Pre-1459: Mandore was the capital of the Rathore Rajput state of Marwar; Mehrangarh Museum Trust records Rao Chunda as establishing his capital there after acquiring Mandore as part of a dowry.
Know Your District
Jodhpur
The Blue City — Sun City and gateway of the Thar
Last verified: 2026-05-04
Jodhpur is the second-most populous city of Rajasthan and the historical capital of Marwar, founded in 1459 AD by Rao Jodha of the Rathore dynasty. The city is dominated by the Mehrangarh Fort — one of Rajasthan’s largest forts, managed by the Mehrangarh Museum Trust — and is known as the Blue City for the blue-painted old-city houses around the fort and as the Sun City for its bright, sunny climate. Jodhpur hosts the principal seat of the Rajasthan High Court, IIT Jodhpur, AIIMS Jodhpur and NLU Jodhpur.
District at a Glance
| Founded | 1459 AD by Rao Jodha |
|---|---|
| Old name of region | Marwar — Rathore Rajput state, capital first at Mandore |
| Headquarters | Jodhpur city |
| Lok Sabha seat | Jodhpur — General, 1 seat |
| Climate | Arid western plain; annual normal rainfall 313.7 mm |
| Famous for | Mehrangarh Fort, Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jaswant Thada, bandhej textiles, Mawa Kachori, Mirchi Bada |
| Connectivity | Jodhpur Airport, Jodhpur Junction and Jodhpur Railway Division headquarters |
History — Ancient → Medieval → Modern
1459 AD: Rao Jodha shifted the capital from Mandore to a hill about 9 km south, named Jodhpur after himself, and laid the foundations of the Mehrangarh Fort.
1532–1562: Maharaja Maldeo Rathore was a major 16th-century Rathore ruler — he fought Sher Shah Suri at Sammel (1544) and made the first significant constructions at Mehrangarh.
1707: Maharaja Ajit Singh re-established Rathore control in the post-Aurangzeb transition. January 1818: Jodhpur came under British protection through the Rajputana treaty system.
1929–43: Maharaja Umaid Singh built the iconic Umaid Bhawan Palace (one of the world’s largest private residences) as a famine-relief work — designed by Henry Lanchester. 1949: Marwar merged with the United States of Greater Rajasthan.
Art, Culture, Heritage & Tourism
Mehrangarh Fort: built from 1459 onwards on a 125-metre cliff; iconic gates Jai Pol, Fateh Pol, Loha Pol, Suraj Pol; palaces Sheesh Mahal, Phool Mahal, Moti Mahal; Mehrangarh Museum Trust.
Umaid Bhawan Palace (1943) — Indo-Saracenic / Art Deco; one wing is a Taj heritage hotel and another is a museum. Jaswant Thada (1899) — royal cenotaph in white marble.
Mandore Gardens: cenotaphs of the Rathore rulers and the Hall of Heroes. Osian — 8th-century Brahmanical and Jain temple complex (Mahavira temple, Sachiya Mata).
Crafts and cuisine: bandhej textiles, leather juttis and musical-instrument craft; food — Mirchi Bada, Mawa Kachori, Pyaaj Kachori, Makhaniya Lassi and Daal-baati-churma.
Festivals: Rajasthan Tourism lists the Marwar Festival in Jodhpur, and Jodhpur RIFF is organised annually at Mehrangarh by Mehrangarh Museum Trust and Jaipur Virasat Foundation.
Geography, Climate & Ecology
Western Rajasthan; on the eastern fringe of the Thar Desert. The district has an arid climate with extremes of temperature and annual normal rainfall of 313.7 mm.
Drainage: Luni river — the principal river of western Rajasthan, originates near Pushkar in Ajmer district and flows through Jodhpur to the Rann of Kutch; its lower reaches become saline.
Soil and geology: sandy and loamy soils over aeolian sand and alluvium, with Jodhpur sandstone and Bilara limestone among the important building-stone and mineral resources.
Wildlife: Khichan Demoiselle Crane wintering site, Kaylana Lake birding, and Bishnoi villages around Guda Vishnoi known for protecting Khejri trees and blackbuck.
Reorganisation note: the 2023 reorganisation created Phalodi and Jodhpur Rural from the old district; in December 2024 the state government dissolved Jodhpur Rural but retained Phalodi — verify the latest Rajasthan district gazette before publishing area or population numbers.
Economy — Sectors, Industry, Energy
Handicrafts and industry: Jodhpur Development Authority lists the city’s furniture industry, handicrafts, glass bangles, cutlery, carpets and marble goods; Rajasthan Tourism links Jodhpur with bandhej textiles, leather juttis and musical instruments, and DCHB records local sandstone and limestone resources.
Guar gum: Jodhpur is a major guar-growing, trading and processing centre; India is the world’s largest guar producer and guar gum supplies oil-and-gas fracking and food industries.
Education and research: IIT Jodhpur (2008), AIIMS Jodhpur (2012), NLU Jodhpur (1999), Sardar Patel University of Police Security and Criminal Justice, Defence Lab DRDO Jodhpur, ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI) — research on arid agriculture, desertification.
Defence and aviation: PIB identifies Air Force Station Jodhpur as a premier IAF base, and DRDO sources place Defence Laboratory Jodhpur in the city’s defence research ecosystem.
Political & Administrative Setup
Rajasthan High Court principal seat is at Jodhpur, while Jaipur is the bench. The Jodhpur Lok Sabha constituency represents the district’s main parliamentary identity.
