Governor : Rameshwar Thakur
 Chief Minister : Shivraj Singh Chauhan
 Capital: Bhopal
 Legislature: Unicameral
 Lok Sabha seats: 29
 Judicature: Jabalpur High Court
 Language: Hindi
 Population density: 196/sq km
 No. of districts: 50
 Main crops: Gram, Jowar, wheat, rice,
soyabeans, cotton, oilseeds, hemp, tobacco
 Rivers: Narmada, Sone, Chambal, Betwa, Mahanadi, Tapti, Indravati
and Shipra
 Minerals: Coal, iron, lime, bauxite, diamond, manganese
 Industries: Newsprint Paper, Currency Press (Dewas); Alkaloid
Factory (Neemuch), Textile Mills and handicrafts
 Airports: Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Khajuraho

Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, (“the land of kings”), is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert (Thar Desert), which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with Pakistan. The state is bordered by Pakistan to the west, Gujarat to the southwest, Madhya Pradesh to the southeast, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to the northeast and Punjab to the north. Rajasthan covers 10.4% of India, an area of 342,269 square kilometres (132,151 sq mi).

Jaipur is the capital and the largest city of the state. Geographical features include the Thar Desert along north-western Rajasthan and the termination of the Ghaggar River near the archaeological ruins at Kalibanga of the Indus Valley Civilization, which are the oldest in the Indian subcontinent discovered so far.

One of the world’s oldest mountain ranges, the Aravalli Range, cradles the only hill station of Rajasthan, Mount Abu, famous for Dilwara Temples, a sacred pilgrimage for Jains. Eastern Rajasthan has the world famous Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur, a World Heritage Site known for its bird life. It also has two national tiger reserves, Ranthambore and Sariska Tiger Reserve, and a famous temple in Khatu, Sikar district, dedicated to Khatu Shyam Ji. Rajasthan was formed on 30 March 1949, when the region known until then as Rajputana, consisting of erstwhile princely states ruled mainly by Rajputs.

History of Rajasthan
Ancient Period, upto 1200 AD

Rajput clans emerged and held their sway over different parts of Rajasthan from about 700 AD. Before that, Rajasthan was a part of several republics. It was a part of the Mauryan Empire. Other major republics that dominated this region include the Malavas, Arjunyas, Yaudhyas, Kushans, Saka Satraps, Guptas and Hunas.

The Rajput clans ascendancy in Indian history was during the period from the eighth to the twelfth century AD. The Pratihars ruled Rajasthan and most of northern India during 750-1000 AD. Between 1000-1200 AD, Rajasthan witnessed the struggle for supremacy between Chalukyas, Parmars and Chauhans.

Medieval Period, 1201 – 1707

Around 1200 AD a part of Rajasthan came under Muslim rulers. The principal centers of their powers were Nagaur and Ajmer. Ranthanbhor was also under their suzerainty. At the beginning of the 13th century AD, the most prominent and powerful state of Rajasthan was Mewar.

Modern Period, 1707 – 1947

Rajasthan had never been united politically until its domination by Mughal Emperor – Akbar. Akbar created a unified province of Rajasthan. Mughal power started to decline after 1707. The political disintegration of Rajasthan was caused by the dismemberment of the Mughal Empire. The Marathas penetrated Rajasthan upon the decline of the Mughal Empire. In 1755 they occupied Ajmer. The beginning of the 19th Century was marked by the onslaught of the Pindaris.

In 1817-18 the British Government concluded treaties of alliance with almost all the states of Rajputana. Thus began the British rule over Rajasthan, then called Rajputana.

Post Independence

The erstwhile Rajputana comprised 19 princely states and two chiefships of Lava and Kushalgarh and a British administered territory of Ajmer-Merwara. Rajasthan State was heterogeneous conglomeration of separate political entities with different administrative systems prevailing in different places. The present State of Rajasthan was formed after a long process of integration which began on March 17, 1948 and ended on November 1, 1956. Before integration it was called Rajputana; after integration it came to be known as Rajasthan. At present there are 33 districts (including the new district of Pratapgarh) in the State.

Established 1 November 1956
Capital Jaipur
Largest city Jaipur
Districts 33 total
Government
• Governor Margaret Alva
• Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot (INC)
• Legislature Unicameral (200 seats)
• Parliamentary constituency 25
• High Court Rajasthan High Court
Area
• Total 342,269 km2 (132,151 sq mi)
Area rank 1st
Population (2011)
• Total 68,621,012
• Rank 8th
• Density 200/km2 (520/sq mi)
Time zone IST (UTC+05:30)
ISO 3166 code IN-RJ
HDI increase 0.637 (medium)
HDI rank 21st (2005)
Literacy 68% (20th)
Official languages Hindi
Website rajasthan.gov.in

