Firozpur

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Firozpur
v • d • e
Punjab (India) • India
District(s) Firozpur
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Population 95,451 (2001)

Coordinates: ° N ° E

Firozpur (or Ferozepur, Ferozepore) is a city in Firozpur District in Punjab, India. Founded by Sultan Firuz Shah Tughluq (1351-88) on the banks of the Sutlej River, Ferozpur today is a mofussil transportation and administration center and an ancient city located on the banks of the Sutlej River, 20 km north-west of Mudki in the state of Punjab, India. It is a border town on the Indo-Pakistan border with memorials to India's freedom fighters.[1] Three heroic martyrs in India's struggle struggle for freedom, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, were hanged in Lahore for their revolutionionary activities against the British Government on March 23, 1931. They were cremated and a monument stands at their final resting place in Hussainiwala on the Sutlej river bank.[2]

Ferozepur also holds a historic place in Indian history as it was here that British Raj established control over much of Northwest India as well as Pakistan through the Anglo-Sikh Wars that were fought in this region. Today it is the headquarters of a brigade of the northern army corp and the arsenal in Ferozepur is the largest in India.[3]

With 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.[4] At the nearby city of Zira a beautiful Jain Swetambar Temple with ancient brass icons and beautiful wall murals is located.[5]

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 tense border with Pakistan. Normalizing relations between the two nuclear rivals promise to raise the city's profile as a potential trade hub.

Firozpur Cantonment is adjacent to and south of the city.

Contents

[edit] Recent history

Prior to the Partition of the subcontinent, Firozpur had a Muslim majority which voted to join Pakistan. In a very controversial move, however, British Viceroy Mountbatten gave the Firozpur district to India, forcing hundreds of thousands of Muslims to flee in the chaos of Partition from Firozpur to Pakistan. This was a very controversial move, and many Pakistanis believe this was an attempt by the British to undermine the survival of Pakistan as an independent state, since this move would leave the newly established nation without one single military complex.[citation needed] Today, Firozpur has a Sikh and Hindu majority with a virtually non-existent Muslim population.

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India censusGRIndia, Firozpur had a population of 95,451, which increased from 78,738 in 1991. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Firozpur 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 Firozpur, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

[edit] Education

The key schools in the city and the adjoining Cantonment are :-

  1. D.C. Model School- Cantt
  2. St Joseph'sConvent School, Cantt
  3. The Army Public School- Cantt
  4. Kendriya Vidyalaya-Firozpur Cantt.
  5. S D Higher Secondary School Firozpur City
  6. Arya Girls Higher Secondary School

Colleges in area :-

  1. RSD College - City
  2. Dev Smaj College- City
  3. Guru Nanak Dev College- Cantt
  4. DAV Girls College- Cantt

Professional College:-

  1. Shahid Bhagat Singh Engeneering College

[edit] Places of Interest

The Saragarhi Gurudwara

Hussainiwala- Apart from a lake, also the location of Bhagat Singh and his collegues Samadhi

The Indo-Pak Border crossing and the cange of guards ceremony each evening.

Harike dam and wetlands

[edit] References

[edit] Reference notes

  1. ^ Ferozepur. Info Punjab. Retrieved on October 14, 2006.
  2. ^ Ferozepur history. Punjab Tourism. Retrieved on October 18, 2006.
  3. ^ Ferozepur. Classic Encyclopedia. Retrieved on October 18, 2006.
  4. ^ Ferozpur. Punjabtourism.org. Retrieved on October 14, 2006.
  5. ^ Error on call to Template:cite web: Parameters url and title must be specified. indiatourism.com. Retrieved on October 14, 2006.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../f/i/r/Firozpur.html"