Merta City
| Merta City | |
|---|---|
| town | |
 | |
  Merta City | |
| Coordinates: 26°39′00″N 74°02′00″E / 26.6500°N 74.0333°ECoordinates: 26°39′00″N 74°02′00″E / 26.6500°N 74.0333°E | |
| Country |
 India |
| District | Nagaur |
| Elevation | 312 m (1,024 ft) |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 40,221 |
| Languages | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
Merta City is a city and a municipality in Nagaur district in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
Demographics
As of 2001 India census,[1] Merta City had a population of 40,252. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Merta City has an average literacy rate of 60%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 48%. About 16% of the population is under 6 years of age. Merta City is a holy city for Hindus as it is the birth place of Meera bai the famous Devotee of Lord Krishna.
History
Merta was once a prosperous kingdom of the brave Mertia Rathore Rajputs,[2] the descendants of Rao Duda, Ruler of Merta (1495-1525 AD), fourth son of Rao Jodha, and grandfather of fabled saint Princess Mira Bai, daughter in law of Rana Sanga of Mewar.[3]
Later, out of jealousy, during the reign of Rao Veeramdev, Merta was attacked by Rao Maldeo of Jodhpur, a distant relative of Mertia Royal Family. Thereafter, Viramdev established rule at Degana, Parbatsar and Ajmer respectively, but was dethroned again. Being highly demoralized, he took refuge at Amarsar, the Shekhawat capital and after a year persuaded Mughal Emperor Shershah Suri to attack Jodhpur. When Shershah attacked Jodhpur, Rao Maldeo fled leaving his army in battle which fough fiercely but lost and a year later Maldeo gave his daughter in marriage to rebuild cordial relations with Delhi Sultanate. It is in this context, the Emperor said - Mutthi bhar bajre ke liye main dilli ki gaddi kho baithta, meaning 'I would have lost the throne of Delhi for fistful Pearl Millet (the Barren Land of Marwar). One of the significant consequence of the war was regain of Merta throne by Rao Viramdev Mertia, whose son, Rao Jaimal succeeded him and in tune with the traditions of the brave clan added four moons to the glory of Merta. Rao Jaimal (1544-1568 AD) was also the commander of Mewar where his cousin sister Mira Bai was married into the Sisodia Royal Family. As against submissive Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner and various other Rajput Kingdoms, only Merta and Mewar refused to give daughters to Mughals. When Akbar attacked Mewar, with an army of Jaipur and Jodhpur States, Rao Jaimal, the commander of Mewar, fought fiercely and died of battle wounds. Merta was soon merged with Jodhpur State and 14 his sons were given small principalities nearby.
The same spirit was shown by many descendants of the Mertia Royal Family, including the Chiefs of Rian, Methri and Alniyawas who fought against the rebels of Kumpawat clan in the battle of Merta in 1790 AD and suffered mass annihilation. One of the scion of the family who rose to prominence during the reign of Padshah Aurangzeb was Maharaja Raghunath Singh Mertia (1660-1683 AD), who conquered Maroth or Gaurawati and is ancestor of the rulers of Panch Mahal Maroth.
References
- ↑ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
- ↑ freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~princelystates/states/m/merta.html
- ↑ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~princelystates/img/mertiya.jpg
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