(First Edition 1992)
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Subject
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History
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People
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Agriculture And
Irrigation
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19.
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General
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v Geology |
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v Flora |
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v Fauna |
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v Climate |
(i)
Origin of the Name
of the District —The district derives its name from
the city of Patiala, which was founded by Raja Ala Singh, the first independent
ruler of the Patiala State. The name of Patiala city consists of two words,
‘Pati’ and ‘Ala’. ‘Pati’ means territory and ‘Ala’ is the name of the founder.
Baba Ala Singh laid its foundation in about 1762. He took an active part in
1763 in the overthrow of Zain Khan, the Afghan Governor of Sirhind. After this
victory, the town of Sirhind and its neighbourhood were handed over to Raja Ala
Singh. He encouraged the inhabitants of Sirhind to settle at his newly founded
town of Patiala, where he soon after built a fort.
(ii)
Location, General
Boundaries, Total Area and Population of the District —Patiala is one of the four districts in Patiala Division. Forming the
south-eastern part of the State, it lies between 29°-49’ and 30-47’ north
latitude and 75-58’ and 76-54’ east longitude. It is surrounded by Ludhiana,
Rupnagar district and Union Territory of Chandigarh in north, Sangrur District
(which stretches parallel to it) in the west, Ambala and Kurukshetra districts
(Haryana State) in the esta and Jind District (Haryana State) in the south.
Patiala, the headquarters of the district
administration is diectly linked by road with Chandigarh (70 km), Ludhiana (96
km), Delhi (253 Km) and Sangrur (56 km). It is directly linked by rail with
Rajpura and Bathinda. All the municipal towns of the district except Amloh,
Samana and Dera Bassi have railway stations.
According to Director of Land Records, Punjab,
Jalandhar, the area of Patiala District in 1985-86 was 4,628 sq. km. In terms
of area, the district ranks 6th in the State after Firozpur,
Faridkot, Bathinda, Sangrur and Amritsar district. The tahsilwise area of the
district, in 1985-86 is given below:
Tahsil Area (sq. km.)
Patiala 1,112,37
Nabha 862.84
Rajpura 1,138.03
Fatehgarh
Sahib 701.47
Samana 813.29
District Patiala
: 4,628.00
(Source : Director, Land Records, Punjab, Jalandhar)
According to the 1981 Census, the population of the district was
15,68,898 persons (11,04,603 rural, 4,64,295 urban) comprising 8,41,916 males
and 7,26,982 females.
(iii)
History of the District
as an Administrative Unit and the changes in its Component Parts —Patiala was the headquarters of princely State of Patiala. Prior to
1919, it was a tahsil headquarter of Bhawanigarh District of Patiala State. In
1919, the districts of State were reoganised and Patiala was made a district
with three tahsils, viz. Rajpura, Patiala and Ghanaur. Later on, Ghanaur Tahsil
was merged in Patiala Tahsil. On 20 August 1948 when PEPSU (Patiala and East
Punjab States Union) was formed, the district again underwent a territorial
change. Nabha Tahsil of erstwhile Nabha State was merged in this district.
In 1950, 5 villages of the district were transferred
in the then Ambala District, two patwar circles of the district were
transferred to Ludhiana District and one patwar circle Sidhuwal of Karnal
District was transferred to the district. In 1953, Fatehgarh Sahib and
Kandaghat districts of PEPSU were abolished and their whole area was included
in the district. In 1956, at the time of merger of PEPSU with Punjab State, 55
villages of former Kalsia State were transferred to Rajpura Tahsil of the
district. In January 1964, 82 villages of sub-tahsil Payal were transferred to
Ludhiana District and 4 villages to Sangrur District. In 1972, 23 villages of
Fatehgarh Sahib Tahsil of the district were transferred to Kharar Tahsil of
Rupnagar District. Subsequently, 4 more villages of Fatehgarh Sahib Tahsil were
transferred to Kharar Tahsil and 9 villages of Kharar Tahsil were transferred
to Rajpura Tahsil of the district in 1974.
