Hoshiarpur district

Hoshiarpur District ( _pa. ਹੁਸ਼ਿਆਰਪੁਰ ਜਿਲ੍ਹਾ) is a district of Punjab state in northern India.The district has an area of 3,365 km² and a population of 14,78,045 (2001 census); Hoshiarpur is the district capital. The district is bounded by Kapurthala, Jalandhar and Gurdaspur districts of Punjab state and Kangra and Una districts of Himachal Pradesh state.

Overview

It falls into two nearly equal portions of hill and plain country. Its eastern face consists of the westward slope of the Solar Singhi Hills; parallel with that ridge, a line of lower heights belonging to the Siwalik Range traverses the district from south to north, while between the two chains stretches a valley of uneven width, known as the Jaswan Dun. Its upper portion is crossed by the Sohan torrent, while the Sutlej sweeps into its lower end through a break in the hills, and flows in a southerly direction until it turns the flank of the central range, and debouches westwards upon the plains. This western plain consists of alluvial formation, with a general westerly slope owing to the deposit of silt from the mountain torrents in the sub-montane tract. The Beas has a fringe of lowland, open to moderate but not excessive inundations, and considered very fertile. A considerable area is covered by government woodlands, under the care of the forest department. Rice is largely grown, in the marshy flats along the banks of the Beas. Several religious fairs are held, at Anandpur Sahib, Mukerian and Chintpurni, all of which attract an enormous concourse of people. The district, owing to its proximity to the hills, possesses a comparatively cool and humid climate. Cotton fabrics are manufactured, and sugar, rice and other grains, tobacco and indigo are among the exports.Hoshiarpur is also known as a City of Saints. There are many Deras in this district. The District Govt. College was once a campus for Punjab University.

History

The country around Hoshiarpur formed part of the old kingdom of Katoch in Jullundur. The state was eventually broken up, and the present district was divided between the, rajas of Datarpur and Jaswan. They retained undisturbed possession of their territories until 1759, when the rising Sikh chieftains commenced a series of encroachments upon the hill tracts. In 1815 Maharaja Ranjit Singh, forced the ruler of Jaswan to resign his territories in exchange for an estate on feudal tenure; three years later the raja of Datarpur met with similar treatment. By the close of the year 1818 the whole country from the Sutlej to the Beas had come under the government of Lahore, and after the First Anglo-Sikh War in 1846 passed to the British government. The deposed rajas of Datarpur and Jaswan received cash pensions from the new rulers, but expressed bitter disappointment at not being restored to their former sovereign position. Accordingly the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Sikh War, in 1848 found the disaffected chieftains ready for rebellion. They organized a revolt, but the two rajas and the other ringleaders were captured, and their estates confiscated. Hoshiarpur is an ancient centre of Hindu epics and culture itself. In Bajwara (4 km east on Una road from present city) ruins of ancient culture can still be found,Mythologically, Teh Dasuya of this district is estimated to be King Virat's kingdom where Pandavas spent their one year exile. Now the Swami sarwanand inst. (Reginal campus of Punjab University)

External links

* [http://hoshiarpur.nic.in/ Hoshiarpur district]
* [http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/punjab/districts/hoshiarpur.htm Hoshiarpur District at Maps of India]

References

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