Bhomat

Bhomat (also referred to as Bhumat; Hindi: भोमट or भूमट) is a mountainous and forested area in southern Rajasthan, covering all or parts of the tehsils of Kotra, Jhadol and Kherwara in Udaipur district.[1] During British rule, the region was also referred to as 'Hilly Tracts of Mewar'.[2][3][4]

Bhomat
Bhumat (Hindi: भोमट or भूमट)
The Bhomat region in southern Rajasthan
Floor elevation800 ft (240 m)
Length94 km (58 mi)
Width56 km (35 mi)
Area1,233 km2 (476 sq mi)
Geology
TypeQuartzite, Phyllite, Gneisses, Schist, Dolomitic marble
Geography
LocationRajasthan, India
Borders onGirwa and Kherwara tehsils of Udaipur district (east), Gogunda tehsil of Udaipur district (north), Sirohi district (west), Gujarat (south)
Coordinates24°26′N 73°18′W 
Traversed byNH 76
RiversSabarmati River, Wakal River, Som River

Name

The name 'Bhomat' is based on the understanding that land tenures known as bhum were held by jagirdars in the region.[2] But as per details provided by Mewar State, Govt. of India accepted that the Rajputs who held villages in Bhomat were not Bhumias, but Jagirdars.[5]

Geography

The Bhomat region is 25 to 50 kilometres (20 to 30 mi) wide in the east-west direction and stretches approximately 94 kilometres (58 mi) in the north-south axis. It covers approximately 1,233 square kilometres (476 sq mi).Geographically, Bhomat is divided in three sub-regions: its western area is called Bhader (Hindi: भाडेर), the central area is called Wakal (after the Wakal River; Hindi: वाकल) and the eastern area is called Khadak (Hindi: खड़क).[6] Primary rivers of the Bhomat are Sabarmati, Vakal, and Som.[6]

History

In the 15th century, Rana Kumbha is credited with building fortresses in the Bhomat region with the goal of containing revolts among the Bhils of the area.[7] In the 16th century, the Bhomat region was the shelter for the Ranas of Mewar when times of military crises caused by the Mughals.[8][9] Rajput Jagirdars had recognised suzerainty of the Maharana of Maewar and were paying cash tribute in form of dasoond and provided armed contingents of their quota at disposal of the Mewar State.[5]

The Bhomat is recognised as a geographical or cultural region, but it was a unified political entity for only a short term - a century - under British paramountcy. Prior to accession of the Mewar State to the Republic of India in 1949, the region was ruled by several Rajput jagirdars, the important ones being: Jawas, Pahara, Madri, Thana, Chhani, Juda, Panarwa, Oghna, Umariya, Patia, Bawalwara,Barothi, Sarwan, and Nainbara.[2] These Jagirdars were known as bhumias (i.e., ones holding a bhum land tenure) and owed only nominal allegiance to the Mewar State.[10] For approximately a century during British paramountcy over Mewar State, the Bhomat represented a political unit divided in two sub-divisions - Kherwara Bhomat to the east and Kotra Bhomat to the east.[11]

Rajput Jagirdars of Bhomat region
Rajput Jagirdars of Bhomat[5]
ThikanaClanTitleChatoondJudicial Powers
JawasChauhanRawat2300First Class
PaharaChauhanRawat706Second Class
BarothiChauhanThakur201First Class
MadariSarangdevot SisodiyaRawat301Third Class
ThanaChauhanThakur223Third Class
ChanniChauhanThakur500Third Class
JudaChauhanRawat600First Class
PanarwaSolankiRana500Second Class
OghnaSolankiRawat400Second Class
UmariyaSolankiThakur150Second Class
PatiaPanwarThakur201--

Population

Adivasis comprise the majority of the population in the Bhomat.[2]

References
  1. Carstairs, G.M. (1961). Patterns of Religious Observance in Three Villages of Rajasthan in 'Aspects of Religion in Indian Society,' edited by L.P. Vidyarthi. Meerut: Kedar Nath Ram Nath. pp. 59–113.
  2. Report on the Administration of Mewar State for Years 1940, 1941 and 1942. Mylapore: The Madras Law Journal Press. 1944. pp. 33–40.
  3. Bonarjee, P.D. (1899). A Handbook of the Fighting Races of India. Calcutta: Thacker, Spink & Co. p. 142.
  4. Fattori, Marco (2012). Gupta, Sanjukta Das; Basu, Raj Sekhar (eds.). The Bhil and the Rajput Kingdoms of Southern Rajasthan in Narratives from the Margins: Aspects of Adivasi History in India. Delhi: Primus Books. p. 134. ISBN 978-93-80607-10-8.
  5. Mewar Under Maharana Bhupal Singh, p21
  6. Paliwal, Devilal (2000). पानरवा का सोलंकी राजवंश. Udaipur: Janak Prakashan.
  7. Kapur, Nandini Sinha (2002). State Formation in Rajasthan: Mewar During the Seventh-Fifteenth Centuries. New Delhi: Manohar. ISBN 81-7304-429-5.
  8. Sharma, G.N. (1951). Mewar and the Mughal Emperors (1526-1707 A.D.). Agra: Shiva Lal Agarwala & Co. Ltd. p. 170.
  9. Agarwal, B.D. Gazetteer of India: Rajasthan - Udaipur. Jaipur: Directorate of District Gazetteers, Government of Rajasthan. p. 46.
  10. Gupta, R.K.; Bakshi, S.R., eds. (2008). Rajasthan Through the Ages: Marwar and British Administration. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons. p. 70. ISBN 978-81-7625-841-8.
  11. Mewar History. Bombay: The Times of India Press. 1938. p. 50.
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