The following are illustrative annual rainfall readings, not records, from four places along a line from west to east: a desert town 15 cm, a Marwar town 30 cm, a town on the Aravalli 55 cm and a Hadoti town 85 cm. Which explanation best accounts for the rise?

The Arabian Sea branch runs along the Aravalli and gives little rain, while Bay of Bengal air thins out westward

The Aravalli blocks the Arabian Sea branch and forces it to shed its rain on the eastern face of the range

Rain increases eastward because the Thar lies at a much higher altitude than the Hadoti plateau

Western disturbances bring most of the annual rain to Hadoti and almost none to the desert towns

Which kind of natural vegetation is characteristic of the low-rainfall western districts such as Jaisalmer and Barmer?

Tropical thorn forest and scrub with khejri and sewan grass

Tropical dry deciduous forest with teak and dhok

Tropical thorn forest and scrub with khejri and sewan grass

Tropical evergreen forest with a dense canopy

Mangrove forest of tidal creeks

Physical Geography of Rajasthan

This chapter answers the Prelims items ‘Location, Extent and Physiography’, ‘Rivers and Lakes’, ‘Climatic characteristics’ and ‘Natural Vegetation, Biodiversity and Conservation’ under Geography of Rajasthan. For the Mains it answers Paper II, Unit III, Part C on physiography, important rivers and lakes, climatic characteristics, and natural vegetation, wildlife and biodiversity. It teaches the physical logic behind the pattern: the Aravalli as spine and watershed, why the west is dry, and how the river and lake systems follow. Each fact is placed against a district so that it can be recalled on a map.

1. Location, extent and neighbours

Rajasthan lies in north-western India between about 23°3′ and 30°12′ N latitude and 69°30′ and 78°17′ E longitude. With 3,42,239 square kilometres it is the largest state by area, about 10.4 per cent of India. Its greatest north-south extent is about 826 km and its east-west extent about 869 km. The Tropic of Cancer crosses the southern tip of the state, through the Banswara and Dungarpur region, so the state is partly tropical and partly sub-tropical in latitude.

The state has a long international border with Pakistan, about 1,037 km (Ministry of Home Affairs figure), touching four districts: Sri Ganganagar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Barmer. It shares borders with five states.

Neighbouring states and the Rajasthan districts on the border
Neighbour	Direction	Districts of Rajasthan on the border
Punjab	North	Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh
Haryana	North and north-east	Hanumangarh, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Alwar
Uttar Pradesh	East	Bharatpur, Dholpur
Madhya Pradesh	South-east	Dholpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Kota, Baran, Jhalawar, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Banswara
Gujarat	South-west	Banswara, Dungarpur, Udaipur, Sirohi, Jalore, Barmer

⚠️ Himachal Pradesh is not a neighbour

Students often add Himachal Pradesh or Maharashtra to the list because the Aravalli and the Thar feel 'central'. The five neighbours are Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. District names above follow the older, Census 2011 map.

2. Four physiographic regions

The Aravalli range is the spine that divides Rajasthan into a drier north-west and a better-watered south-east. The state is traditionally split into four regions. The shares below are the approximate figures quoted in state sources: the west holds about three-fifths of the area but only about two-fifths of the people, while the east holds under a quarter of the area but nearly two-fifths of the people.

The four regions (approximate shares of area and population)
Region	Area / people	Districts (core)	Character
Western sandy plain (Marusthali)	about 61% / 40%	Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Churu, Nagaur, Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh	Dunes, playas, scanty rain, inland drainage
Aravalli range	about 9% / 10%	Sirohi, Udaipur, Rajsamand, Ajmer, parts of Pali, Jaipur, Alwar	Old fold mountains, watershed, mineral belt
Eastern plains	about 23% / 39%	Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Karauli, Dausa, Jaipur, Tonk, Sawai Madhopur	Alluvial, densely settled, rich farmland
South-eastern (Hadoti) plateau	about 7% / 11%	Kota, Bundi, Baran, Jhalawar	Black soil, Chambal drainage, heavier rain

Within the western plain, people name sub-regions: the Nali is the flood plain of the Ghaggar in Hanumangarh and Sri Ganganagar, Shekhawati is the inland-drainage country of Churu, Jhunjhunu and Sikar, and the Godwar belt of the Luni basin is part of the semi-arid fringe between the dunes and the Aravalli.

