What Rajasthan Day marks
Rajasthan did not appear on one day. It was stitched together over eight years. But one day mattered more than any other, and that is the day the state remembers.
The great states join: on 30 March 1949 the four largest states of Rajputana, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer, joined the union already formed in the south and east.
A new state: together they became Greater Rajasthan, with Jaipur as its capital.
Facts to know
- The date
- 30 March 1949
- Who joined
- Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer
- New name
- Greater Rajasthan
- Capital
- Jaipur
- Ceremonial head
- Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II, as Rajpramukh
- A ceremonial head: Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur became the Rajpramukh, and Maharana Bhupal Singh of Udaipur was honoured as Maharajpramukh.
- Why this day: the earlier unions had been smaller. With the great states in, Rajasthan as we know it existed in all but its final borders.
- The name: Rajasthan, the land of kings. The British had called the region Rajputana, the country of the Rajputs.
- Read more: our short history of Rajasthan tells the story from the Harappan towns to 1956.
30 March, or the Hindu new year?
For decades Rajasthan Day meant 30 March. In 2025 the state government decided to hold its official celebrations by the Hindu calendar instead. Both dates have their reasons.
The historic date: Greater Rajasthan was formed on 30 March 1949. That is the date in school books and in most people's memory.
The new practice: since 2025 the state government marks Rajasthan Diwas on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, the first day of the Hindu new year.
Facts to know
- Historic date
- 30 March 1949
- Official celebration
- Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, since 2025
- What that is
- The first day of the Hindu new year
- When it falls
- March or April, changing each year
- Our advice
- We confirm the celebration dates each year
- The reasoning given: in 1949, 30 March coincided with that same new year's day, and the government chose to follow the Indian calendar.
- The debate: some historians and opposition politicians argued that the fixed date of 30 March should stay. The discussion continues.
- What it means for you: the official events may fall on a different day in March or April each year. We check the dates when we plan your journey.
- What we say: 30 March 1949 is the day Rajasthan was born. When the state celebrates it is a matter for the state.
Local tip
If you want to see Rajasthan Day events in Jaipur, tell us your travel window early. We confirm the official date and the programme once the government announces it.
Before 1949: a patchwork called Rajputana
In 1947 the map of this region looked like a quilt. Nineteen princely states, a few small chiefships and a British province sat side by side, each with its own ruler, laws and coins.
Under the British: from 1817 and 1818 most Rajput states accepted British paramountcy. They kept their rulers but gave up control of foreign affairs.
Ajmer-Merwara: the area around Ajmer was directly ruled British territory, the seat of the British agent for Rajputana.
- Not only Rajput states: the Jat states of Bharatpur and Dholpur and the Muslim state of Tonk were part of the patchwork too.
- People's movements: in the 1930s and 1940s, associations called praja mandals in Jaipur, Mewar, Marwar and other states demanded responsible government.
- Independence: in 1947 the rulers signed agreements to join India. The question was how so many small states could become a working whole.
- The clans behind the states: our guide to the Rajput dynasties explains who ruled where.
The people's movements that came first
The merger is often told as a deal between rulers and Delhi. In the villages and bazaars, people had been asking for a say in their own government for decades.
Bijolia: peasants in this part of Mewar organised against heavy taxes from the end of the nineteenth century, in one of the longest farmers' movements in India.
Govind Guru: a reformer among the Bhils of the south. In 1913 many of his followers were killed by troops at Mangarh hill near Banswara.
- Praja mandals: in the 1930s and 1940s, people's associations in Jaipur, Mewar, Marwar and other states demanded elected, responsible government.
- Into the new state: many of their leaders became the first ministers and legislators of Rajasthan, so the union was also their victory.
- Remembering them: Rajasthan Day programmes often honour these movements alongside the story of the rulers.
Seven stages, from 1948 to 1956
Rajasthan was built step by step. Each stage brought in more states, until the map took the shape you will drive across.
Stage one, March 1948: the Matsya Union
- Who: the four eastern states of Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur and Karauli.
- The name: Matsya, after the ancient kingdom of the Mahabharata that tradition places in this region.
Stage two, March 1948: the Rajasthan Union
- Who: a group of southern and eastern states, including Kota, Bundi, Jhalawar, Dungarpur, Banswara, Kishangarh and Tonk.
- The capital: Kota.
Stage three, April 1948: Udaipur joins
- Who: the great state of Mewar, with Udaipur as its capital, joined the Rajasthan Union.
- Why it mattered: the oldest Rajput house was now in. The union became the United State of Rajasthan.
Stage four, 30 March 1949: Greater Rajasthan
- Who: Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer.
- Why it matters most: the four great states of the north and west joined, and Jaipur became the capital. This is Rajasthan Day.
