MARUSTHALI

sand-dune-covered eastern portion of the Great Indian (Thar) Desert in western Rajasthan state, northwestern India, extending over about 24,000 square miles (62,000 square km), north of the Luni River. Marusthali (Sanskrit: Land of the Dead) was populated as early as the 5th century AD and became part of the Mauryan empire and later of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty. It passed next to the Mughals and then later to the Maratha kingdom. The Aravalli Range, the area's most striking feature, defines the Marusthali's eastern limits. The sand dunes in the region's northern half are ridges of densely packed, coarse sand. Short, discontinuous sand levees strike northeast-southwest on a plateau, enclosing small playas between them. The southern half of the Marusthali forms a vast bowl, rimmed by flat-topped hills of sand, rocks, and limestone. Scattered shrubs of spurge and acacia survive in the region. The Luni River, its channels often obliterated by windblown sand, is the major river and forms the southern boundary of the Marusthali. The soils are mostly loamy sands. Livestock raising and dry-desert and irrigated farming are the principal occupations of the Marusthali's inhabitants. Cereals, gram (chick-pea), cotton, sugarcane, peanuts (groundnuts), and oilseeds are grown, though the local agriculture is hampered by frequent locust invasions. Small-scale industries process local raw materials, and lignite and gypsum are mined. Bikaner, Jaisalmer, and Barmer are the important communities; road and railway transport is hampered by shifting sand, and parts of the region remain virtually inaccessible.