Abohar

Abohar
—  city  —
Abohar Location of Abohar in Punjab and India
Coordinates	30°08′00″N 74°12′00″E
Country	India
State	Punjab
District(s)	Fazilka
Population	124,303 (2001)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 180 metres (590 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 152116 • Telephone • +1634 • Vehicle • PB-15 sex_ratio =

Abohar (Punjabi: ਅਬੋਹਰ, Hindi: अबोहर) is a city and a municipal committee in Fazilka district in the state of Punjab, India,) located on the Ganganagar–Delhi railway route, about 50 km (31 mi) north of Ganganagar and about 60 km (37 mi) south of Fazilka. This city is also known as the "California of Punjab" for its rich soil, good irrigation sources, and particularly for the production of kinnow, a fruit of the orange family. Abohar is also very famous for the cotton production and is one of the biggest cotton producing belt in whole north India.

History

Abohar is a historical city. It may be called trinity of the culture, ethnicity, and civilization of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan as it is located near the junction of their boundaries. Its boundaries touch Rajasthan's sand dunes on one side and plains of Haryana on the other. Under British rule, in 1893 the town was more of a mound of sand with a total population of only 5,954. Its name was Kaiser-Ganj. But Maharaj Vidhata Kumar Change the Name Kasiser-Ganj To Abohar

River Satluj streaming by its side, Aabha Nagari, some 550 years ago, was a fabulous city of India. As one enters Abohar, one sees the remains of the ancient city Abha Nagri, a big mound of sand and stones which is known Theh among local people. This mound is not just a dune of sand because a historical city and a big palace built by a Suryavanshi king Aabu-Chandni are buried under it.

Another legendary dune named Panjpeer is just 150 m (490 ft) away from Theh with tombs of five pirs on this mound. The beautiful Aabu city was destroyed by the curse of these pirs (soothsayers). A big fair is held on this mound every Thursday. King Harichand ruled Aabu Nagar after King Aabu-Chandni and had only one daughter. She was very impressive, a good shooter and fond of riding also. Once the king fell victim to leprosy. Someone told the king that he could recover only with the blood of the horses of five pirs of Multan. The brave daughter of the king snatched 81 horses of five pirs along with their goods, but king Harichand succumbed to the disease. Five pirs sent many request to get their horses back, but the princess refused to give their horses back.

At last, the five pirs came to Abu city from Multan to get back their horses and camped on a hillock of sand near present Abohar. Many days passed but the princess did not give back their horses. The wives of five pirs came to Aabu city in search of their husbands. The pirs became angry on seeing them and cursed them due to which they were buried under the earth.

There is another mound at a distance of about 60 m (200 ft) from Panjpeer, where their tombs are erected. The five pirs got angry, for not being returned their horses, and destroyed the Aabu Nagar with their divine powers, according to popular legends.

At the time of partition of India in 1947, the city witnessed bloodshed due to Hindu-Muslim riots as this was the last main town along Delhi-Bahawalpur sector. Much of the local community lives in the town with the feeling of harmony and common brotherhood today. All sections, castes, religious sects visit Panj Peer.

Many other achievements in academic, agriculture, industry, innovations, infrastructure and a big grain market are particularly noteworthy. Its main business mandi is called Darwaza.

In the dark days of terrorism in Punjab in 1990s, Abohar also saw a painful period of terrorism. In March 1990 many innocent people were killed by terrorists in Sadar Bazaar of Abohar.

Demographics

As of 2011 India census, Abohar had a population of 145,238 (compared to 124,303 in 2001) showing 17% growth in 2001-11 decade. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%, same as in 2001. Sex ratio (female:male) was just 890 compared to national average 940. The sex ratio was worse at just 848 for the 0 to 6 year age-group compared to national average 918. Abohar had an average literacy rate of 71% in 2011 (compared to 65% in 2001), higher than the national average of 64.3%; with 76% of the males and 66% of females literate. Children under six years of age numbered 15,870 and were 10.9% of the population in 2011.

Agricultural Research

Abohar Is a leading place in Punjab for Agricultural research of the region. This research started with the establishment of Regional Fruit Research Station in 1964 which was officially inaugurated in 1969. A total of 10 ha (25 acres) of seed farm is under fruit research program. mainly in Abohar the most grown plant is Kinnow also known as "Aboharvi santra". Kinnow is brought to India in 1949 from California as a hybrid fruit of citrus category coming under Orange fruit. Because of its sweetness and that it is easy to grow, the profit margin is very high. Recently PEPSI has submitted a proposal to research on fruit juice under its trademark, which will be available hopefully in the next 3-4 years. Scientists of this research station has given hundreds of new verities to Indian horticulture.

Central Institute of Postharvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET), an ICAR institute is located on the outskirts of city where research is carried out and training is given on post-harvest aspects of fruits and vegetables.

Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary

Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary was notified provisionally in 1975 and finally in 2000 under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. It is a private sanctuary unlike almost all other sanctuaries that are on public or government land. Its area is 186.5 km² (72.0 sq mi). The sanctuary is spread over land of thirteen villages inhabited by the Bishnoi community. The forest in the sanctuary is a tropical dry mixed deciduous forest. The forest in the sanctuary is a tropical dry mixed deciduous forest. Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary is a unique success story of wildlife conservation where Bishnoi community on its own has joined hands to protect the black buck deer that they consider sacred. The population of black buck has risen to more than 3,000 which is the largest free roaming group surviving in the Punjab plains. Watching the herds of this beautiful deer in the wild and even in homes like cattle is a feast to the eyes. A variety of other animals such as Blue Bull (Neel Gai), wild boar and porcupine can also be seen. These animals are protected by villagers as they do not let hunters kill them.

Education

Abohar has a number of schools (including a Kendriya Vidyalaya), colleges and vocational institutes such as ITI (Industrial Training Institute) and polytechnic. The colleges in Abohar are affiliated to the Punjab University, Chandigarh.

Tourism

Abohar is not a hot tourism spot though there are a few religious locations (e.g., Gurudwara Nanaksar on Fazilka Road, Historical Gurudwara Badtirath in Haripura near Abohar, Panjpir) that attract a large number of people from surrounding villages and nearby cities. There are a few motels in its vicinity, for instance, Kala Titar between Dabwali and Sangaria opened by Haryana Government couple of decades ago. Visits to some special market locations, for example, street number 12, 11, and 9, within the city can give a good sense of hustle-bustle of a typical small town.

Transportation

Abohar is well connected to other cities in the state of Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab. Railway and buses are the primary modes of transportation. The town is connected by railways to Ganganagar in southwest direction, Delhi through Bhatinda in the east and Fazilka in the north. Trains on the new 42 km long railway line to Fazilka are expected to start in early 2012.

Recently Abohar got its first and most awaited Flyover that has removed bottleneck between Municipal Bus Stand and College Road and facilitated fast movement of vehicles.

Languages

Punjabi, the official language of Punjab, and Hindi are the main languages spoken in Abohar with their various dialects such as Bagri and Haryanavi.

Maps

• Google Map
• Abohar Map
• MSN Map

References

Videos of Abohar and its people can be watched on You Tube

External links

• Abohar on Orkut
• Abohar Website
• History of Abohar
• Abohar Hindi Website
• Abohar Weather
• Abohar Information