Jagraon
Encyclopedia
Jagraon is a city and a municipal council
in the Ludhiana district
in the India
n state
of Punjab
. Jagraon is more than three centuries old. It has been thought by some that the city's original name was Jagar aon, meaning A place of great flooding, although this flooding has since ceased. It could also be argued that Jagraon actually derives from a source with a suffix -graon being a development of the Sanskrit
Grama
, meaning Village
as found in the Hindi
word Gaon
. Jagraon is located at almost the geographical center of Punjab
state, only 16 kilometres from the River Satluj.
. Jagraon (Jagrawan - The place of the Rais) was founded by Rai Kamaluddin father of Rai Kalha III of Raikot
in 1680 AD. Gurdwara
Nanaksar Sahib is one of the important places of worship for the Sikhs. Gurdwara Mehdiana Sahib
is known for its unique depiction of scenes from Sikh history, especially those of atrocities committed on the Sikhs by various Mughal
rulers, in the form of life-sized statues. There are also many Hindu
temples in Jagraon. Muslim
places of worship include the famous Khangah and the mausoleum
of Mai Jeena, where a three-day annual fair, called the Roshni Mela is held in the third week of February every year. Before 1947 there was a large Muslim
presence in this area.
The Jain temple in Jagraon is considered as one of the most holy places for Jains in the region. The temple has a peaceful ambience and lush green gardens and attracts thousands of pilgrims from the Jain community all over the world, for the annual Diksha Mahotsav in the third week of March. The old walled city, with its four gates is known locally for its Mughal
period architecture. Even the local market within the walled city is known as Anarkali bazaar
, after the title of a beauty at Mughal
Emperor Akbar's court.
Jagraon is also the home of Late Lala Lajpat Rai
, a well-known figure in the Indian Independence movement, who greatly influenced patriots and great freedom fighters like Shaheed Bhagat Singh. His house is now a municipal library. The Chiefs of Jagraon according to Major Charles Francis Massy's 'Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab' were the Chandravanshi Rajput
s, the last being Rai Inayat Khan,the custodian of Guru Sahib's Ganga Sagar at the time of the Partition of India
in 1947. Rai Aziz Ullah Khan ex-MP (MNA) in Pakistan
is the grandson of Rai Inayat Khan.
The geographical center of present day Indian state of Punjab lies only around 8 miles north of the city. The tehsil of Jagraon is bound to the North by River Satluj, which separates it from District Jalandhar
. To the West lies Moga district
. Raikot
lies 13 miles to the South and Ludhiana city is 24 miles East.
Jagraon is connected by Rail
to Ludhiana and Firozpur
. It is located at the junction of National Highways No. 95 and 71. The nearest airports are: Halwara
(16 km), Sahnewal
(45 km) and Adampur
(70 km). The nearest international ports are Guru Ram Das International Airport, Rajasansi
(150 km), Wagah
Landport (Border with Pakistan
) (162 km) and Indira Gandhi International Airport
, New Delhi
(360 km).
, Jagraon had a population of 60,106. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Jagraon has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 71%, and female literacy is 65%. In Jagraon, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Besides this, the city has a large seasonal and migrant population which remains unaccounted. There is a distinctive mix of rural and sub-urban population in Jagraon. The city has a good mix of people from many faiths, including Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Jains
, Buddhists, s etc. Before the Partition of India
in 1947, the city was home to a sizeable Muslim
population.
. The city's major industry, besides agriculture, is rice husking, with more than 100 rice shelling facilities. Jagraon hosts the second largest animal market in Punjab
, the largest being Vallah, near Amritsar
. The proposed green field international airport project at Halwara
was shelved owing to differences among the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Indian Air Force.
There are two main centres of higher education in the city, namely, Govt. College of Science Education and Research, popularly known as the Science College, and Lala Lajpat Rai D.A.V College. Science College attracts students from many different regions of Punjab and nearby states. Lala Lajpat Rai D.A.V college is also very popular in jagraon & other cities. B.C.A, B.B.A, MSC(I.T), FASHION DESIGN AND many more courses are available here. The cluster of educational institutions at Sidhwan
, 7 kilometres from Jagraon, (in which the College of Law is the latest addition), is a centre for higher professional and vocational education for women in the state of Punjab.Saint Mahapragya's School is the only school of I.C.S.E in Jagraon. this is given by MANJOT SINGH GILL a student of this school.
Municipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
in the Ludhiana district
Ludhiana District
-Rainfall:The rainfall in the district increases from the southwest toward the northeast. About 70% of the rainfall is received during the period of July through September...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
. Jagraon is more than three centuries old. It has been thought by some that the city's original name was Jagar aon, meaning A place of great flooding, although this flooding has since ceased. It could also be argued that Jagraon actually derives from a source with a suffix -graon being a development of the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
Grama
Grama
A Grama is a local governing body in the state of Karnataka in India.Each Grama governs a particular village or cluster of villages. Generally these Grama attend to problems of drinking water, street lighting, drainage, primary schools, health centres, etc.The word means "village" in the Kannada...
, meaning Village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
as found in the Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
word Gaon
Gaon (village)
The Assamese word Gaon is used to define an area in Assam which is similar in meaning with the English word Village. Names of Assamese gaons usually ends with the following suffix term:...
. Jagraon is located at almost the geographical center of Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
state, only 16 kilometres from the River Satluj.
History and religious significance
Jagraon is an important religious center for Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims as well as JainsJainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
. Jagraon (Jagrawan - The place of the Rais) was founded by Rai Kamaluddin father of Rai Kalha III of Raikot
Raikot
Raikot is a city and municipal council in Ludhiana district in Indian state of Punjab.-History:Raikot, the walled city,[see Reference] was founded by Rai Ahmad in 1648.[see Reference]...
in 1680 AD. Gurdwara
Gurdwara
A Gurdwara , meaning the Gateway to the Guru, is the place of worship for Sikhs, the followers of Sikhism. A Gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib ....
Nanaksar Sahib is one of the important places of worship for the Sikhs. Gurdwara Mehdiana Sahib
Mehdiana Sahib
Gurdwara Mehdiana Sahib, also called the School of Sikh History is a Sikh Gurdwara located in the village of Mehdiana, just outside Manuke, near Jagraon in Ludhiana district, India....
is known for its unique depiction of scenes from Sikh history, especially those of atrocities committed on the Sikhs by various Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
rulers, in the form of life-sized statues. There are also many Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
temples in Jagraon. Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
places of worship include the famous Khangah and the mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
of Mai Jeena, where a three-day annual fair, called the Roshni Mela is held in the third week of February every year. Before 1947 there was a large Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
presence in this area.
Mughal architecture
Mughal architecture, an amalgam of Islamic, Persian, Turkish and Indian architecture, is the distinctive style developed by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries in what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. It is symmetrical and decorative in style.The Mughal dynasty was...
period architecture. Even the local market within the walled city is known as Anarkali bazaar
Anarkali bazaar
Anarkali bazaar is a famous bazār in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is one of the oldest surviving markets in South Asia, dating back at least 200 years...
, after the title of a beauty at Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Emperor Akbar's court.
Jagraon is also the home of Late Lala Lajpat Rai
Lala Lajpat Rai
Lala Lajpat Rai was an Indian author, freedom fighter and politician who is chiefly remembered as a leader in the Indian fight for freedom from the British Raj. He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari or Sher-e-Punjab meaning the samem and was part of the Lal Bal Pal trio...
, a well-known figure in the Indian Independence movement, who greatly influenced patriots and great freedom fighters like Shaheed Bhagat Singh. His house is now a municipal library. The Chiefs of Jagraon according to Major Charles Francis Massy's 'Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab' were the Chandravanshi Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s, the last being Rai Inayat Khan,the custodian of Guru Sahib's Ganga Sagar at the time of the Partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
in 1947. Rai Aziz Ullah Khan ex-MP (MNA) in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
is the grandson of Rai Inayat Khan.
Geography and connectivity
Jagraon is located at 30.78°N 75.48°E. It has an average elevation of 234 metres (767 ft).The geographical center of present day Indian state of Punjab lies only around 8 miles north of the city. The tehsil of Jagraon is bound to the North by River Satluj, which separates it from District Jalandhar
Jalandhar
Jalandhar is a city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh...
. To the West lies Moga district
Moga District
Moga district is one of the Twenty districts in the state of Punjab in North-West Republic of India. It became the 17th district of Punjab State on 24 November 1995. It is also known as NRI district. Most Punjabi Non-resident Indians belong to rural areas of Moga District, who immigrated to the...
. Raikot
Raikot
Raikot is a city and municipal council in Ludhiana district in Indian state of Punjab.-History:Raikot, the walled city,[see Reference] was founded by Rai Ahmad in 1648.[see Reference]...
lies 13 miles to the South and Ludhiana city is 24 miles East.
