Ganganagar

Ganganagar District is a northernmost district of Rajasthan state in western India. It is also the 'breadbasket of Rajasthan'. Sri Ganganagar (SGNR) is a planned city and the northern-most city of the Indian state of Rajasthan, near the borders of Rajasthan and Punjab states and the international border of India and Pakistan. It is the administrative headquarters of Sri Ganganagar district. It is named after Maharaja Shri Ganga Singh Bahadur, Maharaja of Bikaner. It is known as "the food basket of Rajasthan".

History: Ganganagar was established by Maharaja Ganga Singh, near Ramanagar which was named Rami Ki Dhani after Ram Singh Saharan and now known as 'Purani Abadi' and 'Old Abadi'. Sri Ganganagar is one of the first well-planned modern cities of India; it is said to be influenced by the town planning of Paris. It is divided into residential blocks and a commercial area which includes Dhan Mandi (Agricultural Marketplace).

It is at the point where the Sutlej waters enter Rajasthan or the erstwhile Bikaner State. It is said by the elders that this area first came under the erstwhile Bahawalpur state. But, due to the large open area, this was unguarded and Hindu Mal (a companion of Maharaja Ganga Singh) took advantage of this opportunity and changed the boundaries or the posts along the boundary. He started his journey to change posts from Suratgarh in south till Hindumalkot city in north of this district. 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 permanently, Maharaja Ganga Singh obtained the services of AWE Standley, chief engineer, who demonstrated the feasibility of the western area of the Bikaner State being brought under irrigation from the Sutlej waters. The plan of the Sutlej Valley Project was drawn by the chief engineer of Punjab, RG Kennedy, according to which the vast area of erstwhile Bikaner State could be brought under irrigation. However, the project got delayed due to objections by the erstwhile State of Bahawalpur.

With the intervention of then Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, in 1906, a Tripartite Conference was held and an agreement was reached and signed 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 by Lord Irwin, the 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 and later sub-divided into Hanumangarh district in 1994.

Tourist Attractions: The northern most city of the Indian state of Rajasthan, Ganganagar is an amazing mix of a quintessential desert and a well-irrigated green land. Although situated in the Thar region of Rajasthan, the city has managed to bloom itself as a green land. Irrigation via the effective canal system has changed the flora of the region. This was made possible by the Maharaja Ganga Singh, thereby making Ganganagar the food basket of Rajasthan. On a trip to Ganganagar, tourists can visit prominent sites like the historic city of Kalibangan, Bror village, Anooph fort, Laila-Majnu ki Mazar (tomb) and Gurudwara Buddha Johad.

AnoopgarhFort: The fort of Anoopgarh was built under the year of 1689. Mughal governor help to suprres to Bhati rajputs.  Who were rebilling. The old name of Anupgarh was chugher(old name). In the year of 2001 Anoopgarh population was 29,548. The average literacy rate is 61.2% higher than nation average literacy rate 59.5%, Most of Public is Speaking Hindi, Punjabi and Rajasthani language. Town is surrounded by agriculture and this is a market town for grain. This fort is an attraction of Anoopgarh. People like to visit this place this is an historical and attractive place of Sri Ganganagar District. Anoopgarh city is located in the southern part of Sri Ganganagar District. From northern side it is bordered by Raisinghnagar Tehsil, east by Vijaynagar Tehsil, South by Gharsana and west border touches to Pakistan’s District Bhwalnagar of Punjab.  This fort is very old and now this is a place of attraction and remembrance of history.


The Hindumalkot: The Hindumalkot border situated in the town of Sri Ganganagar separates India and Pakistan. Named in honour of Hindumal, the Diwan of Bikaner, the border is one of the foremost tourist attractions of the city. The border is located at a distance of 25 kms from Sri Ganganagar and is open to the public between 10.00 am and 5.30 am every day.




Padampur: Padampur a city in Ganganagar was named after Rajkumar Padam Singh of the Bikaner State royal family. It functions as an agricultural hub following the construction of the Ganges Canal. The main crops grown here are wheat bajra, sugar cane, grams, and in the recent years, Padampur has gained recognition for the know (a hybrid of an orange).


