Kapurthala

This article is about the municipality in Punjab, India. For its namesake district, see Kapurthala district.
Kapurthala
ਕਪੂਰਥਲਾ
city,district

Jagatjit Club, Kapurthala
Kapurthala

Location in Punjab, India

Coordinates: 31°23′N 75°23′E / 31.38°N 75.38°E / 31.38; 75.38Coordinates: 31°23′N 75°23′E / 31.38°N 75.38°E / 31.38; 75.38
Country  India
State Punjab
District Kapurthala
Founded by Rana Kapur
Area
 • Total 909.09 km2 (351.00 sq mi)
Elevation 225 m (738 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 101,654
 • Density 110/km2 (290/sq mi)
Languages
 • Official Punjabi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 144 601
Telephone code 01822
Vehicle registration PB 09

Kapurthala (Punjabi: ਕਪੂਰਥਲਾ) is a city in Punjab state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Kapurthala District. It was the capital of the Kapurthala State (ruled by Ahluwalia Dynasty), a princely state in British India. The secular and aesthetic mix of the city with its prominent buildings based on French and Indo-Saracenic architecture self-narrate its princely past. It is also known as city of Palaces & Gardens.

History

Kapurthala was founded in 11th century by Rana Kapur, who was descendant of Rajput royal house of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.[1] It is known to be an erstwhile royal state.

Princely state

Main article: Kapurthala State

Kapurthala was once the capital of Kapurthala State, a princely state in pre-independence India, ruled by the Ahluwalia Sikh rulers

Demographics

As per provisional data of 2011 census Kapurthala had a population of 101,854, out of which males were 55,485 and females were 46,169. The literacy rate was 85.82 per cent.[2]

As of 2001 India census,[3] Kapurthala had a population of 84,361. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Kapurthala has an average literacy rate of 65%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 67%, and female literacy is 62%. In Kapurthala, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Religion in Kapurthala[4]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
  
 62.74%
Sikhism
  
 34.79%
Islam
  
 1.26%
Christianity
  
 0.59%
Not Stated/Others
  
 0.64%

Monuments and buildings

Sainik School, Kapurthala

The City of Kapurthala has several buildings and places of interest linked to its local history such as the Sainik School (Formerly Jagatjit Palace), Shalimar Bagh (Gardens), District Courts buildings, Moorish Mosque, Panch Mandir ("Five Temples"), Clock Tower, State Gurudwara, Kanjli Wetlands, Guru Nanak Sports Stadium, Jagjit Club, and the NJSA Government college

Sainik School (Jagatjit Palace)

The Sainik School, formerly known as Jagatjit Palace, is housed in what was formerly the palace of the erstwhile Maharajah of Kapurthala state, HRH Maharajah Jagatjit Singh. The palace building has a spectacular architecture based on the Palace of Versailles and Fontainebleau spread over a total area of 200 acres (0.81 km2). It was designed by a French architect M. Marcel and built by a local builder Allah Ditta. It was built in renaissance style with the sunken park in the front (Known as Baija). Its Durbar Hall (Diwan-E-Khas) is one of the finest in India and the Plaster of Paris figures and painted ceilings represent the finest features of French and Italian art and architecture. The construction of this palace was commenced in 1900 and completed in 1908 in time for the new wife of the Maharajah Anita Delgado.

Elysee Palace

The Elysee Palace was built by Kanwar Bikrama Singh in 1862. This beautiful building with its imposing and elegant facade has now been converted into MGN School of Kapurthala.

Moorish Mosque

A spectacular example of the secular history of Kapurthala is the Moorish Mosque, a famous replica of the Grand Mosque of Marakesh, Morocco, was built by a French architect, Monsieur M Manteaux. Its construction was commissioned by the last ruler of Kapurthala, Maharajah Jagatjit Singh and took 13 years to complete between 1917 and 1930. It was then consecrated in the presence of the late Nawab of Bhawalpur. The Mosque's inner dome contains decorations by the artists of the Mayo School of Art, Lahore. The Mosque is a National Monument under the Archaeological Survey of India. It was one of the monumental creations in the State during the premiership of late Diwan Sir Abdul Hamid Kt., CIE, OBE. It was his keen interest with Maharaja's blessings that the mosque was completed. Its wooden model lay at the entrance of the Lahore Museum.

Jagatjit Club

Jagatjit Club is an elegant building situated in the heart of the city based on the Greek roman style of architecture. Its design loosely resembles the Acropolis of Athens and features the Coat of Arms of the erstwhile ruling family of Kapurthala with their royal motto "Pro Rege et Patria" (For King and Country) on its pediment. The building has been used for a variety of purposes since it was constructed, it was used as a church in the early nineteenth century, as a cinema hall in the 1940s and now houses a local club which includes a well built badminton court, a card room and a dining hall which serves the best of food.

Shalimar Gardens

Shalimar Gardens are situated in roughly the centre of the city and provide an escape from the hustle-bustle of the city. The Shahi Samadhs (The Royal Cenotaphs) in the Shalimar Gardens emphasize the traditions of its ruling Dynasty. Marble obelisks inside the red sandstone Chambers, are Memorials to the former Rulers and their families. Nearby, a grand structure built in 1880 and built on a marble plinth, houses the Samadhs of Maharajas Kharak Singh, Jagatjit Singh and Paramjit Singh.