🧠 Area down, people up

Note the contrast between area and people: the western plain holds about 61 per cent of the area but about 40 per cent of the people, while the eastern plains hold about 23 per cent of the area but about 39 per cent of the people. Whenever a question asks which region is most densely populated, the answer is the eastern plains; the biggest in area is always the western plain.

3. The Thar landscape and the Aravalli

The Thar is a desert of sand sheets and dunes laid over an older rock floor. The most common form is the crescent-shaped barchan, moved by the strong summer south-westerly wind. Between the dunes lie salt-floored hollows called playas or dhands (for example Didwana and Pachpadra), where rain-water collects and evaporates. The only river of consequence is the Luni; most streams die in the sand.

The Aravalli is among the oldest fold-mountain belts in India, formed in a Precambrian event and now worn down to a stub. Within Rajasthan it runs south-west to north-east, from Mount Abu in Sirohi towards Khetri in the north. Its highest point is Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) on Mount Abu in Sirohi district, which is also the highest peak of the whole range. Taragarh hill overlooks Ajmer. Mount Abu, the state's only hill station, has the Nakki lake.

🎯 The Aravalli does not block the monsoon

The Arabian Sea branch of the south-west monsoon blows parallel to the range, so it passes without giving much rain to the west. That is why the Thar is dry. The range does something else: it is the watershed. Luni, West Banas and Sabarmati drain towards the Arabian Sea; Banas and its neighbours drain east to the Chambal and the Bay of Bengal system.

4. Rivers: three drainage systems

Rajasthan has very few perennial rivers, and well over half of its area drains inland or has no integrated drainage. Learn the rivers in three groups: those that reach the Arabian Sea, those that join the Chambal and so the Bay of Bengal system, and the inland streams that vanish.

Principal rivers of Rajasthan
River	Origin and course in the state	Tributaries and end
Luni	Rises in the Aravalli near Ajmer (Pushkar hills); flows south-west through Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer and Jalore	Left bank: Jawai, Sukri, Bandi, Guhiya, Lilri; right bank: Jojari. Ends in the Rann of Kachchh
Chambal	Rises in the Janapav hills of Madhya Pradesh; in Rajasthan through Chittorgarh, Kota, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli and Dholpur; ravines in the east	Kali Sindh, Parbati, Banas, Bamni and others; joins the Yamuna
Banas	Rises near Kumbhalgarh in the Aravalli (Khamnor hills); flows east through Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Tonk and Sawai Madhopur	Berach, Kothari, Khari, Menal; joins the Chambal near Rameshwar. Bisalpur dam in Tonk
Mahi	Rises in Madhya Pradesh; enters Rajasthan at Banswara and passes Pratapgarh and Dungarpur	Som, Jakham; falls in the Gulf of Khambhat
West Banas, Sabarmati	Rise in Sirohi and Udaipur parts of the Aravalli	Flow into Gujarat
Ghaggar, Kantli, Kakni	Seasonal inland streams: Ghaggar in Hanumangarh, Kantli in the Shekhawati hills, Kakni near Jaisalmer	Lost in the sand or in basins

🧠 Luni's left-bank five

Jawai, Sukri, Bandi, Guhiya, Lilri all join from the Aravalli side on the left. Jojari is the odd one, the single right-bank tributary, rising in Nagaur district. Below Balotra the Luni's water turns brackish because it crosses saline ground.

5. Lakes: saline playas and royal reservoirs

Rajasthan's lakes are of two kinds. The saline lakes of the west are playas that gather monsoon run-off and yield salt. The fresh-water lakes of the south are mostly man-made reservoirs built by the Mewar and other rulers. Sambhar, spread across Jaipur, Nagaur and Ajmer districts, is India's largest inland salt lake and was listed as a Ramsar site on 23 March 1990.

