Ludhiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| ?Ludhiana Punjab • India |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation |
• 262 m (860 ft) |
| District(s) | Ludhiana |
| Population | 2,000,000 (2008[update]) |
| Codes • Pincode • Telephone • Vehicle |
• Multiple • +91-161 • PB 10 |
Coordinates: Ludhiana (Punjabi: ਲੁਧਿਆਣਾ | Hindi: लुधियाना) is a city and a municipal corporation in Ludhiana district in the Indian state of Punjab. It is the largest city in Punjab, with an estimated population of 1.4 million. The population increases substantially during the crop harvesting season due to immigration of laborers from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi. It has an area of about 310 km². The city stands on the Sutlej River's old bank, 13 km south of its present course.
Ludhiana is centrally located on the National Highway 1 from Delhi to Amritsar, and is connected to the Indian capital city of New Delhi by road and frequent train service.
It is a major industrial center of northern India.
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[edit] History
This translation from Urdu of a passage of Gulām Sarvar Lāhaurī's (alias Bute Shah) Tarīḵẖ-i maḵẖzan-i Panjāb (History of the Punjab), written in the mid-19th century, is given in the Gazetteer for the Ludhiana District 1888-89:
"In the reign of Sikandar, son of Bahlol Lodi, the people about Ludhiana were oppressed by the plundering Baluchis, and applied to the Emperor for assistance. Sikandar, in answer to their prayer, sent two of his Lodi chiefs, by name Yusaf Khan and Nihang Khan, with an army. These chiefs fixed on the present site of the Ludhiana city, which was then a village called Mir Hota. Nihang Khan remained at Mir Hota as the Emperor's Lieutenant; and called the place Ludhiana. He was succeeded by his son a grandson. The latter, Jalal Khan, built the fort of Ludhiana out of the bricks found at Sunet. His two sons partitioned the country round about Ludhiana, which was then lying in waste, amongst the people of the town, and distributed them in villages. In the time of Jalal Khan's grandsons, Alu Khan and Khizr Khan, the Lodi dynasty was overthrown by Babar; and the Lodis of Ludhiana sunk to the position of ordinary subjects of the Mughal empire. They are said to have lived close to the fort for many generations, but all traces of them have now disappeared, and even the tombs of Nihang and his immediate descendants have been lost sight of, although they are said to have been standing some years ago."
The Lodi dynasty lost control of the throne of Delhi in 1526. The Mughals established a strong government at Sirhind, which itself was a sarkar (division) of the Delhi subah (province), and attached Ludhiana as a mahal or parganah.
The century and a half following the death of Akhbar (a Mughal emperor) in 1605 was dominated by the rise of Sikhism as a power, and the decline of the Mughal empire. By this time the Mughal empire was tottering to its fall, and various local powers began to assert their independence. The Rais of Raikot who until then had held a considerable tract of land around Ludhiana in lease from the emperors were some of the first to assert their independence. Raja Ala Singh of Patiala, the representative of the crumbling Delhi Sultanate and Rai Kalha II were the principal actors contenders for power in the region.
In 1741, Ala Singh defeated Rai Kalha II and chased him out of the country, but he soon recovered the territory.
Thinking to take advantage of this power struggle, Nadir Shah invaded, and crossed the Sutlej at Ludhiana, which was then on its banks, and marched through the district along what is now the Grand Trunk Road. Nadir Shah is said to have ordered a general massacre of the inhabitants of Ludhiana on the account of some petty fault, but it seems doubtful that he did.
His successor, Ahmed Shah Durrani, invaded in 1747. On reaching the Sutlej at Ludhiana, he found his passage opposed by the son of the emperor, Kamardin, with a huge army that had advanced from Sirhind. Durrani avoided the conflict but ended up in direct confrontation with him very near Khanna. While Ahmad Shah Bahadur was defeated, the losses were very heavy on both sides. The subsequent invasions of Ahmad Shah were not resisted by the Mughal troops from Sirhind, but they were constantly harassed by the Phulkian chiefs and the Rais. It was some time about 1760 that the Rais were permitted by Ahmed Shah to take possession of the town and for of Ludhiana and to extend their power over the country about.
Although Zain Khan was appointed by Ahmad Shah as Governor of Sirhind in 1761, he was defeated and slain in 1763 by huger armies of Sikhs. They took possession of Sirhind, which they leveled with the ground.
The fall of Sirhind marked the last vestige of Mughal control over the area, and Ludhiana was left in possession of the Rais. The Malaudh Sirdars belonging to the Phulkian stock had already established themselves in the south of Ludhiana in the Jangal villages and the country about Malaudh [1] ; and Sudha Singh Gill, an adventurer from Loharu in the Ferozepur district, secured a few villages around Sahnewal.In 1767 Ahmed Shah reached Ludhiana on his last expedition but got no further.
Around 1785, the Sutlej changed in course so that Ludhiana was no longer situated on its banks.
