Welcome to Banswara

The Banswara district forms eastern part of the region known as Vagad or Vagwar. The district was formerly a princely state ruled by the Maharavals. It is said that a Bhil ruler Bansia ruled over it and Banswara was named after his name. Bansia was defeated and killed by Jagmal Singh who became the first Maharaval of the princely state. It is also named so because of the bamboos (Bans) which were found in abundance in the forests. Banswara district is well-known for natural, historical, religious and archaeological places. The district has a composite culture of Mewar, Malwa and Gujarat from the point of view of language, dresses, dance, music and literature.

Home to the tribal with Bhils constituting half of the total populations Banswara has its name derived from Bans or bamboo trees, which once grew here in abundance. Maharawal Jamal Singh founded the erstwhile state. With Udaipur and Chittorgarh, forming its boundaries, the district presently comprises of the territories of former Banswara State and the Chieftainship of Kushalgarh. While the central and western portion of the district are fertile plains, the scattered ranges of the Aravali form the eastern region. The ancient town is surrounded by a stone wall, now in ruins. A palace of a former ruler of Banswara stands overlooking the town.The teak forests are found on the slopes of the Aravalli hills. Mango, Khajur and Mahua trees are also a part of the vegetation of the district. Banswara has rich wildlife including squirrels, lizards, snakes, chinkara, ronj and four horned antelope. Panthers can be seen rarely. The avian variety includes the black drongo, grey shirke, green bee-eater, parrot, jungle crow, wood pecker and common myna. Grey jungle fowl and grey partridge are generally spotted in the remote parts of the forests.

History
The Banswara district forms eastern part of the region known as Vagad or Vagwar. The district was formerly a princely state ruled by the Maharavals. It is said that a Bhil ruler Bansia ruled over it and Banswara was named after his name. Bansia was defeated and killed by Jagmal Singh who became the first Maharaval of the princely state. It is also named so because of the bamboos (Bans) which were found in abundance in the forests. In 1913 some bhils revolted under the headship of a social reformer Govindgiri and Punja which was suppressed in November, 1913. Hundreds of Bhils were shot dead at the Mangarh hillock where they were holding a peaceful meeting. The event is also known as the Mini Jalianwala Bagh massacre. The place has become sacred and is better known as the Mangarh Dham.With the merger of the princely states in the Union of India, the Banswara State and Kushalgarh chiefship got merged in the Greater Rajasthan in 1949 and Banswara was carved out as a separate district by merging these principalities.

People
The district is predominantly inhabited by tribals mainly Bhils, Bhil Meenas, Damor, Charpotas, Ninamas, etc. The district population is 15,00,420 (2001). The rural population is 13,93,104(2001) and the urban population is 1,07,316(2001). The main occupation of the people, specially of tribals, is agriculture. The tribals live in a small one-room houses, known as "tapra", which lie scattered all over the area. The other major castes are Patels, Rajputs, Brahmans, Mahajans, and Muslims. The dialect spoken in the district is Wagri, a mixture of Gujrati and Mewari. Literacy percentage is 44.22(2001) but women literacy, though doubled as per 2001 census, is only 27.86%. Increase in total literacy percentage has been by 18.22 because of the intensive literacy campaign in the district.

Culture
Situated amongst the valleys of the Aravalis, Banswara represents tribal culture in its original form. Its area was covered mostly by bamboo trees (Bans) in the past because of which it was called Banswara. Banswara town was founded by king Jagmal Singh. Religiously, having eleven and a half Swayambhoo Shivlings, it was also called 'Lodhikashi' or little Kashi. Yet another name for it is 'An area of Hundred Islands'.Being in the southern part of Rajasthan, its boundary meets with Gujarat and M.P. A compact culture is the result of this inter-regional neighbourhood. The so called vagdi Culture is nothing but a mixture of Gujarati, Malwi, Rajasthani and Mewari cultures. Banswara district is rich in forests, hills and wildlife. Tribals are the natives of this region. The place is known for its ancient temples and natural beauty.