Rajasthan Day is celebrated to mark the formation of the state of Rajasthan. Rajasthan, which means land of kings, came into existence on March 30, 1949. The state mostly comprises lands of Rajputs including the erstwhile nineteen princely states, two chiefships, and the British district of Ajmer-Merwara. Rajasthan, which is the largest state of India in terms of the area, also shares borders with Pakistan's Punjab province. As the state is going to celebrate its foundation day, LatestLY sheds light on its history and significance.

When is Rajasthan Day celebrated? As mentioned above, the state of Rajasthan came into existence on March 30, 1949. Therefore, Rajasthan Day is celebrated on March 30 every year.

Brief History of Rajasthan and Significance of Rajasthan Day:

When India got freedom from the British rule on August 15 in 1947, princely states were annexed to the Union of India. On March 17, 1948, four princely states of Alwar, Bharatpur, Dhaulpur, and Karauli formed the Matsya Union. In the same year, on March 25, Rajasthan Union came into existence by the union of states namely Banswara, Bundi, Dungarpur, Jhalawar, Kishangarh, Pratapgarh, Shahpura, Tonk, and Kota.

On April 18, 1948, the United State of Rajasthan was inaugurated. On March 30, 1949, princely states like Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, and Jodhpur got merged with the Union of India and the state of Rajasthan came into existence. The Matsya Union got merged with the state of Rajasthan on May 15, 1049. Rajasthan houses an amazing display of arts and architecture as every erstwhile princely state had a distinctive style.

The state of Rajasthan has the ruins of the Indus Valley Civilisation at Kalibanga and Balathal, the Dilwara Temples, a Jain pilgrimage site at Rajasthan's only hill station, Mount Abu, in the ancient Aravalli mountain range and the Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur, a World Heritage Site known for its birdlife. The state is also home to three national tiger reserves, the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur, Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar and Mukundra Hill Tiger Reserve in Kota.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 30, 2020 07:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).