Bror Village: Located on the Anoopgarh-Ramsinghpur road, Bror village is famed for the remnants of the Indus Valley Civilisation being unearthed here. Several artifacts, skeletal remains and buildings have been found in the vicinity of the village and they point to a period of time when the area was thriving with life.



Gurudwara Sri BudhaJohad Shahab: This historical Gurudwara was built to commemorate an important event when Massa Ranghar, guilty of sacrilege at Amritsar’s Golden Temple was brought to justice by Sukha Singh and Mehtab Singh back in 1740. Located by the Dabla village in Ganganagar, this place of worship also houses historical paintings and monuments.

Gurdwara Shaheed Nagar Budha Johad is a wonderful shrine located about 50 KM from Ganganagar. This is where Bhai Sukha and Mehtab Singh brought Massa Rangarh's head and hung it on a jandd da darakhat (translation needed). The Jandd where Massa ranger’s head was hanging is now enclosed in a glass case. That Jandd stood for few hundred years and fell around 2000. They had stopped here where they saw the water body (Johad).

Laila Majnu Ki Mazar: The mazar or tomb of Laila-Majnu is situated at Binjaur village around 11kms away from Anupgarh city. Legend has it that the tomb belongs to fabled lovers Laila and Majnu. The story goes that Laila and Majnu belonged to the Sindh and settled here after escaping the clutches of Laila's parents and her brother who were against their courtship. Eventually when Laila and Majnu died, they are believed to have been buried here together. The tomb has today become a symbol of eternal love and people come here from far and wide to seek the blessings of the pair. A fair is held here every year to commemorate the love of Laila and Majnu and it is attended primarily by newlyweds and couples. Laila Majnu ki Mazar is a tribute to the legendary lovers, Laila and Majnu. It is believed that the lovers fled from Sindh to Sri-Ganganagar District. They died in this district and a Mazar was established in their memory. A popular two day fair is held here in June, which is attended especially by lovers and newlyweds.

Suratgarh Super Thermal Power Station: The Suratgarh Super Critical Thermal Power Station is an electricity production project that is maintained by the Rajasthan Rajya Vidhyut Utpadan Nigam Limited. It is Rajasthan’s foremost super thermal power station. This station has been successful in controlling pollution and maintaining balance of atmospheric emissions in the environment. The Union Ministry of Power has awarded this power station with the Golden Shield Award.

Suratgarh Super Thermal Power Station,a great electricity production project. This generating station operated and maintained by Rajasthan Rajya Vidhyt Utpadan Nigam Limited is renewed in the country for their outstanding performance. Suratgarh TPS - "The Pride of Rajasthan", is recognized amongst the best-efficient and reputed power station in the country. Suratgarh Thermal Power Station is the First Super Thermal Power Station of Rajastahjn with a total planned installed capacity of 1500MW.Presently the operational installed capacity of STPS is 1250(5x250)and one more unit of 250MW is slated for commissioning in March 2009.

Gauri Shankar Temple: The Gauri Shankar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. There is a Shivalinga in the sanctum of this temple. This temple is built using sandstone and has two cone shaped turrets. The inner sanctum contains an impressive statue of the Lord himself.

Indira Gandhi Canal: Indira Gandhi Nahar Project (IGNP) is one of the most gigantic projects in the world aiming to dedesertify and transform desert waste land into agriculturally productive area. The project objectives include drought proofing, providing drinking water, improvement of environment, afforestation, employment, rehabilitation, development and projection of animal wealth and increasing agricultural produce. The project construction commenced in the year 1958. Though the project is only partially complete it has shown remarkable success. Indira Gandhi Nahar Project was designed to utilise 9,367 Mm3/yr of the total 10,608 Mm3/yr allocated to Rajasthan from the surplus waters of the Ravi and Beas rivers.


