History
Beawar was earlier the financial capital of the Merwara state of the Rajputana kingdom. It was then known as the region of Magra-Merwaran. The Kathats and Rawat Rajputs ruled the region. When the British tried to usurp the land from them, they put up a fierce fight. The Kathats and Rajputs were adept in warfare strategies and were large in number. They were very difficult to defeat. Even when the British eventually won, in the battle of Shyamgarh, they did so with huge loses. The Shyamgarh fort was taken over by the British and fully utilized Beawars strategic location at the tri-junction of the royal states of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur.
Beawar was founded by Colonel Dixon in 1835. He named it after the neighboring village Beawar Khas. The town soon became a part of British India, and the administrative headquarters of Merwara district. Post independence, it came under the state of Rajasthan.
Geography
The Jawaja village is located in the Jawaja Panchayat Samiti or the Jawaja Block on the National Highway no.8. It is around 70 kms south of Ajmer and under 500 kms north of Ahmedabad on the highway.
The only largest town near it is Beawar. Lying amidst the Aravalli hills, it consists of under 200 villages and hamlets. It lies 184 kms southwest of the state capital Jaipur and has an average elevation of 438 meters.
By Air - Jodhpur and Jaipur at a distance of 145kms and 190 kms respectively, are the nearest airports to Beawar.
By Road - The town is well connected by the Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) buses to the surrounding towns and cities.
By Rail - Beawar is connected by rail to major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Dehradun, Bareilly and Kolkatta.
Environment
Summers in Beawar span the months of March, April, May and June with temperatures peaking to 43 deg Celsius. This is followed by the monsoons from July to September. Peak winters are from November to February.
Beawar lies in mineral-rich region having reserves of feldspar, quartz, asbestos, soapstone, magnesite, calcite, limestone, mica, emerald, granite and masonry stone. Fairly good reserves of barytes, fluorite, wollastonite and vermiculite have also been found.
The major crops of Beawar are tomatoes, chillies, bajra, maize, jowar and wheat.
Infrastructure
Beawar is a town equipped with basic facilities like medical centers, a civil hospital, municipal library, middle schools, trading centres etc. The cinema houses here are frequented by the neighboring villagers. The establishment of cotton mills, quartz plants and various other small scale industries have attracted job seeking villagers too.
Architecture
The inner city of Beawar is known as the old city, called the 'walled city'. Houses and temples of an older style of architecture can be found here, where the outer areas of Beawar are of newer construction and developing rapidly.
Culture
One of the major fairs in Beawar is the Baba Ramdevji fair. The people of Beawar also gather to celebrate Holi where a deity is taken around the town till the Mayor's office. The deity is called Badshaah or king, in memory of the one-day king 'Agarwal'.
The staple food is maize. Rice appears less often in their cuisine as compared to wheat, bajra/maize and jawar. Tea is a much sought after drink. They have their meals early in the morning and in the early evenings. It consists of thick maize roti and chutney made of chillis and onions. A famous dish of Beawar is the Till-patti, made of sesame seeds and sugar.
People
The majority of people are multi-occupational. The two main occupations are farming and craft. The higher castes are the Rawats, Rajputs, Mehrats and the Jats. The Harijans are the lowest caste. The craftsmen are the Kumbhars/potters, Lohars/blacksmiths, Kuhars/former palanquin carriers, Raigars/cobblers and the Bhambis or Bunkars/weavers. The Bhambis were generally regarded as 'untouchables' or 'Harijans' after the Gandhi movement. They thereafter fall into the schedule caste category.
Their attire is simplistic. The men wear shirts, dhotis and turbans - a costume typical to all of Rajasthan. The youngsters have resorted to pants and t-shirts. The women wear Lehenga, Choli and Odhani. The ornaments they wear speak of their financial position.
Famous For
Beawar is famous for the Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple and the Shyamgarh fort. The town is a popular centre for Jawaja crafts with products like leather and Durries.
