan of Kota State (90km away), in the late 18thC as a military barracks to defend his territories...
Hin: झुन्झुनू jhun̄jhunū ‘Jhunjhar’s Town’ City/District, Rajasthan From Jhunjhar or Jujhar Singh This is an interesting one. The reduplication implies a repetitive rattle or ‘jingle-jangle [Hin: jhun-jhunā, ‘rattling toy’, ‘rattle’; Skt:...
Hin: जोधपुर jōdhpūr ‘Jodha’s City’ City, District, Rajasthan From Jodha and Skt: pura, ‘fort’, ‘city’. Rao Jodha, a Rathore Rajput, founded Jodhpur in 1459. It was the capital of his Marwar kingdom [from Hin: maru, ‘desert’; and wara, ‘abode’, ‘settlement’]. The...
Hin: करौली karaulī ‘Kali’s City’ [Karoli, Kerowlee].City, District, Rajasthan From Kali/Kalyan and Skt: puri→-auli, ‘town’, ‘city’. The surprising corruption of the name [Kalyanpuri →Karauli] is, in fact, quite regular: ‘l’ and ‘r’ are interchangeable , and the ‘p’...
Hin: किशनगढ़ kiśanagaṛh ‘Kishan’s Fort’ City, Rajasthan From Kishan and Hin: gaṛh, ‘(hill) fort’. The fort city was built by Kishan Singh in 1611. It later became the capital of the princely state of Kishangarh under British rule after 1818. Kishangarh is a centre...
Hin: कोटा kota ‘Fort’ [Kotah] City/District, Rajasthan From Kotya, a Bhil tribal chief or Skt: koṭa, ‘fort’, ‘stronghold’ The tall ramparts, six gateways and twenty-five towers of Kota Fort loom over the Chambal river. It is said that Jait Singh laid the foundations...
Hin: लुनि luni ‘Salt River’ Town, river, Rajasthan From Skt: lavaṇa, ‘salt’, ‘sea-salt’; and Skt: vahatī, ‘river’. Luni is situated on the banks of the Luni river (495km), the longest river in the Thar Desert flowing from Ajmer to the Rann of Kutch. It flows through...
Hin: मरुस्थली marusthalī ‘Desert Land’ Region, Rajasthan From Skt: maru, ‘arid tract’, ‘sandy waste’, ‘desert’; Skt: sthala, ‘land’, ‘place’. Marusthali is a 62,000 sq. km region north of the Luni River which forms the sand-dune-covered...
Hin: मेवाड़ा mēvāṛā ‘Abode of the Medas’ Region, Rajasthan Medas and Hin: vāṛā, ‘place (belonging to)’, ‘colony’, ‘settlement’. Mewar or Mewad is a region in the south-central part of Rajasthan state of India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara,...
Hin: माउंट आबू mā’uṇṭ ābū ‘Serpent Forest Mountain’ [Arbudaranya. Arbuda-anchal] Hill Station, town, Rajasthan From Skt: arbuda, ‘snake’, ‘(name of a) serpent-demon’; and Skt: araṇya, ‘forest’; or Hin: anchal, ‘region’. In ancient times Mt Abu was called...
Hin: नागौर nāgaur ‘Naga’s City’ City/District, Rajasthan From Naga and Skt: pur(i)→-aur, ‘town’, ‘city’. Nagapura was founded by Nag Rajputs, a warrior clan claiming descent from the Nagas, a snake-worshipping tribe in ancient India, who used the serpent as their...
Hin: पाली pālī ‘Village’ [Pallika and Palli] – City/District, Rajasthan From Skt/Dra: palli, ‘village’, ‘hamlet’. It’s not a village now and it’s even been nicknamed the ‘Industrial City’. Its industries are textiles (it has Rajasthan’s largest cotton mill),...
