Sri Ganganagar

Sri Ganganagaris the northernmost city of theIndianstateofRajasthan, near theinternational borderof India and Pakistan. It is the administrative headquarters ofSri Ganganagar district. It is named after Maharaja ShriGanga Singh Bahadur, Maharaja ofBikaner.The city is also known as the "Food Basket of Rajasthan".
Sri Ganganagar was established by Maharaja Ganga Singh. It was part of Bikaner princely state.Sri Ganganagar is one of the first well-planned modern cities of India, it is said to be influenced by the town planning ofParis. It is divided into residential blocks and a commercial area which includes a Dhan Mandi (agricultural marketplace).
It is at the point where theSutlejwaters enter Rajasthan, and where it entered the erstwhileBikaner State. It is said by the that this area first came under the jurisdiction ofBahawalpur state. But due to the large open area, the area was unguarded, and Hindu Mal (a companion of Maharaja Ganga Singh) took advantage of this opportunity and moved the posts along the boundary. He started his journey to change posts fromSuratgarhin the south, and went until what is now Hindumalkot in the north. He informed the Maharaja about his successful invasion of the area when he reached the northern part and thereafter died, giving name to the city Hindumalkot.
In 1899–1900, the Bikaner State was affected by a severe famine. To resolve this issue, Maharaja Ganga Singh obtained the services of AWE Standley, an engineer, who demonstrated the feasibility of the western area of the Bikaner State being irrigated by the waters of theSutlej. The plan of the Sutlej Valley Project was drawn by the chief engineer of Punjab, RG Kennedy, according to which the vast area of erstwhileBikaner Statecould be brought under irrigation. However, the project was delayed due to objections by the state of Bahawalpur.
With the intervention of the Viceroy of India,Lord Curzonin 1906, a Tripartite Conference was held and an agreement was reached on 4 September 1920. The foundation stone of the Canal Head Works at Ferozepur was laid on 5 December 1925 and the work completed in 1927 by constructing 143 km (89 mi) of lined canal. The opening ceremony was performed on 26 October 1927 byLord Irwin, then Viceroy of India.
The plan for the city of Sri Ganganagar was drawn at this time. Irrigated parts of Bikaner State were brought under Sri Ganganagar district. Part of the district was later split off to formHanumangarh districtin 1994. Another part was split off to formAnupgarh districtin 2023.
Sri Ganganagar District is between latitudes 28.4 and 30.6 and longitudes 72.2 and 75.3The total area of Sri Ganganagar is 11,154.66 km(1,115,466 ha; 4,306.84 sq mi). It is surrounded on the east byHanumangarh district, (formerly part of Sri Ganganagar district) on the south west byAnupgarh district, (formerly part of Sri Ganganagar district) on the south byBikaner District, on the west byBahawalnagardistrict of thePakistani Punjab, and on the north byFazilka districtofIndian Punjab.
Indira Gandhi Canal, the largest canal in India, is located in Sri Ganganagar district.
Although Sri Ganganagar district lies in theThar Desert, irrigation via the Indira Gandhi andGangaCanals has changed the flora and fauna. The district can be classified into five geographical regions:
According to the2011 censusSri Ganganagar city and outgrowths had a population of 237,780.Ganganagar had asex ratioof 859 females for every 1000 males. Males constitute 53.8% of the population and females 46.2%. Ganganagar had an effectiveliteracy rateof 74.25%: male literacy is 88.03%, and female literacy is 76.23%. In Ganganagar, 19.6% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Majority of the population isHindu, followed bySikhandMuslim.
HindiandEnglishserve as official languages of the city.Punjabi, Hindi,RajasthaniandBagriare the most commonly spoken languages.
Desert land was converted to a green town by the efforts of Maharaja Ganga Singh, who brought the Ganga Canal. It carries the excess waters of Punjab andHimachal Pradeshto the region, making Ganganagar a district known as the "food basket of Rajasthan".
The economy of the city is based on agriculture; its main crops are wheat, mustard and cotton. Other crops are guar, bajra, sugar cane and grams. In recent years, farmers are diverting towards horticulture.Kinnow(a citrus family fruit or a hybrid citrus fruit) is a popular horticultural product; other fruits of the citrus family are also grown. The city also have the largest carrot market of Rajasthan.
Industries in Sri Ganganagar District are based on agriculture. Major industries arecotton ginningand pressing factories, mustard oil mills, wheat flour mills, Rajasthan State Ganganagar Sugar Mills(known for its Royal Heritage Liqueurs),20 top renowned industries are Vikas WSP (P) Limited, T.C. Fresh Kinnow Waxing, Kanda Edible Oil Unit, Ruchi Soya Industries etc. It has cotton spinning and textile factories such as JCT Mills (now closed). Most of the factories are in and around Sri Ganganagar City.
Bagri culture dominates the district, while Punjabi culture has influence in some areas.
The embroidered odhni (mostly red) is a symbol of Bagri women. Kurto (a long shirt), Ghaghro/Ghagariyo (long frock-type clothes), Borlo/Boryo (a head ornament), and Odhni/Odhaniyo are the traditional dress of Bagri women, though the younger generation has adopted Salwar Kameez or western clothing.
Thepurdah(or veil) is mainly in vogue among Bagri women. Men mainly wear a pant-shirt, kurta-payjama and dhoti.
Traditional and Pop Punjabi music and Rajasthani devotional music is popular. Bollywood songs are listened to with the same enthusiasm as in other northern Indian regions.
The landscape of Sri Ganganagar is dotted with temples and religious places. The famous temples in Sri Ganganagar include
Sri Ganganagar is well connected with road and is linked directly to Delhi, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Sikar, Karnal, Haridwar, Bathinda, Ambala, Jodhpur and many other cities. National Highway 62 passes through Sri Ganganagar. Auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are majorly used for local transport in Sri Ganganagar.
Sri Ganganagar Junction railway stationis a main railway station inSri Ganganagar District. The city is directly connected toDelhi,Jaipur,Kota,Bikaner,Haridwar,Hanumangarh,Jodhpur,Ambala,Sikar,Bathinda,Firozpur,Fazilka,Howrah,Trivandrum,Nanded,Ahmedabad,Pune,Roorkee,Kanpur,Bangaloreand some other cities via train.
Lalgarh Airportis a main airport in Sri Ganganagar District.