Jaisalmer district

Jaisalmer district is the largest district in the Indian state of Rajasthan, and the third largest district in India. Located in Marwar (Jodhpur Division), the city of Jaisalmer is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is around 289 km from the city of Jodhpur, and around 559 km from Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. As of the 2011 population census, it is the least populous district out of all 33 districts in Rajasthan.

Geography


With an area of 32,401sq km, Jaisalmer is the largest district in Rajasthan, and the third-largest in the country by area.

The Jaisalmer district lies in the Thar Desert, which straddles the border of India and Pakistan. It is bound in the northeast by Bikaner District, in the east by Jodhpur District, in the south by Barmer District, and in the west and north by Pakistan.

The district is located within a rectangle lying between 26°.4’ –28°.23' north parallel and 69°.20'-72°.42' east meridians.

The international border adjacent to the district is around 464 km long.

Jaisalmer is almost entirely a sandy landscape, forming a part of the great Indian desert. The general aspect of the area is that of an interminable sea of sandhills, of all shapes and sizes, some rising to a height of almost 150 ft. The hills in the west are covered with log bushes, while those in the east feature tufts of long grass. Water is scarce, and generally brackish; the average depth of the wells is said to be about 250 ft. There are no perennial streams, and only one small river, the Kakni, which, after flowing a distance of 28 m, spreads over a large surface of flat ground and forms a lake called the Bhuj-Jhil. The climate is hot and dry. Throughout Jaisalmer crops such as bajra, jowar, motif, and til, are grown; spring crops of wheat and barley are very rare. Owing to the scant rainfall, irrigation is almost unknown except for small areas irrigated by lift canals of Indira Gandhi Canal Project.

Paleontology
In 2021, a Middle Jurassic hybodont Strophodus jaisalmerensis was named in a reference to this district and the geologic formation of the same name where its holotype was found.

Economy
In 2006, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Jaisalmer one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the twelve districts in Rajasthan currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Jaisalmer district has a population of 669,919, roughly equal to the nation of Equatorial Guinea or the US state of North Dakota. This gives it a ranking of 508th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 17 PD/sqkm. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 32.22%. Jaisalmer has a sex ratio of 849 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 58.04%. 13.29% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 14.80% and 6.33% of the population respectively.

Languages
At the time of the 2011 census, 51.07% of the population spoke Rajasthani, 40.95% Marwari, 2.80% Hindi, 2.56% Sindhi and 1.02% Urdu as their first language. Marwari is the local language, while Dhatki and Sindhi is spoken in border areas and by Hindu refugees from nearby Thar regions of Sindh.

Administration
IAS Ashish Gupta is the District Collector of Jaisalmer District. Jaisalmer district has four sub-divisions: Jaisalmer, Pokaran, Bhaniyana, and Fatehgarh. Jaisalmer and Pokaran are the nagar palikas, while 744 villages come under 140 gram panchayats. District developmental activities are being looked after by three panchayat samities, that is, Jaisalmer, Sam, and Sankra.

Tourism
Jaisalmer is one of the largest tourism district in Rajasthan. About 276,887 tourists visit the district every year, out of which about 100,000 tourists are foreigners. Some of the tourist attractions in Jaisalmer are:
 * Jaisalmer Fort
 * Patwa Haveli
 * Salim Singh's Haveli
 * Nathmal's Haveli
 * Mehra Haveli
 * Mandir Palace
 * Gadsisar Lake
 * Government Museum
 * Tanot Mandir
 * Longewala
 * Pokharan
 * Thar desert
 * Bada Bagh
 * Lodhruva
 * Akal Wood Fossil Park
 * Ramdevra
 * Maru Udyan
 * Mohangarh

Every year, Maru Mahotsav is celebrated for the tourists. Ramdevra is also a big attraction for the Baba Ramdevji's pilgrims.