Balotra

Balotra is a city in Barmer District of Rajasthan state in India. It is about 105 km from Jodhpur. The town is known for hand block printing and textile industry and for an annual desert and tribal fair at Tilwara. The town is well connected with Jodhpur by rail and buses at frequent intervals. From Balotra towards Jalore (14 km) there is India's Third Brahma Temple in the village of Asotra. From Balotra towards Barmer (11 km) there is Ancient Temple of Lord Shri Vishnu named as Shri Ranchore Ray (first ranchore ray mandir of world), Khed Mandir in the village of Khed The name Balotra derived from valaji or balaji SIHA Rajpurohit. A few hundred years ago Khed was the capital of the Rathores of western Rajasthan, whose influence extended over the entire region. It was at the beginning of the 13th century that the Rathore king Rao Sihaji the founder of the Rathore clan along with his son (Asthanji) conquered Khed from the Guhil Rajputs and planted the standard of the Rathores. The Rani Bhatiyaniji temple is also here in village named Jasol 4 km from Balotra. Kheteshwar Palna Dham temple is located in village Sarana, 12 km from Balotra. Sarana village is the birthplace of Shri Khetaram Ji Maharaj. About 13 km away from Balotra is located the Jain Temple Nakoda. The place receives religious devotees from across India. The town is home to more than 5,000 textile units and is located on the coast of the river Luni.

Balotra City View from Railway Over bridge at Bypass

Balotra
City
Balotra Location in Rajasthan, India
Coordinates: 25.83°N 72.23°E
Country	India
State	Rajasthan
District	Barmer
Government
• Type	Mayor (Chairman)
• Body	Municipal Corporations
Elevation	106 m (348 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	74,496
Languages
• Official	Hindi, marwadi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	344022
Telephone code	02988
ISO 3166 code	RJ-IN
Vehicle registration	RJ-39
Website	https://www.balotracity.in

The town of Balotra is mainly popular for housing the ancient temples of Lord Shri Vishnu named as Shri Ranchore Ray (first ranchore ray mandir of world) and Nakoda Jain temple. It is one of the most revered pilgrimage destinations for the Hindu community. Apart from this temple, a number of other temples are located in the town which include the Rani Bhatiyaniji temple, Chonch mandir, Mohanraj ji Mandir, Jaanraaj Ji Mandir, Narsingh Ji Mandir, Hanuman Mandir and Khed Mandir.

With gradually changing time, the historical town of Balotra has emerged as a leading and developing town in western Rajasthan. Many colleges, modern factories, high standard of living, transportation system, global connectivity and high buildings give it a view of some metropolitan feel.

The town of Balotra is connected with all the major cities of India through air (via Jodhpur), rail and road transportation. The nearest airport is located in Jodhpur which is 100 km from here. The town has a railway station which has direct trains from many major cities of the country.

Income Tax Office (Panorama), Balotra

Geography

Balotra is located at 25.83°N 72.23°E.[1] It has an average elevation of 106 metres (347 feet).

बालोतरा आद्योगिक क्षैत्र की दिशा में शहर की तस्वीर

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,[2] Balotra had a population of 61,724. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Balotra has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 63% of the males and 37% of females literate. 17% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Education

There are a number of government colleges such as MBR College of Commerce and Arts, Govt. I.T.I and Private Polytechnic college are also situated in the outskirts of the city. DRJ Govt. Girls PG College of Science, Arts, Commerce is also situated at Railway Station Road for Girls Higher Education and Navkar Vidhya Mandir. Balotra also leads in Secondary and Higher Secondary Examination of Rajasthan Boards. Many NGO's running over here like, rotary club, Lion's club, Mahaveer International and Helping Hand

Means of Transport

Balotra railways stations

The station code is BLT.

