History of Rajasthan: From Prehistory to Integration — Practice

Question 1

Write a short note on Kalibangan.

Accepted Answer

Kalibangan, in Hanumangarh district, is a Harappan site excavated by B. K. Thapar and B. B. Lal. It is known for a ploughed field, fire altars and a town divided into citadel and lower town. It shows Harappan settlement on the Ghaggar-Hakra plain in present-day Rajasthan.

Question 2

Why is 30 March celebrated as Rajasthan Day?

Accepted Answer

On 30 March 1949 Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer merged with the existing union to form Greater Rajasthan, with Jaipur as capital. It was the decisive step in the state's formation.

Question 3

Explain the importance of Rana Kumbha of Mewar.

Accepted Answer

Rana Kumbha (1433-68) strengthened Mewar militarily and culturally. He built the Vijay Stambh at Chittorgarh to mark his victory and fortified Kumbhalgarh, and is credited with patronising scholarship and music. His reign made Mewar the leading Rajput power of his time.

Question 4

Describe the land tenure system in princely Rajasthan.

Accepted Answer

Land was held under khalsa (state-controlled, with revenue paid to the treasury), jagir (grants to nobles for service) and sasan (tax-free grants to religious institutions). Revenue was collected by methods such as batai, a crop share, and kankut, an estimate of the standing crop. Additional levies (lag-bag) and forced labour (begar) burdened peasants and caused movements such as Bijolia.

Question 5

What was the role of Kota in the revolt of 1857?

Accepted Answer

In October 1857 soldiers and townsmen under Lala Jaidayal and Mehrab Khan rose in Kota, killed the British agent Major Burton and held the city for months. It was one of the most sustained risings in Rajputana and was suppressed only in March 1858.

Question 6

Write a note on the Bijolia peasant movement.

Accepted Answer

Beginning in 1897 in Bijolia, Mewar, the movement opposed heavy land revenue, levies and begar imposed by the jagirdar. It was led by Sitaram Das and, from 1916, by Vijay Singh Pathik, with later support from Manikya Lal Verma. It lasted decades and was settled in 1941 through negotiation with the state, making it one of India's longest peasant movements.

Question 7

Describe the integration of Rajasthan in stages. (~150 words)

Accepted Answer

Rajasthan was formed in seven stages. The Matsya Union (Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Karauli) came first on 18 March 1948, followed by the Rajasthan Union around Kota on 25 March 1948 and United Rajasthan, with Udaipur joining, on 18 April 1948. On 30 March 1949 Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer joined to form Greater Rajasthan, with Jaipur as capital and Hiralal Shastri leading the government; this date is Rajasthan Day. The Matsya Union merged on 15 May 1949 and Sirohi in January 1950. On 1 November 1956 the States Reorganisation Act added Ajmer-Merwara, Abu Road and Sunel Tappa, moved Sironj to Madhya Pradesh and ended the Rajpramukh. The process combined princely accession, popular pressure through the Praja Mandals and mediation by the Union government.

Question 8

Discuss the tribal movements of southern Rajasthan. (~150 words)

Accepted Answer

Southern Rajasthan's Bhil and Garasia communities resisted feudal exploitation, forced labour and forest restrictions. Govind Giri (Guru) organised the Sampsabha, a reform and social movement, from 1883, and its rally at Mangarh Hill on 17 November 1913 ended in a massacre by state and British forces, with many hundreds killed. Motilal Tejawat led the Eki, or Bhomat, movement in 1921-22 against high land revenue and levies, and the Nimchana massacre of 1922 marked its suppression. Both movements combined social reform, economic grievance and political assertion, and both were repressed by force. They show how tribal communities, and not only Rajput peasants, shaped Rajasthan's freedom struggle, and they influenced later Praja Mandal politics in the region.

Practice — History of Rajasthan: From Prehistory to Integration

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