Jagraon is connected by Rail
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
to Ludhiana and Firozpur
Firozpur
Firozpur is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in Firozpur District, Punjab, India, founded by Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq , 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...
. It is located at the junction of National Highways No. 95 and 71. The nearest airports are: Halwara
Halwara
Halwara is a township in Punjab state in India. Located in the Ludhiana District close to Village Toosa , Halwara lies on the Mullanpur-Raikot road...
(16 km), Sahnewal
Sahnewal
Sahnewal is a town and a nagar panchayat in Ludhiana district in the Indian state of Punjab.-Demographics: India census, Sahnewal had a population of 17,248. Males constituted 54% of the population and females 46%. At that time, Sahnewal had an average literacy rate of 61%, lower than the national...
(45 km) and Adampur
Adampur
Adampur is a city and a municipal council in Jalandhar district in the Indian state of Punjab.-Geography:Adampur Doaba is located at . It has an average elevation of 233 metres . The nearest hill station is Dharamshala which is the headquarters of the Dalai Lama...
(70 km). The nearest international ports are Guru Ram Das International Airport, Rajasansi
Rajasansi
Rajasansi is a town and a nagar panchayat in Amritsar district in the Indian state of Punjab.Amritsar International Airport is located on Ajnala-Rajasansi Road.-Demographics:...
(150 km), Wagah
Wagah
Wagah is the only road border crossing between Pakistan and India , and lies on the Grand Trunk Road between the cities of Lahore, Pakistan and Amritsar, India. Wagah itself is a village through which the controversial Radcliffe Line was drawn. The village was divided by independence in 1947...
Landport (Border with Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
) (162 km) and Indira Gandhi International Airport
Indira Gandhi International Airport
Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport of the National Capital Region of Delhi, India, situated in West Delhi, 16 km southwest of New Delhi city centre. Named after Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India, it is the busiest airport in India in...
, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
(360 km).
Demographics
As of 2001 India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Jagraon had a population of 60,106. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Jagraon has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 71%, and female literacy is 65%. In Jagraon, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Besides this, the city has a large seasonal and migrant population which remains unaccounted. There is a distinctive mix of rural and sub-urban population in Jagraon. The city has a good mix of people from many faiths, including Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Jains
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
, Buddhists, s etc. Before the Partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
in 1947, the city was home to a sizeable Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
population.
Industry
The Jagraon Vegetable and Grain Market is the second largest Grain Market of Asia after KhannaKhanna
Khanna is a common last name in India Pakistan. It can mean:* Khanna, Ludhiana, a city in the Ludhiana district of Punjab* Khanna , a prominent clan from the Khatri community of the Punjab region straddling Northern India and Pakistan...
. The city's major industry, besides agriculture, is rice husking, with more than 100 rice shelling facilities. Jagraon hosts the second largest animal market in Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
, the largest being Vallah, near Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
. The proposed green field international airport project at Halwara
Halwara
Halwara is a township in Punjab state in India. Located in the Ludhiana District close to Village Toosa , Halwara lies on the Mullanpur-Raikot road...
was shelved owing to differences among the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Indian Air Force.
Education
There are several schools in Jagraon affiliated to different national as well as state education boards. Swami Roop Chand Jain Sr. Sec. public School and Sanmati Vimal Jain Sr. Sec. public School are famous for their prestigious history of producing PSEB toppers in the region as well as the state. Others include Sacred Heart Convent School and DAV Public School.There are two main centres of higher education in the city, namely, Govt. College of Science Education and Research, popularly known as the Science College, and Lala Lajpat Rai D.A.V College. Science College attracts students from many different regions of Punjab and nearby states. Lala Lajpat Rai D.A.V college is also very popular in jagraon & other cities. B.C.A, B.B.A, MSC(I.T), FASHION DESIGN AND many more courses are available here. The cluster of educational institutions at Sidhwan
Sidhwan
Sidhwan is a village in Nakodar, a tehsil in the city Jalandhar of Indian state of Punjab.- Geography :Sidhwan is connected by railways through the railway station Sidhwan. Sidhwan is approximately 425 kilometers from New Delhi and almost 120 kilometers from Amritsar...
, 7 kilometres from Jagraon, (in which the College of Law is the latest addition), is a centre for higher professional and vocational education for women in the state of Punjab.Saint Mahapragya's School is the only school of I.C.S.E in Jagraon. this is given by MANJOT SINGH GILL a student of this school.