Sawai Madhopur

History

Sawai Madhopur was built as a planned city by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh I of Jaipur on 19 January 1763, who named the township after himself. On 19 January, Sawai Madhopur celebrates its foundation day.

Climate

Demographics

As of 2011 India census, Sawai Madhopur had a population of 121,106. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Sawai Madhopur has an average literacy rate of 79.44%, greater than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 90.08%, and female literacy is 67.98%. In Sawai Madhopur, 12.89% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Administration and politics

Sawai Madhopur Nagar Parishad is responsible for the maintaining city's civic infrastructure and carrying out associated administrative duties. The Municipal Corporation is headed by a chairman.There are 40 wards and each ward is represented by an elected member. Urban Improvement Trust (UIT) Sawai Madhopur is the nodal government agency responsible for the planning and development of Sawai Madhopur.

Sawai Madhopur is one of the four assembly constituencies of Sawai Madhopur district(i.e. Sawai Madhopur,gangapur city,bamanwas,khandar)] and comes under Tonk-Sawai Madhopur parliament constituency. The current MLA from Sawai Madhopur is Ms Rajkumari Diya Kumari and the current MP from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur Parliament constituency is Mr SUKHBIR SINGH JAUNAPURIA.

Economy

Sawai Madhopur was erstwhile a prosperous economic growth centre. Due to a closure of the cement factory, forest and ecology constraints, large scale manufacturing units were never set up in the town. Therefore, the economy of Sawai Madhopur is mainly dependent on agriculture and Hospitality sector.

Agriculture

Sawai Madhopur is Guava belt, with the output of 40000 MT in 2010; it offers a very promising value-added segment for the economic prosperity. The cultivation of Guava started off in 1985 on 5 hectares of land in Karmoda Village of Sawai Madhopur. In 2015, the retail and the wholesale markets of Guava generated more than 5 billion rupees which have now spread over 5 thousands of hectare.

Other than Guava, Sawai Madhopur is well recognised to grow many high-value products such as those used for extraction of essential oils and traditional medicines, in the full range of products. However, the demands of consumers require a high level of professionalism, which will come from intensive education on farming and farm productivity to remove the present technological backwardness.

Hospitality Sector

The hospitality sector includes tourism, hotels, tours and travel services as well as handicraft related businesses. This sector is seen as a major source of employment. Tourism in Sawai Madhopur has much growth potential both because of the Ranthambore National Park and Fort.

Sawai Madhopur Utsav

Sawai Madhopur Utsav is the celebration of the Foundation day of the city of Sawai Madhopur on 19 January the day, on which the city of Sawai Madhopur was established by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh I in 1763. Since then, every year, the day is celebrated as the foundation day by the locals of the city.

The Utsav is envisioned as a festival of the rich heritage, culture, art & craft of the region, to enhance a sense of pride in the local citizens about their history and culture. National and International dignitaries and tourists partake in the Utsav.

2-day celebration includes workshops, competitions, exhibition, rally, marathon, performances, etc. The Utsav truly is planned as a colourful extravaganza worth experiencing.

Ganesh Chaturthi Fair

Ganesh Chaturthi Fair is the largest fair of Sawai Madhopur. It is organised for 3 days on Bhadav Shukla Chaturthi at Ganesh Temple, Ranthambhore Fort. This is a very popular fair in Rajasthan. People of Rajasthan and outside Rajasthan come to visit specifically for this event. Every year 3–4 lacks devotees participates in this fair. Jeeps are available from Railway station to the Temple.

Dussera

Dussera is celebrated in Sawai Madhopur for 10 days in the month of October.

Chauth Mata Mela

This fair is held in month of January, at Chauth mata temple in Chauth ka barwara. It is also a big fair of Rajasthan. Jeeps are available from near the station directly to the temple's Main gate.

Language

The languages commonly spoken in Sawai madhopur are English, Hindi and Dhundhari.

Cuisine

Typical dishes include Dal Baati Churma, Gatte ki sabzi, Bajre ki roti and Dal bade.Sweet dishe includes kharbuje ke ladoo.

Local dances

Local Theaters (Cinema)

Places of Interest

Ranthambore National Park is one of the largest national parks in India. It is situated around 11 km from the city of Sawai Madhopur. It was established as the Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary in 1955 by the Government of India, and was declared one of the Project Tiger reserves in 1973. Ranthambore became a national park in 1980. In 1984, the adjacent forests were declared the Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary and Keladevi Sanctuary, and in 1991 the tiger reserve was enlarged to include Sawai Man Singh and Keladevi sanctuaries.

The history of Sawai Madhopur revolves around the Ranthambore fort. Surrounded by Vindhyas and Aravalis, amidst vast and arid denuded tracts of Rajasthan, lies this oasis of biomass in an ecological desert, the Great Ranthambore. No one knows when this fort was built.

The strength and inaccessibility of the fort was a challenge to the ambitions of the rulers of the ancient and medieval India, particularly those of Delhi and Agra. The eminent ruler of the fort was Rao Hamir who ruled around 1296 AD.

