| Jagraon | |
| — city — | |
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| Coordinates | |
| Country | India |
| State | Punjab |
| District(s) | Ludhiana |
| Population | 60,106 (2001[update]) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Area |
• 234 metres (768 ft) |
Jagraon is a city and a municipal council in the Ludhiana district in the Indian 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.
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Jagraon is an important religious center for Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims as well as Jains. 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 Rajputs, 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.[1]
Jagraon is located at .[2] 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. 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).
As of 2001 India census,[3] 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 Jagraon Vegetable and Grain Market is the second largest Grain Market of Asia after Khanna. 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 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, 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.
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