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Mehsana

Coordinates: 23°36′N 72°24′E / 23.6°N 72.4°E / 23.6; 72.4
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For its namesake district, see Mehsana district.

Mahesana
City
Rajmahal, a palace built in 1904 by Sayajirao Gaekwad III
Rajmahal, a palace built in 1904 by Sayajirao Gaekwad III
Map
Mahesana is located in Gujarat
Mahesana
Mahesana
Location in Gujarat, India
Mahesana is located in India
Mahesana
Mahesana
Mahesana (India)
Coordinates: 23°36′N 72°24′E / 23.6°N 72.4°E / 23.6; 72.4
CountryIndia
StateGujarat
DistrictMehsana
RegionNorth Gujarat
Founded byMehsaji Chavda
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • BodyMehsana Municipal corporation
Area
 • City31.8 km2 (12.3 sq mi)
Elevation
[1]
114 m (375 ft)
Population
 (2011)[4]
 • City184,991[2]
 • Rank16th (Gujarat)
 • Metro
[3]
190,189
Languages
 • OfficialGujarati, Hindi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
384001, 384002,384003
Telephone code91 2762
Vehicle registrationGJ-02
Sex ratio1.12[4] ♂/♀

Mehsana (pronunciationⓘ), also spelled Mahesana, is a city and the headquarters of Mehsana district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Established in 14th century, the city was under Gaekwads of Baroda State from 18th century to the independence of India in 1947. Dairy, oil and natural gas are major industries in the city.

History

[edit]
Gate of Toranwali Mata Temple

Jaisinh Brahmabhatt describes the following legend in his poems from 1932 AD:[5][1] Mehsana was established by Mehsaji Chavda, Rajput heir of the Chavda dynasty. He constructed the Torana (arc gate) of the city and a temple dedicated to Goddess Toran on Bhadrapad Sud 10 in Vikram Samvat 1414 (1358 AD).[6][7] The legend is corroborated in Pragat Prabhavi Parshwanath athva Parshwanathna Chamatkaro published in Vikram Samvat 1909 (1823 AD) by Manilal Nyalchand Shah who also mentioned in it that Mehsaji built a temple dedicated to Chamunda. Another legend says that Mehsaji established the town in Vikram Samvat 1375 (1319 AD). Both legends describes that the town is named after Mehsaji. These legends also inconclusively establish that the town was founded during the Rajput period.[7][8][9] According to another story, Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khalji had gifted 284 villages to Punjaji Chavda, a descendant of Vanraja Chavda, who had established Ambasan as his capital. His son Mesaji Chavda later established Mehsana.[10][11]

Gaekwads conquered Baroda and established Baroda State in 1721.[12] Following the third Battle of Panipat, Damaji Rao Gaekwad removed Babi dynasty from Visnagar and conquered Patan in 1766.[7] He expanded their rule in north Gujarat uniting the regions of Visnagar, Vadnagar, Kheralu, Mehsana, Vijapur, Patan and Harij.[13] He established Patan as its administrative headquarters. Later the headquarters was moved to Kadi and subsequently to Mehsana in 1902 when the city was connected by the Gaekwar's Baroda State Railway which was opened on 21 March 1887. Sayajirao Gaekwad III built Rajmahal, a palace in 1904.[12][13]

Baroda State merged with the Union of India after independence in 1947. It was merged into Bombay State as Mehsana district in 1949. Later it became part of Gujarat in 1960 after the division of Bombay state into Gujarat and Maharashtra. Mehsana is headquarters of Mehsana district in north Gujarat.[5][7]

Geography

[edit]

Mehsana has an average elevation of 375 feet (114 m) above sea level.[1] By Ahmedabad-Palanpur Railway line, the town is divided in two: the east and western parts are known as Mehsana-1 and Mehsana-2 respectively.[14]

Following the formation of the Mehsana Municipal Corporation, the area falling under the city will increase from 32 sqkm to 112 sqkm by merging of 16 villages.[15]

Administration

[edit]

Mehsana Municipality (Nagar Palika) was established in 1919–20. Following the merger of Baroda state with Bombay State on 1 August 1949, it was governed by Bombay District Municipal Act, 1902. Since 1 January 1956, it is governed under Gujarat Nagar Palika Act, 1963.[1] It is a part of Mehsana Metropolitan Region.