Guj: પાલીતાણા pālītāṇā ‘Sanctuary’ [Padliptpur] -Temple town, Gujarat. From Padlipt and Skt: pura, ‘fort’, ‘city’; or pālita, ‘protected’ and ayana→ana, ‘place’, ‘abode’. 1,008 Jain temples sit in a cluster on top of Shatrunjaya Hill, a place where you can...
Hin: प्रतापगढ़ pratāpagaṛh ‘Pratrap’s Fort’ [Partabgarh] – City/District, Rajasthan From Pratap [Skt/Hin: pratāpa, glorious, dignified, mighty] and Hin: gaṛh, ‘fort’. Rajkumar Pratapsingh built Pratapgarh in 1698 near the older Devgarh Fort and...
Hin: पुष्कर pushkar ‘Blue Lotus’ – City, Rajasthan From Skt: puṣkara, ‘blue lotus-flower’ [Nelumbium Speciosum or Nymphaea Nelumbo]. Pushkar is famous for the Kartik Mela, the annual Camel Fair featuring thousands of camels, horses and heads of cattle; and...
Hin: राजसमन्द rājasamand ‘Raj Lake’ [Rajsamudra] – City/District, Rajasthan From: Skt/Hin: samudra/samand(ar), ‘sea’, ‘ocean’. Rajsamand is named after an artificial lake created here in the 17th century by Rana Raj Singh of Mewar. The lake, at the foot of...
Hin: रणकपुर ranakapur ‘Rana’s Town’ Village/Temple Complex, Rajasthan From Rana K(umbha) and Skt: pura, ‘fort’, ‘city’. Ranakpur has a stunning 15thC Jain temple complex with 1,444 intricately carved marble pillars (each one unique) dedicated to Adinath, the first...
Hin: सवाई माधोपुर savā’ī mādhōpūra ‘Sawai Madho’s City’ -City/District, Rajasthan This is a planned city, built in the 18thC by Sawai Madho Singh I, a Jaipur maharaja. Ranthambore National Park, only 7km away, was originally called the Sawai Madhopur Game...
Hin: शाहपुरा shāhapurā ‘Shah Jahan’s City’ -Town, Rajasthan From Shah Jahan and and Skt: pura, ‘fort’, ‘city’. The Phulia Estate was given to Sujan Singh in 1629 in recognition of his services to the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan. He immediately renamed it after his...
Hin: सिरोही sirōhī ‘End of the Desert’ -City.District Rajasthan From Hin: sir, ‘head’, ‘end’; and Raj: rōhī, ‘jungle’, ‘desert’. Rao Sobhaji founded the town of Shivpuri in the 15thC on Siranwa Hill. Later, his son Sehastramal built a fort on the same hill. The fort...
Hin: सीकर sīkar ‘Shekha’s Estate’ [Thikana Sikar, Shekhawati] – City/District, Rajasthan From Shekha and Skt: ṭhikānā, ‘estate’, ‘region’. Maha Rao Shekha (a.k.a. Shaikha) was a 15th-C chieftain. The Shekhawati or Thikana Sikar region (which includes Sikar,...
Hin: श्रीगंगानग śrīgaṅgānagara ‘Ganga Singh’s City’ – City/District, Rajasthan From Sri Ganga (Singh) and Hin/Skt: nagar, ‘city’. Sri Ganganagar is a planned city named after Shri Ganga Singh Bahadur (1880–1943), Maharaja of Bikaner. The...
Hin: टोंक tonk Town/District, Rajasthan (1) Taank/Tak/Tak is a Jat clan associated with the ancient tribe of Nagas. The name Tonk, dating from ancient times, may originate with them. (2) Stories tell that Raja Man Singh, king of Jaipur, conquered Tari and Tokra...
Hin: उदयपुर udayapur ‘Udai Singh’s City’ City/District, Rajasthan From Udai (Singh) and Skt: pura, ‘fort’, ‘city’. Udai Singh founded Udaipur in 1558. He had been advised that a Newar capital built here would be invincible. Udaipur was the capital of Mewar state...
