Sardhana
Encyclopedia
Sardhana is a town and a municipal board in Meerut district
in the India
n state
of Uttar Pradesh
. It is located 85 km (53 mi) northeast of New Delhi
, and 13 mi from Meerut. Sardhana is famous for its cloth industry.
, the capital of Kauravas of Mahabharata
, Sardhana is also known for the ancient Mahadev Temple that is believed to be dating from the Mahabharata
period. It was here that the Pandavas prayed before leaving for the Lakshagrah, the notorious palace made of lac by Duryodhana
, at the confluence of the Hindon
and Krishna rivers (Kali River, Kali Nadi). This palace was located at Varnavrat, the present Barnava
, where the prince resided with their mother Kunti.
In the 19th century, Sardhana was the capital of the Begum Samru, born as Farzana Zebunisa in 1751, and considered to be the only Catholic
ruler in India. She married in her early teens, a mercenary soldier Walter Reinhardt Sombre
of Luxembourg
, who was operating in India. Samru is but a mispronunciation of his surname Sombre. On his death in 1778 she succeeded to the command of his mercenary troops, and subsequently converted to Catholicism
in 1781, under the name Johanna.
During her lifetime she supported financially many charitable and religious institutions. She also obtained from the Holy See
, the promotion of Father Giulio Cesare, one of the members of the Agra Mission, to the episcopal
dignity, and later Pope Gregory XVI
wrote to her, and sent her tokens of his paternal approbation
. The church she built in 1822, became a cathedral
for a short time, with its own bishop. The Bishop's Palace has become a girls school. Her original palace has now become a seminary for training priests. The New Palace has become the boys school. In December 1961, Pope John XXIII
conferred the dignity of Minor Basilica
to the church, now known as Basilica of Our Lady of Graces. This dignity is given only on churches that are both beautiful and historically famous.
It was also ruled by the Nawab of Sardhana, Syed Amjad Ali Shah, a grandson of Nawab Jan Fishan Khan
, chief of the Paghman
tribe, who came to India in 1842 after Begum Samru died. Amjad Ali Shah's son, Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah
, was born there. Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah
was the father of the Sufi teacher and writer Idries Shah
.
In 1901, it was the headquarter of a tehsil
, by the same name, in Meerut district
, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh
,
and had a population of 12, 467.
Sardhana is also famous for Maulana Sadiq Husain Sardhanvi, a scholar and novilist of Urdu literature.
Sardhana municipal Board organise a mela after nauchandi in meerut called Boodha Babu Mela every year.
Raja Deen Dayal, the first photogragher of India born at Sardhana in nineteenth century,patronised by Nizam of Hyderabad (Deccan) Mir mehboob Ali is also the one of jwell from this town.
Jawahar navodaya vidhyalaya is also located in sardhana,
village bhamori is known for freedom fighting moments.
, Sardhana had a population of 47,970. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Sardhana has an average literacy rate of 48%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 55%, and female literacy is 40%. In Sardhana, 18% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Meerut District
Meerut district , is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Meerut is the district headquarters. Meerut district is a part of Meerut division.-Demographics:...
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 Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
. It is located 85 km (53 mi) northeast of 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...
, and 13 mi from Meerut. Sardhana is famous for its cloth industry.
History
Being close to Hastinapur, which is also in Meerut districtMeerut District
Meerut district , is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Meerut is the district headquarters. Meerut district is a part of Meerut division.-Demographics:...
, the capital of Kauravas of Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
, Sardhana is also known for the ancient Mahadev Temple that is believed to be dating from the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
period. It was here that the Pandavas prayed before leaving for the Lakshagrah, the notorious palace made of lac by Duryodhana
Duryodhana
In the Hindu epic the Mahābhārata, Duryodhana is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, Emperor of the world at that time which means Emperor of India or Bharatvarsha as it was known at that time, cousin and the chief...
, at the confluence of the Hindon
Hindon River
Hindon River, a tributary of Yamuna river, is a river in India that originates in the Saharanpur District, from Upper Shivalik in Lower Himalayan Range...
and Krishna rivers (Kali River, Kali Nadi). This palace was located at Varnavrat, the present Barnava
Barnava
Barnava is a village in Bagpat district in Uttar Pradesh, India.Barnava is between Sardhana and Binauli near Meerut.Baranava is the site of the Lakshagriha, it was called Varnavat at Mahabharata time. Barnava still have evidence of Lakshagriha....