In Gujarat State Budget of 2024–25, on 2 February 2024, the state finance minister Kanubhai Desai announced the plan to form the Mehsana Municipal Corporation.[15]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1901 9,393—    
1911 10,141+8.0%
1921 11,888+17.2%
1931 14,762+24.2%
1941 16,986+15.1%
1951 22,804+34.3%
1961 32,577+42.9%
1971 51,598+58.4%
1981 72,872+41.2%
1991 88,201+21.0%
2001 98,987+12.2%
2011 184,991+86.9%
Source: [12][16]

As of the 2011 India census, the population of Mehsana was 184,991, of which male and female were 97,440 and 87,551, respectively.[2] Its urban-metropolitan population was 190,753 of which 100,558 were males and 90,195 were females.[17]

Following the formation of the Mehsana Municipal Corporation, the estimated population living in the city as of 2024 will increase from 3,15,619 to 4,26,997.[15]

The sex ratio was 894 females to 1,000 males.[4] Mehsana had an average literacy rate of 84.26%, higher than the national average. Male literacy was 91.88%, and female literacy was 76.12%.[4] 9.4% of Mehsana's population was under 6 years of age.[4]

At 762,[4] Mehsana had the lowest child sex-ratio among the urban centres in India.[18]

Mehsana City Total Male Female
City & outgrowths 190,753 100,558 90,195
Literates 148,851 81,647 67,204
Children (0–6) 18,946 10,751 8,195
Literacy 89.64% 94.18% 84.69%
Sex ratio 899
Child sex ratio 762

Religion

[edit]

Hinduism is the majority religion in Mehsana with 88.18% of the population being followers. Islam is the second-most-popular religion in the city at 9.26%, followed by Jainism at 1.62%, Sikhism 0.28%, Buddhism 0.28%,[clarification needed] and Christianity at 0.27%. Around 0.01% identified with other religions and approximately 0.36% were of no particular religion.

Jain Temple in Mehsana
Religion Population Percentage
Hindu 168,205 88.18%
Muslims 17,673 9.26%
Jain 3,099 1.62%
Not stated 688 0.36%
Sikh 525 0.28%
Christian 508 0.27%
Buddhist 27 0.01%
Others 28 0.01%

Places of interest

[edit]
Boter Kothani Vav
Flamingos in Thol Lake Bird Sanctuary

Rajmahal is a palace built in 1904 by Sayajirao Gaekwad III.[12] Boter Kothani Vav was constructed during the reign of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. An inscription dated 1674 AD in Persian and Devnagari scripts states that it was commissioned by Shah Gokaldas of Shrimali caste, Laghu Shakha, and his mother Manabai for public welfare.[19] There is another stepwell known as Badiyashi Vav in Biladi Baug.[1] It was constructed by Shah Virchandji Jadavji.[20]

Other historical monuments include Shrimad Yashovijayji Jain Sanskrit Pathshala, T. J. High School, Kesharbai School and Mehsana district local board office.[1] Dudhsagar Dairy plant is a postmodernist building designed by Achyut Kanvinde.[21]

Places of worship

[edit]
Dadawadi Jain temple, before reconstruction

Major Hindu temples include: Pushtimarg temples of Madanmohanlalji temple and Dwarkadhishji temple, Toranvali Mata temple, Brahmani Mata temple, Hinglaj Mata temple, Bahuchar Mata temple, Kalupur Gadi Swaminarayan temple, BAPS Swaminarayan temple, Gayatri temple, Ambika Mata temple and Somnath Mahadev temple.[7] Bhimnath Mahadev Temple was renovated in 1982.[22]

Simandhar Swami Jain Derasar is a temple located near Modhera crossroads. It is 49 metres (161 ft) long, 30 metres (97 ft) broad and 33 metres (107 ft) high. The central deity (moolnayak) of the temple is a 12 feet (3.7 m) white idol of Simandhar Swami in lotus position (padmansa). The temple was established in 1971 under guidance of Jain monk Kailassagarsuri.[21]

There is a temple dedicated to Ayyappa established by the South Indian community and a Gurdwara Sahib established by the Sikh community near the Radhanpur crossroads on State Highway 41.

