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Jhansi

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Jhansi
Jhansi झाशी
city
Government
 • MayorDr. B. Lal
Population
 (2001)
 • Total504,292
Websitejhansi.nic.in

Jhansi pronunciation (Hindi: झांसी, marathi: झाशी, is a city of Uttar Pradesh state of northern India. Jhansi is a major road and rail junction, and is the administrative seat of Jhansi District and Jhansi Division. The original walled city grew up around its stone fort, which crowns a neighboring rock.

The National Highway Development Project, initiated by the government of Atal Behari Vajpayee, has sparked Jhansi's development. The North-South Corridor connecting Kashmir to Kanyakumari passes through Jhansi. The East-West corridor also goes through this city, so there has been a sudden rush to infrastructure and real estate development in the city. A greenfield airport is also on the Anvil.

Etymology

According to a legend, Raja Bir Singh Deo, sitting on the roof of his palace at Orchha with his friend, the Raja of Jaitpur asked the latter whether he could discern this new fort that he built on Bangara hill, he replied that he could see it 'Jhainsi' (meaning rather indistinct). This 'Jhainsi' in course of time became corrupted to Jhansi. It was one of the most strategically situated forts of central India being built on an elevated rock rising out of the plain and commanding the city and the surrounding country. According to Sachin Pachori,Ex-Lecturer Bundelkhand University the city of Jhansi has a great historical importance specially during the firt Indian Freedom Struggle of 1857 wherein the Rani of Jhansi laid her life in defence of Jhansi.The city according to Mr.Pachori is also a vital junction and is the link between north and southern India and connects them to the capital of UP.There are rail links to Bina,Allahabad and Sagar.With Jhansi being at the junction of Golden quadrilateral and east-west corridor the significance of the city is likely to increase further.

History

Jhansi Fort, c1857

In the 9th century, the region of Jhansi came under the rule of the Rajput Chandela dynasty of Khajuraho. The artificial reservoirs and architectural remains probably date from this era. The Chandelas were succeeded by the Khangars, who built the nearby fort of Karar. About the fourteenth century the Bundelas poured down upon the plains from the Vindhya Range, and gradually spread themselves over the whole of the Bundelkhand region which now bears their name. The fortress of Jhansi was built by the ruler of Orchha state in 1610. Legend says that when a king of Orchha saw a shadow ('jhain' in bundelkhand) on a distant mound, he is said to have called it jhain-si (kind of shadow). Jhansi got its name from this utterance.

The Muslim governors of the Mughal empire were constantly making incursions into the Bundela country. In 1732 Chhatrasal, the Bundela king, called in the aid of the Hindu Marathas. They came to his assistance, and were rewarded by the bequest of one-third of the Maharaja's dominions upon his death two years later. The Maratha general developed the city of Jhansi, and peopled it with inhabitants from Orchha state. In 1806 British protection was promised to the Maratha chief. In 1817, however, the Peshwa in Pune ceded all his rights over Bundelkhand to the British East India Company. In 1853 the Raja of Jhansi died childless, and his territory was annexed by the Governor-General of India. The Jhansi state and the Jalaun and Chanderi districts were then formed into a superintendency. Rani Lakshmibai, widow of the Raja, protested the annexation because she was not allowed to adopt an heir (as was customary), and because the slaughter of cattle was permitted in the Jhansi territory.

The Revolt of 1857 accordingly found Jhansi ripe for rebellion. In June a few men of the 12th Native Infantry seized the fort containing the treasure and magazine, and massacred the European officers of the garrison along with their wives and children. Rani Lakshmi Bai put herself at the head of the rebels and died bravely in battle in Gwalior. It was not until November, 1858 that Jhansi was brought under British control. It had been given to the Maharaja of Gwalior, but came under British rule in 1886 as the result of a territorial swap.