The condition of the country during the latter part of the 18th century was one of considerable prosperity. The rule of the Rais is still spoken of as being very mild; and it is said that they fixed only one-fourth of the produce as their due.
In 1798, Ludhiana was attacked by the Sikhs under Bedi Sahib Singh of Una. At the time, the ruler of the Rais, Rai Alias was a child. His agents Roshan and Gujar made a good stand against the Sikhs at Jodh, ten miles (16 km) southwest of Ludhiana. Roshan was the killed in the fight, and Rai's army was dispersed. However, the Phulkian chiefs, who were on good terms with the Rais, had no intention of allowing the Bedi to establish himself in their midst and came to their aid, driving the invaders out of the villages. Upon the Bedi's siege of Ludhiana, the Rais called in British mercenary George Thomas to help with the defense of the city. On Thomas's approach, Bedi retreated to the other side of the river.
Having recently consolidated the new Sikh Empire, Maharaja Ranjit Singh crossed the Sutlej in 1806 in his first expedition against the Cis-Sutlej states and stripped the Rais of all their possessions, including Ludhiana. The city was occupied but not immediately annexed to the Lahore state.
By 1809 Ranjit Singh was completing his third expedition and was again on the west bank of the Sutlej ready to attack Ludhiana. Fearing further expansion that was coming closer to their headquarters in Delhi, British imperialist forces occupied the Cis-Sutlej states east of the Sutlej. The British sent Colonel David Ochterlony with a force to occupy Ludhiana.
By the end of 1809, The Treaty with the Rajah of Lahore was signed in which the Rajah agreed to remain north and west of the Sutlej. British troops were permanently stationed in Ludhiana, and they established a cantonment to further consolidate their occupation. Compensation was paid by the British to the Raja of Jind.
In 1835, the Jind family, who technically still ruled Ludhiana, were left without any heirs. By the British doctrine of lapse, Ludhiana came under official control of the imperialists.
Following the First Afghan War, Ludhiana became the residence of the exiled family of Shah Shuja.
The British cantonment was abandoned in 1854. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Deputy-Commissioner Ricketts crushed a rebellion in Ludhiana with the assistance of the chiefs of Nabha and Maler Kotla.
Maulana Habibur Rehman, a leader of the Indian Independence Movement, was born in Ludhiana.
[edit] Geography
Ludhiana is located at [2]. It has an average elevation of 244 metres (798 ft).
[edit] Climate
According to weather.com ,Ludhiana has an average temperature and precipitation as below:
| Weather averages for Ludhiana | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Average high °F (°C) | 66 (19) | 69 (21) | 78 (26) | 94 (34) | 101 (38) | 103 (39) | 94 (34) | 91 (33) | 92 (33) | 89 (32) | 79 (26) | 69 (21) | |
| Average low °F (°C) | 44 (7) | 47 (8) | 55 (13) | 65 (18) | 73 (23) | 79 (26) | 79 (26) | 76 (24) | 74 (23) | 63 (17) | 52 (11) | 45 (7) | |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 0.80 (20.3) | 1.50 (38.1) | 1.20 (30.5) | 0.80 (20.3) | 0.80 (20.3) | 2.40 (61) | 9.00 (228.6) | 7.40 (188) | 3.40 (86.4) | 0.20 (5.1) | 0.50 (12.7) | 0.80 (20.3) | |
| Source: [3] | |||||||||||||
[edit] Demographics
As of 2001 India census,[4] Ludhiana City had a population of 1,395,053. Males constitute 57% of the population and females 43%. Ludhiana has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 68%. In Ludhiana, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. Sikhism is the predominant religion in the city, while Hinduism and Islam are major minority religions.Before partition there was a large population of Muslim residents,but had to leave because of high scale violence in the area. There is a city called Kila Raipur dominated by jat Grewal Sikhs which is famous place for majority of the attacks in Ludhiana during Partition.
[edit] Commerce
[edit] Industry
Ludhiana is known as the "Manchester of India" because it is the industrial hub of Punjab. There are 8 large integrated knitwear factories, roughly 6,000 small to medium sized knitwear factories (like Neva Garments Ltd., Duke Fashions India Ltd. etc. ), 10 big hosiery yarn mills and 150 small- to medium-sized worsted and woolen yarns. There are also firms manufacturing bicycles, machine tools, sewing machines, generators, diesel engines, tires & tubes, and other consumer goods. The export market in Ludhiana is worth $40 million USD.
Ludhiana has also been the home of communication tycoon Sunil Mittal (CEO of Bharti Airtel).
Its most populous area is Haibowal Kalan and Haibowal Khurd in which majority of middle income population resides.
[edit] Education
Ludhiana is home to the largest agricultural university in Asia, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU)[citation needed]. The College of Veterinary Sciences at PAU has recently been upgraded to the Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Science University (GADVASU).
Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College & Ludhiana College of Engineering & technology are two main colleges offering quality education in the fields of civil, mechanical, electrical, computer, IT, electronics and production engineering. This college was one of the first engineering colleges of Punjab. It was started by Government of India. It is one of the oldest institutes of the region having been established in 1956.
Punjab College of Technical Education(PCTE),Baddowal. This institution is one of the best for MCA and MBA of Punjab. There are other good institutes imparting both managerial and technical Bachelor and Masters degress like GGNIMT, KIMT, GNIMT etc.
Graduate and Post Graduation education colleges in Ludhiana consist of the S.C.D. Government Colleges for Boys & Government College for Women which has the distinction of being the oldest in the region.
S.C.D Government College for Boys is named after Satish Chander Dhawan a renowned Space Scientist.Its famous alumni includes M S Gill,KPS Gill,David Dhawan.These institutes are spread in 70 acres and 45 acres of land respectively in the heart of the city. and Other well known colleges are the Khalsa College for Boys, Khalsa College for Girls in Ghumar Mandi, Arya College, Kamla Lohtia, and Sri Aurobindo College of Commerce and Management (the latter being the latest to be established in the city with great emphasis on quality education and having the best infrastructure).
Ludhiana also has one of the top law schools of the northern region, The University Institute of Laws, Panjab University Regional Centre, Ludhiana was established during the Academic Session 2003-04. Admission to LL.B. (Three Year Course) was started during 2003-2004 session and 5 years Integrated B.A.LL.B (Hons) course was started during 2006-2007 session. The Institute is situated on the campus of P.U. Extension Library, Ludhiana having its own building with spacious Class rooms, Faculty rooms, Administrative staff rooms, Director's Office, Computer Lab. and Library.
Ludhiana is also home to some of the region's best medical institutions like the Christian Medical College (CMC), Christian Dental College (CDC), Dayanand Medical College (DMC), Apollo Hospitals, and the BJS Institute of Dental Sciences.
Local private schools are considered the best in the State, with Kundan Vidya Mandir School, Civil Lines being the oldest and most reputed schools in Punjab having the most experienced faculty responsible for producing some of the best academic and sports performers in the state. It also is topping the list of overall quality education centers. Ludhiana is also having a big library Panjab University Extension Library in Civil lines area,which has a huge collection of books,Periodicals,Journals and Newspapers.
G.S.S. Model School, P.A.U campus is one of the best government schools of Punjab. One of the top most school Ryan International School which have more than 110 branches in all over world. One of the best schools of the city is Sacred Heart Convent Sr. Sec. School. There are other good schools under CBSE board which are renowned for the quality education imparted like DAV Public School, Kundan Vidya Mandir and Bahadur Chand Munjal. There are amny other international and Natioan schools have cum with ultra modern infrastructre.
Civil Services Academy in B.R.S Nagar Ludhiana. Opposite Sarabha Nagar Police Station. has started preparation of Civil Services Exams. Mr. Puri is the head of this institute. He teaches Public Administration, General Studies and Punjabi. His way of teaching is very good.
School enrollments
| S.No. | Type of Institute | No. of Institutes |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Art science & Commerce colleges & Home Science | 31 |
| 2. | Teacher Training Colleges | 6 |
| 3. | Technical Art & Craft schools and Industrial Polytechnic Institutions | 17 |
| 4. | Senior Sec. Schools | 206 |
| 5. | High schools | 222 |
| 6. | Middle Schools | 201 |
| 7. | Primary & Pre Primary Schools | 1027 |
[edit] Transportation
Bus, car and train are the main forms of transportation used to get in and out of Ludhiana.
Ludhiana is well connected by rail as it is on main Delhi-Amritsar route and is an important railway junction with lines going to Jalandhar, Ferozepur, Dhuri and Ambala. For administrative reasons the station is under Ferozepur Railway Division.
There is also a proposal to construct a railway line between Ludhiana and Chandigarh. The government has even passed an dedicated freight track between Ludhiana and Calcutta.
The Punjab Government has announced that they will be adding a light railway system that would connect Ludhiana with other major cities in Punjab.
The government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Delhi for construction of a metro.
There is an airport at Sahnewal which is a satellite town of Ludhiana City, about 8 km to the southeast, and there have been small commercial flights in the past from Delhi.
On April 10, 2007 the Airport Authority of India has publicly said[citation needed] that plans for an international airport at Halwara are canceled. The government is looking at purchasing another 500 acres (2.0 km2) of land to construct the new international airport[citation needed]. Ludhiana's status as a large industrial hub is cited as a reason for another international airport in Punjab after Amritsar.
[edit] See also
Poets from Ludhiana
Freedom fighters from Ludhiana
Bollywood Stars from Ludhiana
Wrestler from Ludhiana
[edit] References
- ^ Gazetteer of the Ludhiana District (1888-9) pp.106-108
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Ludhiana
- ^ "Average Weather for Ludhiana - Temperature and Precipitation" (in English). The Weather Channel. Retrieved on February 25, 2008.
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns. (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
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