BHARTPUR, or Bhurtpore, a native state of Râjputânâ in Upper India, under the political superintendence of the British Government, lying between 26° 48' and 27° 50' N. lat., and 76° 54' and 77° 49' E. long. It is bounded on the N. by the British district of Gurgâon, on the N.E. by Mathurâ, on the E. by Agra, on the S. and S.W. by the Râjput states of Karauli and Jaipur, and on the W. by the state of Alwar. Length from north to south, about 77 miles; greatest breadth, 50 miles; area, 1974 square miles. The country is generally level, about 700 feet above the sea. Small detached hills, rising to 200 feet in height, occur, especially in the northern part. These hills contain good building stone for ornamental architecture, and in some of them iron ore is abundant. The Bangangâ is the only river which flows through the state. It takes its rise at Manoharpur in the territory of Jaipur, and flowing eastward passes through the heart of the Bhartpur state, and joins the Janina below Agra....
In 1871-72 the population of Bhartpur amounted to 743,710 souls, consisting chiefly of Jâts professing Hinduism, to which tribe the Raja or chief of the state belongs. The Jâts are one of the ancient Indo-Germanic races of India; by religion, Musalmans in the west of Hindustan, Hindus in the east, and Sikhs in the Panjâb. The Jâts make excellent cultivators, hardworking, thrifty, and energetic in the arts of peace as in those of war. Principal crops :—wheat, Indian corn, cotton, pulses, and sugar. The want of water is much felt; but the soil, though in many places sandy, is rendered highly productive by well-irrigation. The saline tracts yield salt of an inferior quality. Chief routes :—Mathurâ to Mhau (Mhow) via Bhartpur town; Mathura to Nasirabad, through Bhartpur town; Mathura to Alwar, through Dig town; Agra to Ferozpur, through the towns of Bhartpur, Dig, and Kumbher; Agra to Ajmir, by ΛVaer. Principal towns Bhartpur, Dig, Waer, Kumbher, and Bianâ.
Bhartpur rose into importance under Sûraj Mall, who bore a conspicuous part in the destruction of the Dehli empire. Having built the forts of Dig and Kumbher in 1730, he received in 1756 the title of Râjâ, and subsequently joined the great Marhattâ army with 30,000 troops. But the misconduct of the Marhattâ leader induced him to abandon the confederacy, just in time to escape the murderous defeat at Pâniput. Sûraj Mall raised the Jât power to its highest point; and Colonel Dow, in 1770, estimated the Râjâ’s revenue (perhaps extravagantly) at £2,000,000, and his military force at 60,000 or 70,000 men. In 1803 the East India Company concluded a treaty, offensive and defensive, with Bhartpur. In 1804, however, the Râjâ assisted the Marhattâs against the British. The English under Lord Lake captured the fort of Dig and besieged Bhartpur, but was compelled to raise the siege after four attempts at storming. A treaty, concluded on 17th April 1805, guaranteed the Râjâ’s territory; but he became bound to pay £200,000 as indemnity to the East India Company. A dispute as to the right of the succession again led to a war in 1825, and Lord Combermere captured Bhartpur with a besieging force of 20,000 men, after a desperate resistance, on the 18th January 1826. The fortifications were dismantled, the hostile chief being deported to Benares, and an infant son of the former Râjâ installed under a treaty favourable to the Company. In 1853 the Bhartpur ruler died, leaving a minor heir. The state came under British management, and the administration has been improved, the revenue increased, a system of irrigation developed, new tanks and wells constructed, and an excellent system of roads and public buildings organized. In 1871-72 the revenue of the Bhartpur state amounted to ,£261,957. For educational purposes one college and 147 schools, with 3908 students, are maintained at an annual expenditure of £1821. The military force of the state consists of 1500 cavalry, 1500 infantry, and 200 artillery. The police force numbers 2200 men. Owing to the hot winds blowing from Raj putânâ, the climate of Bhartpur is extremely sultry till the setting in of the periodical rains. Bhartpur city, the capital, lies in 27° 12' N. lat. and 85° 49' E. long.
• BHATGÂON, a town of Northern India, in the Nepâl valley, situated in 27° 37' N. lat. and 85° 22' E. long. It is a celebrated place of Hindu superstition, the favourite residence of the Brâhmans of Nepâl, and contains more families of that order than either Katmandu or Patu. It contains 12,000 houses, and its palace and buildings generally are of a more striking appearance than in other Nepâlese towns. The town is said to possess many Sanskrit libraries.
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