, where the prince resided with their mother Kunti.
In the 19th century, Sardhana was the capital of the Begum Samru, born as Farzana Zebunisa in 1751, and considered to be the only Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
ruler in India. She married in her early teens, a mercenary soldier Walter Reinhardt Sombre
Walter Reinhardt Sombre
Walter Reinhardt Sombre was an adventurer and mercenary in India from the 1760s.Sombre is thought to have been born in Strasbourg or Treves. His nationality is uncertain, being given in various sources as Austrian, French, German, Luxemburger, or Swiss...
of Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, who was operating in India. Samru is but a mispronunciation of his surname Sombre. On his death in 1778 she succeeded to the command of his mercenary troops, and subsequently converted to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
in 1781, under the name Johanna.
During her lifetime she supported financially many charitable and religious institutions. She also obtained from the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
, the promotion of Father Giulio Cesare, one of the members of the Agra Mission, to the episcopal
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
dignity, and later Pope Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI , born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari, named Mauro as a member of the religious order of the Camaldolese, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1831 to 1846...
wrote to her, and sent her tokens of his paternal approbation
Approbation
Approbation is, in Roman Catholic canon law, an act by which a bishop or other legitimate superior grants to an ecclesiastic the actual exercise of his ministry....
. The church she built in 1822, became a cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
for a short time, with its own bishop. The Bishop's Palace has become a girls school. Her original palace has now become a seminary for training priests. The New Palace has become the boys school. In December 1961, Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
conferred the dignity of Minor Basilica
Minor basilica
Minor basilica is a title given to some Roman Catholic churches. By canon law no Catholic church can be honoured with the title of basilica unless by apostolic grant or from immemorial custom....
to the church, now known as Basilica of Our Lady of Graces. This dignity is given only on churches that are both beautiful and historically famous.
Jan Fishan Khan
Jan-Fishan Khan, born Sayyid Muhammed Shah, was a 19th century Afghan warlord who participated in the First Anglo-Afghan War and the subsequent Indian Rebellion of 1857....
, chief of the Paghman
Paghman
Paghman is a town in the hills near Kabul, Afghanistan. See also Paghman Gardens. It is center of the Paghman District which has a total population of 120,000 people, and another 20,000 returnees are expected , of which 70% are Pashtuns and 30% Tajiks.. Paghman District is situated in the western...
tribe, who came to India in 1842 after Begum Samru died. Amjad Ali Shah's son, Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah
Sirdar ikbal ali shah
Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah was an Indian-Afghan author and diplomat descended from the Sadaat of Paghman. Educated in India, he came to Britain as a young man to continue his education in Edinburgh, where he married a young Scotswoman....
, was born there. Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah
Sirdar ikbal ali shah
Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah was an Indian-Afghan author and diplomat descended from the Sadaat of Paghman. Educated in India, he came to Britain as a young man to continue his education in Edinburgh, where he married a young Scotswoman....
was the father of the Sufi teacher and writer Idries Shah
Idries Shah
Idries Shah , also known as Idris Shah, né Sayed Idries el-Hashimi , was an author and teacher in the Sufi tradition who wrote over three dozen critically acclaimed books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and culture studies.Born in India, the descendant of a...
.
In 1901, it was the headquarter of a tehsil
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
, by the same name, in Meerut district
Meerut District
Meerut district , is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Meerut is the district headquarters. Meerut district is a part of Meerut division.-Demographics:...
, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh
The United Provinces of Agra and Oudh was a province of India under the British Raj, which existed from 1902 to 1947; the official name was shortened by the Government of India Act 1935 to United Provinces, by which the province had been commonly known, and by which name it was also a province of...
,
and had a population of 12, 467.
Sardhana is also famous for Maulana Sadiq Husain Sardhanvi, a scholar and novilist of Urdu literature.
Sardhana municipal Board organise a mela after nauchandi in meerut called Boodha Babu Mela every year.
Raja Deen Dayal, the first photogragher of India born at Sardhana in nineteenth century,patronised by Nizam of Hyderabad (Deccan) Mir mehboob Ali is also the one of jwell from this town.
Jawahar navodaya vidhyalaya is also located in sardhana,
village bhamori is known for freedom fighting moments.
Demographics
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...
, Sardhana had a population of 47,970. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Sardhana has an average literacy rate of 48%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 55%, and female literacy is 40%. In Sardhana, 18% of the population is under 6 years of age.