Jhansi participated in the Indian Freedom Struggle under Dewan Shatrughan Singh. Dewan Shatrughan Singh and his wife Rani Rajendra Kumari were two great Indian freedom fighters. Dewan Sahib was the father of the freedom movement in the Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh (Central India). Dewan Shatrughan Singh is also known as 'Bundelkhand Gandhi' & 'Bundelkhand Kesari'. He met Gandhi in the 1920's and then became his follower. He married Rani Kaushlya Devi later called Rani Rajendra Kumari in 1914. The duo spent life serving their people. During the freedom struggle the couple went to jail several times and refused Class A treatement that they were entitled to choosing to stay with the poor inmates who they believed needed their help. They continued public service even after independence. Dewan Shatrughan Singh initiated the First Gram daan. When Vonoba Bhave visited the district in early 50's Diwan Saheb offered the entire village of Mangrauth. He also set up several schools and colleges in the district donating his own land and money and encouraging others in the process. None of the institutions were named after him or his family members. Dewan Saheb and Rani Saheba are credited for inspiring people for the three most difficult Daan (Sacrifices) - Graam Daan, Bhoo Daan and Shram Daan. The road connecting Charkhari to Supa in Hamirpur district was built by Shram Daan. The Rani defeated the sitting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister C.B. Gupta in 1958 by-election from Maudaha. Numerous scholars have done PhD's on the life of these 2 great Indian patriots. There is an annual mela on the birthday of these two stalwarts held annually in Maungrauth in 25 December and is attended by over 40,000 people. They opened numerous colleges and libraries in the Bundelkhand region and none were named after them. The district hospital of Hamirpur is named after Dewan Sahib after his death. Despite being from one of the most affluent families in Central India this couple sacrificed everything for the nation. they passed away in December 1975. They are still remembered as the true leaders who worked selflessly for the amelioration of the people and the region. They are now the subject of folk tales and songs that recall bravery and selfless service. The Alhaa singers particularly have some beautiful compositions narrating stories from their lives.

Jhansi was added to the United Provinces, which became the state of Uttar Pradesh after India's Independence in 1947.

The fort standing in the hilly area shows that how the North Indian style of fort construction differentiated from that of the South. In South majority of the beautiful forts were built on the sea beds like the one at Bekal in Kerala.

Population

Jhansi city has 77th rank among the most populated cities of India, according to 2001 Census.

Jhansi Railway Station
  • 2001 Census Total: 504,292
    • Nagar Nigam Total: 470,212
    • Male: 249,592
    • Female: 220,620
    • Cantonment Board Total: 18,582
    • Male: 10,239
    • Female: 8,343
    • Jhansi Railway Settlement Total: 15,499
    • Male: 8,395
    • Female: 7,104

Geography and climate

Jhansi (A view from Hill)

Jhansi is located at 25.4333 N 78.5833 E. It has an average elevation of 284 metres (935 feet).[1] Jhansi is located in the plateau of central India,an area dominated by rocky reliefs and minerals underneath the soil. The city has a natural slope in the north as it lies on the south western border of the vast Tarai plains of Uttar Pradesh. The elevation rises on the south. The land is suitable for citrus species fruits. Crops include wheat, pulses, peas, oilseeds. The region relies heavily on Monsoon rains for irrigation purposes. Under an ambitious canal project(Rajghat canal), the government is constructing a network of canals for irrigation in Jhansi and Lalitpur and some area of Madhya Pradesh.

Being on a rocky plateau, Jhansi experiences extreme temperatures. Winter begins in October with the retreat of the Southwest Monsoon (Jhansi does not experience any rainfall from the Northeast Monsoon) and peaks in mid-December. The mercury generally reads about 4 degrees minimum and 21 degrees maximum. Spring arrives by the end of February and is a short-lived phase of transition. Summer begins by April and summer temperatures can peak at 47 degrees in May. The rainy season starts by the third week of June(although this is variable year to year). Monsoon rains gradually weaken in September and the season ends by the last week of September. In the rainy season, average daily high temperature hovers around 36 degrees Celsius with high humidity. The average rainfall for this city is about 900 mm per year, observed almost entirely within the three-and-a-half months of the Southwest Monsoon.

Transport

The city is well connected by rail, road and air transport services.

Railways Jhansi has its own Division of the North Central Railways. It is well connected by train services to all parts of the country, including 4 metros. There are direct trains to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata (Howrah), Chennai, Trivandrum, Indore, Ahmedabad, Pune, Jammu, Lucknow, Bhopal and other major towns.

Road Transport The proposed North-south & East-west Corridors of the Golden-Quadrilateral Highway project pass and cross each other in Jhansi only and it is also well connected to Kanpur, Lucknow and Madhya Pradesh by road.

Hospitals

Jhansi is a hub for medical care in the Bundelkhand region. It has a Medical College which is being revamped now. The District Hospital has many new facilities to serve patients. There are plenty of private hospitals, especially in the Medical College area.