(iv)
Subdivisions,
Tahsils and Thanas—According to 1981 Census, the
district comprised 1,470 villages (1,426 inhabited and 35 uninhabited and 9
merged in towns) and 13 towns constituted into five tahsils, viz. Patiala 9358
villages), Nabha (268 villages), and Samana (137 villages), Nabha (268
villages), Rajpura (429 villages), Fatehgarh Sahib (269 villages), and Samana
(137 villages). All the tahsils have been made subdivisions—Patiala in 1962,
Nabha in 1948, Rajpura in 1960, Fatehgarh Sahib in 1953 and Samana in 1970.
Besides, there are 4 sub-tahsils, viz. Amloh (formed
in 1948) in tahsil Nabha, Dera Bassi in tahsil Rajpura, Patran in tahsil Samana
and Dudhan Sadhan in tahsil Patiala all formed in 1970.
The tahsilwise list of police stations and police
stations and police posts has been given in Chapter XII ‘Law and Order and
Justice’.
Topography refers to the configuration of land surface. The undulations
or smoothness of land surface along with its slopes and surface materials exert
a strong influence on human activities of an area and Patiala District is no
exception.
The district forms a part of the Indo-Gangetic
plain. It is composed of materials deposited by rivers during recent geological
past. These deposits belong to the quarternary era and thus are either equal to
or less than 1.8 million years in age. The district is a level plain with
gentle slopes. It has highest elevation of 320 metres near village Nimbnia
located in extreme east-central part of Rajpura Tahsil. The lowest elevation of
the district has been obsereved near village Kutbanpur located in southern part
of Samana Tahsil. Its land surface slopes in the north-east-south-east
direction with a gentle gradient of about 0.8 metre per kilometre. Direction of
flow and sinuous courses of streams flowing through the district are evident of
the same. The following are the elevations of some important stations of the
district. :-
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Name of the
Station |
Height in Metres |
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Dera Bassi |
300 |
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Banur |
282 |
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Rajpura |
270 |
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Mandi Gobindgarh |
266 |
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Sirhind |
262 |
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Amloh |
260 |
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Patiala |
252 |
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Nabha |
250 |
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Samana |
242 |
The district has mean elevation of about 265 metres.
It extends over a distance of about 91 kilometres in the east-west direction and
nearly 113 kilometres in the north-south direction. Its geographical centre
roughly coincides with Patiala City where the headquarters of the district are
located. Thus the district administration of Patiala is centrally located.
Physiographic Division
As mentioned earlier, Patiala District is a part of
the great north Indian plain. Its land surface is flat and featureless.
However, if viewed microscopically, there do exist some minor variations in its
topography. Accordingly, this flat plain may be divided into the following
three types of regions:-
The Upland Plan
The Cho-infested Foothill Plain
The Floodplain of the Ghaggar River
(a) The Upland Plain —This terrain
unit singly covers about 80 per cent of the total area of the district. Leaving
aside a small cho-infested tract in the north-east and a narrow belt running
along river Ghaggar in the east, south-east and south, the whole of the
district is covered by this unit. It is higher in elevation than the flood
plain but is lower than the cho-infested plain. In general, its land surface is
smooth. However, the smoothness of its surface is smooth. However, the
smoothness of its surface is distributed by the presence of sand dunes in its
western part. Accordingly, this physiographic unit may be further divided into
two sub regions:--
(i)
The Eastern Upland Plain
(ii)
The Western Upland Plain
(i)
The Eastern Upland Plain
The eastern upland plain covers the whole of
Fatehgarh Sahib Tahsil, most of Rajpura Tahsil and eastern as well as sourthern
areas of Patiala Tahsil. This terrain unit is falt and featureless. Being
alluvial in origin, its soils are well drained and fairly fertile. Sub-soil
water conditions over here are favourable for the development of tubewell
irrigation. Its flat land surface coupled with easily workable loamy soils and
favourable groundwater situation provide excellent conditions for agriculture.
No wonder, almost the whole of its cultivable land is subjected to agriculture.
Its agriculture is highly developed. Wheat and rice are its major crops.
