Dhrangadhra () is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

taluka headquarters A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in Surendranagar district in the state of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. During the period of the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

, the city was the capital of

Dhrangadhra State Dhrangadhra State was a princely state during the British Raj. The town of Dhrangadhra served as its capital. It was also known as Halvad-Dhrangadhra State. Halvad once had been the capital of this state. In 1735, Dhrangadhra was founded as its ...

, one of the eight first-class princely states ( 13-gun salute) of the

Kathiawar Agency The Kathiawar Agency, on the Kathiawar peninsula in the western part of the Indian subcontinent, was a political unit of some 200 small princely states under the suzerainty of the Bombay Presidency of British India. The agency's headquarters wer ...

in the Bombay Presidency.

Etymology

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

''dhrang'' means a

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

, and ''dhara'' means the

earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

. It is believed that because of the strong and widespread yellow stone bedrock found immediately under the soil of the place, the town is thus named.

History

Dhrangadhra name originated from the word

Dhunge dhara A dhunge dhara ( ) or hiti ( Newari: ) is a traditional stone drinking fountain found in Nepal. It is an intricately carved stone waterway through which water flows uninterrupted from underground sources. Dhunge dharas are part of a comprehensive ...

or dhingi dhara which means Stable Land. Dhrangadhra has a long history starting from Lower Paleolithic Period. The River named Falku is passing from Dhrangadhra town. The evidence come from the river bed of the Bhadar river which flows along with the Dhragadhra taluka. Moreover, there are many Harappan-period sites. Recent studies in the area suggests that the Dhragadhra and Halvad taluka was the frontier of the so-called sorat Harappans which bifurcates the Sidhi Harrapans of Kutch &andSindh. These are recent studies made by Arun Malik, a PhD scholar of The M.S. University of Baroda and now he is with Archaeological Survey of India.

Modern history

Dhrangadhra grew from Jhalawad Princely State, which was founded about AD 1090. This state was ruled by the Jhala Rajputs. In 1735, Dhrangadhra was founded as its capital. The state was then renamed ''Dhrangadhra-Halvad state'' from the initial name of ''Kuwa, Halwad''. In 1941 the princely state of Dhrangadhra had a population of 94,417 living in an area of 1,167 square miles. In 1925, India's first

soda ash Sodium carbonate, , (also known as washing soda, soda ash and soda crystals) is the inorganic compound with the formula Na2CO3 and its various hydrates. All forms are white, odourless, water-soluble salts that yield moderately alkaline solutions ...

factory was founded in Dhrangadhra. It was taken over by Shreyans Prasad Jain, who established the Dhrangadhra Chemical Works (now known as DCW) in 1939. Now, DCW is the largest industry there, and is the main source of employment. In 1948, the state of Dhrangadhra was made part of the Jhalawad district in Saurashtra. In 1956 it became part of

. Dhrangadhra also contains the Gobar gas plant, which is located at Navalgadh village.

Geography

Dhrangadhra is located at . It has an average elevation of 64 metres (209 feet).

Demographics

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

, Dhrangadhra had a population of 75,133. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Dhrangadhra has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 75% and, female literacy is 59%. In Dhrangadhra, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. Juna Ghanshyamgadh is also located near Dhrangdhara. With both sacred and secular architecture influenced by local medieval history, Dhangadhra today is a modern town with the population of about 100,000, which includes

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, Zoroastrians,

Jains Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

and

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

. The affluent are traders in the local

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

and

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

trade that has existed for over 300 years, while the majority are farmers and shopkeepers. It has industries such as DCW with chemical products, Mausam brand food products such as Spices, delicious pickles in various flavours, sauces, pastes, sherbets, and ketchup by K.P. Industries and many other industries in GIDC area. The provincial town boasts several hospitals, schools and a college. Along with regular telephone and portal services, mail and courier facilities are also available in the town. The

Rabari The Rabari people (also known as Desai, Rabari, Raika, and Dewasi people) are an ethnic group from the Rajasthan also found in Gujarat Kutch region. Origin Myth The Rabari myth of origin is kshatriya that Shiva put them on earth to tend to the ...

and ''Bharwad'' farming communities that raise cattle, sheep, goat and camels live in villages surrounding the town. Each summer, the outskirts of the town also hosts a camp of

snake charmer Snake charming is the practice of appearing to hypnotize a snake (often a cobra) by playing and waving around an instrument called a pungi. A typical performance may also include handling the snakes or performing other seemingly dangerou ...

