Nagaur District, Rajasthan :

Nagaur District is the fifth largest district in the state of Rajasthan. It has a long history, dating back to the era of the Mahabharata. Nagaur is renowned for the Makarana marble found here.

Nagaur district is situated in the heart of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is a part of the great Indian Thar desert. The district has a long historical legacy, going back to the time of the Mahabharata. It is believed that Nagaur was once a part of Ahichhatrapur which Arjun had offered to his Guru Dronacharya. The climate of the district of Nagaur is dry and hot, with agriculture being the chief source of livelihood of the people. There are a number of places of tourist interest located in the district of Nagaur of both religious as well as historical significance, such as forts and temples. A brief glimpse into the life, structure and functioning of Nagaur district is provided below. 
Location :

Nagaur District is situated between 26 degrees 25 minutes and 27 degrees 40 minutes North Latitude and 73 degrees 10 minutes and 75 degrees 15 minutes East Longitude. It is situated amidst seven districts namely Bikaner, Churu, Sikar, Jaipur, Ajmer, Pali and Jodhpur. Nagaur is the fifth largest district in the state of Rajasthan with a vast terrain spreading over 17,718 Sq.Kms. Its geographical spread is a combination of plains, hills, sand mounds and as such it is a part of the great Thar Desert in India. The present district of Nagaur finds a place in the heart of the Rajasthan state. 

History :

Glorified by the bards, the history of Nagaur finds mention even in the Mahabharata. The kingdom of Ahichhatrapur which Arjun is said to have conquered and subsequently offered to his Guru Dronacharya, was perhaps some of the area of the Nagaur district. The birth place of Meera and Abul Fazl, Nagaur district has a charbhuja and Parsawanath Temple at Merta and the Dargah of Sufi Saint Tarkin at Nagaur city. Nagaur also witnessed the valour of the Great Rao Amar Singh Rathor who challenged the rulers of the mighty Mughal dynasty. The large old Fort has many glorious tales of bravery of the erstwhile rulers of the states. 

Nagaur remained under Mughal control, but was actually administered by one of the nearby Rajput rulers. In the time of Shah Jahan the heir of the Jodhpur throne, Amar Singh Rathore was disinherited by his father and was granted Nagaur as compensation by the Mughal Emperor. Many of the buildings in the town date from this period. During Aurangzeb’s war against the Rathors in 1679 the headship of the clan was given to Indra Singh (nephew of the dead Maharaja Jaswant Singh) of Nagaur—but he was overthrown by Jaswant's son Ajit Singh and his general Durgadas who permanently annexed Nagaur to the Kingdom of Jodhpur.
 

Geography:

Geography of Nagaur District is a combination of plains, hills and sand mounds as it is a part of the great Thar Desert in India located in West Indian state- Rajasthan. 

Extension of Nagaur District :

In terms of size, Nagaur district ranks fifth among the different districts of Rajasthan. The vast terrain of the district spreads over a total area of over 17,718 Sq Kms. 
Nagaur has a dry climate with a hot summer. Sand storms are common in summer. The climate of the district is marked by extreme dryness, large variations of temperature and highly variable rainfall. The mercury keeps on rising intensely from March till June. These are the hottest months. The average temperature of the district is 23.5 degrees Celsius. The winter season extends from mid November till the beginning of March. Rainy season is of a short duration, from July to mid September. The average rainfall in the district is 36.16 cm and the humidity stands at 51.5 percent. 

Demography :

The district comprises of 1596 Revenue Estates (Villages), out of which Merta, Deedwana, Makarana, Parbatsar and Kuchaman are the major towns of the district. The total area of the district is 17,718 Sq.Kms, out of which 17,448.5 Sq.Kms is rural and 269.5 Sq. Kms is urban. As per the 2001 census, the population of the district is 27,75,058 (4,77,337 urban and 22,97,721 rural population) which is 4.91 percent of the total population of the state. The density of population in the district is 157, as against 165 of Rajasthan as a whole. 12, 87,921 persons of the district are literate, out of which 10, 21,314 are rural and 2,66,607 are urban, which makes it 58.26 percent of the total population. Out of this literate population 75.33 percent are males and 40.45 percent are females. 

Places of Interest :

There are a number of places of tourist interest located in the district of Nagaur. Most of these places have a great history behind them, and date back to ancient times of dynastic rule.