(ii)
The Western Upland
Plain
The western upland plain occupies the whole of Nabha
and Samana tahsils and north-western and western parts of Patiala Tahsil. This
part of the upland plain is superimposed by sand dunes at various places. These
monds of sand, popularly known as tibas,
are founded in belts. Those areas of this plain which are not affected by snad
features are more or less like the eastern sub region discussed above. Fast
blowing winds from neighbouring Thar desert in the past deposited sand in the
form of dunes in linear belts. Generally, dunes extend in south-west-north
–east monsoons. Their height from the surface range between 2 to 10 metres.
Majority of them, however, are about 5 metres in height. Their length varies
from a minimum of a few metres to a maximum of over a kilometre. Most of them,
of course, are less than half a kilometre in length. These monds of sand are
gradully disappearing. As a result of the growing pressure of population on
limited land, mechanization of farm operations, extension of tubewell
irrigation over the dune sites and growing commercialization in agriculture,
many of them have been reclaimed. This is especailly true of the post 1966
(Green Revolution) period. The energetic and hardworking farmers have installed
tubewells over these sand features and have levelled them with their tractors
for practising irrigation. Some of them, however, still are visible. Even those
levelled have left their marks in the form of sandy soils and relatively
elevated fields at their original sites. This terrain unit is also cultivated
to its near limits. However, its sandy parts are less productive. Wheat and
rice are its major crops. Sandy soils of this region are devoted to groundout,
cotton, jowar, bajra, pulses, etc.
The Cho-infested Foothill Plain —This terrain unit occupies nearly 4 per cent of the area of Patiala
District. It covers eastern most part of Rajpura Tahsil. Its western boundary
is demarcated roughly by the Chandigarh-Ambala Highway, whereas its southern
boundary is marked by a line joining Lalru town with Rani Majra village. Its
eastern boundary, of course conincides with the district boudary. Its elevation
ranges between 290 and 320 meteres. Thus, it is located at a higher elevation
than the rest of the district. Its gradient too is steeper. It slopes at the
rate of 2.5 metres per kilometre (as against the district’s average of 0.8) in
the north-east-south-west direction. A number of seasonal streams, locally
known as chos traverse through this
unit, which is its special feature. They originate in the Shiwalik Hills and
after traversing this region join either the Ghaggar River or any of its
tributaries. These hill torrents bring floods during rainy season and spread
sand on the neighbouring lands. The soils of this region are expose. They are
lighter, porous, and hence are less fertile. A notable part of its land is
under the beds of seasonal streams and thus is not available for cultivation.
Underground water over here is deep and inadequate. As a result, slow. Agriculturally,
this is the least developed part of the district. Wheat, maize and rice are
predominantly grown in this region.
(c) The Floodplain of the Ghaggar River—This terrain unit covers nearly 16 per cent of the total area of the
district. It runs in a narrow belt all along the river. Being a mighty river in
the past, its floodplain extends upto 6 kilometers on both sides of the river
at places. However, its current floodplain is not more than 3 kilometres in
width on either side of the river at any place. Its present floodplain is
flooded during heavy rainfall years. It results in damanging crops in low lying
areas. However, in relatively higher areas, its floods bring boom for rice
cultivators. Floods deposit silt and enrich its soils. Its soils are heavier
(silty-loams) and area ideal for the cultivation of rice. Sub-soil water in
this tract is relatively close to the surface and is found in adequate amount.
This fact has encouraged the development of tubewell irrigation. Wheat and rice
are its major crops.
(c) River System and Water Resources
River Ghaggar and its tributaries form a major natural drainage system of
the district. Apart from this, some canals too flow through it for considerable
length.
Ghaggar River —Ghaggar is the
most important water channel of the district. It was once a mighty river with
Yamuna and Satluj as its tributaries. At that time, it formed a part of the
Indus system. But the uplift of Yamuna-Satluj divide in the past is considered
to have shifted Yamuna to the east and Satluj to the west, leaving Ghaggar as a
misfit river. Now it loses itself in the sands of the Thar desert.
