Bhilwara

History

Stone Age tools dating from 5,012 to 200,000 years were found in Bundi and Bhilwara districts of the state. According to substantiation, the present Bhilwara city had a mint where coins known as 'Bhiladi' were minted and from this denomination was derived the name of the district. And another tall story goes like this the original Adivasi tribe known as Bheel helped Maharana Pratap in the war against Mughal Empire king Akbar lived in Bhilwara region that's this area came to be known as Bheel+Bada (Bheel's area) Bhilwara. Over the years it has emerged as one of the major cities of Rajasthan. Nowadays, Bhilwara is better known as the textile city in the country. The oldest part of this town was set up in the middle of the 11th century by building a Krishna Radha mandir (temple) that still exists and is known as the Bada Mandir. The area that is now known as Purana Bhilwara (Patwari Mohalla, Junawas, Manikya Nagar Malikhera). In Ancient History, there is also a reference to Arjuna having fought here during the Mahabharata period. Historical records show that a town named Mandal close to Bhilwara served as the military camp for the Mughals when they conquered Chittaurgarh. The ruins of their campsite can still be seen today. A watch tower that was built on a small mound in Mandal is now a Devi temple.

Geography

Bhilwara is located at . It has an average elevation of 421 metres (1381 feet). It falls between the districts of Ajmer (in the north) and Chittorgarh and Udaipur (in the south). Major rivers flowing through the district are Banas, Bedach, Kothari, Khari, Mansi, Menali, Chandrabhaga, and Nagdi. There is no natural lake in the district but there is a number of ponds and dams so the district is the most irrigated in the state of Rajasthan. It has a small man-made pond Mansarovar Jheel(Pond) near Azad Nagar which is a famous attraction and gets crowded on weekends.

Most-observed species

• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  54
• Rose-ringed Parakeet

  Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) · Aves
  46
• House Crow

  Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817 · Aves
  44
• Red-wattled Lapwing

  Vanellus indicus (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  42
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  37
• Black Drongo

  Dicrurus macrocercus Vieillot, 1817 · Aves
  36
• Red-vented Bulbul

  Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  35
• Painted Stork

  Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant, 1769) · Aves
  32