DATE OF FORMATION OF KERALA  :   1 NOV 1956

NUMBER OF EAST FLOWING RIVERS IN KERALA  :  THREE

NUMBER OF LOK SABHA SEATS IN KERALA  :  20

NUMBER OF RIVERS IN KERALA  :  44

MOPLAH REBELLION IN MALABAR   : 1921

THE FIRST TALKIE MALAYALAM FILM  :  BALAN

FIRST FLOATING ATM IN INDIA IS AT  :  KOCHI

KPSC CHAIRMAN    K.V SALAHUDHEEN

KUNJALI MARAKAR WAS THE NAVAL CHIEF OF    ZAMORIN OF KOZHIKODE

WHO WAS KNOWN AS KERALA GANDHI  :   K.KELAPPAN

“DIRECTION OF “VASTHUHARA” :   ARAVINDAN

KERALA WOOD INDUSTRIES IS AT :   NILAMBUR

THE SMALLEST DISTRICT IN KERALA   : ALAPPUZHA

SILENT VALLEY IS IN    PALAKKAD

THE HIGHEST PEAK IN KERALA    ANAMUDI

THE QUEEN OF ARABIAN SEA    KOCHI

THE PLACE WHERE VSSC IS LOCATED    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

INDIAS FIRST PRIVATE AIRPORT    COCHIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

THAKAZHI AWARD FOR SHORT STORIES    RAMESH BABU

KULACHAL WAR    1741

FIRST CHIEF MINISTER IN KERALA    EMS NAMBOOTHIRIPAD

VAIKKOM SATHYAGRAHA    1924

“AUTHOR OF “MALABAR MANUEL”"    WILLIAM LOGAN

KADALUNDI IS FAMAOUS FOR    MANGROVE FOREST

“WHICH DISTRICT IS CALLED ” THE LAND OF GODS”    KASARGOD

“THE PLACE “”ILLIKUNNU”" IN KANNUR IS ASSOCIATED WITH”    HERMAN GUNDERT

AZHIMALA NAVI ACADEMY    KANNUR

ACADEMY FOR FOLK LORE IS SITUATED IN    KANNUR

LARGEST TALUK IN KERALA   : ERANAD

CALICUT UNIVERSITY IS SITUATED AT    MALAPPURAM

BIRTH PLACE OF T.N SHESHAN  :  PALAKKAD

“MUNNAR EVICTION”" SPECIAL OFFICER”    SURESH KUMAR

“MUTHIRA PUZHA”" IS THE TRIBUTARY OF”    PERIYAR

HINDUSTAN PAPER CORPERATION IS AT    KOTTAYAM

FIRST PRESIDENTIAL RULE IN KERALA   : 1956

“LAST ” MAMANGAM”   : 1755

KERALA AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY  :  MANNUTHI

KERALA FOREST RESEARCH INSTITUTE    PEECHI

“”"AGASTHYA VANAM”" BIOLOGICAL PARK”    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

PUNALUR PAPER MILLS    KOLLAM

“IN WHICH DISTRICT “”SHABARIMALA”"  IS SITUATED”    PATHANAMTHITTA

“THE PLACE “”MANNADI”" IS ASSOCIATED WITH”    VELUTHAMBI DALAVA

“PUNNAMADA KAYAL”" IS FAMOUS FOR”    NEHRU TROPHY BOAT RACE

KUMARAKAM BIRD SANCTUARY    KOTTAYAM

WHERE IS VASCODAGAMA CREMATED    MATTANCHERI

MALABAR SPECIAL POLICE HEAD QUARTER    MALAPPURAM

TEAK MUSEUM IN KERALA    NILAMBUR

KOTTAKKAL ARYA VYDYA SHALA IS SITUATED AT    MALAPPURAM

“WHERE IS “”THUNJAN PARAMBU”" IS SITUATED”    TIRUR

DISTRICT WHICH HAS NO RAILWAY LINE    WAYANAD

“THE PLACE “LAKKIDI” IS FAMOUS FOR”    HEAVY RAIN FALL

CAPITAL OF KERALA

Ans :THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

First Fully literate state in India

Kerala is the most literate state in India, with 94.59% literacy

Ans : Kerala ‘s official slogan of Kerala tourism is

God’s Own Country

Ans : CULTURAL CAPITAL OF KERALA

Ans: Trissur

PROPOSED 4TH AIRPORT IN KERALA IS AT

Ans: KANNUR

FAMOUS FISHING CENTRE IN KERALA

Ans: NENDAKARA

WIND ENERGY PRODUCED IN KERALA

Ans: PALAKKAD

NEW NAVAL ACADEMY IN KERALA

Ans: EZHIMALA

THERMAL ELECTRICITY PLANT IN KERALA

Ans: KAYAMKULAM

Rajasthan

Particulars	Description
Area	3,42,239 sq. km
Population	56,473,122
Capital	Jaipur
Principal Languages	Hindi and Rajasthani

History and Geography

Rajasthan, the largest State in India in terms of area, prior to independence, was known as Rajputana or the home of Rajputs – a martial community who ruled over this area for centuries.