Christian churches include Mar Gregorious Orthodox Syrian Church.

Public amenities

[edit]
Atal Sports Centre

Para Lake, officially Swami Vivekanand Lake, was excavated during the Gaekwad rule. It was redeveloped and opened in 2019.[23] Nagalpur Lake is proposed for development as a public space.[24] There are nine gardens in the city including Parashuram Play Ground, Arvind Baug and Biladi Baug (Mahatma Gandhi garden).[14] Sardar Patel Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium with capacity of 3000 people.[25] Atal Sports Centre was built at the cost of ₹6.65 crore (US$800,000) and opened in April 2022. It houses sports facilities and swimming pool.[26] Vanikar Club is also there.[27]

Economy

[edit]
Head Post Office, Mehsana

Industries

[edit]

Mehsana has dairy, agriculture and road-equipment based industry. It also has oil and natural gas production fields and various small- and medium-size industries. The banking and finance sectors have nationalised, cooperative, and private sector banks. Many large and small road-equipment industries are established in Mehsana-Dediyasan Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC).[citation needed]

Dairy

[edit]

The city is known for its local Mehsani breed of buffaloes.

The Mehsana District Cooperative Milk Producer's Union, popularly known as Dudhsagar Dairy, is a member of the state-level Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation and the largest dairy in Asia, processing on average 1.41 million kilograms of milk each day. It has established a network for procuring milk from 4,500,000 milk producers through 1,150 village milk cooperatives.[7]

Oil and natural gas

[edit]

Established in November 1967, the Mehsana fields are one of the largest onshore-producing assets of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), covering an area of 6,000 km2 (2,300 sq mi) with 28 fields in 2007–08. Mehsana also has 1,311 oil wells, and 16 gas wells producing 6,000 tonnes per day.[7][needs update]

Entertainment

[edit]
Vanikar Club

Wide-Angle Multiplex and Wow Cine Pulse provide entertainment facilities. Shanku's Water Park, Tirupati Nature Park, Bliss Water Park and Taranga Jain temple are located nearby.[citation needed] Mehsana has three radio stations: Top FM (92.7 MHz),[28] Radio Mirchi (91.9 MHz)[29] and relay station of Akashvani (100.1 MHz).

Education

[edit]
T. J. Highschool, established in 1889

Mehsana has several facilities offering education to graduation and post-graduation. The Municipal Arts and Urban Bank Science College is affiliated by Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University.[30] Ganpat University,[31] located in Kherva village which is 10 km (6.2 mi) from the city. Gujarat Power Engineering and Research Institute[32] and Saffrony Institute of Technology[33] offer courses in engineering and management. B. S. Patel College of Pharmacy offers courses in pharmacy, and is affiliated with Gujarat Technological University.[34] Sarvajanik Kelvani Mandal Trust offers education in the fields of pharmacy, nursing, and homeopathy.

There are many primary and higher-secondary schools affiliated with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or Gujarat Board including: Kendriya Vidyalaya, ONGC, Mehsana, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Vadnagar, Shanku's Divine Child School and N.G. International School. K. V. Mehsana made a beginning in the year 1980 with classes 1 to 10 with two sections each and one section science stream and one commerce stream in Class XI and XII. It is a Hindi, English Medium school. In 2021, 966 students were enrolled.[35] T. J. Highschool operated by Nagrik Kelvani Mandal was established in 1889 and Urban Bank Vidhalaya. Gurukul English Medium School started in 2012. Sarvajanik Kelvani Mandal Trust also runs many schools in north Gujarat. Other schools include Sabari Vidya Vihar, run by Dharma Sastha Seva Trust, and Bethany Mission School.

