प्रतापगढ़ की प्रमुख तस्वीरे
प्रतापगढ़ का प्रशासकीय संघठन
प्रतापगढ़ का मानचित्र
प्रतापगढ़ के पर्यटन स्थल
प्रतापगढ़ की सांख्यिकीय रूपरेखा
प्रतापगढ़ के महत्वपूर्ण नम्बर

Pratapgarh

Pratapgarh district is the 33rd district of Rajasthan, created on 26 January 2008. It is a part of Udaipur Division and has been carved out from the erstwhile tehsils of Chittorgarh, Udaipur and Banswara districts. Pratapgarh town (Pin Code 312605, STD Code 01478) is the administrative headquarters of the district. As of 2011 it is the second least populous district of Rajasthan (out of 33), after Jaisalmer.

                                                                                                    

Pratapgarh

Coordinates 24.03°N 74.78°E
Country  India
State Rajasthan
District(s) Pratapgarh
Population 8,68,231(2011)
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
• Elevation 491 metres (1610 feet)

Codes

• Pincode 312605
• Telephone 01478
• Vehicle RJ-35
   

History

In the 14th Century Chittorgarh was ruled by Maharana Kumbha. Due to some dispute with his younger brother Kshemkarn he expelled him out of his territory. Kshemkarn's family took sharan (refuge) in the Aravali ranges in South Rajasthan. His son Rajkumar Surajmal conquered the adivasis of Devgarh and became the ruler of Devgarh (which is 45 kilometers from Mandsaur in 1514. This raj later came to be known as Pratapgarh raj. As the environment of Devgarh was not found to be suitable by the royal family, one of the descendents of Raja Surajmal, Rajkumar Pratapsingh started to build a new town near Devgarh in 1698 and named it as Pratapgarh. As Pratapgarh started developing the old capital of Devgarh started getting neglected. The famous royal palace of Devgarh wore a deserted look and started getting deteriorated. On the other hand Rajkumar Udaysinghji built a new palace in Pratapgarh in the year 1867 on the lines of those built by the Britishers and started living there. He then started getting involved in the development of Pratapgarh regularly. Pratapgarh also have good scope of Eco Tourism. The Sita Mata wild Life Sanctuary encompasses good fauna and Flora; if you are lucky you can spot Flying squirrel, Black Naped Monarch Lesser Florican etc.

Geography

Pratapgarh is newest constituted district in rajasthan state.It came into existancce on 26th janurary 2008 as 33rd district of Rajasthan. It was carved out from Chittorgarh, Udaipur & Banswara district. Pratapgarh is situated in the southeastern part of Rajasthan in Chittorgarh district. The area adjoins Udaipur and Bhilwara districts of Rajasthan and Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh.It is situated in the junction of the Aravali mountain ranges and the Malwa Plateau; hence the characteristics of both prominently feature in the area.Pratapgarh is located at 24.03° North & 74.78° East.It has an average elevation of 491 meters(1610 feet). Well known for pure gold and glass-inlay handmade unique jewelry called "Thewa". 

Location

Pratapgarh is located at 24.03° N 74.78° E with an average elevation of 580 meters (1610 feet above mean sea level). It is said to be the second highest place  in Rajasthan after Mount Abu. Situated on the junction of the Aravali mountain ranges and the Malwa Plateau its unique location prominently carries the geological characteristics of these both.


Area
The geographical area of Pratapgarh is 4,11,736 hectares, out of which forest area is 1,20,976 hectares (2009-'10).

Climate, Soil, Topography and Minrels

The average annual rainfall is 856 mm. The soil is mainly highly fertile Black Cotton Soil made of magma of volcanos. The major rivers of the district are Jakham, Mahi, and Siwana or shiv. Other seasonal rivers are Som, Era, and Karmoi. Out of five, four sub divisions except Chhoti Sadri, are notified forest blocks, where no major industry or mining activity is allowed under law. However, in non-forest regions of Chhoti Sadri (and part of Pratapgarh and Dhariyawad), small scale mining activities are in operation extracting mainly red ochre, calcite, dolomite, quartz, feldspar and soapstone. Marble, Building-stone and Limestone are also available in small quantities.

