The never-ending, long stretches of golden simmering sand dunes! Ready to know some interesting trivia about them?
Chaitrali Datar
Spread across 77,000 square miles,the Thar is one of the biggest deserts in Rajasthan, India. It is strategically important as it forms a natural border between India and Pakistan in the west.
Thar is dominated by large shifting sand dunes that are spread across North and South of the desert. It is also one of the most famous tourist destinations.
It is the 9th largest sub-tropical desert in the world and the name is derived from the word,'Thul' a general term for the region's sand ridges.
The Thar occupies a large portion of Western India. It is spread across 4 Indian states: Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. It also covers 2 Pakistani states: Sindh and Punjab.
The first nuclear weapon test was carried out by India in the Thar desert on 12th May, 1974.
A Glance at Something More about the Thar
The inhabitants and their occupation:
Most families in the Thar live in a joint family and most of them are associated with the family-run business.
Population:
The Thar is one of the most densely populated desert in the world with 83 people per sq km residing in it.
Livelyhood:
Animal husbandry and agriculture form a major part of the livelihood of the residents here. Thar is the biggest wool producing region of India.
Water Sources and Irrigation:
The Thar experiences extremely scanty rainfall (100–500 mm/4–20 in per year). However, the state has a good canal irrigation system in place.
Natural sources of water:
The only natural source of water in the Thar region is from the Aravalli mountain range from the Luni river in the Kutch region of Gujarat.
Vegetation:
Despite being in the arid region, the Thar has a good amount of shrubs, herbs. grasses and some selected trees.
A tree specie named Prosopis Cineraria is an important fodder tree and source of livelihood for locals. Its wood is used for building the houses.
Camel - Ship of the Thar:
Desert Safaris on camels here are extremely popular. Jeep safaris too are famous.
The Annual Desert Festival:
Popular as 'The Jaisalmer Desert Festival', it takes place every year in the month of February. It is the most popular festival of Rajasthan.
The Thar has a good infrastructure and road network.
Regular water harvesting and soil management is carried out and so the desert is known as a water-rich site.
The best season to visit Thar is from November till February.