Panch Mandir (Five Temples)

Panch Mandir of Kapurthala is a place of reverence for all faiths. The temple complex has a spectacular construction and is home to five small temples. Built during the reign of Sardar Fateh Singh, an extraordinary feature of this temple is that from the entry door, one can view all the five idols and pay obeisance to all. There is a temple Mandir Shivala Dewan Banna Mal Gautam in Nawanshahr Which is replica of Panch Mandir Kapurthala. Dewan Banna Mal Gautam was Chief Minister of Kapurthala State and Manager of His Highness Maharaja Sir Randhir Singh Bahadur of Kapurthala's estates in Oudh.

The State Gurdwara

The large and imposing red sandstone building (now painted white) of the State Gurudwara was consecrated in 1915 under the in charge of Revail Singh. Built in the Indo- Saracenic style, it has vast expanses of marble haloed by the feet of the hundreds of devotees. It is situated in the center of the city on the Sultanpur road.

Brahmkund Mandir

11 Mukhi Shiv Ling Brahmkund Temple is jathere of Gautam Brahmin Family of Dewan Banna Mal Gautam (Misr). This temple was built by Dewan Banna Mal's sons Dewan Acchru Mal Gautam and Dewan Sundri Mal Gautam. Dewan Banna Mal was Dewan of Maharaja Randhir Singh Bahadur of Kapurthala and Manager of Kapurthala's estate in Oudh. Bana Mala Wala village in Mand area of Kapurthala is after Banna Mal's Name and Dewan Banna Mal has also built Shivala Dewa Banna Mal in Nawanshahr.

Gurudwara Ber Sahib

The famous Gurdwara Ber Sahib is situated at Sultanpur Lodhi, which is one of the four sub-divisions (Tehsil) of Kapurthala. This historic site is of great importance to Sikhism as it is said to be the very place where the First Guru of Sikhs, Guru Nanak, spent 14 years of his life and attained enlightenment whilst bathing in a small rivulet, the Bein. The place derives its name from a Ber tree (Zizyphus Jujuba) said to be planted by Guru Nanak himself and under which he first uttered the Mool Mantra or the "Sacred Word or Revelation" of Sikhism.

Kanjli Wetlands

Kanjli Wetlands, on the western Bein rivulet at the outskirts of the city, has been included in under the Ramsar Convention. It is a very popular site for bird watching and boating. An enormous project is currently being undertaken here to develop it into a destination for bird watching replete with modern-day facilities. Sadly the Kanjli Wetlands have been in a state of neglect lately with little attention being given by the authorities to the condition of flora and fauna and its surrounding infrastructure.

Education

The main higher education institutions of Kapurthala are -

There are numerous primary and secondary schools in Kapurthala, notably -

Transport

The City of Kapurthala is well connected with the main transport routes of the Punjab and Northern India. It is situated 19 km away toward South-West of its closest neighbouring city of Jalandhar, a main road and railway junction of the Punjab region. Nearest international Airport is approximately 66 Kilometers away at Amritsar.

Industries

Kapurthala is home to several medium-to-large scale industries. Some of these are the Rail Coach Factory (see below)

Other prominent industries include the Oswal Agro (Sugar) Mills and the Jagatjit Industries Limited (JIL), the latter being set up under the patronage of Maharajah of Kapurthala in 1944 and remains one of the largest alcoholic beverage breweries of and manufacturer of dairy products in India.

Rehman Automobile and Works was also established here in 1935 and later moved to Lahore, Pakistan in 1947.

Apart from the heavy engineering and ancillary units coming up in the city to carter the needs of Rail Coach Factory, Agro processing industries have been in the city from the 1950s, these mainly consist of oil extraction from oil seeds like sunflower, mustard, cotton seed and rice bran. There are maximum number of Rice Mills in Kapurthala city due to its proximity to huge surrounding fertile agriculture fields.

Kapurthala is now a prominent market in Punjab for buying rice paddy both Basmati & non-Basmati rice along with it the city is a big market for rice - sela rice, parboiled rice, raw rice in both varieties of Basmati and non-Basmati rice.

Multinational companies have finally found this city and the quality and quantity of rice they can get from this district and therefore all big players have started to enter this city of royals, this process has increased the hopes of farmers and traders of the city of getting good bargains for their products and it has also educated the people how to make export quality rice and by products so this city is going to be hot property in the rice trade in coming times.

Rail Coach Factory

Kapurthala boasts of having one of the most innovative large scale hi-tech manufacturing units dedicated for production of railway carriages for Indian Railways. Popularly known as RCF, the Rail Coach Factory was established in 1986 by the Government of India and has been important to the district's economy. RCF is located in a serene and green environment and is ISO 14001 certified.

Villages in Kapurthala District

According to census of 2001 there are 618 Villages in Kapurthala District. Kapurthala district itself is divided into 4 sub districts

  1. Bhulath
  2. Kapurthala
  3. Phagwara
  4. Sultanpur Lodhi
  5. Kala Sanghian

Here is detailed link for villages in Kapurthala district.

In culture and films

Literature

References

  1. ↑ http://www.kapurthalaonline.com/history/name%20&%20foundation.shtml
  2. ↑ "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 2012-07-07.
  3. ↑ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  4. ↑ http://www.census2011.co.in/census/city/7-kapurthala.html
  5. ↑ "College of excellence, 150 years ago". The Tribune. 1 October 2006.
  6. ↑ Royal Collection http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/microsites/royalwedding1947/object.asp?grouping=&exhibs=NONE&object=200188&row=17&detail=about

External links

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