River Ghaggar originates in Sirmaur District of
Himachal Pradesh, flows through the Himalayas for some distance ultimately to
enter Punjab plains near Panchkula town of Kalka Tahsil in Haryana. Flowing
further down for a short distance, it enters Paitala District near Mubarakpur
village. After entering the district, it continues its march in an overall
north-east-south-west direction. It passes through the eastern, south-eastern
and southern parts of the district. It traverses approximately 110 kilometers
of distance within Patiala District. After flowing for a distance of about 80
kilometers, it leaves the district near village Jalalpur of Patiala Tahsil and
re-enters near village Rattan Heri in Samana Tahsil. Thereafter, it flows
towards south along the eastern boundary of tahsil Samana upto Rasauli village
from where it turns towards south-west and finally leaves the district near
Gulahar village of Samana Tahsil. On the way, it is joined by a number of
seasonal streams, such as Dangri Nadi, Markanda River and Patialewali Nadi at
various points of its course. Ghaggar is essentially a seasonal stream. It
contains a streak of water in tis upper course throughout the year, but reamins
dry in its lower parts duirng most of the year. However, during rainy seasons,
it is full of water. It is flooded during heavy rainfall years and affect the
life and property of the people settled in its floodplian. It has a braided course
in its upper parts where its channel is shallow and wide. Its depth ranges from
2 to 4 metres in Rajpura Tahsil. But in Patiala and Samana tahsils, the depth
of its channel increases from 7 to 9 meteres. Along with it becomes narrow. The
water of this river has so far not been used for any purpose.
Dangri Nadi - After originating in the outer Himalayas, it flows for most of its length
through Ambala District of Haryana. It passes through Patiala District at two
places (i) south-eastern tip of Rajpura Tahsil for about 8 kilometres and (ii)
south-eastern Patiala Tahsil for nearly 30 kilometres. Further down, it merges with Ghaggar River. It is a seasonal
steam. Although it traverses only a distance of 30 kilometres in Patiala Tahsi,
yet is known for severe floods over there. Recently, it has been channelized.
But it breaks its embankments during heavy rainfall years and damages crops. It
flows through a narrow and entrenched channel of 2 to 3 metres deep in Patiala
Tahsil. However, it is wider and less deep in Rajpura Tahsil.
Patialewali Nadi —This seasonal
stream originates from the Shiwalik Hills. Afterr traversing some distance in
Kharar Tahsil of Rupnagar District, enters Patiala District near Machhli Kalan
village in Rajpura Tahsil. Further down, it passes through northern parts of
Rajpura and estern parts of Fatehgarh Sahib tahsils. Flowing further, it enters
Patiala Tahsil from the north, touches Patiala city and moves south-east to
join river Ghaggar near village Ratta Khera. It is known as Patiala Rao till
Patiala city beyond which its name changes to Patialewali Nadi. It has a total
length of about 95 kilometres within the district. It has been channelized
during recent years. As a result, it rarely fllods neighbouring areas.
Sirhind Choa —Sirhind choa is another seasonal stream of the
district. It originates near Sirhind twon from the rain waters of the area.
Jainti Devi-ki-Rao, another seasonal stream, which terminates in this area
might be partly contributing to its origin. It flows through northern parts of
Fatehgarh Sahib, and central parts of Nabha Tahsil ultimately to leave the
district near Chhintanwala village. It has a total length of about 80
kilometres within the district. It is known as Sirhind Choa till second feeder of Sirhind Canal after which its name
changes to Choa Nala. It remains dry
except during rainy season.
Jhambowali Choi.—This seasonal
stream originates near Chanarthal Kalan in Fatehgarh Sahib Tahsil by taking
rain waters of the area. Thereafter, it flows southward through Patial and
Samana tahsils before falling into Bhupinder Sagar lake. Beyond this lake, it
leaves Patiala District to join river Ghaggar. It has a total length of about
95 kilometres within the district.