History relates that none of the rulers had a peaceful spell in spite of its strong geographical strength. Remnants of marvelous architectural monuments, ponds and lakes enlighten avid lover of the subject. The soul of this great fort inspires patriotism, valour and love. Every part reflects the ancient character of Indian culture and philosophy.

There are various places of historical interest inside the fort namely Toran Dwar, Mahadeo Chhatri, Sameton Ki Haveli, 32 pillared Chhatri, Mosque and the Ganesh Temple.

Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony of Rajiv Gandhi Regional Museum of Natural History Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan was done by S hri.M.Hamid Ansari Hon'ble Vice-President of India on Date:23 December 2007.

The Rajiv Gandhi Regional Museum of Natural History, Sawai Madhopur is conceived to be an informal centre for environmental education and creation of public awareness on conservation of nature and natural resources. The museum proposes to undertake the task of communication and creating public awareness through the potential medium of exhibits and educational activities.It would provide an understanding of the diversity of life on earth, the factors responsible for their well being, man's dependence upon nature and the necessity to maintain our ecological heritage free from damage and destruction to ensure sustainable development, with special emphasis on the Western Arid region of India.

It is the Rural Arts and Crafts Complex. The Rural Arts and Crafts Complex is conceived as a living ethnographic museum to depict the lifestyles of the folk and tribal people of the West Zone. Within this complex, huts of the member states are constructed incorporating traditional architectural features of different geographical and ethnic groups residing within the West Zone of India comprising five Federal States. One of the important objectives of Shilpgram is in the sphere of increasing awareness and knowledge of rural life and crafts, specifically for the younger generation. Special emphasis is laid on workshops for children on arts, crafts, theatre and music.

Galta mandir

An old shri Ram-sita temple situated in old city.

Education

Sawai Madhopur has a well-established education infrastructure. There are a number of modern schools and colleges (both government and private) run in Sawai Madhopur. Some organisations are also working in this sector to improve the educational scenario.

Institute of Hotel Management

On 1 September 2015, The government of India has approved to set up a new Institute of hotel Management at Sawai madhopur to develop the hospitality sector and to promote the tourism in the town which is famous for world heritage site, Ranthambore Fort, Ranthambore National Park and Trinetra Ganesh Temple. This will be the third such institute in Rajasthan after Jaipur and Jodhpur.

College

Schools

Organizations and NGOs

Hospitals

A list of major hospitals in Sawai Madhopur (Rajasthan) is given below:

Government

PRIVATE

Air

Sawai Madhopur has its own Air Strip which is not in use for transport purpose. However, It is used for ministers campaigns and meetings. Jaipur International Airport at 132 km is the nearest airport from Sawai Madhopur.

Rail

Sawai Madhopur Junction is located on the Delhi to Mumbai trunk route. This is by far the best way of reaching the place from Delhi, Jaipur or Kota.

The city is a stop for many trains, including Jaipur - Indore Super Fast, Dayodaya Express (Ajmer - Jabalpur Express), Jodhpur - Indore Intercity, Hazrat Nizamuddin - Indore Express, Marusagar Express (Ajmer - Ernakulam Express / Ernakulam Express), Jaipur - Mysore Express, Jaipur - Chennai Express, Jaipur - Coimbatore Express, Jodhpur - Puri Express, Jodhpur - Bhopal Express, Jodhpur - Indore Intercity, and the August Kranti Rajdhani Express.

The Jaipur - Indore Super Fast connects Sawai Madhopur to major city of Madhya Pradesh, Indore Junction. There is also a Jan Shatabdi Express train, from Sawai Madhopur to the national capital, Delhi. The other includes Kota - Hanumangarh Express, Sawai Madhopur-Mathura Passenger, Jaipur-Bayana Passenger. Kota - Patna Express connects Sawai Madhopur and Patna cities via Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow and Varanasi.

The luxury trains – The Palace on Wheels, The Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, Maharajas' Express, The Indian Maharaja also make a scheduled stop at Sawai Madhopur on their eight-day round trip of tourist destinations.

Roads

Sawai Madhopur is well connected with neighbouring districts and with major cities outside the state. NH-116 (Tonk-Sawai Madhopur ) and Kota-Lalsot Mega Highway passes through the city.

Intra-city Transport

City Buses, Tempo and autos are available for travelling within Sawai Madhopur. Jeeps, Canter and Gypsy are available for travel to Ranthambore National Park and Ranthambore Fort.

Media

The largest circulated daily newspapers in Sawai Madhopur are the Rajasthan Patrika and Dainik Bhaskar, though the city has numerous other daily newspapers too.

All India Radio (AIR / Akashvani) Sawai Madhopur broadcast, local Ratio station -FM band (101.5 MHz) in the city. Programs are broadcast in Hindi and Rajasthani languages. Sawai Madhopur, Tonk, Karauli and Dausa Districts are covered under Sawai Madhopur Akashvani.