Jalor, also known as Jalore (Hindi: जालोर), is a city in Rajasthan state of western India. It is the administrative headquarters of Jalor District.

Geography

Jalor is located at . It has an average elevation of 178 metres (583 feet). Jalore lies to south of Sukri river, a tributary of Luni river and is about 121 km south of Jodhpur.

History

In ancient times Jalore was known as Jabalipura - named after a saint. The town was also known as Suvarngiri or Songir, the Golden Mount, on which the fort stands.

It was a flourishing town in the 8th century. Jalore was ruled by the Paramara Rajput clan in the 10th century. Kirtipala, the youngest son of Alhana, ruler of Nadol, was the founder of the Jalore line of Chauhan Rajputs. He captured it from the Parmars in 1181 and took the clan name Songara, after the place. His son Samarsimha succeeded him in 1182. Udayasimha was the next ruler under whom Jalore had a golden period. He was a powerful and able ruler ruling over a large area. He recaptured Nadol & Mandor from the Muslims. In 1228, Iltutmish circled Jalore but Udayasimha offered stiff resistance. He was succeeded by Chachigadeva & Samantasimha. Samantasimha was succeeded by his son Kanhadadeva.

During the reign of Kanhad Dev Songara, Jalor was attacked and destroyed in 1311 by Ala ud din Khilji, Sultan of Delhi. Kanhad Dev Songara and his son Viramdeo Songira died defending Jalore. Jalor later became part of the Marwar kingdom, ruled by the Rathore Rajput clan. The Muslim rulers of Palanpur in Gujarat ruled Jalor in the 16th century, and it became part of the Mughal Empire after Emperor Akbarthe Great conquered Gujarat. It was restored to Marwar in 1704, and remained part of the kingdom until shortly after Indian Independence in 1947.

Visitor attractions of Jalore

• Jalore Fort
• Topekhana

One of the most important structures with in the town is the Topekhana or "the cannon foundry". The building is not in the best of conditions now, but its architecture indicates that this structure must have been awesome in the old days. It was built by "Ujjain King" Vkramditya as a "sansrut Pathshala" for education for his public.But at the time of Muslin Emperor Ala ud din Khilji converted into a muslim monument. The structure is imposing, with a spacious forecourt and an intricate facade. The colonnade and the ceiling are tastefully carved.

• Tope Khana
• Malik Shah's mosque
• Sire Mandir at Jalore
• Jain temples built in 8th century, dedicated to the first Tirthankar Adinatha, 16th Tirthankara Shantinath, 23rd Tirthankara Parsvanatha & 24th Tirthankara Mahavira,
• Jain Temples of Lord Shri RishabhaDev (Adinath), Shri Munisuvrata Swami, Acharya Rajendrasuri Maharaj, & Shri Neminath and Adhisthayaka Nagotra Solanki Gotria Kuldevi Shri Ambikadevi situated at Santhu, 25 KM from Jalore.

Some popular spots to visit are:

• Pipaleshwar Matha
• Sureshwar ji Matha
• AKhada Matha
• Heritage Hotel
• Granite Quarry
• The Jalore Wildlife Sanctuary - the first and only privately owned wildlife sanctuary in India with rare and endangered wildlife such as the Asian Steppe Wildcat, Jungle Cat, Leopard, Desert Fox, Tawny and Imperial Eagle. Jalore has rich cultural and folk history.

Demographics

 India census, Jalor had a population of 44,828. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Jalor has an average literacy rate of 60%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 46%. In Jalor, 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Special

Jalore was the hometown of Jeevant Kunwar, mother of Maharana Pratap (1572-1597). She was the daughter of Akhey Raj Songara. Rathore rulers of Jodhpur used the Jalore fort to safe-keep their treasure. Dungraram, a lad from Jalore topped the IIT-JEE exam in 2002. Devendra Singh topped RPET exam in 2007.

See also

• Jalore district
• Bhinmal

References