Jhunjhunu

This article is about the municipality in Rajasthan, India. For its namesake district, see Jhunjhunu district.

JhunjhunU झुन्झुनू
city
JhunjhunU Location in Rajasthan, India
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	Rajasthan
District	Jhunjhunu
Government
• MP	Santosh Ahlawat (BJP)
Elevation	323 m (1,060 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	100,476
• Density	361/km2 (930/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Hindi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	333001
Telephone code	91-1592
Vehicle registration	RJ-18
Literacy	74%
Website	www.jhunjhunu.rajasthan.gov.in

Jhunjhunu' (Hindi: झुन्झुनू) is a town in the state of Rajasthan, India and the administrative headquarters of Jhunjhunu District. It is located a 180 km away from Jaipur, 220 km from Bikaner and 240 km from Delhi. The town is famous for the frescos on its grand Havelis; a special artistic feature of this region.

Etymology

Jhunjhunu is an old and historical town, having its own district headquarters. It is said that it was ruled over by the Chauhan Dynasty in the Vikram era 1045. In the year 1450 Mohammed Khan Qaimkhani & his son Samas Khan defeated the Chauhans and conquered Jhunjhunu. Mohammed Khan was the first Nawab of Jhunjhunu. His son Samas Khan ascended to the throne in the year 1459. Samas Khan founded the village Samaspur and thus Samas Talab was constructed. Rohilla Khan was the last Nawab of Jhunjhunu. The Nawabs ruled over Jhunjhunu for 280 years.Later grandson of last Nawab Shahadat Ali Khan got joined British Army, got victoria cross and title of Raja, he was buried in Dhamlawas village of Rewari, this village was established by him. Raja Faiz Ali Qaeimkhani and his brother Zaildar Raja Mumtaz Ali Khan migrated to Pakistan in 1947 and settled in Tehsil Renala Khurd Disst Okara, Punjab, Pakistan.

History

Jhunjhunu lies in the core of the well known erstwhile Shekhawati province. Maharao Shardul Singh won Jhunjhunu by defeating (in 1730) Rohilla Khan "Raseela", the last Nawab of Jhunjhunu. This is clear from the poetry, made by the Charan of Shekhawats in the Rajasthani language

Satrahso Satashiye, Agahan Mass Udaar,

Sadu linhe jhunjhunu, Sudi Athen Sanivaar.

Another poem in Rajasthani language on Shardul Singh -

Sade, linho Jhunjhunu, Lino amar patai,

Bete pote padaute pidhi sat latai.

The above poetry was composed by the Charan of Shekhawats after Jhunjhunu was conquered. The translation is that Shardul Singh has taken Jhunjhunu on a lifelong lease. Now the succeeding seven generations would be benefited.

Shardul Singh had three marriages. He married firstly, in 1698, Thukrani Sahaj Kanwar Bika Ji Sahiba, daughter of Manroop Singh Bika of Nathasar; married secondly, Thukrani Sirey Kanwar Bika Ji Sahiba, daughter of Mukal Singh Bika of Nathasar; and married thirdly Thukrani Bakhat Kanwar Mertani Ji Sahiba, daughter of Devi Singh Mertiya of Poonglota (Marwar), near Degana, and had issue. He died 17 April 1742. He had six sons, namely,

• Thakur Jorawar singh, (by the first wife), born at Kant, married and had issue. He died 1745. He built Jorawargarh fort, and was the ancestor of the families of Taen, Malsisar, Gangiyasar, Mandrella, etc.
• Thakur Kishan singh, (by the third wife), born 1709, the ancestor of the families of Khetri, Arooka, Seegra, Alsisar etc.
• Kunwar Bahadur Singh, (by the third wife), born 1712, died 1732.
• Thakur Akhay singh, (by the third wife), born 1713, built Akhegarh Fort. Died without issue in 1750.
• Thakur Nawal singh Bahadur (by 3rd wife), born 1715, ancestor of the families of Nawalgarh, Mahensar, Dorasar, Mukundgarh, Narsinghani,Balonda and Mandawa. He died 24 February 1780.
• Thakur Keshri singh, (by 3rd wife), born 1728, ancestor of the families of Dundlod, Surajgarh and Bissau, fifth and youngest son, died 1768.

