Jodhpur (/ˈdʒɒdpʊər/; pronounced [ˈd͡ʒoːd̪ʱpʊr] pronunciation ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the Kingdom of Marwar, which is now part of Rajasthan. Jodhpur is a popular tourist destination, featuring many palaces, forts and temples, set in the stark landscape of the Thar Desert. It is popularly known as Blue city and Sun city among people of Rajasthan and all over India.^[1]

The old city circles the fort and is bounded by a wall with several gates.^[7] However, the city has expanded greatly outside the wall over the past several decades. Jodhpur lies near the geographic centre of the Rajasthan state, which makes it a convenient base for travel in a region much frequented by tourists.^[1]

The city is also home to several educational institutions, the most prominent being AIIMS Jodhpur, IIT Jodhpur, DSRRAU Jodhpur, NLU Jodhpur, NIFT Jodhpur. Many research institutes like Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI),^[8] Arid Forest Research Institute (AAFRI),^[9] Desert Medicine Research Centre (DMRC) are also located in the city.

According to the Hindu epic Mahabharat', Ahirs were the inhabitants of Marwar and later on the Rathore clan established the Marwar Kingdom. There may have been small settlements before Rathore rule.^[10][11]

The Jodhpur city was founded in 1459 by Rao Jodha, a Rajput chief of the Rathore clan. Jodha succeeded in conquering the surrounding territory and thus founded a kingdom which came to be known as Marwar. As Jodha hailed from the nearby town of Mandore, that town initially served as the capital of this state; however, Jodhpur soon took over that role, even during the lifetime of Jodha. The city was located on the strategic road linking Delhi to Gujarat. This enabled it to profit from a flourishing trade in opium, copper, silk, sandalwood, dates and other tradeable goods.^[12]

After the death of Rao Chandrasen Rathore in 1581, the kingdom was annexed by the Mughal Emperor Akbar, Marwar thus became a Mughal vassal owing fealty to them while enjoying internal autonomy. Jodhpur and its people benefited from this exposure to the wider world as new styles of art and architecture made their appearance and opportunities opened up for local tradesmen to make their mark across northern India.^[12]

Aurangzeb briefly sequestrated the state (c. 1679) after the death of Maharaja Jaswant Singh, but the prior ruler Maharaja Ajit Singh was restored to the throne by Veer Durgadas Rathore after Aurangzeb died in 1707 and a great struggle of 30 years. The Mughal empire declined gradually after 1707, but the Jodhpur court was beset by intrigue; rather than benefiting from circumstances, Marwar descended into strife and invited the intervention of the Marathas, who soon supplanted the Mughals as overlords of the region. This did not make for stability or peace, however- 50 years of wars and treaties dissipated the wealth of the state, which sought the help of the British and entered into a subsidiary alliance with them. There was a major revolt in 1857 by some Rathore nobles of Pali led by Thakur Kushal Singh of Auwa, however the rebels were defeated by the British army under colonel Holmes and peace was restored.^[13][12]

During the British Raj, the state of Jodhpur had the largest land area of any in the Rajputana. Jodhpur prospered under the peace and stability that was a hallmark of this era. The land area of the state was 93,424 km2 (36,071 sq mi) its population in 1901 was 44,73,759. It enjoyed an estimated revenue of £ 3,529,000. Its merchants, the Marwaris, flourished and came to occupy a position of dominance in trade across India.

In 1947, when India became independent, the state merged into the union of India and Jodhpur became the second largest city of Rajasthan.^[12][14] At the time of division, the ruler of Jodhpur, Hanwant Singh, did not want to join India, but finally due to the effective persuasion of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Home Minister at the time, the state of Jodhpur was included in Indian Republic. Later after the State Reorganisation Act, 1956 it was included within the state of Rajasthan.^[12]

As per provisional reports of Census India,^[6] the population of Jodhpur is 1,033,918 in 2011, where males constitute approximately 52.62 percent of the population and females constitute approximately 47.38 percent. The average literacy rate of Jodhpur is 80.56 percent, with a male literacy rate of approximately 88.42 percent and a female literacy rate of approximately 73.93 percent. Approximately 12.24 percent of the population are under six years of age. Jodhpur city is governed by Municipal Corporation which comes under Jodhpur Urban Agglomeration. The Jodhpur Urban/Metropolitan area include Jodhpur, Kuri Bhagtasani, Mandore Industrial Area, Nandri, Pal Village and Sangariya. Its Urban/Metropolitan population is 1,137,815 of which 599,332 are males and 538,483 are females. According to www.citypopulation.de population of Jodhpur city on 01/01/2019 is 1,440,000. ^[15]

The climate of Jodhpur is hot and semi-arid during its nearly yearlong dry season, but contains a brief rainy season from late June to September (Köppen BShw). Although the average rainfall is around 362 millimetres (14.3 in), it fluctuates greatly. In the famine year of 1899, Jodhpur received only 24 millimetres (0.94 in), but in the flood year of 1917 it received as much as 1,178 millimetres (46.4 in).

