Page 76 - SST Class 04

India : Life in

17
Western Desert

Western Desert and I

You have read in Lesson 4 : The Western Desert that the western desert is mainly located in

the state of Rajasthan; the land is sandy and rocky; it rains scarce, so vegetation is scarce;
not many crops grow here; and the Indira Gandhi Canal has brought some greenery.

Rajasthan

Jaipur, also called the Pink City, is the capital of
Rajasthan. Sand dunes and scarce water has
created harsh living conditions in Rajasthan. The
Banjaras live here. They are nomads who
wander from place to place with their cattle and
families in search of water and food. In northern
Rajasthan, people grow the crops of wheat,

cotton, groundnut, sugarcane, rice and millets.
Some crops are also grown in the oases.
Hawa Mahal
Rajasthan is well-known for its forts and palaces,
which attract a very large number of tourists to this state. Chittorgarh, Jodhpur,

Udaipur, Bikaner and Jaipur are only a few places of tourist interest. The most popular
tourist points are the Victory Tower in Chittorgarh and Hawa Mahal in Jaipur. Two of
its holy places are also very popular, which are the Dargah of Moin-ud-din Chishti at
Ajmer and Pushkar. The temples of Nathdwara and Eklingji Temple in Udaipur are
also very popular among devotees. Mount Abu, a hill station, is a nice place to visit in
the desert.

People of Rajasthan like to wear colourful clothes and ornaments. Men wear dhoti-
kurta-turban and women wear ghaghara-choli-odhni. Ivory ornaments are also very
popular among women. Rajasthani, a variant of Hindi, is spoken, though people speak
and understand Hindi. Ghoomar is a popular dance form here. Daal-bati is a popular
dish of the state. The festivals of Teej, Gangaur, Diwali, Dussehra and Eid are

celebrated with fanfare.

76 Contemporary Social Science-4