Government

  • Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College (Kanpur road),
  • District(Civil) Hospital (City),
  • Bundelkhand Ayurvedic College (Gwalior road),
  • Army Hospital (Cantonment),
  • Railway Hospital (near railway station),
  • Cantonment General Hospital (Sadar bazaar)

Private:

  • Agarwal Maternity & Nursing Home (Sadar bazaar)
  • Anand Hospital & Urology Research Center (Opp. medical college, Karguvan road)
  • Sudha Nursing Home(Near medical college, Kanpur road))
  • Shiv Nursing Home (Mission compound),
  • Lifeline Hospital (Kanpur road),
  • Happy Family Hospital (Behind Hotel Sita, civil lines),
  • Gupta mediscan centre (Sadar bazar )
  • St. Jude Hospital(Germany) (Sipri bazaar),
  • Kapoor Nursing Home (Near elite cinema),
  • Arogya Sadan (Awas Vikas colony),
  • Prakash Nursing Home (Awas Vikas colony),
  • Nirmal Hospital (Near medical college),
  • Chawla Nursing Home (Sipri bazaar),
  • Vinayak Hospital, behind Yatrik hotel (Elite circle)
  • LRM Jain Nursing Home (Civil lines),
  • Christian Hospital (Jhokan Bagh)
  • Sanjeevani Hospital (Kanpur road)
  • Raghvendra Nursing Home (Kanpur Road)
  • Shila Jain Nursing Home (Kanpur Road)
  • Mewa Chaudhary Nursing Home (Kanpur Road)
  • Nirmal Nursing Home (Kanpur Road)
  • Sudarshan Jain nursing Home (Panchkuiyan Road)
  • Dr. Jiyalal Memorial Eye Hospital (Medical beside Raghvendra hospital) An ISO certified hospital

Dental Clinics:

  • Gubrellay Dental Care Centre, in front of T.B. Hospital, Jeewan Shah Tiraha, Gwalior Road, Jhansi.

Educational Institutes

Jhansi has gradually become an educational hub of India. Students from different parts of the country come here for their higher studies. Even foreign students come here for various unique courses available in Jhansi's Educational Institutes.

  • Bundelkhand University. www.bujhansi.org
  • Government Engineering College
  • Government Colleges
    • Bundelkhand University, Medical road
    • BBC College, Behind Govind Chauraha
    • BKD College, Elite Road, BKD Chauraha
    • Government Inter College (G.I.C.), Gwalior Road, Jhansi
    • Suraj Prasad College, Sadar Bazar
    • Government Inter College(GIC), Mission Compound
  • Army Schools
    • Army School, Contonment Area, Jhansi
  • Kendriya Vidyalaya
    • Kendriya Vidyalaya No 1 located in Cantt. area. This Vidyalaya opened in Dec . 1963. The distance from railway station is about 7k.m.
    • kendriya vidyalaya No 2 Established in the year 1980
    • kendriya vidyalaya No 3 Gulam gaus road railway colony jhansi
  • Private Schools
    • Rani Laxmibai Public School,Jhansi
    • Sunny Convent Inter College, Jhansi
    • Shri Raghuraj Singh Inter College, Outside Datiya Gate, Jhansi
    • Veerangana Jhalkaribai Inter College, Khushipura, Jhansi
    • Gyan Sthali Public School, Shivaji Nagar, Jhansi
    • Mahatma Hansraj Modern School,Shivpuri Road, Jhansi
    • Sheerwood College, Khati Baba, Jhansi
    • The Woods Heritage School, Jhansi
    • Christ The King College (Only for Boys)
    • St. Marks College
    • Modern Public School,Civil Lines,Jhansi
    • St. Xaviers College, B.H.E.L Khailar(14 KM from Main City)
    • B.H.E.L. shiksha Niketan (BHEL jhansi)
    • Blue Bells School, Rajgarh
    • St. Francis School (Only for Girls)
    • Cathedral College, Jhansi
    • Sun international School,Near R.T.O. kanpur Road, Jhansi.
    • Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Bala Ji Road, Jhansi.
  • Semi Governmenyt Colleges
    • Sri Laxmi Vyayam Mandir Inter College, Jhansi
    • College of Science & Engineering, Jhansi

Telephone companies

Four operators in Fixed and Fixed Wireless Line telephony are found in the city and use the STD code 510.

  • BSNL (Fixed and Fixed Wireless) Series 231 xxxx, 232 xxxx, 233 xxxx, 235 xxxx, 236 xxxx, 237 xxxx, 244 xxxx, 245 xxxx, 247 xxxx, 248 xxxx.
  • Tata Indicom (on CDMA platform, Wireless) Series 65x xxxx.
  • Reliance Communications (on CDMA platform,Wireless) Series 3xx xxxx.
  • AirTel Series 4xx xxxx.

All the above mentioned companies are Broadband internet service provider too.

These are the operators in Mobile Telephony, in Jhansi city.

Radio stations

The city has two FM radio stations.

