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Alwar

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Alwar is famous for its scenic landscape
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Alwar is famous for its scenic landscape

Alwar is a city in the Rajasthan state of western India. It is the administrative headquarters of Alwar District, and was formerly the capital of the princely state of Alwar or Ulwar in British India. The city is located 170 km south of Delhi.

Local attractions

Alwar contains many interesting and historical monuments. The city has a beautiful lake and a picturesque valley. The Sariska National Sanctuary is located in the Aravalli hills only a few kilometres away from Alwar. The sanctuary, which is a Project Tiger reserve, also boasts of many other species, including rare birds and plants. The military cantonment of Itarana lies on the outskirts of Alwar.

Princely History

The princely state of Alwar was founded by Pratap Singh, a Rajput of the Kachwaha lineage, in the second half of the 18th century. His adopted son, Bakhtawar Singh, aided the British against the Marathas. After the battle of Laswari (1803), Alwar became the first state of Rajputana to sign a treaty of "subsidiary alliance" with the British East India Company. A few years later, Bakhtawar Singh ventured an armed incursion into neighbouring Jaipur, the senior Kachwaha state, and the erstwhile overlord of his predecessor. Bakhtawar Singh was defeated; a fresh engagement was made with him by the HEIC, prohibiting him from political intercourse with other states without British consent. During the sepoy rebellion of 1857, Raoraja Bane Singh sent a force comprising mainly of Muslims and Rajputs, to relieve the British garrison in Agra. The Muslims deserted and the rest were defeated by the rebels.

Following the independence of India in 1947, Alwar acceded unto the dominion of India. On March 18, 1948, the state merged with three neighbouring princely states (Bharatpur, Dholpur and Karauli) to form the Matsya Union. This union in turn merged unto the Union of India. On May 15, 1949, it was united with certain other princely states and the territory of Ajmer to form the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan.

Rulers of Alwar state

References


 


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