Khemkaran
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| Khem Karan | |
| — city — | |
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| Coordinates | 31°10′N 74°40′E / 31.16°N 74.66°ECoordinates: 31°10′N 74°40′E / 31.16°N 74.66°E |
| Country | India |
| State | Punjab |
| District(s) | Tarn Taran |
| Population | 11,938 (2001[update]) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
Khem Karan (Punjabi: ਖੇਮਕਰਨ) is a town and a nagar panchayat in Tarn Taran district in the Indian state of Punjab. It was the site of a major tank battle in 1965 resulting it also being known as the graveyard of tanks.[1]
The 1965 Indo-Pakistani War was witness to the largest tank battle in military history since World War II. This battle led to the creation of Patton Nagar (or Patton City) at the site of the battle viz., Khemkaran. This is because many Patton tanks fielded by the Pakistani forces were either captured or destroyed at the scene.
Pakistan army captured it in the 1965 war with India after a fierce battle. However, the Indian army took it back during the war.
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[edit] Geography
Khemkaran is located at 31°10′N 74°40′E / 31.16°N 74.66°E.[2]
[edit] History
Khem Karan is an old city. Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621-1675) visited it. When the Pakistani army captured Khem Karan, it damaged the old gurudwara which was rebuilt after the Indian army recaptured the town during the war.
It used to be in Lahore district before partition of India. It became a part of Amritsar district after the partition. Now it is in Tarn Taran district. The town used to be easily accesible to the city of Kasur only 15km away, and to Ferozepur 35km away, but since Partition, it is a far distance to any major city since Kasur now lies in Pakistan, and the route to Ferozepur cuts through Pakistan and so is inaccessible to the town's residents. The town's residents must now travel a long distance to Amritsar or Tarn Taran to procure any major goods, causing great inconvenience.
[edit] India-Pakistan war of 1965
The tank battles of 1965 form part of military history as the most intense armored battles between the end of World War II and the 1991 Gulf War. Close to a thousand tanks, on both sides, took part in the pitched battles and offensives. At the start of the war, Indian strength was limited to one armored division and one independent armoured brigade, along with six armoured regiments supporting infantry divisions. Pakistan had two armored divisions, with the then very modern M-48 Patton tanks. India had an equivalent tank in the Centurion, but their strength was limited to only four armored regiments.
[edit] Patton Nagar
Pakistan army captured the town in 1965 war
Near the Bhikhiwind village, a strip of land was called Patton Nagar for a short while in 1965.[3] It was here that more than 60 tanks of the Pakistani army were displayed at the end of the September India-Pakistan conflict. The Pakistan Army tanks were captured at the Battle of Asal Uttar by India's 4 Mountain Division and it became a memorial to the Pakistani tanks being bogged down in the marshes during the 1965 War. The tanks were displayed for some time after which they were shipped to various cantonments and army establishments in India for display as war trophies.
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Commander-in-Chief Pakistan Army, General Muhammad Musa visiting the captured Khemkarn Railway Station during the 1965 India-Pakistan War.
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Pakistani soldiers at center of Khemkarn during the 1965 India-Pakistan War.
[edit] 97 tanks captured at Assal Uttar
The Indian Army managed to capture 97 Pakistani tanks as a result of the botched assault by the 1 Armoured Division of the Pakistan Army at the Battle of Assal Uttar on 10 September 1965.[3] Six Pakistani Armoured Regiments took part in the battle, namely the 19 Lancers (Patton), 12 Cavalry (Chaffee), 24 Cavalry (Patton) 4 Cavalry (Patton), 5 Horse (Patton) and 6 Lancers (Patton).
The Indian forces in the field that day consisted of three Armoured regiments with tanks of varying quality, the Deccan Horse (Shermans), 3 Cavalry (Centurion) and the 8 Cavalry (AMX-13). The battle was so fierce and intense that at the end of the war, the Pakistani 1st Armored division had lost about 97 tanks in destroyed/damaged or intact condition. This included 72 Patton tanks and 25 Chaffees and Shermans. 32 of the 97 tanks, including 28 Pattons, were in running condition. The Indian 4th division lost 32 tanks, mostly Sherman tanks. Fifteen of them were captured by the Pakistan Army, mostly Sherman tanks.
[edit] Demographics
As of 2001[update] India census,[4] Khem Karan had a population of 11,940. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Khem Karan has an average literacy rate of 47%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 54%, and female literacy is 39%. In Khem Karan, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[edit] Places of interest
A well-known place in this village is the mazaar of pir baba shekh brahm.
[edit] References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Khemkaran |
- ^ Stephen Peter Rosen. Societies and Military Power: India and Its Armies. Cornell University Press. p. 246. ISBN 0801432103.
- ^ "Yahoo maps location of Khemkaran". Yahoo maps. http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=31.15993&lon=74.55798&zoom=13&q1=khemkaran%252C%2520punjab%252C%2520india. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
- ^ a b Steve Zaloga, Jim Laurier (1999). The M47 and M48 Patton Tanks. Osprey Publishing. p. 33. ISBN 1855328259. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=ZsdjJZWqtg4C. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
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