Transport

[edit]

Local

[edit]

The Mehsana Municipal City Bus Service is operated on eight routes.[36]

GSRTC central bus station in Mehsana
New Railway Station (MSH)

Road

[edit]

Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) buses also connect Mehsana to other cities and villages. Auto rickshaws and taxis are available.

Mehsana is approximately 75 km (47 mi) away from Ahmedabad. It is connected to Gandhinagar, Himmatnagar, Patan, Unjha and Palanpur, Visnagar via state highways.

Sardar Patel Underpass at Modhera Circle on the state highway was built at the cost of ₹147 crore (US$18 million) and was opened in July 2022. It is 927 metres (3,041 ft)-long, the longest underpass in state.[37][38]

Rail

[edit]

Mahesana railway station is a junction station on the Jaipur–Ahmedabad line with daily trains to and from Delhi and Mumbai, and direct weekly or bi-weekly trains connecting major cities in north and south India, including Bangalore.

Air

[edit]

The nearest passenger airport is Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at Ahmedabad. Prepaid taxis and GSRTC bus are available to Mehsana from the airport.

Mehsana Airport is currently used for non-scheduled operation and as a civil aviation training centre, operated by Ahmedabad Aviation and Aeronautics Ltd. It has an area covering 260,000 square metres (64 acres).[39][40][41][42]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mehsana.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Mehsana.
  1. ^ a b c d e f "Mehsana Nagarpalika, Mehsana". Mehsana Nagarpalika (in Gujarati). Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Census of India: Search Details". Archived from the original on 20 August 2019.
  3. ^ "Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011; Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 November 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011; Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 May 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  5. ^ a b "History". Government of Gujarat (in Gujarati). Mehsana District Panchayat. 17 July 2012. Archived from the original on 8 May 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  6. ^ "Mehsana - History". NRI Division. Government of Gujarat. 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g S. B. Rajyagor, ed. (1975). Gujarat State Gazetteers: Mehsana District. Gujarat State Gazetteers. Vol. 5. Directorate of Government Print., Stationery and Publications, Government of Gujarat. pp. 1, 108, 805–806. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017.
  8. ^ Shah, Manilal Nyalchand (1823). Pragat Prabhavi Parshwanth athwa Parshwanathna Chamatkaro. Ahmedabad: Manilal Nyalchand Shah. p. 118.
  9. ^ "વિ.સં.૧૪૧૪, ભાદરવા સુદ ૧૦ના દિવસે શ્રી મેસાણાનું તોરણ બંધાયું". Divya Bhaskar (in Gujarati). 17 August 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  10. ^ "આજે બર્થ-ડે: મહેસાણાને વર્ષો પહેલાં લોકો કયા નામે ઓળખાતાં હતાં? જાણો". Divya Bhaskar. 2018.
  11. ^ "મહેસાણાનો આજે 661મો સ્થાપના દિવસ, જાણો શું છે તેનો ઇતિહાસ". Zee News. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d Sergeant, Philip W. (1928). The Ruler Of Baroda: An Account of the Life and Work of the Maharaja Gaekwar. Albemarle Street, London: John Murray. pp. 226–229.
  13. ^ a b Kumar, Ashwini, ed. (February 2018). "District Profile: Mehsana: Gujarat's cultural and political axis". Gujarat Marching Ahead (PDF). Vol. 4. Gandhinagar: Government of Gujarat. pp. 20–23.
  14. ^ a b "મહેસાણામાં બગીચાની અસમતુલા પશ્ચિમ ભાગમાં 7, પૂર્વમાં માત્ર 2 બગીચા". NavGujarat Samay (in Gujarati). 5 June 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  15. ^ a b c "મહેસાણામાં હવે મકાનના ભાવ આસમાન આંબશે! મહાનગરપાલિકા જાહેર કરાતા કઈ સુવિધાઓમાં થશે વધારો?". Zee News. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Welcome to Mehsana Nagarpalika, Mehsana, Gujarat, INDIA".
  17. ^ "Census of India: Search Details". Archived from the original on 20 August 2019.
