Surendranagar is an administrative district in Saurashtra region of Gujarat state in India. It has a population of approximately 1.7 million people.

Surendranagar city Surendranagar Dudhrej is a municipality in Surendranagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Dudhrej municipality is directly connected with Wadhwan city and Wadhwan municipality. Etymology Dudhrej was originally a nes (hamlet) settled ...

, along with the twin city of Wadhwan, has a total of 400,000 inhabitants, and is known as "Camp".

Economy

In the past, Surendranagar was used by colonialists as a

hill station A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia (particularly in India), but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by European colonialists as refuges ...

, because of its dry environment that was beneficial for some physical as well as mental ailments. Surendranagar's dry air is still believed to be the best place in Gujarat to cure tuberculosis patients. District capital Surendranagar, which lies under Municipality body is suffering from poor condition of roads and the two

Causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...

s which join both the sides of city divided by

Bhogavo River Bhogavo River is a river in Gujarat, India. It is a major right tributary of the Sabarmati River. The city of Surendranagar is on the banks of the Bhogavo. Dholidhaja Dam is located on the river. The film Guide's climax was shot in the town of ...

. Municipality body of city is considered to be a candidate for status of Municipal Corporation for a long time but due to some political reasons it never happen. It has the second highest number of educational institutes per capita. Many newspapers are published from Surendranagar in Gujarat.

Businesses

Many

small and medium enterprises Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are businesses whose personnel and revenue numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation "SME" is used by international organizations such as the World Bank ...

and industries are present, including

confectionery Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories ...

, ceramics,

pharmaceuticals A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and rel ...

, engineering plastics, bearings and spindles, and salt production. Wadhwan City is a major trade and processing centre for agricultural products, cotton, salt, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and plastics, textile bearings, ceramics, and sanitary ware.

Natural resources

Nearly 25 percent of India's salt supply comes from mining in the Surendranagar area. There are miles of ''Agar'' ( Salt pans), especially in the Kharaghoda area. High-quality salt is produced in Zinzuwada, a desert area.

Textiles

Surendranagar is a hub of cotton and ginning activities in India, with a large number of ginning and pressing units. It is one of the largest producers of quality ''Shankar'' cotton in world. The Surendranagar Cotton Oil and Oilseeds Association Ltd.,( Government of India recognised) is a world-famous futures trading exchange for cotton. It was established in 1964 and is the first Cotton Future Trading Exchange in India. Surendranagar City is also home to a big textile and clothing market, specialising in saris. Large clothing showrooms are located in the city on Jawahar Road and Vithal Press Road.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Surendranagar district has a population of 1,756,268, with 909,917 males and 846,351 females roughly equal to the nation of The Gambia or the US state of Nebraska. This gives it a ranking of 274th in India (out of a total of

640 Year 640 (Roman numerals, DCXL) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 640 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar er ...

). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 15.89%. Surendranagar has a sex ratio of 929 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 73.19%. The divided district has a population of 1,585,268. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are 168,183 and 21,151 which is 10.61% and 1.33% of the population respectively. Hindus are 1,455,009 while Muslims are 104,495 and Jains 22,679. Caste wise residents include Brahmin, Rajput,

Patels The Patel is an Indian surname or title, predominantly found in the state of Gujarat representing the community of land-owning farmers and later (with the British East India Company) businessmen, agriculturalists and merchants. Traditionally th ...

, kolis,

Vankar Weaving and cloth trading communities of Western India particularly of Gujarat are called Vankar/Wankar/Vaniya. The four major woven fabrics produced by these communities are cotton, silk, khadi and linen. Today majority of these community membe ...

as well as significant numbers of

Bharvad The Bharwad, also known as gadaria, are a Hindu caste found in the state of Gujarat in India, primarily engaged in herding livestock. History The Bharwads claim they are the descendants of (Hinduism). According to Sudipta Mitra, historians be ...