Stage five, May 1949: the Matsya Union merges
- Who: Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur and Karauli joined Greater Rajasthan.
Stage six, January 1950: Sirohi
- Who: most of the state of Sirohi joined. Mount Abu and the area around it came later.
Stage seven, 1 November 1956: the present map
- Who: under the reorganisation of Indian states, Ajmer, Abu Road and the Abu area and a small part of Madhya Bharat were added.
- The result: Rajasthan took the borders it has today.
Local tip
Ask your guide in each city which stage his old state joined in. In Kota, Udaipur and Jaipur you will hear three proud and slightly different versions of the same story.
The people who made it happen
Merging kingdoms that had existed for centuries took patience, pressure and a great deal of tea. A handful of people did most of the work.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel: India's home minister, who led the integration of the princely states across the country and inaugurated Greater Rajasthan in 1949.
V. P. Menon: Patel's secretary, who negotiated the agreements state by state with the rulers.
- The rulers: each Maharaja, Maharana and Nawab had to agree. Some did so gladly, some reluctantly, and all kept their palaces and an annual privy purse.
- Sawai Man Singh II: the Maharaja of Jaipur became Rajpramukh, the ceremonial head of the new state, until 1956. Our piece on the Jaipur royal family tells his story.
- Hiralal Shastri: a leader of the Jaipur praja mandal who became the first head of government of Greater Rajasthan.
- The people: the praja mandal workers, peasants' movements and ordinary citizens who had demanded responsible government for years.
- Jawaharlal Nehru: India's prime minister inaugurated the United State of Rajasthan at Udaipur in April 1948, a sign of how much the union mattered to the new nation.
Why Jaipur became the capital
Udaipur had the oldest royal house. Jodhpur had the biggest territory. Jaipur had the location, the buildings and a planned city ready to grow.
Central and connected: Jaipur sat close to Delhi and in the middle of the new state's roads and railways.
A city built to plan: Sawai Jai Singh II's grid of 1727 left room for government offices and a growing population. Our piece on Sawai Jai Singh explains the plan.
- Sharing the honours: to balance the old capitals, some institutions were placed elsewhere. The Rajasthan High Court sits in Jodhpur, and Ajmer hosts major state boards.
- The flags changed: the City Palace stopped being the seat of a kingdom and became the home of a family. The family still lives there.
- Jaipur today: the capital of India's largest state by area, with the walled city a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019.
What changed for the old kingdoms
The rulers kept their palaces and their titles for a while. Then, in 1971, the old order ended for good, and many palaces became the hotels you will stay in.
Palaces into hotels: Rambagh Palace in Jaipur opened as a hotel in 1957, and many more followed after 1971.
Museums and trusts: families set up trusts to run their forts and palaces, such as the Mehrangarh Museum Trust in Jodhpur.
Facts to know
- Privy purses
- Paid to rulers from the mergers until 1971
- 1971
- Privy purses and recognition of rulers abolished
- First palace hotel
- Rambagh Palace, 1957
- Largest state
- Rajasthan, by area, since 2000
- Into public life: several members of former ruling families entered politics and public service.
- The respect remains: in the old cities, people still call the head of a former ruling family Darbar or Hukum. Our page on meeting the royal families explains how to meet them with grace.
- India's largest state: since Madhya Pradesh was divided in 2000, Rajasthan has been the largest state in India by area.
The state that was born that day
The kingdoms that joined in 1949 make up a state larger than many countries. Its shape still follows the old borders in surprising places.
Desert and hills: the Aravalli range runs across the state from south-west to north-east. The Thar lies to the west, greener farmland and forest to the east.
An international border: in the west, Rajasthan shares a long border with Pakistan, through the desert beyond Jaisalmer and Barmer.
Facts to know
- Area
- About 342,000 square kilometres
- Rank
- India's largest state by area
- Borders
- Pakistan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat
- Landscape
- The Thar desert west of the Aravalli hills
- Old kingdoms, new districts: many districts still carry the names of the old states, and people still say they are from Marwar, Mewar or Hadoti.
- The regions explained: our pages on Mewar, Marwar, Dhundhar and Hadoti introduce the old kingdoms one by one.
- One state, many voices: the dialects of the old kingdoms survive inside the new state. Our piece on the Rajasthani language explains them.
How Rajasthan Day is celebrated
Rajasthan Day is a birthday party for a whole state. The government organises it, but the music, dance and food come from every corner of Rajasthan.
Cultural programmes: folk music, dance and theatre in Jaipur and in district towns across the state, often over several days.
Folk artists on stage: Kalbelia dancers, Manganiyar and Langa singers, puppeteers and drummers from different regions share one stage.
- Lit-up monuments: forts and palaces are often illuminated for the occasion.
