Rupnagar (; formerly known as Ropar is a city and a municipal council in Rupnagar district in the Indian state of Punjab. Rupnagar is a newly created fifth Divisional Headquarters of Punjab comprising Rupnagar, Mohali, and its adjoining districts. It is also one of the bigger sites belonging to the

Indus Valley civilization The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900&n ...

. Rupnagar is nearly to the northwest of Chandigarh (the nearest airport and the capital of Punjab). It is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the north and Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar district (formerly known as Nawanshahr district) to its west. There are many historical and religious places in Rupnagar, including gurdwaras such as Gurudwara Bhhatha Sahib, Gurdwara Bhubour Sahib,Gurdwara Solkhian and Gurudwara Tibbi Sahib.

History

Etymology

The ancient town of Rupnagar is said to have been named by a Raja called Rokeshar, who ruled during the 11th century and named it after his son Rup Sen.

Indus Valley civilization

Rupnagar is one of the Indus Valley sites along the

Ghaggar-Hakra The Ghaggar-Hakra River is an intermittent river in India and Pakistan that flows only during the monsoon season. The river is known as Ghaggar in India, before the Ottu barrage, and as the Hakra in Pakistan, downstream of the barrage, ending i ...

beds. There is an Archaeological Museum in the city which was opened in the year 1998 for general public. The museum exhibits the archaeological remains of excavated site in the city, the first Harappan site of Independent India. These excavations reveal a cultural sequence from Harappan to medieval times. Some of the important exhibits include antiquities of Harappan times, gold coins of Chandragupta and copper and bronze implements.

Historical Background

S. Hari Singh Rais of Sialba conquered Ropar in 1763 A.D. and established his state . S. Hari Singh son Charat Singh made Ropar capital of the state. S. Hari Singh Rais of Sialba conquered Ropar in 1763 A.D. and established his state. His son Charat Singh made Ropar capital of the state.

Geography

Rupnagar is located at . It has an average elevation of . The town lies on the bank of

Satluj River The Sutlej or Satluj River () is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroads region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. The Sutlej River is also known as ''Satadru''. It is the easternmost tributary of the In ...

and the Shivalik hill range spreads along the opposite bank of the river.

Climate

The climate of Rupnagar is characterized by general dryness (except in the south west monsoon season), a hot summer and a cold winter. The year may be divided into four seasons. The period from about middle of November to February is the cold season. This is followed by the summer season from March to about the end of June. The south-west monsoon season commences late in June and continues up to about middle of September. The period from mid September to the middle of November constitutes the post-monsoon or transition season. The temperature ranges from a minimum of in winter to in summer. May and June are generally the hottest months and December and January are the coldest months. Relative

humid Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depen ...

ity is high, averaging about 70% during monsoon. The average annual rainfall in the district is 1030mm. About 78% of the annual rainfall is received during June through September.

Rupnagar wetland

The city has one of the three important wetlands of the Punjab State known as Rupnagar Wetland or Ropar Wetland.It was declared as a

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

Sutlej River The Sutlej or Satluj River () is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroads region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. The Sutlej River is also known as ''Satadru''. It is the easternmost tributary of the Ind ...

. The area has a large number of birds, mammals and vegetation. It has at least 9

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

ian, 154 bird, 35 fish, 9 arthropod, 11

rotifer The rotifers (, from the Latin , "wheel", and , "bearing"), commonly called wheel animals or wheel animalcules, make up a phylum (Rotifera ) of microscopic and near-microscopic pseudocoelomate animals. They were first described by Rev. John H ...

and 10

protozoa Protozoa (singular: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic tissues and debris. Histo ...

n species. This important ecological zone is located in the Shivalik foothills of the Lower Himalayas and was created in 1952 on the Sutlej River, in the Punjab state of India, by building a head regulator. The total area of the wetland is . The wetland is surrounded by Shivalik hills to the northwest and by plains to the south and southeast.

Transport

Rail

Rupnagar railway station Rupnagar railway station is a railway station in Rupnagar district, Punjab, India, Punjab. Its code is RPAR. It is fall under Northern Railway zone's Ambala railway division. It serves Rupnagar city. The station consists of 1 platform. Propo ...

falls in the Northern Railway zone of the Indian Railways. It is connected to Chandigarh by a single line railway track. It is also connected to

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...

via Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Morinda,

Una (HP) Una and UNA may refer to: Places * 160 Una, the asteroid "Una", an asteroid named after the Faerie Queene character * Una River (disambiguation), numerous rivers * Una, Himachal Pradesh, a town in India ** Una, Himachal Pradesh Assembly constitue ...

and Nangal Dam.

