Pratapgarh district (Rajasthan)

Pratapgarh district is a district of Indian state of Rajasthan. It is 33rd district of Rajasthan. It came into being on 26 January 2008. It was carved out from Chittorgarh district,Udaipur district and Banswara district. Pratapgarh, Rajasthan town is the district headquarters of the district.

Creation

People of Pratapgarh were demanding to make it a district separate from Chittorgarh district. The Government of Rajasthan declared on 6th of July 2006 its intention to make Pratapgarh a separate district. The process of officially becoming a new district took time. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje declared Praratapgarh as 33 district on 09 March 2007 in budget session. As Pratapgarh already had some district offices (a district session court, district hospital, district jail etc.) and also a different vehicle registration code than Chittorgarh, this is an apt decision.

History

Sisodia family is amongst the ancient royal families in India. This family ruled Mewad for more than eight hundred years. The famous rajputs Maharana Sanga and Maharana Pratap belong to this royal family. The rulers of Pratapgarh raj were descendants of this Mewad royal family.

In the 14th Century Chittorgarh was ruled by Maharana Kumbha. Due to some dispute with his younger brother Kshemkarn he expelled him out of his territory. Kshemkarn's family took sharan (refuge) in the Aravali ranges in South Rajasthan. His son Rajkumar Surajmal conquered the adivasis of Devgarh and became the ruler of Devgarh (which is 45 kilometers from Mandsaur) in 1514. This raj later came to be known as Pratapgarh raj.

As the environment of Devgarh was not found to be suitable by the royal family, one of the descendents of Raja Surajmal, Rajkumar Pratapsingh started to build a new town near Devgarh in 1698 and named it as Pratapgarh. A detailed and proper planning was done before starting the work. As per the plans it was decided to build 3 Markets, 52 Streets, temples, etc. During the regime of Rajkumar Pratapsingh the actual work started and he developed the main market (Sadar Bazar). His successor Rajkumar Gopalsingh (son) took over the reins of the raj in 1721. He developed the Gopalgunj Mohalla during his regime. His son Rajkumar Salimsingh continued the work further and developed the Salampura Mohalla and Salamgarh Gram. It was during his rule that Pratapgarh was cordoned off from all sides by building up walls on all the sides. There were 8 doors of entry provided during that time. They were manned by security guards during the day and were closed in the night. Rajkumar Salimsingh also introduced a local currency and named it as Salimshahi Sikka (coin), which was made in a local mint. (Taksal)

Pratapgarh remained to a large extent unaffected during the Mughal era. However in order to safeguard itself from being taken over or destroyed by the Britishers, the Maharawat - Sawantsingh signed a treaty with the British Government in 1804. As per the terms of this treaty large sums (lagan) had to be paid to the British rulers. However as a result of this Pratapgarh remained largely unaffected from the wrath of the Britishers.

As Pratapgarh started developing the old capital of Devgarh started getting neglected. The famous royal palace of Devgarh wore a deserted look and started getting deteriorated. On the other hand Rajkumar Udaysinghji built a new palace in Pratapgarh in the year 1867 on the lines of those built by the Britishers and started living there. He then started getting involved in the development of Pratapgarh regularly. He opened the first dispensary of Pratapgarh in 1867 where allopathic treatment was given to the patients. Thereafter he built Pathshallas (school) in 1875. The Municipal Committee was formed in 1893. During this period only the Mandsaur Pratapgarh road was made. Slowly the legal machinery started getting developed and three levels of courts - The Diwani Court, The Jilla Court and The High Court started functioning from Pratapgarh. The Jilla Court had powers up to proclaiming the death sentence or expelling a person outside the territory. However such harsh punishment required ratification from the Raja.

Geography

Administration

The District Collector of Pratapgarh is Dr Prithvi Raj Sankhala (IAS) and the S.P is Mr Shiv Lal Joshi(Promotee IPS)

See also

Pratapgarh, Rajasthan

References

* [http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/25/stories/2008012554440500.htm new district]

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