s. Dhangadhra is a railway junction on the

Western Railway (India) The Western Railway (abbreviated WR) is one of the 19 zones of Indian Railways and is among the busiest railway networks in India, headquartered at Mumbai, Maharashtra. The major railway routes of Indian Railways which come under Western Railw ...

and is connected to Ahmedabad and other regions of Kutch and Saurashtra by road and rail links. There are

auto rickshaw An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many terms in various countries including auto, auto rickshaw, baby taxi, mototaxi, pigeon, jonnybee, bajaj ...

s (three-wheeler hooded taxis) and larger un-hooded three-wheelers called ''Chhakada'' which typically run on modified Royal Enfield engines, are available for travel within the town and surrounding areas. Dhrangadhra is also the headquarters of the Deputy Conservator of Forests, which is responsible for the

Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary also known as the Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Little Rann of Kutch in the Gujarat state of India. It is spread over an area of 4954 km². The wildlife sanctuary was established in 1972 and came u ...

on the

Little Rann of Kutch The Little Rann of Kutch is a salt marsh which is part of the Rann of Kutch in Kutch district, Gujarat, India. Attractions Indian wild ass sanctuary The Little Rann of Kutch is home to the Indian wild ass (khur). To conserve this spec ...

, home to the last three species of Asiatic Wild Ass.

Culture and places of interest

•The Radha Krishna Temple at Army Cantonment • Mausam Pickle Factory (authorization needed) • The Palace (authorization needed) • Falku Dam • Girdharji Haveli • jaleshwar Mahadev Temple • Phuleshwar Mahadev Temple • BAPS Swaminarayan Temple • Rokadiya Hanuman Temple, it has a lot of tortoises that are very old. • Khareswar Mahadev (narali) • Dhrangadhra Chemical Works • Jogasar Lake

Culture

Temples, step-wells, palaces and mosques from various historical periods exist in various states of preservation. There are more than 100 places of worship, and ancient art and craft traditions such as stone

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

jewellery Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry (U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a wester ...

making, tie and dye fabrics and

embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen ...

prosper. B.A.P.S. Swaminaryan Temple Dhrangadhra, GJ SH 7, Panchavati Society ramuk Swami Mandir Bhagwatdham, Shri Swaminarayan Gurukul, Halvad road, Near Ahmedabad- Maliya Bye Pass, GJ SH 7, Bhagwatdham Society, Dhrangadhra Shree Swaminarayan Sanskardham Gurukul, Halwad road, Dhrangadhra One of the ancient ek-dantay Ganpati temple, famous as Jogasar is located in Dhrangadhra Shitla Maa Temple, Dhrangadhra is located in the northern suburban area There is even a Deshal Bhagat temple esal Bhagat of Rajput samajsituated outside the city, believed that god himself took the form of Saint Deshal Bhagat one time. Also there is ashram of Valbai Maa, Bhala Hanumaan Mandir, Fuleshwar Mahadev temple, Rokadiya Hanumanji temple, Bala Hanumanji temple, Dariyalal temple, Jalaram bapa temple, Shakti ma temple, etc. There is a of Shahid Muhammed Musa in the Raj Darabar (Man Mahelat) Man Mehlat Palace aj mahel Dholidhar, Dhrangadhra in the town centre is well preserved Ajitnivas Palace complex, DCW Colony, Dhrangadhra is another palatial complex located southerly Taranga Vihar Dham located far along highway near Chuli after Saladi railway station is a popular destination close to Dhanrgadhra. Matrivav, Kankavati - a historic well preserved step-well is located 15 km far northwesterly Dhrangadhra is famous for its Stone artwork. The Government of Gujarat (Department of Industries and Mines and Commissioner of Geology & Mining) has set up two prestigious Stone Artisan Park Training Institutes (SAPTIs) - one each at Dhrangadhra and Ambaji in the State. Training centre in Dhrangadhra is located 3 km from the town on Halvad bypass road, near railway crossing. Traditionally, the 'Sompura' cast from Dhrangadhra have built and designed many Jain derasars - a type of temple of Jain people all over Gujarat and India. It is known that the temple of Somnath is built by the Sompura cast living in Dhrangadhra.

References

External links

* http://www.naimisar.com/Dhrangadhra/
Shree Swaminarayan Sanskardham Gurukul, Dhrangadhra
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Surendranagar district 1735 establishments in India Populated places established in 1735 Saurashtra (region) Taluka of Surendranagar