Unfortunately, his son Bahadur Singh expired at an early age. As a result his estate was divided into five equal shares. The administration by his five sons was cumulatively known as Panchpana.

After his death the estate was divided equally among his five sons. Shardul Singh was a man of a religious bent of mind, as he built many temples, such as Kalyan Ji Mandir and Gopinath Ji Ka Mandir at Jhunjhunu. To commemorate the sweet memory of his father, his sons made a monumental dome at Parasrampura. Its fresco painting is worth seeing.

All the five sons of Shardul Singh Ji were very brave, capable and efficient rulers. They raised many new thikanas, towns, forts and palaces; they encouraged the baniyas (merchants) in trade. As a result they grew rich and made many Havelies.

Currently the famous Rani Sati Dadi Mandir is a main tourist attraction apart from its religious significance. It receives more than 1 lac footfalls a day. Due to this temple the city has earned an importance in serving the tourist and "yatris". The term "mela" is used to represent the "Bhadi Mawas" day, a day of religious importance at this temple. People from all over the India gather in this mandir to offer prayer on this day.

Now Salman khan Movie starer Bajrangi Bhaijan shot with school students in Jhunjhunu district in 2015.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Jhunjhunu had a population of 100,476. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Jhunjhunu has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 86.61%, and female literacy is 60%. In Jhunjhunu, 18% of the population is under 6 years of age. According to Haryana State Gazetteer languages like Ahirwati and Bagri is mainly spoken in Jhunjhunu.

Religions in Jhunjhunu
Religion			Percent
Hindus			79%
Muslims			16%
Jains			3.7%
Others†			1.3%
Distribution of religions †Includes Sikhs (0.2%), Buddhists (<0.2%).

Education

Jhunjhunu is second most literate district in Rajasthan.As of 2001 India census, Jhunjhunu had a population of 100,476. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Jhunjhunu has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 86.61%, and female literacy is 60%.BITS,Pilani institute is located in Jhunjhunu district which is well known famous institute in India and worldwide. Rajasthan Sports University (Hindi: राजस्थान क्रीड़ा विश्वविद्यालय) is a newly established first public sports university situated in the Jhunjhunu district of the Indian state Rajasthan to promote the sports education in state Rajasthan.

Higher and Technical Education

Campus of Jhunjhunu Academy Wisdom City

Jhunjhunu City has many educational institutes (schools, degree colleges, polytechnics, management institutes and other professional education institutes) and thousands of students come from different parts of Rajasthan as well as other states to study in the Shekhawati region. The district of Jhunjhunu consists of important education hubs like Pilani, Chirawa, Surajgarh.

• BITS Pilani
• Jhunjhunu Academy,Wisdom City
• Shri Jagdish Prasad Jhabarmal Tibrewala University
• Seth Motilal Post Graduate College
• Shri Radheshyam R Murarka Government Post Graduate College
• Kendriya Vidyalaya,Jhunjhunu
• Keystone Group of Institutions, Surajgarh, Jhunjhunu

Prominent Personalities

Jhunjhunu has been the birth place of many famous business personalities, Birlas, Pasaris, Piramals (owners of VIP industries) , Goenkas ( owners of RPG Group) Khaitans (owners of Kaitan Group), Dalmias, Maheshwaris , Rungtas are a few of the numerous industrialist who hail from the district.Mehdi Hasan, world famous Gazal Singer was also born in Jhunjhunu. Late Sh. RR Moraka, who played a significant role in the freedom struggle, was also born in the Jhunjhunu district.

Industries in Jhunjhunu

One of the largest copper mines in India with concentrator & refinery are situated in Khetri, Jhunjhunu. The Khetri Copper Complex of Hindustan Copper Limited is situated at 10 km from Khetri town. Birlas, who hail from the district, are also planning to set-up a cement factory here in near future. However, the economy of the district rests upon the small scale industry. Trading, tourism and transportation bring in significant revenues for the district.

Hotspot for Bollywood Shooting

Jhunjhunu is attracting Bollywood filmmakers with its quaint surroundings, havelis exuding old-world charm and intriguing maze-like bylanes. Following are the movies shot here, though the list is not exhaustive.

