Phagwara
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (February 2007) |
| ?Phagwara Punjab • India |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation |
• 234 m (768 ft) |
| District(s) | Kapurthala |
| Population | 95,626 (2001) |
| Codes • Pincode |
• 144401 |
Coordinates: Phagwara is a city and a municipal council in Kapurthala district in the north Indian state of Punjab.
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[edit] Location
Phagwara is located on the Delhi-Amritsar national highway and also on the rail link between Delhi and Amritsar. It is located between two big cities of Ludhiana and Jalandhar. Phagwara is 76 miles away from Chandigarh and 220 miles (355 Km) from Delhi. Phagwara is a junction, with rail and road links to other cities as well e.g. Banga, Hoshiarpur ,goraya. Most major trains stop here, e.g. the Shatabdi Express. Phagwara is in the so called NRI belt of Doaba region of punjab (Doaba: the region bounded by two rivers of punjab Satluj and Beas).
[edit] Geography
Phagwara is located at [1]. It has an average elevation of 234 metres (767 feet).
[edit] Demographics
As of 2001 India census[2], Phagwara had a population of 95,626. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Phagwara has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 73%. In Phagwara, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[edit] Industry
Phagwara is the main industrial centre in the Kapurthala District because of its good location on the national highway. This city has many different types of industries like , Guru Nanak Autos(GNA), Wahid Sandhar sugar mill, Jagjit Cotton Textiles (JCT) Mills, Electrical accessories, TechWorld Computers, Machine Tools, Agricultural Implements and Rubber.
Phagwara is famous for NRI's, a big percentage of Punjabi NRI's belong to this area. Major spendings of NRIs are generally on marriages, houses. Items of export to NRIs include clothes (traditional) and punjabi music.
[edit] Famous places
In addition to its affluent economy and industries, Phagwara is well known for its holy places, like the popular Shiv Mandir on Nima Wala Chowk. It has many famous Sikh Gurdawaras, like Gurudwara Sri Guru Ravidas Maharaj on G.T.Road, Sri Sukhchainana Sahib and Sri Chhevin Patshahi in the interior of the town. Guru Ravidas's birthday is celebrated by organising a big procession every year. Situated at Banga Road, Vishwakarma Mandir is one of the oldest and most sacred places for the Ramgharia community. Another procession is carried out in the memory of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a well known Indian political leader of 20th century revered for his social reforms in India.
Hadiabad comprises of three family lines: Duggals, Uppals and Chaddhas. It is about 1.5km west of Phagwara. Holy places in Hadiabad include Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi, Mansa Devi Temple, Paath-shalla Temple and Vishwakarma Temple.
Main areas of the city include Urban Estate, New Model Town, Model Town, Satnampura, Prem Nagar, Khera Road, New Datampura, Hargobind Nagar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar Scheme No.3 and Green Park. The most prominent bazaars are Sarafan Bazaar, Bansanwala Bazaar, Gaushala Baazar and Katehra Chonk.
Guru Nanak College and Ramgharia Institute are the oldest and most renowed institutes in Phagwara. The city is also host to GNA-IMT (GNA Institute of Management & Technology). GNA (Guru Nanak Autos), established 1946, produced automobile parts and has recently entered into the education sector. Other educational institutions in the city include RAMGHARIA INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY(R.I.E.T.) and Lovely Professional University.
It is also famous for Surinder Bhagat (Paa'ji). The Carnival of Phalini is celebrated every year. The city is also resident to Ustad Gurjeet Somal, from Pandwa Village, who has many global visitors.
Situated on National Highway 1, Phagwara is one of the busiest and more expensive cities in India. As a result, the property market is large and consistently fluctuating.
The famous dining places in Phagwara are Haveli (GT Road on Jalandhar side), Mohan Fast Food, Hargobind nagar ground, Poonam Hotel, Neeta chicken corner which are located in the city centre.
It is also the banking hub of Kapurthala District. With more than 45 banks and 63 Offices it comes in the top list of Indian sub-urban cities in banking business.
The first hi-tech village of North India named Palahi is situated close to the city. It is facilitated with a community Ramgharia Polytechnic, a college for girls, a football ground, parks, street lights, underground sewerage and a historical gurdwara dedicated to Guru Hargobind Sahib. This village was among a few villages adopted by centre govt. to develop as a model village.
Another village Ghandhawan is also a prominent village, it is famous for it's Gurudwara in rememberance of Guru Nanak Dev Ji's son Sri Chand Maharaj Ji who stayed here during his lifetime.
[edit] Prominent Phagwara people
- Rajan Zed: Rajan Zed, a Hindu chaplain, who delivered the first Hindu prayer in United States Senate in Washington DC and some other state legislatures of US in 2007.
- Phagwara is also known for its football team of J.C.T Mill. (Bai Chung Bhutia played for this team).
- Shooter Jaspal Rana also once played for JCT.
- Soccer (Foot ball) player Indira, who was once Indian National team's captain, belongs to this city and still lives with family in phagwara.
[edit] Problems Facing Phagwara
An industrial center of district and banking hub, Phagwara is a rich city. Despite this, the city lacks adequate planning and expansion, such as recreational venues like cinemas, amusement parks and ample greenspace.
This city has a poor record for communal harmony, having faced various communal violence incidents over past one decade.
