Rajasthan known as, "Land of Kings" or "Land of Kingdoms" is famous for its forts, intricately carved temples, and decorated havelis, which were built by Rajput kings. State day is observed on 30th March. It is India's largest state by area (342,239 sq km or 10.4% of India's total area) and located on the western side of the country, where it comprises most of the wide and inhospitable Thar Desert (also known as the "Great Indian Desert") and shares a border with Pakistan. The Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur, a World Heritage Site known for its bird life and Rajasthan is also home to two national tiger reserves, the Ranthambore National Park (Sawai Madhopur) and Sariska Tiger Reserve (Alwar). The main industries of Rajasthan are mineral based, agriculture based, and textiles. Rajasthan is known for its traditional, colourful art. The block prints, tie and dye prints, Bagaru prints, Sanganer prints, and Zari embroidery are major export products from Rajasthan. Dal-Bati-Churma is very popular in Rajasthan it is served with the daal (lentils) and spicy garlic chutney, and also served with Besan (gram flour) ki kadi.
Education Status
At the Census 2011, Rajasthan had a literacy rate of 67.06% (80.51% male literacy rate and 52.66% female literacy rate). Rajasthan's literacy rate is below the national average of 74.04% and its female literacy rate is the lowest in the country.
Rajasthan has three of India's finest educational institutions, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (Pilani), IIT Jodhpur and IIM Udaipur. Kota in Rajasthan is known for its excellent coaching for the engineering and medical college entrance examinations. Rajasthan has nine government aided and unaided (private) universities with various colleges, technical and non-technical institutions offering engineering, medical education (pharmacy, dentistry etc.), arts, architecture, commerce, science and law. In addition to professional courses institutions, there are also government polytechnic institutions and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) which imparts vocational courses. There more than 250 colleges, 55,000 primary and 7,400 secondary schools. There are 41 engineering colleges with an annual enrolment of about 11,500 students. The state has 23 polytechnic colleges and 152 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).