Lakes to know
Lake	Location	Type and note
Sambhar	Jaipur, Nagaur, Ajmer	Saline; India's largest inland salt lake; Ramsar site
Didwana, Pachpadra, Lunkaransar	Nagaur, Barmer, Bikaner	Saline playas worked for salt
Jaisamand (Dhebar)	Udaipur region (Gomti)	Built by Maharana Jai Singh in the late 17th century; one of India's large artificial fresh-water lakes
Rajsamand	Rajsamand (Gomti)	Built by Maharana Raj Singh (1676)
Pichola, Fateh Sagar, Udai Sagar	Udaipur	The 'city of lakes' group
Anasagar, Pushkar	Ajmer	Anasagar is a reservoir; Pushkar is a sacred lake
Nakki	Mount Abu, Sirohi	A hill-top lake
Siliserh, Kolayat, Gadisar	Alwar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer	Lake palace, sacred tank, rain-water tank

⚠️ Two Gomti lakes

Jaisamand and Rajsamand both sit on Mewar's Gomti and both are rulers' reservoirs, so they are swapped easily. Jaisamand is the Jai Singh (Dhebar) lake; Rajsamand is the Raj Singh lake of 1676. Do not mistake either for Sambhar, which is salty and natural.

6. Climate: heat, rain and the rainfall gradient

Rajasthan has an arid to semi-arid climate in the west and a sub-humid one in the south-east. There are four seasons. Summer (March to mid-June) is very hot, with the dusty hot wind called loo and dust storms called andhi. The monsoon (late June or July to September) brings most of the rain. The retreating monsoon (October-November) is a dry, warm spell, and winter (December-February) is cold and dry, with occasional showers called mawath from western disturbances, which help the rabi crop.

Rainfall and temperature pattern
Feature	Pattern
Rain across the state	Falls from east and south-east towards the west; the Aravalli is roughly the line of the 50 cm isohyet
Wettest and driest	Mount Abu in Sirohi is the wettest place; Jaisalmer is the driest district
South-east	Hadoti (Jhalawar, Kota) gets about 100 cm, the best of the plains
Temperature	Western districts exceed 45 °C in May-June; Phalodi recorded 51.0 °C on 19 May 2016, India's highest official reading according to the India Meteorological Department. Mount Abu is the cool exception

Day and night differ sharply in the desert because dry air and bare sand hold little heat after sunset: a summer day above 45 °C can be followed by a cool night. This large diurnal range is a signature of an arid climate and explains the weathering that makes sand.

💡 Rain by tilting a bucket

Imagine the Bay of Bengal branch as a bucket tilted from the east: it pours most of its water on the east and runs dry as it moves west. The Arabian Sea branch, which would fill the bucket from the south-west, runs along the Aravalli instead of across it. So the east is wet because of the Bay of Bengal air, and the west is dry because the Arabian Sea air passes beside the range.

7. Vegetation, wildlife and conservation

Natural vegetation follows rain. The west has tropical thorn forest and scrub of khejri (the state tree), rohida (the state flower), ber, babool and kair, with sewan grass in Jaisalmer. The south and south-east, with more rain, have tropical dry deciduous forest, with teak in the south around Banswara and Udaipur and dhok on Aravalli slopes. Forest cover is only about one-twentieth of the state's area (4.87 per cent in the India State of Forest Report 2021), among the lowest shares in India. The khejri has a protective history: at Khejarli in Jodhpur district in 1730 Bishnoi villagers led by Amrita Devi gave their lives to stop the felling of khejri trees.

State symbols: Chinkara (the animal), Godawan, the Great Indian Bustard (the bird), Khejri (the tree) and Rohida (the flower). The camel was added in 2014 as the state's livestock animal; the chinkara is the state animal in the wildlife category.

