Introduction: Located in the south west border of Rajasthan, geographically Jalore lies 24.48" 5' Northern latitude to 25.48" 37' Northern latitude and 71.7' eastern longitude to 75.5" 53' eastern longitude. The total area of the district is 10,564.44 Sq. Kilometers. Surrounded by Barmer on the North-West, Sirohi on the South-East, Pali on the North-East and Banaskantha district of Gujarat on the South-West. Jalore lies south of Sukri River a tributary of Luni River and is about 121 km south of Jodhpur.
The district is a part of the Luni Basin . Therefore Luni and its subsidiary rivers Jawai,Sukdi,Khari,Bandi and Sagi make the flow of network.
History: Historically recognized as ‘Drumkulya’ the northern part of southern Ocean. It is believed that when Lord Ram reached on the shores of sea to attack on Lanka sea became an obstacle on his way. Therefore lord Ram decided to use his arrow to soak the sea water. When the sea heard about this he got frightened from the ‘fire bow’ of Lord Rama sea accepted to build a bridge on it. During Dwapara period this was known as ‘Maru Dhanwa’ consequently Marudhar and Marwar being the acceptable changes in name.
The earlier name of Jalore was Jabalipur being which is derived from sacred glove of Mahirishi Jabali. With the passing time the name of mountains Kanchangiri & Swarngiri were also as names of Jalore. According to historic records Kuvalyamana of Udhyothan suri it was one of the richest town in the 8th century. At that time Prathihar king VatsaRaja ruled the state. By the end of 12th Century A.D. Parmars ruled here.
According to few historians the Jalore fort was built by Parmar rulers. It is mentioned on a stone of 1238 A.D. of fort that Parmar King Biral’s-queen Maludevi powered Gold win on Sindhu King. At that time from Abut to Umarkot the whole area was under the control of the rulers of Parmar cln of Rajput rulers.
After A.D. 1164 Kumarpal rules here. Arhan who was the king of Nadol his youngest son kirtipal started laid the foundation of chouhan tradition in Jalore.
His survivor Samarsingh got the throne after Kirtipal. After Samarsingh his son Uday Singh followed his father and captured Nadol & Mandore from Mohammedans. After that Samant Singh became rulers whose son great poet Padmanabhan had wrote an epic named “Kanhad Prabandh”. This epic has an interesting description of war between Kanhad Dev king Alaudin Khilji.
The fort located at mountain Swarngiri is derived from chouhan’s as Songara Chouhan According to a general belief the place got its name due to huge availability of Jal tree here.
During 15th century Rathore king Rao Maldev captured the fort of Jalore During Akbar’s rule Abdul Rahim Khan Khana took it from Gazni Khan. King Jehangir built the walls of the fort. After the death of Aurangzeb it permanently became a part of Jodhpur.
There is an other old story which is related with the incident of Viram and Firoza. The Mughal kind invited Viram for a game of “Veniti” with ‘Panju Wrestler’.After defeating the wrestler Princess Firoza felt in love with Viram and proposed him, which Viram refused. This angered the princess Badshah King surrounded the whole Jalore with his soldiers.
Viram Dev of Jalore had been one of the greatest of Heros of Jalore and left behind sweet memories of his breavery. Hundreds of brave rajputs both man and women have given life for their country, religion and pride women have put themselves alive into fire to save their respect.
Tourist Destinations: The major tourist destinations are mentioned below:
Sundha Mata Temple: Constructed by while marble, the architecture of the temple reminds the temples of Dilwara temple of Mount Abu. Located at 105 Km from district headquater and 35 Km. from sub divisional Bhinmal. The temple lies in Raniwara Teshil in the middle of Malwara to Jaswantpura Road near Dantlawas village. Huge number of tourists from Gujarat and Rajasthan visits here.
Jalore Fort: Located in south of Jalore 1200 feet above the mountains. The zig zag way forms the path to the mountain where on each step the height goes on increasing. The first gate comes while climbing upward called Suraj Pole. The architecture of this gate is beautifully designed. Here there are made small rooms where the security guards used to stay. The length of the fort is ¾ Km. and breadth is half a Kilo Meter. Presently there is palace of king Mansingh, two water reservoirs, one Shiv Temple, temple of goddesses Jogmaya, station of Viram Dev, three Jain temples shrine of Mallik Shah and One Mosque.
Topkhana: It was a place where all the artilleries were kept by the ruling king. After independence supply officers made it a storage for food grains. At present this protected building is under the control of Archaeological department. One security guard is appointed here. There are 276 pillars in this building and each pair attracts the visitors.
Sire Mandir Temple of Jalore: Due to the sacred glove of saint Jabali many saints meditated here. It is said that the Pandawas spent some part of time here . There are many temples for Shiva & Shakti present here, out of which Sire Mandir Temple is famous for its natural beauty and beliefs. Sire temple is situated on 646 m high in the west of Jalore on Kalashachal. Located at the distance of 3 Km. away from town, while going to mountain we may find the prints of footsteps of Yogiraj Jalandhar Nath Ji.
Quila or Fort of Bhadrajun: Located 54 Km. away from district headquarter Bhadrajun falls on Jalore-Jodhpur road. The name is based on Subhadra and her husband Arjun one of the Pandavas Mahabhart’s. It is said that on the permission of Lord Shri Krishna when Arjun took over Subhadra from Dwarika they stayed here on the way. There marriage also took place here only. One Brahmin of village conducted their marriage.
Fort of Kot Kasta: Situated 65 Km. away from headquater Jalore and 20 Km from Sub Division Bhinmal . Kot Kasta were two separate villages, which were later merged into one village called kotkasta. In 1804 A.D. Mansingh captured the throne of Jodhpur and made Ayas Devnath his Guru. During the reign of Mansingh many Yogis of nath community impacted the region. He also gave many Jagirs to yogi’s of nath community.
Besides this the other historical place of importance are Jaswantpura Fort, Vandhar Bawadi, Savidhar Bawadi, Kot Kasta Fort, Mahavir swami temple, Bhandavpur, Kshamankari Mataji temple,Bhinmal, Varahashyam temple,Bhinmal Mahavir swami Jain Temple,Bhinmal, Hathi pole Jain Temple,Bhinmal Bafna Wadi Jain Tirth etc.
Facts & Figures
| Area | 10,640sq. km |
| Latitude | 25.22 N |
| Longitude | 72.58 E |
| Altitude | 268 meters |
| Temperature | Max.: 49 °C, Min.: 4 °C |
| Annual Rainfall | 41.9 mm |
| No. of Subdivisions | 2 |
| No. of Tehsils | 5 |
| Panchayat Samiti | 7 |
| Population | 14, 48,486 (2001 census) |
| Population Density | 136 per sq. kilometer |
| Literacy Rate | 46.51% |
| STD Code | 02973 |
Connectivity
By Air: The nearest Airport is at Jodhpur.
By Rail:
The district is connected by the Meter guage railway line of the
Northern Railways. A branch line viz. Samdari-Raniwara passes through
the district which connects Jalore & Bhinmal towns.
By Road:
National Highway No.15, (Bhatinda-Kandla) passes through the district.
All the block head quarters are connected with bus routes.