Jagraon

Jagraon is a city and a municipal council, a rural police district and a sub-division of the Ludhiana district in the Indian state of Punjab. Jagraon is more than three centuries old. It has been thought 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 in the Hindi word ''Gaon''. Jagraon is at almost the geographical center of Punjab state, from the River Satluj. It is from its district headquarters Ludhiana, from Moga, from Nakodar and 54 miles from Barnala. Jagraon is known for its thriving rice mills. More than 100 rice mills are situated in Jagraon area.

History and religious significance

Jagraon is a religious centre for Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims as well as Jains. Jagraon 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 Sikhs. Gurdwara Mehdiana Sahib is known for its unique depiction of scenes from Sikh history, especially those of atrocities committed against Sikhs by various Mughal rulers, in the form of life-sized statues. There are also many famous Hindu temples including Bhadra Kali Mandi and Pracheen Shiv Mandir. Muslim places of worship include the famous khanqah and the mausoleum of Mohkam Din, where a three-day annual fair, Roshni da mela is held in the third week of February. Mohkam Din had two wives, one named Sara Bibi and the other Jeena Bibi. Sara Bibi is buried next to Mohkam Din and Jeena Bibi is buried about one half a miles away from Mohkam Din's Mazaar and is beautifully built. Thousands of people pay their respects to her when attending Hazrat Baba Mohkam Din's annual Urs Mubarik, which is known as Roshni da mela. Before 1947 CE there was a large Muslim presence in this area. Right next to the mazaar of Hazrat Baba Mohkam Din there is the maqbara of Syed Hameeray Shah Sahib who was the adopted son of Mohkam Din because he had no child from either wife. Syed Hameeray Shah Sahib was also his great khalifa, matabanna and mutawalli of the property related to Mohkam Din. Mohkam Din died in February 1913 CE. He was initiated by his saint Murshid Muhammad Amin Sahib Sirhindi who was a saint and wali of the Naqshbandi Order established in India by Ahmad Sirhindi Mujaddid Alif Thani. Maulvi Mazhar Hassan Wakeel was the sajjada nishin and mutawalli of the Mazar Sharif. In 1947 he migrated to Pakistan.

The Jain temple in Jagraon is considered one of the most holy places for Jains in the region. Earlier the temple had quite a peaceful ambiance and a good garden. However presently its proximity to the bus stand, police station and the bazaar has made it quite a congested place full of the noise of urban life. Nevertheless, it 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. This bazaar is very congested. Despite all the congestion stray cows can be found in the narrow lanes bringing the traffic to a halt.

Jagraon is also the home of Lala Lajpat Rai, a well-known figure in the Indian Independence movement, who greatly influenced 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 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."Major Charles Francis Massy, Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab, 1890, 1909 and 1940.Ludhiana Dist. Gazetteer 1888-89, 1904 and 1935(Administration and Statistical). Mahan Kosh by Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha p1037, p311. Encyclopaedia Of Sikhism by Prof Harbans Singh vol 11 p416. The Sikh Ref Book by Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer p 464, 196."

The brave and inspirational soldier Havildar Ishar Singh, who fought the "Battle of Saragarhi" in 1897 was also a native of Jagraon Tehsil. This magnificent soldier braved the 10,000 Afghans with his team of 21 Sikh sepoys. Akshay Kumar's movie "Kesari", an inspirational movie on the courage and sacrifice of Havildar Ishar Singh and his team of 21 Sikhs reminds us of this forgotten historical event and sacrifices made by these brilliant soldiers at the cost of whose lives we enjoy the present day freedom.

Geography and connectivity

Jagraon is located at . It has an average elevation of .

Jagraon is rather hot in the summers and cold in the winters. The smog owing to the burning of paddy straw after harvesting spoils the charm of the autumn season which is otherwise balmy. For this reason, the NRI population of the area visits it mainly during winters. For the same reasons marriages are solemnised in the cold weather.

The geographical center of the 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 to the south and Ludhiana city is east.

Jagraon is well connected by Rail and road to Ludhiana, Firozpur and rest of the country. It is located at the junction of National Highways No. 95 and 71. The nearest domestic and defence airports are: Halwara (), Sahnewal () and Adampur (). The nearest international ports are Guru Ram Das International Airport, Rajasansi (), Wagah Landport (Border with Pakistan) () and Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi ().

The construction of a four lane expressway on the National Highway 95 which connects the city to major cities like Ludhiana (), Chandigarh () in the east and Moga, Ferozepur in the west is stuck up now. It includes bypass flyovers over the cities falling on this stretch. This project was meant to give a boom to the real estate of the city as it is one of the nearest city to the Ludhiana Metro. This project which was intended to be completed by 2014 to reduce the 45 mins drive from Ludhiana to Jagraon to approximately 15-20 Mins is unfortunately in a state of Limbo at present. Several accidents occur due to the diversions caused by the construction work that is suspended since several months.

Demographics

As per the 2001 Indian census, 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.

1) Religion population

62% Sikh

25.40% Hindu

10.45% Muslims

2.15% Jains, Buddhists and other

2) Language

93% Punjabi

6.30% Hindi

0.70% other languages

Legislative, executive and judicial set-up

The city is a sub-division of the Ludhiana District which has five sub-divisions including the Jagraon. It is represented in the State legislative Assembly by the elected Member of Legislative assembly as a constituency No.71 and the current MLA is Mrs. Saravjit Kaur Manuke (AAP) Further the city is divided into a local body known as Municipal Council which constitutes 16 wards division and the elected councillors of the wards elect and appoint the President of the council. Mr Raj Kumar Malhotra and Baldev Dhir are former presidents of council. The areas falling out of the Municipal limits are politically administered by the Panchayats and there are roughly 80 villages under its jurisdiction.

The executive structure is headed by the District Commissioner at the district level and pyramids to Sub-Divisional Magistrate as the highest officer of administration at the Sub-division level and further declines to Executive officer at Municipal Council, Tehsildars and patwaris at revenue department to Block Development Officers at the village level.

The police chief of the city is ranked as the SSP(Senior Superintendent of Police) to Deputy Superintendents, Station House Officers, Assistant Sub Inspector, Constable and Home Guards. The whole sub-division is divided into different police areas.

The city has its own court complex which has been recently reconstructed and hails world class structure and facilities. The Jagraon courts Complex is headed by the Civil Judge and the criminal cases or the high value cases are referred to the Ludhiana District and Sessions court which is also the appellate court of the Jagraon.

Industry

The Jagraon is the third largest grain collection market of Asia after Khanna and Rajpura. 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.

In recent times, the city has witnessed industrial units coming up in the area including the Mumbai-based corporate pharmaceutical company Wockhardt Limited, Ludhiana-based soap company Chhokra Soap, an edible oil refinery and a factory of the Adani Group adjoining to the city's jurisdiction.

Due to industrialization, vicinity to the largest metro of the state, agriculture and animal husbandry hub, centrally located in Punjab and good connectivity through rail, road and air, the city is witnessing a boom in the real estate factor with sonic development in the residential and commercial area. However, in 2012 the city also witnessed the unauthorized residential colonies which were declared illegal by the state authorities.

The Jagraon industry also includes clay brick factories, interlocking tile factories, agriculture tool manufacturers, cattle feed factories, gold and diamond ornaments manufacturing, commodities trading and electric equipment factories.

See also

* Chakar
* Ghalab
* Ludhiana
* Mullanpur Dakha
* Sujapur village
* S. Govt. College of Science Education and Research

References

External links

To Know More about Jagraon

{{Ludhiana district

Cities and towns in Ludhiana district