The history of Rajasthan dates back to the pre-historic times. Around 3,000 and 1,000 B.C., it had a culture akin to that of the Indus Valley Civilisation. It was the Chauhans who dominated Rajput affairs from seventh century and by 12^th century, they had become an imperial power. After the Chauhans, it was the Guhilots of Mewar who controlled the destiny of the warring tribes. Besides Mewar, the other historically prominent states were Marwar, Jaipur, Bundi, Kota, Bharatpur and Alwar, while the other states were only offshoots of these. All these states accepted the British Treaty of Subordinate Alliance in 1818, protecting the interest of the princes. This naturally left the people discontented.

After the revolt of 1857, the people united themselves under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi to contribute to the freedom movement. With the introduction of provincial autonomy in1935 in British India, agitation for civil liberties and political rights became stronger in Rajasthan. The process of uniting the scattered states commenced from 1948 to 1956, when the States Reorganisation Act was promulgated. First came Matsya Union (1948), consisting of a fraction of states. Slowly and gradually, other states merged with this Union. By 1949, major states like Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Jaislmer joined this Union, making it the United State of Greater Rajasthan. Ultimately in 1958, the present state of Rajasthan formally came into being, with Ajmer state, the Abu Road Taluka, and Sunel Tappa joining it.

The entire western flank of the state borders with Pakistan, while Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh bind Rajasthan in north, north-east, south-east and Gujarat in south-west.

Agriculture

Total cultivable area in the State is 217 lakh hectares (2006-2007). The estimated food grain production is 155.10 lakh tonnes (2007-08). Principal crops cultivated in the State are rice, barley, jowar, millet, maize, gram, wheat, oilseeds, pulses, cotton and tobacco. Cultivation of vegetable and citrus fruits such as orange and malta has also picked up over last few years. Other crops are red chillies, mustard, cumin seeds, fenugreek methi and asafoetida hing.

Industry and Minerals

Endowed with a rich culture, Rajasthan is also rich in minerals and is fast emerging on the industrial scenario of the country. Some of the important Central undertakings are Zinc Smelter Plant at Devari (Udaipur), Copper Plant at Khetri Nagar (Jhunjhunu) and Precision Instrument Factory at Kota. Major industries are textiles and woollens, sugar, cement, glass, sodium plants, oxygen, vegetable dyes, pesticides, zinc, fertilizers, railway wagons, ball bearings, water and electricity metres, sulphuric acid, television sets, synthetic yarn and insulating bricks. Besides precious and semi-precious stones, caustic soda, calcium carbide, nylon and tyres, etc., are other important industrial units.

Rajasthan has rich deposits of zinc concentrates, emerald, garnet, gypsum, silver ore, asbestos, felspar and mica. The State also abounds in salt, rock phosphate, marble and red stone deposits. The first Export Promotion Industrial Park of the country has been established and made operational at Sitapura (Jaipur).

Irrigation and Power

By the end of March 2007 irrigation potential of 34.85 lakh hectares was created in the state through various major, medium and minor irrigation projects (2007-08) and additional irrigation potential of 92,200 hectares ( excluding IGNP & CAD) had been created upto March 2007. The installed power capacity in the State has become 6335.33Mw upto December 2007 of which 4000 Mw is produced from State- owned projects, 521.85 Mw from collaboration projects and 1813.18 Mw from the allocation from Central power generating stations.

Transport

Roads: The total length of roads in the State is around 1,58,250 km.

Railways: Jodhpur, Jaipur, Bikaner, Kota, Sawai Madhopur and Bharatpur are some of the main railway junctions.

Aviation: Regular air services connect Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur with Delhi and Mumbai.

Festivals

Rajasthan is a land of festivals and fairs. Besides the national festivals of Holi, Deepawali, Vijayadashmi, Christmas, etc. birth anniversaries of Gods and Goddesses, saintly figures, folk heroes and heroines are celebrated. Important fairs are Teej, Gangaur (Jaipur), annual Urs of Ajmer Sherif and Galiakot, tribal Kumbh of Beneshwar (Dungarpur), Mahaveer fair at Shri Mahavirji in Swai Madhopur, Ramdeora (Jaisalmer), Janbheshwari Fair (Mukam-Bikaner), Kartik Poornima and Cattle Fair (Pushkar-Ajmer) and Shyamji Fair (Sikar), etc.

Tourist Centres

Hawa Mahal, Jaipur

Deserts of Jaisalmer

Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner, Mount Abu, Sariska Tiger Sanctuary in Alwar, Keoladeo National Park at Bharatpur, Ajmer, Jaisalmer, Pali and Chittorgarh are important places of tourist interest in the state.

