Idar, Gujarat

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Idar
town
Idar hills.jpg
Idar hills
India Gujarat location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Idar
Location in Gujarat, India
Coordinates: 23°50′20″N73°00′07″E / 23.839°N 73.002°E / 23.839; 73.002
CountryFlag of India.svg  India
State Gujarat
District Sabarkantha district
Founded byShrinivash Vanzara
Elevation
195 m (640 ft)
Population
 (2001)
  Total
295,971
Languages
  Official Gujarati, Hindi
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)

Idar is a town in Sabarkantha district, Gujarat, India. It is known for the manufacture of handmade wooden toys, tiles, its temples and various beautiful architectural monuments on its hills, and its historical background. Idar is at the southern end of the Aravalli Range.

Contents

Etymology

Idar Bus Station Idar GSRTC Bus Depo.jpg
Idar Bus Station

Idar was historically named Ilvadurg, which means the fortress of Ilvan. Its name was later corrupted into Idar. [1] [2] It was mentioned in Padma Purana as well as in the Mahabharata as Ila. [3]

History

Idar in map of Mahi Kantha Agency, British India, 1878 Mahi Kantha Agency British India map 1878.jpg
Idar in map of Mahi Kantha Agency, British India, 1878

Legends

The town is mentioned in Mahabharata and Bhavishottar Puran as 'Ilvadurg'. The exact date of its origin is not known; but it is believed that it came into existence at the time when Yudhishthira was ruling over Hastinapur at the end of the Kurukshetra War of Mahabharata. [2]

According to tradition, Idar has been celebrated from the earliest times. Even in the past cycle, yuga , it was known, and in the present cycle, before the days of Vikram, the legendary king Veni Vachh Raj ruled at Idar, the possessor of a golden figure which helped him to build the hillfort and its reservoirs. His queen was a Nagputri, the daughter of a snake-king of the under world, whither, the legend says, she and her consort betook themselves when the queen found that men were mortal. [4]

Ancient history

The first clear tradition shows Idar in the possession of Bhils. Raja Mandlik Bhil was King of Ider. After the fall of Vallabhi in 770, Kamalavati or Pushpavati, one of the wives of Maitraka king Shiladitya was at Ambaji to fulfil a vow. She heard news and took refuge in a cave in the mountains and there gave birth to a son called Gruhaditya or 'Goha', meaning cave-born. [5] Making over the child to a Brahmin woman, the queen followed her husband through the fire. The young prince, of a daring character and adventurous spirit, soon passed out of his guardian's hands, and joining the Idar Bhils was by them chosen king. Whether in sport or earnest, the election was real, and for several generations his successors ruled in Idar. At last Nagaditya or Aparajita the eighth prince was killed by his subjects. He left a son named Bappa Rawal who never succeeded to his father's chiefship, but became the founder of Mewar dynasty. [6] The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang (640) mentions a place which he calls O-clia-li, the Chinese way of writing Vadali, a village nearby. British General Cunningham identified this place with Idar. He further noted that in the eleventh century Vadali or Vadari was the capital of a family of chiefs claiming descent from Raja Bhara Gupta, whom the General believed to be the same as the above-mentioned Bappa. According to tradition, Idar was refounded by Parihar Rajputs, who, subject to Chittor, ruled there for several generations. Towards the close of the twelfth century, the Idar chief took part with Prithviraj Chauhan, king of Delhi, against the Ghurid Sultanate and was killed in the Battles of Tarain (1192). Idar then fell into the hands of a Bhil [7] king named Hathi Sord who founded the Sord dynasty and was succeeded by his son Samalio Bhil. The latter was killed by a Rathod prince named Sonangji, who took occupied Idar, and became the founder of the dynasty of the Raos who ruled there for several generations. After numerous changes of fortune and many struggles with the Muslims, the Raos had at last to leave Idar, and were, in 1728, succeeded by the Rathod dynasty from Marwar. [4]

Modern history

Raja Anand Singh, with the help of his brother Rai Singh and a few horseman from Palanpur and the Kolis of Gadhwara, he established himself in Idar without difficulty in 1728 or 1729. He died in 1753. Then HH Maharaja Rajendra Singh became the ruler of princely state of Idar. [8] In 1924 it was made part of the Western India States Agency. It was transferred to the Rajputana states in the early 1940s. In 1949 it was dissolved and split between Sabarkantha and Mehsana districts which were at that point in Bombay State. [9] Both these districts became part of Gujarat when it was formed in 1960.

Notable people

Pratap Singh in 1914 Pratap Singh of Idar 1914.jpg
Pratap Singh in 1914

Geography

Sir Pratap High School Sir Pratap High School Idar2.jpg
Sir Pratap High School

Idar is located at 23°50′N73°00′E / 23.83°N 73.0°E / 23.83; 73.0 . [11] It has an average elevation of 195 metres (639 feet). Idar is home to the very scenic and beautiful mountains with round shaped grey or red granite rocks.

Climate

Idar has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) with a very long dry season and a moderate wet season. Daytime temperatures are high throughout the year, but nighttime temperatures can dip below 10 °C (50 °F) in the dry season.