- Crafts and food: fairs bring artisans and cooks from across Rajasthan, a good chance to see crafts from regions you may not visit.
- In schools: children learn the story of the union and perform songs and plays about the state.
- A season of festivals: Rajasthan Day falls in the same weeks as Gangaur, and often near Holi, so the state is already in a festive mood.
- For visitors: many events are open to the public. We find you a good place to stand, and a guide to explain who is performing and where they come from.
Where to see the story of 1949
There is no single museum of the union. Its story is told in the palaces where the rulers signed and the cities that changed.
The City Palace, Jaipur
- Why go: the seat of the Rajpramukh, where the flags changed in 1949.
- Look for: the portraits of Man Singh II and photographs of the last princely years.
The Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum, Jodhpur
- Why go: its photographs show the court of the 1930s and 1940s, the world that ended with the merger.
- Read more: our Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum guide.
The City Palace, Udaipur
- Why go: the palace of the Maharana who became Maharajpramukh, and the oldest royal house to join.
Ajmer
- Why go: the old British province at the heart of Rajputana, where Mayo College was founded in 1875 to educate the princes.
The symbols of the state
Every Indian state chooses its own animal, bird, tree and flower. Rajasthan's choices say a great deal about the desert and the people who live with it.
The great Indian bustard: a tall grassland bird, now critically endangered, that survives in the Thar. Read about the great Indian bustard.
The chinkara: a small, graceful gazelle of the desert, protected by the Bishnoi villages.
Facts to know
- State bird
- Great Indian bustard, the godawan
- State animals
- The chinkara and the camel
- State tree
- Khejri
- State flower
- Rohida
- The camel: the ship of the desert, named a state animal for its place in Rajasthani life. Read about the camels of Rajasthan.
- The khejri: a hardy desert tree that feeds people, animals and the soil. In 1730 Bishnoi villagers at Khejarli gave their lives to protect these trees.
- The rohida: a small desert tree with bright orange and yellow flowers in the spring, around the time of Rajasthan Day.
Travelling around Rajasthan Day
Late March is a lovely, warming time in Rajasthan. The winter crowds thin, the festivals continue and the days grow long.
The weather: days are warm and getting hotter, especially in the desert. Plan sightseeing early and late in the day.
Festivals: Gangaur processions in Jaipur and Udaipur often fall around this time. We confirm the dates each year.
Facts to know
- Weather
- Warm days, mild evenings
- Festivals nearby
- Gangaur, often Holi
- Crowds
- Thinner than in winter
- Best for
- Jaipur, Udaipur, the hills
- Where to be: Jaipur for the official programmes, Udaipur for the lakes, and Mount Abu or Kumbhalgarh for cooler air.
- Our month guide: Rajasthan in March covers weather, festivals and a sample week.
- Our route: the Royal Rajputana journey travels through most of the old kingdoms that joined in 1949.
- Wildlife: late March is a good time for tigers at Ranthambore, as the forest thins and animals come to the water.
Local tip
Spend the morning of Rajasthan Day in the old city of Jaipur and the evening at a cultural programme. Ask your guide which state his family's village belonged to before 1949.
What most visitors miss
Most travellers never think about how Rajasthan came to be. These small things bring the story to life on the road.
The old state borders: ask your driver when you cross from one old kingdom into another. Turbans, dialect and even the food change.
- The flags: royal standards still fly over family palaces, but the state's government flies India's flag. Both are part of the story.
- Grandparents' memories: many older Rajasthanis remember the merger years, or their parents' stories of them. Ask, gently.
- The coins and stamps: museum cases in the palaces show the coins and stamps of the princely states, which stopped after the union.
Local tip
In a palace museum, look for a princely state's own postage stamps. Children love them, and they make the old kingdoms feel real.
Before you go
A little preparation makes a late-March journey easy and rewarding.
Check the date: we confirm the official Rajasthan Day programme each year, since it now follows the Hindu calendar.
- Pack for warmth: light cotton, a hat and sunscreen. Evenings are mild.
- Book early around Gangaur and Holi: hotels in Jaipur and Udaipur fill quickly in festival weeks.
- Read first: our short history of Rajasthan gives you the story in an evening.
Who will enjoy Rajasthan Day
Rajasthan Day is not a spectacle like Holi or the Pushkar fair. It is a quieter pleasure, best for travellers who like to understand a place.
History lovers: the story of how kingdoms became a state is one of the great stories of modern India.
- Music and dance lovers: the cultural programmes gather folk artists from every region.
- Families: children enjoy the performances, and the state symbols make a fun game on safari.
- Who might skip it: if you want a big festival experience, plan around Holi, Gangaur or the Pushkar camel fair instead.