Bandikui is a city and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Dausa district Dausa district is a district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is part of the Jaipur division–one of the ten List of districts of Rajasthan#Divisions, administrative divisions of Rajasthan. The city of Dausa is the district headquarters. ...

in the Indian state of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

. It is 35 km from

Dausa Dausa is a city and administrative headquarters of Dausa district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is 55 km from Jaipur, 240 km from Delhi and located on Jaipur-Agra National Highway (NH-21). Etymology The name ''Dausa'' (Hindi ...

and located on State Highway 25 (SH-25).

Geography

Bandikui sits at the junction of the Agra-Jaipur and the Delhi-Jaipur railway lines. The city is located 200 km south of

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

. Rajgarh town (in

Alwar district Alwar is a district in the States and territories of India, state of Rajasthan in northern India, whose district headquarters is Alwar, Alwar city. The district covers 8,337 km2. It is bound on the north by Rewari district of Haryana, on t ...

) is about 25 km north of Bandikui. Sikandra is located about 10 km away, while the state capital

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

is 75 km by road and 70 km by rail.

History

Bandikui was preferred for the tri-junction by British Railway surveyors over Rajgarh, Alwar, due to better alignment. The Bandikui railway station was established in 1874. The first train in Rajasthan ran from Bandikui Junction to Agra Fort, started in April 1874 by the colonial government in India. Most trains traveling between Delhi and Jaipur stop at Bandikui. At the time of

colonialism Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

, some 1000 British families lived in Bandikui. Some Raj era bungalows can still be found in Bandikui. The city attracted migration from nearby villages and its population grew to more than 125,000. Many residents work in Delhi and keep their families in Bandikui. It was in the reign of Lord Northbrook, the Viceroy that the Delhi – Bandikui line was opened in December 1874. Bandikui has had the singular distinction witnessing and passing through its territory the royal saloons of Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII 1874-1875, King George V, in 1911, Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII 1921-22 and the Queen Elizabeth in 1961 on her way to tiger shoot at Bharatpur.

Attractions

*St Francis Roman Catholic Church, built by King SJ9001, cast in stone, is located near the railway station. The Rajasthan Government gave a grant of Rs 1 Crore for its restoration. *The Harshad Mata Temple dates to 9th century AD, 7 km from Bandikui. * Abhaneri Chand Baori is the deepest stepwell in India. * Saint Durbalnath is a temple in Bandikui. Every year on

kartik purnima Kartika Purnima (), also known as Kartika Pournami, is a Hindu, Sikh, and Jain cultural festival that is celebrated on ''purnima'' (full moon day), the 15th day of the lunar month Kartika. It falls on November or December of the Gregorian ...

"Gyanoprakash mahautsav" Is celebrated at saint Durbalnath temple in which Khatik Pilgrims from various part of the country gathers to celebrate the auspicious occasion.

Economy

The city is a major agrarian center.

References

Cities and towns in Dausa district {{Jaipurdivision-geo-stub