The district is located in the southern part of Rajasthan. The district Udaipur and Banswara lie in north and east of Dungarpur district respectively. On south and west, it is surrounded by the borders of the neighbouring state of Gujarat
Dungarpur district is the stronghold of the Bheels, a tribe whose history of
occupancy in the Aravalli range is said to date back to 4000 BC.Founded in 1197.
The rulers of Dungarpur claim descent from the Rajput house of Mewar. The first
rulers of Dungarpur were Kunwar Mahap and his descendants who resided in the
town of Galiankot, where their ruined castle still stands. Towards the end of
the 12th century, Samant Singh, the eldest son of the ruler of Mewar, had to
leave Mewar in favor of his younger brother Kumar Singh. Samant Singh drifted
into the hilly area of Bagar and, within the next century, Samant Singh's
successors controlled the whole province of Bagar. Rawal Udai Singh of Bagar was
killed at the battle of Khanua in 1527, fighting for Mewar against Moghul
Emperor Babur. His territory was thereafter divided between his two sons,
forming two separate states. Prithvi Raj remained in Dungarpur while his brother
Jagmal Singh became independent ruler of Banswara.