, Rabari, Luhar

Suthar in sanskrit according to legend, are the carpenters descended from Maya son of Vishwakarma. Sutradhar, also known as Sutar or Suthar is a Hindu caste within the Vishwakarma community of India. Their traditional occupation is carpentry. The gr ...

, Kansara, Mochi and

Sathwara The Satvara are a Hindu caste found in the state of Gujarat in India. History There are several traditions as to the origin of the Satvara community. According to one such tradition, they are descended from a Rajput who took a Kurmi wife and then ...

. At the time of the

2011 Census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...

, 98.77% of the population in the district spoke Gujarati as their first language. Main Jain Temple, which is in the heart of the city, of Sri Vasupujyaswami Bhahvan is more than 100 years old.

Politics

Culture

Raj-Rajeshwari Temple, on National Highway Number 8 near Limbdi, is a large area of residences, hospitals, and schools. The temple features an exhibition of yoga performed by ''Rishiji''. This temple has temples to three major gods— Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh—inside. It is the only such temple in Gujarat. The temple is noted for its architecture. ''(lack of info. Cannot find it via googlemap)'' Trimandir - A very big temple known as the ‘Trimandir’ by Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan houses Lord Simandhar Swami, Shiv Swaroop, Krishna Bhagwan, other celestial deities. The famous kund known as "Gangavo" is located in Dedadara village. It was built in the 11th century.

Legends

Ranakadevi

According to legend, during the siege of Junagadh, Jayasimha Siddharaja fell in love with the queen of Khengara, Ranakdevi. He attacked Junagadh and killed Ra'Khengar to claim the fort and the queen, but she refused and fled. She escaped from the city towards the River Bhogaavo. After a long chase, she gave up and instead of becoming the queen of Junagadh she sacrificed her life by forming sati on the banks of Bhogavo River, near the city of Wadhwan. However, before she died she cursed that the river would not flow beyond that spot. There is a temple in honour of Ranakdevi on the banks of the river.

Notable people

Anil Chavda Anil or Anıl may refer to: People * Anil (given name), an Indian given name (including a list of persons with the name) * Anıl (given name), a Turkish given name (including a list of persons with the name) * Anil (director), active in the Mala ...

a Gujarati poet, was born here. * Dalpatram (1820-1898) a Gujarati language poet was born in Wadhwan city of Surendranagar district. * Jhaverchand Meghani (1896–1947) poet, litterateur, social reformer and freedom fighter. Born in

Chotila Chotila is a Hindu temple town and Taluka headquarters of Chotila Taluka, Surendranagar district, located near Rajkot, Gujarat, India. Nearby railway stations included Than & Rajkot. The distance from the Than junction to Chotila is 21 ...

. *

Shahabuddin Rathod Shahabuddin Rathod is a Gujarati people, Gujarati scholar, teacher and humorist. He was awarded Padma Shri in the field of literature and education in 2020. Life Shahabuddin Rathod was born on 8 December 1937 at Thangadh (now in Surendrana ...

a Gujarati comedian, hails from this district. *

Vipul K. Rawal Vipul K Rawal is an Indian scriptwriter, film maker, and author. Rawal's most recent film was '' Rustom'' starring Akshay Kumar for which Akshay Kumar won the National Award for the best actor. Rawal also wrote the episodic television series '' ...

a Hindi film writer was born in Surendranagar. *

Sukhlal Sanghvi Sukhlal Sanghvi (8 December 1880 – 2 March 1978), also known as Pandit Sukhlalji, was a Jain scholar and philosopher. He belonged to the Sthanakvasi sect of Jainism. Preface p. vi Pandit Sukhlal lost his eyesight at the age of sixteen on acco ...

(1880–1978) Jain scholar and philosopher. Born in Limbdi. p. 4215

References

External links

Official website

Surendranagar Collectorate
{{DEFAULTSORT:Surendranagar District Districts of Gujarat