Protected areas and what they are known for
Area	District(s)	Known for
Ranthambore National Park	Sawai Madhopur	Tigers, in a dry deciduous forest around a hill fort
Sariska, Mukundra Hills, Ramgarh Vishdhari	Alwar; Kota and Chittorgarh; Bundi	Other tiger reserves; Ramgarh Vishdhari was notified in 2022 and Dholpur-Karauli (Dholpur and Karauli) in 2023, so the count of Rajasthan's reserves depends on the date
Keoladeo National Park	Bharatpur	Wetland for waterfowl; Ramsar site 1981, national park 1982, World Heritage 1985
Desert National Park	Jaisalmer and Barmer	Great Indian Bustard habitat; dunes; the nearby Akal Wood Fossil Park falls under its jurisdiction
Tal Chhapar	Churu	Blackbuck
National Chambal Sanctuary	Along the Chambal; shared with Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh	Gharial and river dolphin
Mount Abu, Kumbhalgarh, Sita Mata	Sirohi; Rajsamand region; Pratapgarh	Aravalli forest sanctuaries

⚠️ Notified is not the same as inscribed

Keoladeo has three separate dates: Ramsar designation (1981), national-park status (1982) and World Heritage inscription (1985). The counts of tiger reserves and national parks change as new areas are notified, so read the date in the question.

Key takeaways

Rajasthan is India's largest state by area (3,42,239 km², about 10.4 per cent), lying between roughly 23°3′ and 30°12′ N, with the Tropic of Cancer at its southern tip and a border with Pakistan of about 1,037 km (Ministry of Home Affairs) touching four districts.
Four regions: western sandy plain (about three-fifths of the area), the Aravalli, the eastern plains (densest population) and the Hadoti plateau.
The Aravalli, with Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) on Mount Abu, is an old fold range and the watershed; it lies parallel to the Arabian Sea monsoon branch and so does not block it.
Rivers fall into three groups: Arabian Sea (Luni, West Banas, Sabarmati, Mahi), Chambal and the Bay of Bengal system (Chambal, Banas and their tributaries) and inland streams (Ghaggar, Kantli, Kakni).
Salt lakes of the west (Sambhar, a Ramsar site since 1990, Didwana, Pachpadra) contrast with the royal reservoirs of the south (Jaisamand, Rajsamand, Udaipur's lakes).
Rain falls from the south-east towards the west with the Aravalli near the 50 cm line; vegetation shifts from thorn forest in the west to dry deciduous forest in the south, and conservation rests on tigers, wetlands, bustards and gharials.

Practice questions (16)

Attempt each one before opening the answer. Every explanation names the tempting wrong option as well as the right one, because that is where marks are lost.