Nagaur Fort  : (Ahhichatragarh or Fort of the Hooded Cobra) was one of the first Muslim strongholds in northern India and one of the finest examples of Rajput-Mughal architecture. Built in the early 12th century and repeatedly altered over subsequent centuries, it witnessed many battles. Underwent major renovations in 2007. 90 fountains are now running in the gardens and buildings. The fort’s buildings and spaces, both external and internal, serve as venue, stage and home to a Sufi Music Festival.

Ladnun : Ladnun is historical City of Old Chanderi Nagari and tourism site.10th century's Jain temples are rich with historical attraction. Ladnun is the spiritual hub of Ahimsa. Jain Vishva Bharti University (deemed University) - A famous centre of Jainism; a school of thought; a centre of spirituality & purification; a society of Ahimsa; a treasure of tranquility; an abode of humanity on earth.

Bairathal Kallan : The Bairathal Kallan village was established about 700-750 years ago;This village was established by the Nath community;At that time the main saint of the Nath community was Bairaginath, and the village was named after him;There are three villages in Bairathal Kallan Gram Panchayats in India - Bairathal Kallan, Bairathal Khurd, and Jagrampura.

Khinvsar town :  Khimsar Fort : 500-year-old fort in the middle of the Thar Desert; turned into a hotel furnished with modern facilities. Mugal Emperor Aurangzeb used to stay here; Khinvsar town has 25 small temples; black deer roaming in herds are a very popular tourist attraction.
Jayal- Dadhimati Mata Temple - Also known as Goth-Manglod temple; 40 km from Nagaur; the oldest temple of the district constructed during the Gupta Dynasty (4th Century); Kul Devi of Dadhich Brahmins.

Merta- Meera Bai Temple : Also known as the Charbhuja temple; 400 years old; evidences how total surrender helps attain godly qualities; how deep faith converts poison to 'Amrit'.

Kuchaman City- Kuchaman Fort : One of the oldest & most inaccessible forts of Rajasthan; situated on top of a straight hill; unique water harvesting system; Jodhpurrulers used to mint their gold & silver currency here; affords a beautiful view of the city; fort converted into a hotel has a strong attraction for tourists.

Khatu : Khatu's old name was Shatkup (six wells). When Shak rulers came to India then they brought two new wells with them which were called Shakandhu (Stepwell) & Kalandh (Rahat). According to Prathviraj Raso Khatu's old name was Khatwan. Old Khatu is almost destroyed. Now there are two villages, one is called Bari Khatu & other Chhoti Khatu. On the hillock of Chhoti Khatu a small fort is standing. Fort was built by Prithviraj Chauhan. An old stepwell is located in Chhoti Khatu, known as Phool Bawadi, it is believed that this stepwell was constructed in Gurjara Pratihara period. This stepwell is artistic in its style of architecture.

Kurki : Kurki is a small village in the Merta Tehsil of Nagaur district. It is the birthplace of the famous princess and poet, Meera Bai, about 30 km from Merta.

Kharnal : It is situated on the Nagaur-Jodhpur National Highway near about 15 km from Nagaur. It is the birthplace of Lok Devta Veer Tejaji. It is believed that Kharnal was established by Dhawal Khichi who was in the 5th generation of the Choudhan ruler Gundal Rao Khichi of Jayal state. Veer Tejaji was born in Dholiya Gotra of Jat.Tejaji birthdate celebrated as Tejadashmi in bhadrapad Hindu calendar which also celebrated as Mela or fair by many lacs bhakht ( in which many thousands are Paidal Yatri or Veer Tejaji Sangh ) Participate from Rajasthan Haryana Punjab MP UP and all community 36 coms . Tejaji Maharaj specially worshiped for Goraksha, Snake bite and santan prapti.

Untwaliya : In this village Famous Prachin Kalka MataJi Mandir and MataJi worshiped by all villagers as Dhirani and bhakth comes from All Nagaur Bikaner Jodhpur Jaipur and many more districts. In Navratri celebrated as a big Mela and around 10k bhakat . In this village Sai Baba temple and Mahadev mandir also famous. Sai baba lived in this village for 2 years and done Bhakti.

Jhorda : It is situated on the north of Nagaur about 30 km away. It is the birthplace of the Great Saint Baba Hariram and the poet Kandan Kalpit. Every year in the month of Bhadrapad Chaturthy & Panchmi a big annual fair is held here where about 1-2 lac people participate who come from Rajasthan, U.P., Haryana, Delhi & Punjab.

Butati Dham : It is situated in Nagaur district, only a few kilometres away from Merta Jn railway station. There situated a temple of old saint Shree Chatur Das ji Maharaj. This temple is believed to be a spiritual healer of Paralysis patients. Thousand of patients arrive here and return with smile on their face.