Tangauri Choi.—This drainage
line originates from the sewerage and rain water of the Chandigarh City and
areas around it. After flowing for some distance through Kharar Tahsil of
Rupnagar District, it enters Patiala District near Kalauli village in Rajpura
Tahsil. Flowing further down to the south-west, it touches outskirts of Rajpura
town after which it runs south ultimately to join river Ghaggar near village
Sural Kalan. It is seasonal in character and is full of water during rainy
season. However, it does not dry completely during other seasons. It contains a
streak of water during other seasons too because of the disposal of sewerage
waters of Chandigarh City into it.
Since its water is charged with sewerage contents,
it is highly beneficial for crops. That is why the local farmers pump it at
many places for irrigation. By doing so, they have succeeded in extracting
bumper crops. Sometimes, the farmers enter into feuds and faction among each
other for securing its water. Thus, it creates social problem as well.
Besides the above mentioned drainage lines, there
are a few others which are also seasonal in nature and shorter in length. They
originate within or outside the district, flow for short distance within in and
are lost.
Canals —Apart from the natural drainage
lines, the district has some man made water channels too. Of this category,
Bhakra Canal is the most important. It runs through the centre of the district
in north-south direction for a distance of about 110 kilometres. Sirhind Canal
is another drainage line of this type. It runs for a length of about 32
kilometres through south-easter parts of Nabha Tahsil. These main canals,
through their branches, distributaries and minors, provide irrigation water to
various areas of the district.
Other Water Bodies —A lake and
innumerable ponds are the other water bodies of the district. Bhupinder Sagar
is its important lake. It is located in southern part of Samana Tahsil. It is
about 12 kilometres in length and one kilometre in breadth. It is fed by Choa Nala, and is full of water during
rainy season. Its water level is minimum in summer months.
Besides, the district has a large number of water
ponds. These are typical of each village settlement. Invariably, the water of
village settlements drains into them. These are the heavens of water for
buffaloes who bath in them, especially during summer months for evading
scorching heat. Some of these ponds get dried in summer. They are full of water
during the monsoon period. These act as breading grounds for mosquitoes.
(i) Geological Formation —The whole of the
area of Patiala District is covered by Indo-Gangetic alluvium which consists of
sandy clay, sand, clay, gravel, pebble and kankar.
The lithology of the area is not unioform. A close study of the lithological
logs reveals that except for the major units, the sub-surface geology is marked
by heterogeneity.
In Rajpura area, the major units occur in a definite pattern which is as
follows :
1
Soft clay, slightly sandy (sandy clay)
2
Hard clay (locally known as Chis)
3
Coarse greyish sand
The first unit, i.e. sandy clay occurs upto an average depth of 4.18
metres, the second at 9 metres and the third at 17.92 metres. The marked
variation in depth and thickness of the units suggests the alluvium deposits of
the area have been brought by the nallas flowing from the Shiwalik Hills. The
alluvium deposits have been responsible for the introduction of hetrogeneity in
the lithological column.
(ii) Mineral
Resources —The district is poor as regards mineral wealth. A
few minor minerals are, however, found.
Kankar—It is massive, hard and compact
nodular calcareous material light grey to dark grey. Sand, silt and clay are
found associated with kankar. In
general, its thickness varies from a few centimetres to that of a metre. It
occurs mostly in the form of isolated beds and pockets. It can be used for
white washing and road metalling. Kankar
occurs in Wazidput and Dogal area in the district.
Saltpetre —Saltpetre is a general trade name for
all the nitrates of sodium, potassiium and calcium. Nitrates of potassium are
known as nitre of saltpetre whereas those of sodium are called sodanitre,
caliche or chile saltpetre. Well saltpetre or notrocalcite is the nitrate of
Ca. It is seen that like any other crop saltpetre also grows. It appears on the
surface as an alkaline efforescence during summer month. It is used in
manufacture of gun powder, preparation of agricultural fertilizers, etc.
Occurrences of saltpetre are reported from areas
around Rajpura (32° 29’ : 75° 36’) and on either side of the Patiala-Chandigarh
road.
Alkaline Earth.—Some brick
earth and foundary sands are reported from the district.