Which one of the following states does NOT share a land border with Rajasthan?
1. Haryana
2. Gujarat
3. Himachal Pradesh
4. Punjab
Show answer
Answer: C — Himachal Pradesh
Rajasthan borders Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Himachal Pradesh lies north of Punjab and Haryana and does not touch Rajasthan; Haryana, Gujarat and Punjab all do.
What is the highest peak of the Aravalli range, and in which district does it stand?
1. Raghunathgarh, in Sikar
2. Guru Shikhar, in Sirohi
3. Taragarh, in Ajmer
4. Guru Shikhar, in Udaipur
Show answer
Answer: B — Guru Shikhar, in Sirohi
Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) on Mount Abu in Sirohi district is the highest point of the Aravalli. Raghunathgarh in Sikar (about 1,055 m) and Taragarh above Ajmer are much lower hills. Udaipur is wrong because Mount Abu belongs to Sirohi.
Which river rises in the Aravalli near Ajmer, drains the Marwar region and ends in the Rann of Kachchh?
1. Banas
2. Sabarmati
3. Luni
4. Mahi
Show answer
Answer: C — Luni
The Luni rises near Ajmer, flows south-west through Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer and Jalore and disappears in the Rann of Kachchh. The Sabarmati rises in the Udaipur part of the Aravalli and reaches the Gulf of Khambhat; Banas flows east to the Chambal, and Mahi reaches the sea at Khambhat.
Which of the following is India's largest inland salt lake, listed as a Ramsar site on 23 March 1990?
1. Didwana
2. Sambhar
3. Pachpadra
4. Jaisamand
Show answer
Answer: B — Sambhar
Sambhar, across Jaipur, Nagaur and Ajmer districts, is the largest inland saline lake and a Ramsar site. Didwana and Pachpadra are smaller salt playas, and Jaisamand is a fresh-water reservoir built by a Mewar ruler.
Consider the following statements.
P. The Aravalli is an old fold-mountain belt that now acts as a watershed within Rajasthan.
Q. Guru Shikhar lies in Sirohi district.
R. The Chambal flows through the western sandy plain.
S. The Ghaggar flows through Hanumangarh district.
Which of the statements is/are correct?
1. P, Q and S only
2. P and R only
3. Q, R and S only
4. P, Q, R and S
Show answer
Answer: A — P, Q and S only
P, Q and S are correct. R is wrong: the Chambal drains the south-east (Chittorgarh, Kota, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, Dholpur) and never crosses the western sandy plain, so the option containing R is not acceptable.
Match each lake with its district.
(i) Pichola
(ii) Anasagar
(iii) Siliserh
(iv) Kolayat
w Ajmer x Alwar y Udaipur z Bikaner
1. (i)-y, (ii)-w, (iii)-x, (iv)-z
2. (i)-w, (ii)-y, (iii)-x, (iv)-z
3. (i)-y, (ii)-x, (iii)-w, (iv)-z
4. (i)-y, (ii)-w, (iii)-z, (iv)-x
Show answer
Answer: A — (i)-y, (ii)-w, (iii)-x, (iv)-z
Pichola is at Udaipur, Anasagar at Ajmer, Siliserh near Alwar and Kolayat near Bikaner. Swapping Pichola with Anasagar is the commonest slip, since both are royal lakes beside old cities.
Which pair of rivers are tributaries that join the Mahi within Rajasthan?
1. Jawai and Sukri
2. Berach and Kothari
3. Som and Jakham
4. Parbati and Kali Sindh
Show answer
Answer: C — Som and Jakham
Som and Jakham flow in the Dungarpur-Pratapgarh-Udaipur belt and join the Mahi. Jawai and Sukri are tributaries of the Luni, Berach and Kothari belong to the Banas, and Parbati and Kali Sindh join the Chambal.
Which one of the following is NOT a tributary of the Luni?
1. Jawai
2. Bandi
3. Parbati
4. Guhiya
Show answer
Answer: C — Parbati
Parbati joins the Chambal from the Madhya Pradesh side and has nothing to do with the Luni. Jawai, Bandi and Guhiya are all left-bank tributaries of the Luni that come down from the Aravalli.
Winter showers in Rajasthan brought by western disturbances, useful for the rabi crop, are locally known as:
1. Loo
2. Mawath
3. Andhi
4. Kalbaisakhi
Show answer
Answer: B — Mawath
Mawath is the winter rain from western disturbances. Loo is the hot dry summer wind, andhi is a dust storm, and kalbaisakhi is the pre-monsoon thunderstorm of eastern India, not a Rajasthan winter rain.
The following are illustrative annual rainfall readings, not records, from four places along a line from west to east: a desert town 15 cm, a Marwar town 30 cm, a town on the Aravalli 55 cm and a Hadoti town 85 cm. Which explanation best accounts for the rise?
1. The Arabian Sea branch runs along the Aravalli and gives little rain, while Bay of Bengal air thins out westward