Constituency references: Rajasthan Assembly records list Jodhpur, Sardarpura, Soorsagar, Luni, Lohawat, Shergarh, Osian, Bhopalgarh SC-reserved, Bilara SC-reserved and Phalodi in the Jodhpur-area sequence; the 2025 elector statement maps eight Assembly segments to Jodhpur Lok Sabha.
Administrative structure: Jodhpur Development Authority covers urban-development functions; the 2019 North/South municipal-corporation split was reported merged back into one Jodhpur municipal corporation for the 2025 civic-body cycle, and Phalodi remains a separate district after the 2024 review.
Governance Initiatives & Schemes (2025-26)
Mehrangarh heritage conservation: Mehrangarh Museum Trust conservation projects cover Mehrangarh, Mandore cenotaphs, Panchkunda cenotaphs and stepwells of Jodhpur.
Marwar Festival and RIFF: Rajasthan Tourism lists the Marwar Festival in Jodhpur, while Jodhpur RIFF is organised annually at Mehrangarh by Mehrangarh Museum Trust and Jaipur Virasat Foundation.
Renewable-energy context: RRECL/RSDCL documents identify Bhadla Solar Park at Bhadla in Bap tehsil, historically in the Jodhpur district area and now in Phalodi; additional solar-belt labels are not retained without a current official source.
PYQ One-Liners (RAS / RPSC / RSSB)
Verify exact options from official RPSC / RSSB question papers before any examination use.
RAS Pre
Q. Who founded Jodhpur and in which year?
A. Rao Jodha in 1459 AD
RPSC
Q. Mehrangarh Fort was built by —
A. Rao Jodha from 1459 onward; first significant constructions under Maldeo Rathore
RAS Mains
Q. Umaid Bhawan Palace was built as a famine-relief project by —
A. Maharaja Umaid Singh, 1929–43
RPSC
Q. The principal seat of the Rajasthan High Court is at —
A. Jodhpur; Jaipur is the bench
RPSC
Q. The world’s largest guar gum trading hub is at —
A. Jodhpur is a major guar gum trading and processing centre
Latest current affairs — Jodhpur
Recent district-tagged news from the Aspirant Academy current-affairs corpus. Tap a headline for the full briefing.
- Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma Releases Sixth Installment of Mukhyamantri Kisan Samman Nidhi to 66.56 Lakh Farmers and Inaugurates ₹416 Crore Development Projects in Osian, Jodhpur on April 22, 2026
2026-04-22
CM Bhajanlal Sharma on April 22, 2026 released the sixth installment of Mukhyamantri Kisan Samman Nidhi via DBT, depositing over ₹665 crore into 66.56 lakh farmers' accounts, and inaugurated ₹416 cror
- Rajasthan Observes Maharshi Parashuram Jayanti as a Notified State Holiday on April 19, 2026; CM Bhajanlal Sharma Greets the Brahmin Community and Reiterates Government Patronage of Parashuram Cultural Heritage
2026-04-19
Rajasthan observed Maharshi Parashuram Jayanti as a notified state holiday on April 19, 2026, coinciding with Akshaya Tritiya. CM Bhajanlal Sharma greeted the Brahmin community and reaffirmed state pa
- Rajasthan Public Service Commission Declares RAS 2024 Final Result on April 18, 2026; 2,492 Candidates Recommended, Dinesh Vishnoi of Barmer Tops Merit List
2026-04-18
On April 18, 2026 RPSC Ajmer declared the RAS 2024 final result with 2,391 candidates qualifying. Dinesh Bishnoi (Barmer) topped with 351.50 marks; Virendra Charan, Navneet Sharma, Ravindra Singh and
- IMD Issues Heatwave Advisory for Rajasthan on April 16, 2026; Barmer Records 42.8°C as Western Rajasthan Forecast at 41°C-43°C
2026-04-16
On April 16, 2026, IMD Jaipur issued a heatwave advisory across Rajasthan after Bikaner recorded the State's highest day temperature of 42.8°C on April 15, with Phalodi, Jaisalmer and Bikaner experien
- Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2026 — EPR Overhaul
2026-04-06
MoEFCC notified Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2026 from March 31, mandating 30-60% recycled content in rigid plastics by 2028-29, introducing plastic credit trading, 3-year EPR target car
Test yourself — 10 questions
A quick self-check drawn from the district reference above. Bilingual, no login required.
Question 1 of 10
Who founded Jodhpur and in which year?
Frequently asked questions
Why is Jodhpur called the Blue City?
The houses in the old city around Mehrangarh Fort are painted blue, a visual identity highlighted by Rajasthan Tourism and Jodhpur Development Authority profiles; that view gives Jodhpur its Blue City epithet.
What major institutions are based in Jodhpur?
IIT Jodhpur (2008), AIIMS Jodhpur (2012), NLU Jodhpur (1999), Sardar Patel University of Police, ICAR-CAZRI, DRDO Jodhpur, the principal seat of the Rajasthan High Court, Air Force Station Jodhpur and Jodhpur Railway Division HQ.
How does Jodhpur fit into the RAS / RPSC syllabus?
For RAS and RPSC revision, Jodhpur links to Rajasthan history and heritage through Marwar, Rao Jodha, Maldeo, Ajit Singh, Umaid Singh and Mehrangarh; polity through the High Court principal seat; economy through handicrafts and guar; and geography through the Luni river, Thar margin and arid-zone research.