• The Shah Rukh Khan's-starrer "Paheli" was shot entirely in Mandawa,Jhunjhunu district Rajasthan in a period of 45 days.
• The journey song "Hum jo chalne lage hai" from "Jab We Met" was shot in Mandawa(Jhunjhunu district).
• Many scenes of Aamir Khan's starer movie PK were shot in Mandawa (Jhunjhunu district).
• Many scenes of Jab We Met were shot here, including the full shooting of the very first song of the movie.
• All the scenes of Saif's saradar character in the movie Love Aaj Kal were also shot here.
• Salman Khan's "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", parts of Mandawa town in Jhunjhunu district were used to give a 'look' of Pakistan
• Anil Kapoor`s son Harshavardhan in his first movie `Mirza Sahiban shot in Mandawa in year 2015.
• In 2007 Abhay Deol's movie Manorama was shot in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan during the winter season, the crew encountered trouble with the prevailing extreme cold conditions. The ensuing fog and rain also gave them trouble during the shoot.
• In "Chalo Dilli" movie of 2011, the characters are travelling through Jhunjhunu district, where they stayed at a hotel named 'hotel red tomato'.
• Kachhe Dhaage, starring Ajay Devgan and Saif Ali Khan, was shot here.

Transport

Rail

Jhunjhunu comes within the territory of the North Western Railway. Jhunjhunu city is connected through a broadgauge line to Sikar, Rewari, and Dehli. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off two trains to mark the completion of Rs. 260 crore gauge conversion of the 122 km Loharu-Sikar railway line in Rajasthan. Both trains were flagged off by Prabhu through remote control by organising video conferencing between Rail Bhawan, New Delhi and Sikar, Rajasthan. Prabhu pointed out that sufficient funds have been provided in 2015-16 to complete this project, i.e., Jaipur-Ringas-Churu, by March, 2017. Rail service between Jhunjhunu and Dehli (14811/14812 Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Sikar Express (bi-weekly) began 2 September 2015. This train was inaugurated by Suresh Prabhu.

Road

Jhunjhunu is well connected by roads from all the major cities of Rajasthan. RJ-SH 8 links Jhunjhunu to Jaipur,Sikar and Luharu. RJ-SH 41 links Fatehpur to Rajgarh via Jhunjhunun A National Highway is also proposed by NHAI which will connecting Jhunjhunu district to Bikaner via Fatehpur.

Air

The nearest airport to Jhunjhunu city is Jaipur International Airport, which operate daily flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Indore, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Guwahati, Kolkata, Udaipur, Dubai, Sharjah, Muscat. Beside that, a small Air strip is also available in Jhunjhunu for small private planes landing.

Places of Interest

All the five sons of shardul singh Ji were very brave and capable and efficient rulers. They raised many new villages, towns, forts and palaces, They encouraged the Seths (Merchants) for trade. As a result they grew rich and made many Havelies. The fresco-paintings of these havelies clearly speak about that glorious period & prosperity. Moreover the rich merchants made the wells ponds, bawaries, temples and inns at various places. They are the examples of industrial architectural excellence. These havelies hails a large number of tourists every year. They keep wonder struck at the paintings etc.

The fresco-painting probably came in to existence in the eighteenth century. It was during the period of Shardual Singh ji that fresco painting was in much vogue.

There are hundreds of such havelies in the prominent towns of the district such as Jhunjhunu, Nawalgarh, Mandawa, Mukundgarh, Dundlod, Chirawa, Bissau, Mahansar, Pilani etc. which bear the wonderful fresco painting in various everlasting colours and designs.

Other major attractions

• Panchdev Mandir
• Khemi Sati Mandir
• Ghoriwara Temple
• Jamvay Mata Temple Bhorki
• Ved Prabhu Temple Jasrapur
• Dargah Huzrat Qumruddin Shah(Built by Thakur Shyam Singh Ji of Bissau in memory of his friend Qamruddin Shah for his bravery in many battles).
• Bissau Haveli & Temple(Thikana Bissau).
• Surajgah Mahal & Temple(Thikana Bissau).
• Shyamgarh Fort.(On Kanha Pahari built by Shyam Singh Ji of Bissau).
• Jain Temple
• Bande ka Balaji Temple
• Sunset Point Moda Pahar
• Lal Pahar
• Piralmal Haweli
• Aruka Garh Aruka

External links

• Jhunjhunu information
• Shekhawatihelp
• Jhunjhunu district website
• Website about Jhunjhunu, with photographs
• Monthly Hindi newspaper about Jhunjhunu