2. The Aravalli blocks the Arabian Sea branch and forces it to shed its rain on the eastern face of the range
3. Rain increases eastward because the Thar lies at a much higher altitude than the Hadoti plateau
4. Western disturbances bring most of the annual rain to Hadoti and almost none to the desert towns
Show answer
Answer: A — The Arabian Sea branch runs along the Aravalli and gives little rain, while Bay of Bengal air thins out westward
The monsoon branch from the Arabian Sea runs along the range rather than across it, so the west gets little, while Bay of Bengal moisture is exhausted as it moves west, giving the east and south-east more. The notion that the Aravalli forces rain on its eastern face is a common error; western disturbances give only light winter rain.
Which protected area, spread over Jaisalmer and Barmer districts, shelters the Great Indian Bustard and has the nearby Akal Wood Fossil Park under its jurisdiction?
1. Tal Chhapar Sanctuary
2. Sita Mata Sanctuary
3. Keoladeo National Park
4. Desert National Park
Show answer
Answer: D — Desert National Park
Desert National Park covers about 3,162 km² across Jaisalmer and Barmer and holds the bustard, with the fossil park nearby under its jurisdiction. Tal Chhapar in Churu protects blackbuck, Keoladeo in Bharatpur is a wetland, and Sita Mata is an Aravalli forest sanctuary.
Arrange these conservation events at Keoladeo and Sambhar in chronological order, earliest first.
P. Keoladeo declared a national park
Q. Keoladeo designated a Ramsar site
R. Keoladeo inscribed as a World Heritage Site
S. Sambhar designated a Ramsar site
1. Q, P, R, S
2. P, Q, R, S
3. Q, R, P, S
4. Q, P, S, R
Show answer
Answer: A — Q, P, R, S
Keoladeo was designated a Ramsar site in 1981, became a national park in 1982 and a World Heritage Site in 1985, and Sambhar was designated a Ramsar site in 1990. Putting the national-park status first is the typical error, because many assume protection must precede the Ramsar listing.
Match each protected area with what it is chiefly known for.
(i) Tal Chhapar
(ii) National Chambal Sanctuary
(iii) Desert National Park
(iv) Keoladeo
w Gharial x Great Indian Bustard y Blackbuck z Wintering waterfowl
1. (i)-y, (ii)-w, (iii)-x, (iv)-z
2. (i)-w, (ii)-y, (iii)-x, (iv)-z
3. (i)-y, (ii)-w, (iii)-z, (iv)-x
4. (i)-x, (ii)-w, (iii)-y, (iv)-z
Show answer
Answer: A — (i)-y, (ii)-w, (iii)-x, (iv)-z
Tal Chhapar is for blackbuck, the Chambal sanctuary for the gharial, the Desert National Park for the bustard and Keoladeo for wintering waterfowl. Pairing the gharial with Tal Chhapar misplaces a river species in a grassland.
Consider the following statements about the Chambal and Banas.
P. The Chambal rises in the Janapav hills of Madhya Pradesh.
Q. The Banas rises in the Aravalli near Kumbhalgarh.
R. The Banas is a tributary of the Chambal.
S. The Chambal in Rajasthan passes through Jaipur district.
Which of the statements is/are correct?
1. P and Q only
2. P, Q and R only
3. Q, R and S only
4. P, R and S only
Show answer
Answer: B — P, Q and R only
P, Q and R are correct. S is wrong: the Chambal flows through Chittorgarh, Kota, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli and Dholpur in the south-east and east, not through Jaipur. Options adding S therefore fail.
A region is described as follows: alluvial soil, drained by the Banas and its neighbours, about a quarter of the state's area but about two-fifths of its people. Which physiographic region is this?
1. Hadoti plateau
2. Western sandy plain
3. Aravalli range
4. Eastern plains
Show answer
Answer: D — Eastern plains
The eastern plains hold about a quarter of the area and nearly two-fifths of the people on alluvial land. The Hadoti plateau is black-soil country with only about a fifteenth of the area, and the western plain holds three-fifths of the area but fewer people.
Which kind of natural vegetation is characteristic of the low-rainfall western districts such as Jaisalmer and Barmer?
1. Tropical dry deciduous forest with teak and dhok
2. Tropical thorn forest and scrub with khejri and sewan grass
3. Tropical evergreen forest with a dense canopy
4. Mangrove forest of tidal creeks
Show answer
Answer: B — Tropical thorn forest and scrub with khejri and sewan grass
Thorn forest and scrub with khejri, rohida and sewan grass suits the arid west. Teak-bearing dry deciduous forest belongs to the wetter south around Banswara and Udaipur; evergreen and mangrove forests do not occur in the state.