Earlier a metre gauge line was passed through Balotra that was converted to broad gauge. The Balotra is well connected to other cities like Jodhpur, Jaipur, Chandigarh etc.[3]

बालोतरा रेल्वे स्टेशन

रात्रि में बालोतरा रेल्वे स्टेशन का बाहरी चित्र

#	Train No.	Name	Type	Arr.	Dep.	Halt	Class	Run Days
01	15631	BME GHY Express	Mail & Express	00.00	00.01	5	2A 3A SL GN	M W
02	54818	BME JU PASS	Passenger	02.10	02.15	5	GN	Daily
03	54817	JU BME PASS	Passenger	01.35	01.40	5	GN	Daily
04	14806	BME YPR AC EXP.	Mail & Express	02.24	02.29	5	1A 2A 3A	F
05	15632	GHY BME BKN EXP	Mail & Express	06.48	06.53	5	2A 3A SL GN	M Sa
06	54814	BME JU PASS	Passenger	06.24	06.29	5	GN	Daily
07	14661(14659)	JU BME Express(DLI JSM Exp.)	Exp. (Slip)	07.32	07.37	5	2A 3A SL GN	Daily
08	14888	BME KLK Express	Mail & Express	08.04	08.09	5	3A SL GN	Daily
09	24888	BME HW Link Express	Link	08.04	08.09	5	3A SL GN	Daily
10	54813	JU BME PASS	Passenger	11.42	11.47	5	GN	Daily
11	54816	BME JU PASS	Passenger	15.41	14.46	5	GN	Daily
12	54815	JU BME PASS	Passenger	16.02	16.07	5	GN	Daily
13	14887	KLK BME Express	Mail & Express	18.01	18.06	5	3A SL GN	Daily
14	24887	HW BME Link Express	Link	18.01	18.06	5	3A SL GN	Daily
15	14662	Malani Express	Mail & Express	19.14	19.19	5	2A 3A SL GN	Daily
16	14805	YPR BME AC EXP	Mail & Express	05.42	05.47	5	1A 2A 3A	W

Bus service

Balotra have both private and RSTRC Bus services for various cities of India like Jodhpur, Pali, Barmar, Jalore, Kota, Bikaner, Jaipur, Udaipur, Ahmadabad, Pune, Mumbai, Surat, Vadodara etc. The bus for Jodhpur and Barmar is in every 30 minutes.[4] The bus for Jalore is in every 30 minutes .[5] The bus for Pali is in every 60 minutes. The bus for cities Jaipur, Ahmedabad,[5] Pune, Surat, etc. is in both morning and nights. There are both Air Conditioner and Non Air Conditioner for all cities.

The nearest airport from Balotra is Jodhpur airport that is 100 km far away from Balotra.

Tourism

Amongst the many tourist sights in the area

1. Brahma Ji temple at Asotra
2. Kheteshwar temple at Asotra
3. Kheteahwar palna Dham at [(Sarana)]
4. Dargah-Bhola-Peer
5. Nakoda Temple
6. MADINA MASJID
7. Khed Temple
8. Mata Rani Bhatiyani Temple at Jasol.

There are some temples that are located in Balotra or near by place which are famous

1. The Bithuja Temple
2. The Khed Temple
3. Tilwara
4. Malinath Temple,
5. Temple Siwana
6. Akdeshwer Mahadev Temple
7. Ranuja tirth
8. Santoshi Maa Temple
9. Chonch Mandir
10. Luni River
11. Hinglaj Mandir
12. Majal City, Sanjada mata temple.
13. Silk Sara resort
14. The Rupadevi Temple
15. Shri Joganandji Math Mananawas

References

1. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Balotra
2. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
3. "बाड़मेर से हरिद्वार जा रही कालका एक्सप्रेस ट्रेन का बालोतरा में इंजन फेल, दो घंटे देरी से पहुंची जोधपुर". Dainik Bhaskar (in Hindi). 3 December 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
4. "सोमवार से बाड़मेर-जोधपुर रूट पर 2 रोडवेज बसें और चलेंगी, अब तीन बस सेवा प्रतिदिन". Dainik Bhaskar (in Hindi). 6 June 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
5. "बालोतरा-जालोर रूट रोडवेज की 4 बसें शुरू". Dainik Bhaskar (in Hindi). 12 June 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.