Sri Jagdamba Andh Vidhyalaya Samiti: Sri Jagdamba Andh Vidhyaleedaya Samiti for the Blind was started with the vision of one person, Swami Brahm Dev. It is situated at the international border of India and Pakistan with various activities for persons with disabilities. The Society has Schools and Hostels for Blind and Deaf boys and girls, vocational training center, computerized Braille press, Teacher training center for teachers of the visually impaired and a 100 bed charitable eye hospital. It is also a proud recipient of the "National Award" for 1996 by the Ministry of Welfare, India.


Ram Temple: This temple is dedicated to Lord Rama and is similarly Coloured, with one gigantic turret pointing up in the air, seemingly trying to reach the heavens. However, the most striking monument in Ganganagar is a huge alabaster white statue of Hanuman (the monkey god in the Hindu epic Ramayana) which is situated right in the middle of the town square. Hanuman is standing holding his traditional yellow mace in his hand, perched on top of a globe which has Bharat (India) inscribed on it. Patriotism is obviously the in thing in Ganganagar.





Fair & Festival: The people of Ganganagar have great attraction for fairs and festivals. The chief festivals of the district include Sheetla Ashtami, Navratra, Ram Navmi, Gangaur, Akha Teej, Raksha Bandhan, Dussehra, Deepawali, Holi, Makar Sankranti, Janmashtami, and Ganesh Chaturthi. Apart from these, the birth anniversaries of Guru Nanak Dev and Guru Gobind Singh, and the Mohammedan festivals like Ramzan, Id-ul-Fitar and Id-ul-Juha are also observed with great enthusiasm. Besides, Mahaveer Jayanti, Paryushan parvas, Lohri and  Baisakhi are also celebrated with great fanfare.


Gogamedi Fair:  Gogamedi Fair is an annual fair for selling village crop, livestock, and handicrafts, which is held in the Ganganagar district of Rajasthan. There are also various singing and dancing events that are held in this fair. Moreover, this occasion is also considered an ideal time to arrange matches for eligible girls and boys. Gogamedi Fair is actually held in the commemoration of a regional hero known as Goga Veer (among Hindus) and Jahr Peer (among Muslims). Goga was a popular snake god, commonly known as Gogaji. Every village in Rajasthan has a temple in his tribute. The villagers believe that a snake bite can be treated by chanting his name.



Gangaur Festival: Gangaur is very colourful and one of the most important festivals of the Rajasthan and is observed throughout the state including Sriganganagar district with great fervour and devotion by womenfolk who worship Goddess Gauri, the consort of Lord Shiva during March–April. It symbolizes the cultural, social, and religious heritage of the area. It is the celebration of spring, harvest and marital fidelity. Gana is a synonym for Lord Shiva and Gaur, which stands for Gauri or Parvatii, symbolizes saubhagya (marital bliss). The unmarried women worship her for being blessed with a good husband, while married women do so for the welfare, health and long life of their husbands and for a happy married life. The festival commences on the first day of Chaitra, the day following Holi and continues for 16 days. For a newly-wedded girl, it is binding to observe the full course of 18 days of the festival that succeeds her marriage. Even unmarried girls observe fast for the full period of the 18 days and eat only one meal a day.


How to reach:
By Air: - The nearest International Airport is Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport, Amritsar, roughly four and a half hour drive from Sri Ganganagar. It is well connected to a spectrum of cities like Delhi, Srinagar, Surat and Mumbai via Air Mantra, IndiGo, Go Air, Air India and Spice Jet airlines etc.


By Rail:-  Ganganagar has its own Railway Station named as Ganganagar Railway Station which is connected to all the major cities of Rajasthan and other cities like Chandigarh, Delhi, Jaipur, Kanpur and Indore.


By Road:-  Ganganagar is very well connected to various major cities by road. It is 23 Kms from Ganeshgarh, 43 Kms from Padampur, 58 Kms from Hanumangarh, 142 Kms from Sirsa, 160 Kms from Ferozepur, 244 Kms from Hisar, 412 Kms from Delhi, 467 Kms from Jaipur and 500 Kms from Jodhpur through Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) and some private bus operators.

                                                                                                    Have A Nice Day

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