JHALAWAR

town, administrative headquarters of Jhalawar district, Rajasthan state, northwestern India. The townsometimes called Jhalrapatan, Jhalrapatan Chhaoni (cantonment), or Brijnagaris a major road junction and agricultural market centre. The old town of Jhalrapatan (Patan) was founded in 1796. The new town, including the palace and cantonment, lies just to the north. Jhalawar, the capital of the former princely state of the same name, has a government college affiliated with the University of Rajasthan. Nearby is the site of the ancient city of Candravati (c. 1st century AD). Jhalawar district (2,400 sq mi [6,216 sq km]), part of the Malwa Plateau, consists of a fertile undulating plain in the north and a hilly tract toward the south. Cotton, wheat, oilseeds, corn (maize), and jowar (sorghum) are the chief crops; iron-ore and sandstone deposits are worked. Formerly a princely state named after the ruling Jhala Rajputs (the warrior rulers of the historic region of Rajputana), Jhalawar was created from the partition of the original Kota princely state in 1838. In 1897, when the greater part was restored to Kota, the present boundaries were created. Jhalawar became part of the state of Rajasthan in 1948. Pop. (1981) town, 29,257; district, 784,998.