  18. ^ Radha Sharma & Bharat Yagnik (13 January 2012). "Mehsana, shame of India!". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  19. ^ Purnima Mehta Bhatt (16 December 2014). Her Space, Her Story: Exploring the Stepwells of Gujarat. Zubaan. pp. 57–58. ISBN 978-93-84757-08-3. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017.
  20. ^ Bhojak, Kanaiyalal Amthalal (1957). Mehsana: Prachin Arvachin મહેસાણા: પ્રાચીન અર્વાચીન [Mehsana: Ancient and Modern] (in Gujarati). Mehsana: Mehsana Municipality. pp. 84–85.
  21. ^ a b "Mehsana". Gujarat Tourism. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  22. ^ "મહેસાણાનું અતિ પ્રાચીન ભીમનાથ મહાદેવ મંદિર". Divya Bhaskar (in Gujarati).
  23. ^ Bhati, Deepak (4 August 2019). "13 વર્ષ બાદ મહેસાણાવાસીઓને પરા તળાવની ભેટ, આજે નીતિન પટેલના હસ્તે લોકાર્પણ". divyabhaskar (in Gujarati). Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  24. ^ Shukla, Rakeshkumar (15 July 2019). "બાવળોની ઝાંડીઓથી ઘેરાયેલુ નાગલપુર તળાવ 11.99 કરોડના ખર્ચે રમણીય બનાવાશે". Divya Bhaskar (in Gujarati). Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  25. ^ "ગુજરાતનું નવું નજરાણું: કરોડો રૂપિયાના ખર્ચે મહેસાણામાં બનશે અદ્યતન ક્રિકેટ સ્ટેડિયમ, જાણો વિગત" (in Gujarati). ABP Gujarati. 24 February 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  26. ^ "અટલ સ્પોર્ટ્સ સેન્ટરનું એક દિવસ પહેલાં કોંગ્રેસે ઉદ્ધાટન કરી નાખતાં વિવાદ". Gujarat Samachar (in Gujarati). Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  27. ^ Baroda (1928). Administration Report. Printed at the Times Press.
  28. ^ "મહેસાણાના પોતાના રેડિયો સ્ટેશન TOP FM 92.7નો આજથી પ્રારંભ | Mehsana own radio station TOP FM 92.7 starts from today - Sambhaav News". Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  29. ^ "ENIL commences broadcast from its radio station in Mehsana | Udaipur News | Udaipur Latest News | udaipur local news". 5 November 2018.
  30. ^ "MAUBS college Homepage". Municipal Arts And Urban Bank Science College, Mehsana. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  31. ^ Rupera, Prashant (14 October 2018). "Mehsana bridges education gap of terror-hit Valley | Vadodara News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  32. ^ "Gujarat Power Engineering and Research Institute". www.gperi.ac.in. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  33. ^ "Saffrony Institute". www.saffrony.ac.in. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  34. ^ "GTU student to represent team India in World Roller Sports - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  35. ^ "KVS merit list 2020 for class 1 admissions released @ kvsonlineadmission.kvs.gov.in - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  36. ^ "Mahesana gets city bus service; free ride for women and handicapped persons". DeshGujarat. 5 September 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  37. ^ "Guj CM dedicates the Sardar Patel Underpass constructed at a cost of Rs. 147 crore in Mehsana | CMO Gujarat". cmogujarat.gov.in. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  38. ^ "ટ્રાફિક સમસ્યાનો અંત:ગુજરાતના સૌથી મોટા અંડરપાસની મહેસાણાને ભેટ, મોઢેરા ચોકડી પર રૂ.147 કરોડના ખર્ચે નિર્મિત એક કિમી લાંબા સરદાર પટેલ અંડરપાસનું મુખ્યમંત્રીના હસ્તે લોકાર્પણ". Divya Bhaskar (in Gujarati). 20 July 2022. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  39. ^ "Aviation infrastructure to get a facelift by next year". The Indian Express. 10 February 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  40. ^ "Modi dedicates Mehsana airport for civil aviation training". oneindia.in. 14 August 2007. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  41. ^ "Mehsana civic body opens airfield seal after HC orders". The Times of India. 28 September 2010. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  42. ^ "Mehsana Airport | Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Company Limited". gujsail.gujarat.gov.in. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
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