There are many languages in the world like Sanskrit, Hindi, English, Bangla, Gujarati, Urdu, Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi, Oriya, German, French, Italian, Chinese. One of the important factors for India becoming ‘The India’ is the combination of many dialects and languages. It believed that Sanskrit is the formula language of all our Indian languages.
There are two ways to express a language, oral and written; Oral through interaction in the form of speeches and prompting, and writing through the script. However, language evolved for expressing the objects of material life, human behaviour and thoughts. It does not always remain the same, other dialects from contact languages come into the main languages. The affectionate relation of people towards life is because of the language. The basis of any civilized society is its developed language.
Hindi Khari Boli (Common Dialect of Hindi) has developed its vocabulary by mixing other sub-languages, Sanskrit and other contemporary foreign languages but the various forms of the grammar of Hindi have remained their own. In Hindi, words from foreign languages like Arabic, Persian, English have also been incorporated based on usage and based on practice. Language is not permanent, it keeps on changing while in contact with people of other languages.
The local form of a language spoken in a limited area is called a dialect, also known as a sublanguage. It has been said for India that water changes on every Kos and the dialect on five Kos. There are a change of dialect every five to seven miles. The limited, undeveloped and common colloquial form of language is dialect. Dialects are area-specific, don’t have literature, no grammar and no dictionary, whereas language is spoken in a wider area, it has grammar, dictionary and literature written in it. If the area of a dialect starts expanding due to conservation and other reasons, then literature starts being written, the language begins to form, its rule of grammar begins to be determined.
Rajasthani language is also known as a dialect in India. Indian languages are in Schedule 8 of the Indian Constitution. Rajasthani is not a language in Schedule 8, when it was discussed in the Parliament while making the constitution, due to the negligence and absence of the leaders of Rajasthan, the Rajasthani dialect could not be discussed and accepted. It has been left from being included in the schedule initially and even after that due to the lack of perseverance of the leaders; they have not been able to get it to attest in Schedule 8 till today. Even if some debate arises, due to lack of support, the matter has not been solved to date.
While roaming in Rajasthan, you will read some words repeatedly suffixed with the names of villages and cities in Rajasthan. You will wonder these words are coming again and again and are unique. These words are from the Rajasthani language but are not popular now, once were much in vogue throughout Rajputana. That is why some special words are associated with the names of these places. Those words are Khurd, Kalan, Bas, Garh, Pura, Dera, Thikana, Sar, Ner, Gudha, Dwara. All these words have some meaning to be there but hardly people are aware of their meaning, so it is important to know about them,
Rajasthan consists of the Aravalli ranges from South West to North East. These ranges extend from Mount Abu to Delhi, which is highest in Mount Abu and becoming smaller at regular distance ends between Alwar and Delhi. It extends in half of the state, that, it divided Rajasthan into two parts, East Rajasthan, East of Aravalli and Western Rajasthan West of Aravalli. It also has a wonderful contribution to stopping the spread of the Thar desert. A mountain range formed by joining many mountain ranges. Rajasthani calls Dungar or Dungra to small mountains. Mountain ranges plains in foothills and many upper-level plains. There is a desert in the west and fertile land in the east of Rajasthan.
Khurd
These are mainly areas that are in one’s foothills. It can be in the foothills of the mountains can be outside a palace or fort but adjacent to them. These are small villages or towns which doesn’t have administration bigger than the gram panchayat. Most of the Khurd named areas or Khurd suffix villages are in the foothills of the mountains. All these villages have a natural bottom lake or pond used there for irrigation. These areas can never be big, enough inflow of rainwater from the mountains makes them more fertile, the waterlogging prevents the settlement of more population. Most of such names are in the Leeward region of the mountains. Some examples of Khurds are Bagru Khurd, Singoda Khurd, Ramjipura Khurd, Sadwa Khurd.
Kalan
Kalan and Khurd have the relationship of twins. Kalan is a large area or big town whose administrative size can be up to Tehsil. Kalan is the area outside the city but in the same district or manor. These are self-dependent in most of the cases, the city is so far away from them that it is not possible to visit for daily and monthly need, so here all those things are found in small proportion. Which caters to almost all our requirements many Kalan also has vehicle showrooms. There are always Khurds around Kalan. Kalan’s boundary touching the city so far is not possible till now some Kalan can bordering with Jaipur City soon. The mountain Kalans are the areas settled at enough height that there wouldn’t be any waterlogging occur and ease of light and roads. Kalan’s are the trade centres in those areas and there is good connectivity from here to all the places. Beyond the jurisdiction of the Gram Panchayat, the Khurds depend on them. Wherever there is Kalan, there will be Khurd. Both of them may have the same name by applying Khurd or Kalan in the name or suffix. Some examples are Bagru Khurd-Bagru Kalan, Manota Khurd-Manota Kalan. , Bhainswata Khurd-Bhainswata Kalan, Dhadhot Kalan-Dhadhot Khurd, Dumoli Khurd-Dumoli Kalan, Ghardana Khurd-Ghardana Kalan, Pacheri Khurd-Pacheri Kalan, Bhanpur Kalan, Bhavgarh Khurd-Bhavgarh Kalan.
Khurd and Kalan are mainly Persian language words whose meaning used to be small and big, gradually to linguistic change. These have become indigenous words keeping original meaning is the same while the usage has become slightly different.