  • All India Radio The state owned Akashvani service has a broadcast frequency of 103.0 MHz. All India Radio has started broadcasting its most popular radio station - AIR FM Rainbow, from Jhansi on 19 November 2007.
  • Big 92.7 FM Jhansi This is the first 24 hour service in Jhansi. This channel broadcasts at 92.7 MHz.

Two other private radio stations will start soon.

Tourism

Places of interest

  • Jhansi Fort
  • Rani Mahal (Queen's Palace)
  • U.P. Govt. Museum
  • Maha Lakshmi Temple
  • Leher ki Devi Temple
  • Panchkuian Temple - An old traditional temple, Rani Lakshmi bai used to worship here
  • Ganesh Mandir
  • Siddheshwar Temple (Near GIC Inter College) - Built by Pandit Raghunath Vinayak Dhulekar
  • Panchtantra Park (attracting huge crowd)
  • Jhansi Cantt, one of the best maintained cantts in the country and is worth visiting especially in the evening, for its idyllic ambience.
  • Public Parks in the cantonment area are worth visiting
  • Sadar Bazar market and Manik Chowk market for clothes shopping
  • Sarafa bazar for jewellery shopping
  • Cathedral of St. Anthony, seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jhansi
  • St. Jude's Shrine [1], it attracts huge masses of pilgrims and tourist especially in the month of October for St. Jude's feast.
    Its also worth visiting for its serene ambience and beautiful architecture.
  • Bodh Vihar/Lord Buddha Temple, Dharamshala, Kapurtekri Khushipura, Jhansi.
  • Kaimasan Mandir, Bundelkhand University.
  • Sakhi ke Hanuman, a Hanuman temple of Jhansi though temples of other God and Goddesses are also there in its Campus.
  • Karaundi wali Mata Mandir
  • Mahaveeran Wali Mata Mandir

Colony

  • Shiv Parivar Phase 1 to 6 by K K G Real Estate (colonies situated at Unnao Gate, Aligol, Gariagaon, Daly, Sijwaha etc.).
  • Kailash Residency, Mahakali Vidya Peeth Road, Near New Galla Mandi, Jhansi
  • Om Shanti Nagar, Near Kali Mandir, outside Laxmi Gate, Jhansi
  • Sundar Vihar Colony, Station Road, near DIG banglow, Jhansi
  • Friends Colony, Gwalior Road,Near Railway Crossing, Jhansi.
  • Vasudev Vihar Colony, ShivPuri Road, Jhansi
  • Avas Vikas Colony, ShivPuri Road, Jhansi
  • Railway Colony, Jhansi
  • Kamal Singh Colony, Jhansi
  • Shivaji Nagar, Kanpur Road, Jhansi
  • Laxmi Talab, Jhansi
  • Thapak Bagh Out Side Datiya Gate Jhansi
  • Ras Bhar colony
  • KotBali rod jhansi
  • k.k puri colony

Cinema Halls

  • Bhusan
  • Damru
  • Elite
  • Khilona
  • Krishna
  • Laxmi
  • Nandini
  • Natraj
  • Shyam Palace

Parks & Gardens

  • Rani Laxmi Park
  • Narayan Bagh
  • Kargil Shaheed Park
  • Nehru Park
  • Panchtantra park
  • Indra park
  • Public Park
  • Minrwa