Highest recorded temperature:48.5 °C (119.3 °F) on 22 May 2010 [12]
Lowest recorded temperature:4.8 °C (40.6 °F) on 22 January 1962 [12]

Climate data for Idar (1991–2020, extremes 1957–2020)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)35.5
(95.9)
39.5
(103.1)
44.5
(112.1)
46.8
(116.2)
48.5
(119.3)
47.2
(117.0)
41.4
(106.5)
38.8
(101.8)
41.5
(106.7)
41.1
(106.0)
39.1
(102.4)
37.0
(98.6)
48.5
(119.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)28.7
(83.7)
31.2
(88.2)
36.5
(97.7)
39.9
(103.8)
41.3
(106.3)
38.7
(101.7)
33.1
(91.6)
31.6
(88.9)
33.4
(92.1)
36.3
(97.3)
33.6
(92.5)
30.4
(86.7)
34.6
(94.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)13.8
(56.8)
16.1
(61.0)
20.7
(69.3)
24.3
(75.7)
26.4
(79.5)
26.7
(80.1)
25.5
(77.9)
24.7
(76.5)
24.4
(75.9)
23.2
(73.8)
19.7
(67.5)
15.2
(59.4)
21.7
(71.1)
Record low °C (°F)4.8
(40.6)
5.1
(41.2)
9.0
(48.2)
13.0
(55.4)
15.0
(59.0)
15.0
(59.0)
16.0
(60.8)
18.0
(64.4)
17.0
(62.6)
11.0
(51.8)
10.0
(50.0)
7.7
(45.9)
4.8
(40.6)
Average rainfall mm (inches)0.6
(0.02)
0.7
(0.03)
0.5
(0.02)
1.8
(0.07)
3.5
(0.14)
69.9
(2.75)
291.1
(11.46)
259.3
(10.21)
147.5
(5.81)
16.1
(0.63)
0.2
(0.01)
0.6
(0.02)
791.9
(31.18)
Average rainy days0.10.00.00.10.23.210.310.65.80.80.10.131.3
Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST)32302121244265715937343538
Source: India Meteorological Department [13] [14] [15]

Economy

Idar is a region which has become a hub for cotton ginning and processing. It also has a very strong network of dairy co-operatives which helps it stay firm on an economic footing in years where the rains are not good.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, [16] Idar had a population of 29,567. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Idar has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 75%, and female literacy is 61%. 13% of Idar's population is under 6 years of age.

Jain, Brahmins, Patel, Mansuri, Darbar, Suthar (Mistry), Vaishnav Vaniya, Desai, Darji, Soni (goldsmiths), Vankars, and Thuri community live here.[ citation needed ]

Places of interest

Panorama of Idar City.jpg
360° panorama of Idar hills
Idar clock tower Clock Tower Idar Gujarat.jpg
Idar clock tower

Main temples

Rani Talav with Jain temple in the centre Greenery of idar.jpg
Rani Talav with Jain temple in the centre
Shrimad Rajchandra Vihar Shrimad Rajchandra Vihar Idar2.jpg
Shrimad Rajchandra Vihar

See also

References

  1. Inamdar, P. A. (1936). Some Archaeological Finds in the Idar State. Department of Archaeology, Idar State. p. 9.
  2. 1 2 Man Singh (Maharaja of Jaipur) (1967). A history of the Indian state forces. Orient Longmans.
  3. Trivedi, M.R., ed. (1991). Gujarat State Gazetter. Vol. II. Gandhinagar: Government of Gujarat. pp. 554–555. OCLC   26504060.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Cutch, Pálanpur, and Mahi Kántha (Public Domain text). Government Central Press. 1880. pp. 434–435.
  5. Naravane, M. S. (1999). The Rajputs of Rajputana: A Glimpse of Medieval Rajasthan. APH Publishing. pp. 24–. ISBN   978-81-7648-118-2.
  6. Wright, Arnold (1922). Indian States: A Biographical, Historical, and Administrative Survey. Asian Educational Services. pp. 120–. ISBN   978-81-206-1965-4.{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  7. Gujarat (India) (1974). Gazetteers: Sabarkantha District. Directorate of Government Print., Stationery and Publications.
  8. uqconnect.net/~zzhsoszy/ips/i/idar.html
  9. Columbia-Lippincott Gazetteer, p. 824
  10. 1 2 "Jnanpith Laureates Official listings". Jnanpith Website. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007.
  11. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc – Idar
  12. 1 2 "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020: Idar-42651" (XLSX). ncei.noaa.gov. NOAA . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  13. "Climatological Tables of Observatories in India 1991-2020" (PDF). India Meteorological Department . Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  14. "Station: Idar Climatological Table 1981–2010" (PDF). Climatological Normals 1981–2010. India Meteorological Department. January 2015. pp. 333–334. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  15. "Extremes of Temperature & Rainfall for Indian Stations (Up to 2012)" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. December 2016. p. M54. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  16. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  17. 1 2 3 Desai, Anjali H. (2007). India Guide Gujarat. India Guide Publications. p. 188. ISBN   978-0-9789517-0-2.
  18. Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Cutch, Pálanpur, and Mahi Kántha. Government Central Press. 1880. p. 356.