Baas/Vaas
Rajputana or Rajasthan maintains a large area within, because of the limited cultivation of food and water, the settlements used to be very far, when people used to go from one place to another by their means, at that time the journey took many days. Therefore they used to stop for the night at many places along the roads, resting places used to have small settlements surrounding the cities from all sides as the travellers could take any route from any direction. These settlements used to be so small that they could not even be called a Dhani. These settlements had buildings for night stay and maintained by a family, mainly the cowherds or shepherds as they could provide food for the travellers with their cattle products. Rajasthan mostly has Jats and Gujjars as the cowherds and shepherds, so only Jat and Gurjar communities reside in all Bass. There are also palaces and jagir of Jaipur around these residences. Baas was also important for security and there used to be outposts of the raj or jagir; or it would be more appropriate to say that the passengers used to rest for the night near the security checkpoints and some people used to live there for the care and food of those passengers, due to which those places were called Bass. The word Basti abbreviated the name, Baas. This bass or habitat was for ordinary travellers. The royal riders used to stay in their jagirs because of the speed otherwise they used to take their camps with them tied up somewhere near the habitat. Some examples of bass/bass are Golya ka bass, Kapadiabas, Mehndi ka bass, Rajawas, Durjaraniyawas, Jatan ka bass.
Gadh
These are the places surrounded by the walled area or whose settlement has been in fortification, jagirdars and kings built and settled them. The summer and winter residence of the Maharajas used to be different in manors and princely states. There used to be many palaces of the Maharajas. The palaces outside the city were called Garh in which goddesses compulsorily resided. Many holy and famous places of Goddess are near all the fortifications. Some examples of the famous fortifications are
- Mehrangarh of Jodhpur – Chamunda Devi
- Madhavgarh of Jaipur – Ashawari Devi and Nai Ke Nath, Ramgarh – Jamuvay Mata, Achrol Garh – Kalka Mata, Jaigarh – Shila Devi
- Bhangarh – Narayani Mata of Alwar, Ajabgarh – Mansa Mata
- Kumbhalgarh of Chittor – Kheda Devi
- Ranthambore – Chauth Mata and Lohgarh of Bharatpur – Chavad Devi
There are more numerous examples of these.
All these bastions have been the headquarters of the army and have their importance even today.
Pura
Puras have been the main cities because of their vastness and necessity have been called Pura or Pura. They settled by some Maharaja or Jagirdar administrative jurisdiction extends to Municipality, Municipal Corporation and Metropolitan Corporation. All these are the villages or towns of the main jagirdars or servitors of the city. They have the markets, many temples, army headquarters, many resources, everything. Examples of pura are Jaipur – founded by Jai Singh, Jodhpur – by Rao Jodha, Udaipur – founded by Maharana Udai Singh. Jaipur itself has many Pura settled by the Jagirdars. Harnathpura, Jaisinghpura, Lalpura, Jagatpura, Kanakpura are all the villages inhabited by the generals of Jaipur.
Dera
Those areas or villages around the city where the king used to go for hunting, play or excursion and put his tents. It has the name of the same Dera today is known as Dera Gaon. These are all small villages or dhanis. Now, there are some majestic Havelis in Dhani at the hunting places. Some examples of deras are Dera Viratnagar, Dera Kumbhalgarh, Dera Amer, Dera Alwar, Dera Baghdad, Dera Sarna Dungar, Dera Nangla.
Thikana
A state is a defined area that is the jurisdiction of that state where the rules and laws of that state apply. To help the king in the administration of these princely state there were many jagirdar, whose jurisdiction was their jagirs. They are called the Thikana of those jagirdars. This practice is in the entire Rajputana or Rajasthan Jagirdars consider it an honour to add the name of their abode at the end of their name. There is a rule, that the one on the throne deserves to suffix Thikana in their name. If the eldest of the three brothers would sit on the throne, then only his lineage can suffix Thikana with name. With the crowing of the eldest brother, the rights of the families of the younger brothers go away, but being a paternal society, the younger brothers can suffix Thikana because of their father. All jagirs are Thikana examples, Thi. Kanota, Thi. Samod, Thi. Alsisar, Thi. Mundota, Thi. Rawatsar, Thi. Chaksu.
Sar
This suffix is prevalent mainly in Shekhawati and Marwari region. This area is reaching the municipality administration and is continuously growing. Sar comes at the end of the names of the main villages and towns in Shekhawati and Marwar. Sar can be as big as Khurd, Kalan and Garh. All sars have a speciality that these have been the birthplaces of the generals or the main fighters of the princely states. All of them have a specially favoured god or a local deity whose glory will be very famous in that area because they have protected that area in some or other way. For example, Salasar – Salasar Balaji, Jasrasar – Jasrai ji, Kanasar – Kanasar Mai, Lunasar – Jambhoji (local god), Raisar – Raiji Bhomia, Jagannathsar – Sangia Mata.
Gudha
There are many Gudhas in Rajasthan that can be a suffix and also the name. Almost all the districts have one Gudha. Gudhas are said to be hiding places for thieves, dacoits, robbers and crooks who lived in the outskirts of the princely states of Rajasthan; but it has to be accepted that there used to be honesty in dacoity and these dacoits used to rob only wealthy people. They’re also used to be a frontier of dacoits, by a rule and by law, which they did not cross if any Brahmin, poor Vaishya or Kshatriya came in front, dacoits used to help them and not rob them too. From time to time, they used to face the army of the Jagir or the princely state. Therefore, they choose places where it was naturally easy for them to hide like forests, hilly areas, dungars, wet areas. If their whereabouts discovered, they would go on guerrilla warfare if they can fight and in defeat can run away easily. Today, there is no robber anywhere, but the hiding place of famous bandits is still famous as Gudha. In all the districts of Rajasthan, these hiding places are Gudha village or Gudha tehsil and the nature of the people there is something similar even today.