Source: India 2010 – A Reference Annual

and National Portal of India

To Know more about Rajasthan, Please see the official website of  Rajasthan

http://www.rajasthan.gov.in/

Gujarat

Gujarat at a Glance

Particulars	Description
Area	1,96,024 sq. km
Population	50,671,017
Capital	Gandhinagar
Principal Languages	Gujarati

History and Geography

The history of Gujarat goes back to 2000 B.C. It is believed that Lord Krishna left Mathura to settle on the west coast of Saurashtra, which later came to be known as Dwarka, the gateway. Later, it saw various kingdoms: Mauryas, Guptas, Pratiharas and others. It was with Chalukya (Solankis) that Gujarat witnessed progress and prosperity. In spite of the plundering of Mahmud Ghazni, the Chalukya kings were able to maintain general prosperity and well-being of the State. After this glorious respite, Gujarat faced troubled times under the Muslims, Marathas and the British rule. Before Independence, the present territories of Gujarat used to be in two parts, the British and the Princely territories. With the re-organisation of the States, the Union of the States of Saurashtra and the Union Territory of Kachchh along with the former British, Gujarat became a part of the biggest bilingual State of Bombay. The present State of Gujarat came into being on May, 1960. It is situated on the west coast of India. The state is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west, Pakistan and Rajasthan in the north and north-east respectively, Madhya Pradesh in the south-east and Maharashtra in the south.

Agriculture

Gujarat is the main producer of tobacco, cotton and groundnut in the country and provides inputs for important industries like textiles, oil and soap. Other important cash crops are isabgol, paddy, wheat and bajra. Forest species available in Gujarat are teak, khair, sadad, haldariyo and manual bamboos.

Industry

The industrial structure in the State has been gradually diversifying with the development of industries like chemicals, petrochemicals, fertilizers, engineering, electronics, etc. The number of registered working factories in the State were 21,536 (Provisional) at the end of 2004 with the average daily employment to 9.27 lakh. The number of Small-Scale industrial units in the State was 2.99 lakh at the end of March 2005. GIDC has been assigned the role of developing industrial estates with infrastructure facilities. At the end of December 2005 GIDC had set up 237 industrial estates.

Irrigation and Power

The total irrigation potential through surface water as well as ground water has been assessed at 64.88 lakh hectares including 17.92 lakh hectares through Sardar Sarovar (Narmada) Project. The total irrigation potential created up to June 2007 is worked out to 42.26 lakh hectares. The maximum utilisation has been estimated at 37.33 lakh hectares up to June 2007.

Transport

Roads: The total length of roads (except Non-plan, Community, Urban and Project roads) was 74,038 km by the end of 2005-06.

Aviation: The main airport of Gujarat at Ahmedabad is connected with Mumbai, Delhi and other cities by daily services. Ahmedabad airport has now got the status of an International Airport. Other airports are Vadodara, Bhavnagar, Bhuj, Surat, Jamnagar, Kandla, Keshod, Porbandar and Rajkot.

Ports: Gujarat has 40 ports of which Kandla is a major port. The intermediate and minor ports of Gujarat handled a total cargo of 971.28 lakh tonnes whereas Kandla port handled cargo of 415.51 lakh tonnes during 2004-05.

Festivals

Tarnetar fair is held at village Tarnetar in the honour of Lord Shiva on the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th days of the bright half of the month of Bhadrapada (August/September). Madhavrai fair at Madhavpur near Porbandar is, held to celebrate the marriage by elopement of Lord Krishna and Rukmani, on the ninth day of the bright half of the month of Chaitra (March/April). Ambaji fair dedicated to Amba, mother goddess is held in Banaskantha district. The biggest annual fair, Janmashtami the birthday of Lord Krishna is celebrated at Dwarka and Dakor with great enthusiasm. Other festivals are Makar-Sankranti, Navratri, Dangi darbar, Shamlaji fair, Bhavnath fair, etc.

Tourist Centres

Lion Sanctuary of Gir Forest

Somnath Temple

Religious spots like Dwarka, Somnath, Palitana, Pavagadh, Ambaji, Bhadreshwar, Shamlaji, Taranga and Girnar; Porbandar, birth place of Mahatma Gandhi, places of memorable monuments of architectural and, archaeological surprises like Patan, Siddhpur Ghurnli, Dabhoi, Vadnagar, Modhera, Lothal and Ahmedabad; beautiful beaches like Ahmadpur-Mandvi, Chorwad, Ubharat and Tithal; the hill station Saputara; lion sanctuary of Gir Forest and wild ass sanctuary in Kachchh area are major tourist attractions in the State.

Source: India 2010 – A Reference Annual

and National Portal of India

To know more about Gujarat Please see the official portal of Gujarat:

http://www.gujaratindia.com/