Culture

Rich in natural beauty and an ideal blend of Malwa, Mewar and Vagad cultures, Pratapgarh known in earlier times as ‘Kanthal’, is surrounded by Udaipur, Banswada, Chittaurgarh districts of Rajasthan and Neemach and, Mandsaur districts of Madhya Pradesh (MP). The people of this region are more linked with MP for social obligations than other parts of Rajasthan, because Neemuch, Mandsaur and Ratlam districts of MP surround Pratapgarh boundaries in about 60% length.
The district includes habitants of all sects, religions and castes including Bhil, Balai, Bhanti, Dhholi, Patidar, Rajput, Brahmin, Mahajan, Sunar, Darzi, Chamar, Luhar, Suthar, Nai, Dhobi, Koli, and above all Mina; major occupants are traditional Meena tribals, exclusively dependent on agriculture, animal husbandry and forestry, who have their own culture, attire, dialect, rituals, fairs and festivals. A good number of native Bohra families are engaged in overseas trading and business in Middle East countries.
The major attractions of the district are Sita Mata Wildlife Sanctuary and Jakham Dam, however, large number of visitors and pilgrims do visit the old temples at Ambamata Shaktipeethh, Bhanwarmata, Gautameshwara Mahadev Paapmochan Teertha, Sholi Hanuman Temple, Deepeshwar Mandir and many other temples. The magnificent Tomb (Dargah ) of Saiyadi Kaka Saheb is also a popular destination, especially amongst Daudee Bohra community of Muslims, who gather here in large numbers on the occasion of Annual Urs of Saiyadi Kaka Saheb.

The major fairs of this region are- Ambamata Fair, Sita Mata Fair, Gautameshwara Fair (on 'Vaishak-Poornima') and Bhanwar Mata Fair. Fairs on stipulated dates are also held in small places like Shaulee-Hanumanjee, Gangeshwara-Parsola, Manaa-Gaon, and Gupteshwara Mahadev in and around Pratapgarh.

Although all major Hindu festivals like Diwali, Govardhan Puja, Holi, 'Rang-Teras','Raksha Bandhan', 'Mahashivratri', 'Hanuman Jayanti' and 'Vijayadashami' etc. are celebrated in Pratapgarh, yet 'Sharad Navratri' and 'Vasant Navratri' both are also celebrated in the city with fun and floric. "Doondhotsava" is celebrated on Holi. The people of city do not celebrate "Dhulendi' on the following day after Holi, as done all over India, but color holi is celebrated thireen days after on the hindu day of "Rang Teras". 'Gair'-Dancers can be seen all over the villages during 'Dashaamaataa' festival. A procession of folk-God Baba Ramdevji is a regular feature on 'Bhag-Dashmee Teej'. 'Sheetalaa Saptmee' is also observed in the district, when only "Makki-Dhoklas" (cooked before a day prior to the festival) are consumed. Some tribals have a tradition of 'second marriage' as an approved social-custom.
Like many other places in the region, the most prominent custom is "Mautana", where as a social-penalty, (mostly in accidental death-cases), heavy cash-fine is imposed on the culprit/s in favor of family of victim and his community. Before any auspecious event, people do organize Gangoj, Ratri-Jagarnaa and also obtain a Paatee (clearance) from 'Devra'- a temple of local God/s.
The prominent language of this region is Hindi, however, "Kanthhalee-Bolee" composed of words from Malwi, Mewari and Vagdee (local dilects) is commonly spoken in villages.

Amongst the local Hindi writers that Pratapgarh has produced, 'Pardeshi' (1923–1977) (Real Name : Mannalal Sharma) was a well known literary figure. 'Pardeshi' indeed was a prolific writer with a contribution of 15 novels, 16 poetry-collections, 8 books for children, 5 story-collections, 3 dramas, and 14 translated books in Hindi. A small public-park, in his memory has been built at Pratapgarh by the local Municipality. However, local people consider Hemant Shesh as also their 'own writer-poet' and celebrate his contribution in various forms and on various occasions. Although the local tribals make different bamboo handicrafts for themselves, the most notable craft evolved by traditional goldsmiths (Raj-sonis) of Pratapgarh is precious jewelry Thewa which is in great demand amongst modern ladies in India and abroad.

 

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