Eminent people associated with Jhansi

Name Details
Rani Lakshmi Bai The great heroine of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. She lived for only twenty-two years. She became a widow in her eighteenth year. She is regarded by some Indians as the embodiment of patriotism, self-respect and heroism.
Dhyan Chand Major Dhyan Chand(1905–1979) - The great legend of field hockey is also known as the "Hockey Wizard". Once they broke his stick in Holland to check if there was a magnet inside; in Japan they decided it was glue. Dhyan Chand realised India's Olympic dream singlehandedly when he brought home the first ever gold medal in 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. The second gold was earned in 1932 Los Angeles Olympics and the third in 1936 Berlin Olympics where the wizard of hockey scored seven consecutive goals. In 1932 India scored 338 goals in 37 matches, 133 of them his contribution. His son Ashok Kumar was also a prominent Indian hockey player.
Maithili Sharan Gupt Maithilisharan Gupt (1886–1965) was a modern Hindi poets He was born in Chirgaon in Jhansi. He was designated as the National Poet by the first government of the independent India.
Dr. Vrindavan Lal Verma Dr. Vrindavan Lal Verma was a prominent Hindi novelist, his novels included 'Jhansi Ki Rani', 'Mrignayani', 'Amarbel' and 'Kachnar'.
Mahakavi Keshav Dass Mahakavi Keshav Dass (1561–1621) was a great Hindi poet.
Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi If railwayman Jim Corbett was a legend in his lifetime, his successor Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi in the Indian Central Railway (then G.I.P. Railway) was no less so. He virtually steered the course of Hindi language and literature to what we have today. During his railway service in Jhansi, Dwivedi earned wide fame as a writer and littérateur. He took the Hindi world by storm when he published his translations and critical works, including Sahitya Sandarbh and Vichar Vimarsh. He wrote extensively on Kalidas and Bharathari, and wrote Puratatwa Prasang and Vigyan Varta. No other contemporary writer in Hindi had so prolific and authoritative a pen as Dwivedi. He was the 'Dr. Johnson' of his time. And he rode to fame, toiling hard even after a day-long grill of attending to arrivals and departures of trains.
Chandra Shekhar 'Azad' Chandra Shekhar Azad(1906–1931) became the leader of young revolutionaries in northern India and formed Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. He successfully carried out revolutionary activities/actions to demolish the British Rule in India. He gave leadership to young revolutionaries across northern India and became a major threat to the British Empire in India. He Chose Jhansi as the center of his group's activities.
Pandit Sitaram Bhaskar Bhagwat Pandit Sitaram Bhaskar Bhagwat (1904–1999) was a freedom fighter in India's struggle against the British rule. His ancestors actively took part in the revolution of 1857 and all the male family members were massacred by the British rulers after the failure of that revolution in Kalpi where the Bhagwat family had lived. Sitaram Bhagwat's great grand father, Pandit Narayan Rao Bhagwat alias "Tatya" Bhagwat had offered himself to be hanged in place of the great revolutionary Tatya Tope, and he facilitated the escape of Tatya Tope from the Shivpuri prison.

Sitaram Bhagwat was sent into prison several times by the British between 1921 and 1947. In 1932's movement, his wife, Savitri Bai also served a term in prison.

Sitaram Bhagwat had a multi-faceted personality. He was a "Vaidya" (physician) by profession. He was instrumental in establishing several educational institutions in and around Jhansi.

Pandit Raghunath Vinayak Dhulekar Born 6 January 1891 in Jhansi, Pandit Dhulekar was the founder of the Jhansi Branch of Indian National Congress. He was elected by people of Jhansi to Lok Sabha in 1952. Pandit Dhulekar was the only one among the first 500 parliamentarians to have signed the Indian consititution. He also became Speaker of the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Parishad and was one of the prominent leaders of Congress. As a landmark event, he married his eldest son Vasant Raghunath Dhulekar to the daughter of eminent Hindu Mahasabha Leader Pandit D K Bankwar of Harda District.

Pandit Dhulekar presented the bill in Lok Sabha to make Hindi the National Language of India

Subodh Mukherjee Born on 14 April 1921 was a Director / Producer / Writer of Hindi Cinema, his hits includes Dev Anand starer Paying Guest, Munimji and Love Marriage (Some part of the movie were shooted at Jhansi with Bipin Bihari Inter college in background), and Junglee. He died on 21 May 2005. He was a brother of Sashadhar Mukherjee, Producer of Hindi films during early 40s and co-founder of Filmalaya Studios.
Subodh Khandekar This man Subodh Khandekar has been an Olympian hockey player. He has represented India in various international tournaments including Olympic Games. Currently he plays in the Railways team and has retired from international hockey.
Abdul Azeez Abdul Azeez is also a marvelous hockey player. He has played for India for a long time and he is a contemporary of Subodh Khandekar. He was a specialist playmaker in the Right flank. His favorite position is Right-Out.
Tushar Khandekar Tushar Khandekar has kept Jhansi's tradition of producing great hockey players alive. He is the latest prominent hockey player from Jhansi. He is a perfect blend of the sub-continent's stylish hockey with the European pace on the field. He started his career playing with the India juniors. He successfully graduated to India seniors. He is a promising players and our hope for the coming Olympics.
Indeevar Indeevar (1924 - February 27, 1999 ) was one of the leading Hindi film lyricists in the 1960s. He grew up in Barua Sagar in Jhansi District, from where he moved to Bombay.He got his break in Malhaar in 1956, which became a hit due to the song "Bade Armano Se Rakkha Hae Balam Teri Kasam" penned by him, and set to music by the late Roshan. He wrote over a thousand songs in over 300 films in a career spanning over four decades. he got 1975 Filmfare Best Lyricist Award for Amanush film's "Dil Aisa Kisi Ne Mera Toda" sung by Kishore Kumar.

References