Temperatures are extreme from March to October, except when the monsoonal rain produces thick clouds to lower it slightly. In the months of April, May and June, high temperatures routinely exceed 40 degrees Celsius. During the monsoon season, average temperatures decrease slightly. However, the city's generally low humidity rises, which adds to the perception of the heat. The highest temperature recorded in Jodhpur was on 25 May 1932 when it rose up to 48.9 degrees Celsius.

The handicrafts industry has, in recent years, eclipsed all the other industries in the city. The items manufactured include textiles, metal utensils, bicycles, ink and sporting goods. A flourishing cottage industry exists for the manufacture of such items as glass bangles, cutlery, carpets and marble products.

After handicrafts, tourism is the second largest industry of Jodhpur.

Major agricultural exports in the district include wheat and the famous Mathania red chilies. The city serves as an important marketplace for wool and agricultural products.

Gypsum and salt are commonly mined exports. The Indian Air Force, Indian Army, Indo Tibetan Border Police and Border Security Force maintain training centres in Jodhpur.

The administration of Jodhpur consists of a District Collector, followed by 4 additional District Magistrates (I, II, Land Conversion and City ADM).

Presently, the Collector and District Magistrate is Sh.

Prakash Rajpurohit (IAS).

The upcoming 9 MMTPA Refinery and Petrochemical complex to be set up by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) in Pachpadra, Barmer will transform the industrial scene of the city drastically. Pachpadra lies just 60 kilometres from the industrial area of Boranada in Jodhpur. Around 120 by-products that are produced by the refinery are going to provide opportunities for new industries to be set up in and around Jodhpur.

India's most ambitious industrial development project, the over US$100 billion Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project is also going to impact industries in Jodhpur. Marwar Junction, which is located about 103 kilometres from Jodhpur will be one of the nine freight loading points along the DMIC route. Jodhpur and Pali districts fall under the region that is going to be developed as a manufacturing hub for the DMIC.

The present Member of Parliament from Jodhpur is Gajendra Singh Shekhawat of the BJP.

Jodhpur is a significant city of western Rajasthan and lies about 250 kilometers from the border with Pakistan. This location makes it a key base for the Indian army, Indian Air Force and Border Security Force (BSF). Jodhpur's South Western Air Command is Asia's largest and one of the most critical and strategically located airbases of the IAF (The Jodhpur Airport played the crucial role during the Indo-Pakistani wars of 1965 and 1971) deployed fighter jets and Advanced Light Helicopters.

The city is famous for its food and its popularity can be judged from the fact that one can find sweet shops named 'Jodhpur Sweets' in many cities throughout India. Being at the onshore of Thar desert, life has been influenced by ways of select nomadic tribes (So-called "Gypsy" groups - Banjare in Hindi - have settled in some parts of the city).^[19] Jodhpur has distinct cultural identity through its food [ mirchi bada and mawa kachori are famous ],^[20] clothes [ specially female clothes ],marwari language, hospitality [ here everyone is greeted with 'sa' postfix to their name.'sa' is used to give respect and also implies the happiness of seeing that person ].Like

most other non capital towns of an Indian state jodhpur also successfully managed to keep alive its culture and its clearly visible in day today life. To

get a glimpse of culture a tourist can visit sadar bazar [ known as Ghanta-Ghar ], Tripoliya market, Nai-Sarak Market [ all these three lie within 2 kilometer and are connected ].

Jodhpur's most notable attractions are Mehrangarh Fort, Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jaswant Thada, and the Ghanta Ghar, or Clock Tower. Tourists are also within proximity to Fort Auwa, Mandore, Kaylana Lake and Garden, Balsamand Lake, Mandaleshwar Mahadev Temple (Mandalnath), Ratanada Ganesh Temple, ISKCON Temple, Sardar Samand Lake and Palace, Masooria Hills, Veer Durgadas Smarak (monument, park and museum) and Bhim Bhadak Cave. Other attraction of people are at markets of food, antique items, traditional clothes and traditional shoes (also called jodhpuri mojari) held in Jodhpur.^[21]

The historic buildings and landscapes of the city were featured in a number of movies, including The Dark Knight Rises directed by Christopher Nolan, Baadshaho starring Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi, The Darjeeling Limited starring Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman, The Fall directed by Tarsem Singh, "Hum Saath-Saath Hain" directed by Sooraj Barjatya, "Veer" directed by Anil Sharma, "Shuddh Desi Romance" directed by Maneesh Sharma and "I" directed by S. Shankar, "Kung Fu Yoga" starring Jackie chan, Sonu Sood, Disha Patani, "Loafer" starring Varun Tej and Disha Patani; Supreme (film) starring Sai Dharam Tej and Rashi Khanna; Airlift feat.in Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur.

