Gurdaspur
| Gurdaspur | |
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| Coordinates | 32°02′00″N 75°24′00″E / 32.0333°N 75.40°ECoordinates: 32°02′00″N 75°24′00″E / 32.0333°N 75.40°E |
| Country | India |
| State | Punjab |
| District(s) | Gurdaspur |
| Population • Density |
67,455 (2001[update]) • 49 /km2 (127 /sq mi) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Area |
1,369 square kilometres (529 sq mi) • 241 metres (791 ft) |
Gurdaspur (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਦਾਸਪੁਰ) is a city in the state of Punjab, situated in the northwest part of the Republic of India. It is located in the center of and is the administrative head of Gurdaspur District. It was the location of a fort (later turned into a Hindu monastery) which was famous for the siege it sustained in 1712 from the Mughals. The Gurdaspur city, situated on the Amritsar – Jammu National Highway Road, 36 km from Pathankot and 32 km from Batala is the district headquarter. All head offices of various departments are situated in this city. The India-Pakistan border is at a distance of 10 km from Gurdaspur. The river Beas flows on one side and the river Raavi flows on the other side of Gurdaspur.
The Gurdaspur city was named after the name of Mahant Guridas. The Emperor Akbar was crowned at Kalanaur, which is 26 km from Gurdaspur city and also Behrampur town is situated at a distance of 10 km, where the Mukbara of Bairam Khan is situated. Earlier, Dinanagar town was the capital of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, which is only 12 km from Gurdaspur city. The famous woolen mill is situated at Dhariwal which is only 12 km from Gurdaspur city.
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[edit] Demographics
According to the 2011 India census,[1] Gurdaspur had population of 2,299,026 of which males and females were 1,212,995 and 1,086,031 respectively. There was an increase of 9.30 percent in the population compared to the population in 2001. In the previous census of India 2001, Gurdaspur District recorded increase of 19.74 percent as compared to its population in 1991.
The average literacy rate of Gurdaspur in 2011 was 81.10 per cent, as compared to 73.80 per cent in 2001. The male and female literacy rates were 85.90 and 75.70 respectively. For 2001 census, same figures stood at 79.80 and 67.10 in Gurdaspur District. The total literate population in Gurdaspur District was 1,668,339 of which males and females were 928,264 and 740,075 respectively.
[edit] History
- Gurdaspur, a major city of Punjab, was founded by Guriyaji in 17th century. The place forms the nothernmost part of the state. Resting within Jalandhar and flanked by the rivers Beas and Ravi, it shares its boundary with districts of Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, and Amritsar.
Guriyaji laid the foundation of the city on the land that he bought from the Jats. Almost no evidence of the ancient history of the place is available, so not much is known about it. For a long period, it was under the rule of the Shahi dynasty. A ruler named Jasrath Khokhar was defeated by Malik Sikander. With the fall of the Mughal Empire, the city came under the supremacy of the Sikh gurus. The place is linked to many eminent Sikh Gurus like Govind Singh, Hargovind Singh, and Guru Nanak. Raja Ranjit Singh made it one of his strongholds. After partition, a major portion of the city was ceded to India.
As you go seven kilometers from the city in the western direction, you will reach Gurdas Nangal, a holy place linked with the heroic battle of Banda Bahadur with Mughal armies. A gurudwara is present here at whose entrance is placed an inscription to describe the famous battle. It lies at 10 kilometers from the destination; it was where a great massacre of Sikhs took place in the year 1746 AD.
During the misl period Gurdaspur remained the centre of activity of Kanaiya Misl and Ramgharia Misl. Maharaja Ranjit Singh conquered Ramgharia misl in 1808 and Kanyia misl in 1811, so it became a part of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s empire.
The British East India Company annexed Punjab on 29 March 1849, after the second Anglo-Sikh war of 1839-49. After annexation a need arose for recognition of districts for administrative purpose. As a result, Gurdaspur district was formed on 1 May 1852. The district of Adinanagar was renamed as Gurdaspur. So, from a tiny village, Gurdaspur became a District Headquarter.
The mutiny of 1857 also affected Gurdaspur. The mutineers from Sialkot proceeded towards Gurdaspur. The British forces intercepted these mutineers at Trimmo Patan and defeated them in the battle of Trimmo Patan (12–16 July 1857). The prisoners were hanged in Bole Wala Bagh, situated behind Government College Gurdaspur.
[edit] Partition of 1947
- During the partition of India in 1947 the future of Gurdaspur could not be decided for many days, as the majority of the population of this district was Muslim. The Radcliffe boundary awards transferred only Shakargarh Tehsil of Gurdaspur district to Pakistan, and the rest of the district was transferred to India. The Muslim population of the district migrated to Pakistan and many refugees, the Hindus and the Sikhs of Sialkot and Tehsil Shakargarh, migrated to Gurdaspur after crossing the Ravi bridge. They settled and spread out over Gurdaspur district. Gurdaspur has an area of 10.85 sq.km.
[edit] Transport
[edit] Rail
- Gurdaspur is well connected with daily trains from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata,Chennai and other parts of india. and also connected with jammu and kashmir,
[edit] Road
- Gurdaspur is well connected with road network: National Highway 15 (NH 15) is a major National Highway in Western and Northwestern India. NH 15 connects Kandla in Gujarat with Gurdaspur in Punjab. This 1,526 km (948 mi)-long highway passes through Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran Sahib, Zira, Kotkapura, Bhatinda, Ganganagar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Barmer. At Bikaner the National Highway 11 terminates on this Highway.
Of its total length of 1,526 km (948 mi), the National Highway 15 traverses 350 km (220 mi) in Punjab, 906 km (563 mi) in Rajasthan, and 270 km (170 mi) in Gujarat.[1] Also connected Gurdaspur to Jammu through bmial, kathua, and also connected with NH 1A through Gurdaspur, Mukerian and Gurdaspur Shri Hargobind State Highways.
[edit] Further reading
- Chester, Lucy P. Borders and Conflict in South Asia: The Radcliffe Boundary Commission and the Partition of Punjab. Manchester UP, 2009.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Gurdaspur". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
[edit] External links
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