Road

Rupnagar city has a road network to surrounding village and towns in district as well as to major cities including Una, Baddi, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Chandigarh and Delhi. Rupnagar is connected by the

National Highway National highway or National Highway may refer to: * National Highways (England) * National Highway (Australia) * List of National Roads in Belgium * Brunei National Roads System * National Highway System (Canada) * Trans-Ca ...

system to the following nearby cities, by the following highway routes: * NH205-IN

NH 205 that connects Chandigarh, Kurali to Kiratpur Sahib, Himachal Pradesh via Rupnagar * NH103A-IN

NH 103A connects Hoshiarpur to Rupnagar. * NH344A-IN

NH 344A links Rupnagar to Phagwara, Jalandhar via

Nawanshahr Nawanshahr is a municipal council in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district in the Indian state of Punjab. It was previously a town that became a district in 1995. History Nawanshahr was founded by migrants from Rahon, a city located near the S ...

, Balachaur and

Banga Banga may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Banga'' (album), a 2012 album by Patti Smith * A song by Ali Shaheed Muhammad from the 2004 album '' Shaheedullah and Stereotypes'' * The name of Pontius Pilate's dog in Mikhail Bulgakov's novel ' ...

via NH103A at Balachaur.

Demographics

As per 2011 India census, Rupnagar had a population of 56,038. Males constitute 52.8% of the population and females 47.2%. Rupnagar has an average literacy rate of 82.19%, higher than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 87.50%, and female literacy is 76.42%.

Companies

* Ranbaxy Laboratories * Smart IT Ventures Private Limited * The Australian Academy

Education

Schools

Rupnagar has public as well as private schools which are affiliated to either Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) and follow the 10+2 plan of education.

Higher education

Rupnagar houses the Indian Institute of Technology Ropar which is spread over 525 acres in the banks of Satulj, the

Institute of Engineering and Technology, Bhaddal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Bhaddal is a private college located in Rupnagar district, Rupnagar, the newly created divisional headquarter of the state of Punjab, with academic and student facilities in an integrated technical campu ...

, and Government College, Ropar (affiliated to Punjabi University, Patiala).

Notable people

Himanshi Khurana Himanshi Khurana (born 27 November 1991) is an Indian model, actress and singer who works in Punjabi films. She appeared in the Punjabi movie ''Sadda Haq''. In 2019, she participated in the reality show ''Bigg Boss 13'' as a contestant. Ear ...

, Indian model * Rattan Chand, Senior bureaucrat for the Government of India *

Manpreet Gony Manpreet Singh Gony (born 4 January 1984) is an Indian cricketer. He is a Fast bowling, right-arm medium pace bowler and right-hand middle order batsman. In June 2019, Gony announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, except for short-fo ...

, Indian Cricketer *

Kanshi Ram Kanshi Ram (15 March 1934 – 9 October 2006), also known as Bahujan Nayak or Manyavar or Saheb, was an Indian politician and social reformer who worked for the upliftment and political mobilisation of the Bahujans, the backward or lower caste ...

, Indian politician *

Surjit Bindrakhia Surjit Bindrakhia (born Surjit Bains; 15 April 1962 – 17 November 2003) was a singer from Punjab, India. He was known for his unique voice and hekh, in which he sings a note continuously in one breath. His biggest hits include ''Meri Nath Dig ...

, Punjabi singer *

Rana K. P. Singh Rana Kanwar Pal Singh (born 16 October 1957) was an Indian politician from INC and a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly. He was the Speaker of Punjab Legislative Assembly from 2017-2022. Early life and education Early life Singh ...

, Indian politician

References

External links

*
Govt. Website on Rupnagar

Rupnagar BSNL telephone directory search

Archaeological Museum in Rupnagar (Archaeological Survey of India)

Location of Ropar in IVC map

{{Authority control Rupnagar, Archaeological sites in Punjab, India Cities and towns in Rupnagar district Indus Valley civilisation sites