Some of the recreation places worth mentioning are:

A number of dishes from Indian cuisine originated in Jodhpur, such as Makhaniya Lassi,^[22] Mawa Ki Kachori, Pyaaj Ki Kachori (kachori of onion), Hot & Spicy Mirchi Bada, Dal Bati Churma, Lasan Ki Chutney (special gravy of garlic), Mirchi Ka Kutii, Gatte Ki Sabzi, Ker Sangri Sabzi, Raab, Lapsi, Aate Ka Halwa, Kachara Mircha Sabzi and Kadhi Pakoda with Baajre Ka Sogra. Jodhpur is known for its sweets ranging from traditional "Makhanbada", "Mawa Ki Kachori", "Malpua", "Ghevar", "Motichur Ke Laddu", "Besan barfi", "Thorr" and "Gulab Jamun" to Bengali "Rasgulla" and "Ras Malai

Jodhpur has two outdoor stadiums and one indoor stadium complex.

Barkatullah Khan Stadium has hosted two cricket ODIs. Umaid stadium football stadium and Gaushala maidan sports stadium.

Jodhpur is fast becoming a major education hub for higher studies in India.

With many renowned academicians, Jodhpur is India's largest hub for preparation of the Chartered Accountant (CA) entrance examination held throughout India by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).

The most notable include:

Major research institutes and organizations have been established in the city for promoting research:

Rajasthan High Court is the High Court of the state of Rajasthan. It was established on 21 June 1949 under the Rajasthan High Court Ordinance, 1949.

The High Court of Rajasthan was founded in 1949 in Jodhpur and was inaugurated by the Rajpramukh, Maharaja Sawai Man Singh on August 29, 1949.

The first Chief Justice was Kamala Kant Verma and the current Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court is the Honorable Justice S. Ravindra Bhatt.

A bench was formed at Jaipur which was dissolved in 1958 and was again formed on January 31, 1977.

Currently, there are forty sanctioned judges.

The city is administered by the Jodhpur Nagar Nigam headed by a mayor.

For administrative purposes, the city is divided into 65 wards, from which the members of the corporation council are elected for five years. The municipal corporation has 65 elected members known as councilors, or parshad in Hindi, representing their respective wards (65 geographical units of the city). The ward members are elected by direct voting by electorate for a period of 5 years. In addition to these 65 directly elected members, the corporation has 4 Ex-officio members (1 member of parliament, 3 members of legislative assembly, namely Sardarpura, Soorsagar, City) and 3 Nominated Members.

The city has well-established rail, road and air networks connecting it to other major cities of the country.

Jodhpur railway station is the divisional headquarters of the North Western Railways (NWR). It is well connected with railways to major Indian cities like Alwar, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Trivandrum, Pune, Kota, Kanpur, Bareilly, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Indore, Bhopal, Dhanbad, Patna, Guwahati, Nagpur, Lucknow, Gwalior, Jaipur etc. To decongest the main Jodhpur station (JU), the suburban station Bhagat ki Kothi (BGKT) is being developed as the second main station for passenger trains. At present 106 trains serves to both the stations. Some of the important trains originating from Jodhpur railway station are- Ranthambore Express (Jodhpur to Indore), Mandore Express (Jodhpur to Delhi), Suryanagri Express (Jodhpur to Mumbai), Marudhar Express (Jodhpur to Varanasi), Howrah Superfast (from Jodhpur to Howrah) etc.

Luxury train service: For experiencing the true magnificence and royal opulence of Rajasthan, luxury trains Palace on Wheels and Royal Rajasthan on Wheels and Maharaja Express are run jointly by RTDC and Indian railways.^[24] Jodhpur is one of the destinations of both of the trains. Recently a plan to start metro train service in Jodhpur was proposed to decongest the city traffic. However, this proposal is still pending with the state government for its approval.^[25]

Suburban stations around Jodhpur:

Jodhpur Airport is one of the prominent airports of Rajasthan. It is primarily a military airbase with a civil enclosure to allow for civilian air traffic. Due to Jodhpur's strategic location, this airport is regarded as one of the most important ones for the Indian Air Force.^[27]

At present, there are daily flights from Delhi and Mumbai to the city operated by Air India. The bill and basic formalities for the long-awaited expansion of the airport were cleared by all the concerned authorities in June 2016, clearing the way for the expansion of the airport in two phases beginning February 2016. Post the expansion, it is expected that there will be morning and evening flights from the city to more cities than presently available in addition to more airlines coming to and fro the city.^[27]

Jodhpur is connected by road to all major cities in Rajasthan and neighboring states like Delhi, Ahmedabad, Surat, Ujjain, and Agra.

Apart from deluxe and express bus services to cities within the state, Rajasthan Roadways provides Volvo and Mercedes Benz bus service to Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Udaipur, and Jaisalmer.

Recently, Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) is launched in the city with low floor and semi-low floor buses plying on major routes. Jodhpur is connected to the National Highway network with three National Highways and to the Rajasthan State Highway network with ten state highways. National Highways passing through Jodhpur:

State Highways passing through Jodhpur:

Jodhpur has total of five FM stations: