Firozpur
Firozpur | |
|---|---|
city | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Punjab |
| District | Firozpur |
| Founded by | Feroze Shah Tuglaq |
| Elevation | 182 m (597 ft) |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 95,451 |
| Demonym(s) | Firozpuriye ,firozporeans |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Punjabi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Area code | 91-1632 |
| Vehicle registration | PB 05 |
| Website | http://ferozepur.nic.in/ |
Firozpur (abbreviated: FZR) (alternatively Ferozepur and Ferozepore (during British Raj)) is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in Firozpur District, Punjab, India, founded by Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1309–88), a Muslim ruler of the Tughlaq Dynasty who reigned over the Sultanate of Delhi from 1351 to 1388. The Manj Rajputs say the town was named after their chief, a Rajput of the Bhatti clan called Feroze Khan, in the middle of the 16th century.[1] Firozpur is called ‘Shaheedon ki dharti’ (the land of martyrs).[2]
Ferozpur today is a transportation and administration center and an ancient city. It is a border town on the Indo-Pakistan border with memorials of India's freedom fighters.[3]
Firozpur also holds a historic place in Indian history as it was there that British Raj established control over much of North-West India as well as what is now Pakistan through the Anglo-Sikh Wars that were fought in this region. Today it is the headquarters of a brigade of the Northern Corps of the Indian Army. Shaheed Bhagat Singh College of Engineering and Technology is located at Moga road in Firozpur. It is a government Engg. College and has an excellent reputation.[4] Firozpur Cantonment is adjacent to and south of the city; during British times it was one of the largest cantonments in the country.
Firozpur has easy access by road and rail to other places such as Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Delhi, and Chandigarh; the city is a center of numerous holy shrines and historic places. At the nearby city of Zira, a Jain Swetambar Temple with ancient brass icons and wall murals is located.
In addition to cotton and grain cultivation and agriculture-related services, Firozpur has some light manufacturing. Commercial progress has been restricted by its vicinity to the border with Pakistan. Normalizing relations between the two nuclear nations promises to raise the city's profile as a potential trade hub. Firozpur is the oldest British district of the Punjab, established in 1833 as district headquarters even well before Ludhiana and Amritsar became districts. Firozpur district even after partition included many areas which were later reorganised to be a part of the Faridkot, Moga, Muktsar and Bathinda Fazilka Districts. The per hectare wheat yields of this district are comparable to the best in the world and they matched wheat yields per hectare of Ontario Province in Canada.
Location
 |
Firozpur city is to the South-West of Amritsar city and located some 109 km from Amritsar. Another nearby city to the North of Firozpur is Tarn Taran. To the East is Ludhiana about 120 km away. In the West it has Kasur and Lahore in Pakistan across the International Border at Husainiwala/Ganda Singh Wala. Other nearby cities include Fazilka, Abohar, (located to the South-West of Firozpur) to the North-East of Firozpur are Nakodar, Kapurthala and Jalandhar, (located North-East of Firozpur). Jalandhar is 120 km away from Firozpur. The cities of Muktsar and Faridkot are South of Ferozpur.
Important distances from the city of Firozpur
- Tarn Taran - 90 km
- Amritsar - 109 km
- Ludhiana - 120 km
- Jalandhar - 120 km
- Bathinda - 85 km
- Muktsar - 32 km
- Fazilka - 85 km
- Abohar - 120 km
- Chandigarh - 220 km
- Delhi - 389 km (via Bathinda)
Climate
The climate of the Firozpur District is, on the whole dry and is characterized by a very hot summer, a short rainy season and a bracing winter. The year may be divided into four seasons. The cold season is from November to March. This is followed by the summer season which lasts up to about the end of June. The period from July to the middle of September constitutes the south-westerly monsoon season. The latter half of September and October may be termed the post-monsoon or the transition period.
| Climate data for Firozpur | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 19 (66) |
21 (69) |
26 (78) |
34 (94) |
38 (101) |
39 (103) |
34 (94) |
33 (91) |
33 (92) |
32 (89) |
26 (79) |
21 (69) |
30 (85) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7 (44) |
8 (47) |
13 (55) |
18 (65) |
23 (73) |
26 (79) |
26 (79) |
24 (76) |
23 (74) |
17 (63) |
11 (52) |
7 (45) |
17 (63) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 20 (0.80) |
38 (1.50) |
30 (1.20) |
20 (0.80) |
20 (0.80) |
61 (2.40) |
229 (9.00) |
188 (7.40) |
86 (3.40) |
5.1 (0.20) |
13 (0.50) |
20 (0.80) |
730.1 (28.8) |
| Source: [5] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
As per provisional data of 2011 census Firozpur had a population of 110,091, out of which males were 58,401 and females were 51,690. The literacy rate was 79.75 per cent.[6]
According to the 2001 Indian census,[7] Ferozpur had a population of 95,451, which increased from 78,738 in 1991. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Ferozpur has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 73%, and female literacy is 68%. In Ferozpur, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Education
|
The town has a number of institutes of importance. The Arya Orphanage was set up here with the blessings of Swami Dayanand, the founder of Arya Samaj, on October 26, 1877. The Swami was invited here by Rai Sahib Mathra Das, an engineer. The institute, which has given shelter to thousands of orphans and destitute, is spread over 21 acres.
Lala Lajpat Rai, who visited the orphanage, called it "the pride of the nation". Lord C.R Attlee, a member of the Simon Commission, who visited the institute on August 17, 1928, observed: "I was most favourably impressed by the excellent work by this orphanage which is an honour to society".
Another important institute here, the Home for the Blind, was established in 1956. The institute has two buildings. The aim of the home is to educate and rehabilitate the inmates. Since its inception, hundreds of blind youth have been rehabilitated. To overcome a financial crisis, some portion of the blind home has been rented out now.
This town has a municipal library and a district library as well. The Army has opened a library, named after Dronacharya, in the cantonment area for Army personnel as well as civilians. It has over 20,000 books on every conceivable subject. Around 50,000 books are expected to be acquired within the next three years. The library also has video games, computer games, and Internet facilities.
There are three educational institutions, namely DAV College for Women, Dev Samaj College for Women and Dev Samaj College of Education for Women, exclusively for women. Two other educational institutes — RSD College and Guru Nanak College — are co-educational.
Besides, there are a number of schools, including two government schools, one each for boys and girls. Shaheed Bhagat Singh College of Engineering and Technology has been set up on the Firozpur-Moga road. Besides, there are two industrial training institutes, one each for boys and girls, and a government polytechnic.
Notes
- ^ "tribuneindia... Regional Vignettes". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved May 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "tribuneindia... Regional Vignettes". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved May 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Firozpur". Info Punjab. Retrieved 2006-10-14.
- ^ "Firozpur". Classic Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2006-10-18.
- ^ "Average Weather for Firozpur - Temperature and Precipitation". The Weather Channel. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
- ^ "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 2012-07-07.
- ^ Template:GR
References
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ferozepur". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
External links
- Official website
- . Encyclopedia Americana. 1920.