Groundwater—Groundwater occurs both under
phreatic and confined conditions. The depth of water is comparatively shallow
in the areas lying in the vicinity of canals and adjacent to the Ghaggar River.
The depth to water ranges from 1.0 m to 12 m below ground level.
Exploration has been carried out in the eastern
parts of the district down to a maximum depth of 590 m. This has revealed that
the aquifers in the area are constituted of silt and very fine sand. A tubewell at Dhappar constructed to a depth
of 308.30 metres yields a discharge of 2680 LPM for a drawndown of 21 metres.
The shallow tubewells are found to be successful long the sides of Ghaggar
River. The yield ranges from 300 to 450 LPM.
Flowing conditions exist at Bhankarpur and around
Banur. Groundwater movement in the district is from north-east to south-west.
The groundwater in general is suitable for irrigation and domestic purposes.
(iii)
Seismicity—Seismically, the district of Patiala lies in a region which is liable to
moderate damage by earthquakes. Earthquakes of slight to moderate intensity are
occasionally reported rom this region. Of the earthquakes which caused damage
to structures in this area in the past, mention may be made of the Kangra
earthquakes which caused damange to structures in this area in the past,
mention may be made of the Kangra earthquake of 4 April 1905 and Chamba
earthquake of 22 June 1945. Due to proximity of Himalayan Boundary fault, which
is not far from Patiala, damage to structures due to destructive earthquakes
originating from this fault, cannot be precluded.
In the seismiczonic map of India prepared under the
auspices of Indian Standards Institution, the area has been placed in zone III
and close to zone IV’ which corresponds to maximum seismic intensity of VII
M.M. for zone III and VIII MM for zone IV’. During the Kangra earthquake of
1905, the intensity of Patiala reached VII in M M scale. The intensity VII
corresponds to horizontal ground acceleration range of 18-40 cm/sec or an
average acceleration fo 67 cm/sec in one direction. Intensity VIII corrresponds
to a hortizontal ground acceleration of 51-350 c/sec or an average acceleration
of 172 cm/sec. The wide range of variation in acceleration is due to the fact
that acceleration is larger on soft filled up ground and less on hard rock.
The flora of the district does not differ much from that of the adjoining
districts of Punjab. The common trees found in the district are : Acacia senegal Willd., Wjightia tinctoria R.Br., Cordia
dichotoma Forest. F., Anogeissus
pendula Edgew., Boswellia serrata
Roxb., Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Del.
The thorny shruby vegetation consists of Euphorbia
nivuli Buch.-Ham., Capparis sepiaria
L., C. decidua (Forsk.) Edgew, Mimosa hamata Willd., Grewia tenax
Fieri, Maytenus emarginatus (Willd.)
Dinghow, Meesua obongifolia A. Rich,
and typical lithophyte Corbichonia
decumbens (Forsk.) Exell. During rainy season many annuals come up which
belong to the genera Tibulus, Vernonia, Euphorbia, Corchorus, Cenchrus,
Oropetium, Aristida and Melanocenchrus
etc. Species of Rhynchosia, Melothria,
Pergularia and Ipomoea are common
climbers.
Since major portion of land is under cultivation,
there are no reserve forests in the district. However, areas unfit for
cultivation are used for planting firewood trees.
Acacia nilotica (L.) Del. Subsp. Tomentosa (Bth.)
Brenan is the most common tree in the district. Rest of the trees are generally
planted. Among the species which are generally seen throughout along the road
of in or around the villages and canala banks are Kigelia pinnata DC., Butea
monosperma (Lamk.) Taub. (Dhak, Palas), Mangifera indica L.(Am), Ficus
religiosa L. (Peepal), F. bengalense L. (Bar, Bargad), Ehretia aspera Roxb.
Etc. Those planted in the garden include Swietenia mahogoni Jacq., Murraya
panicultata (L.) Jack. Pterospermum acerifolium Willad., Himbuscus schizopetalus
Hook. F. (Gulhar), Bauhinia corymbosa Roxb., Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.)
Swartz. (Krishnachari), Delonix regia (Boj) Ruf (Gulmohar) Hardwickia binnata
Roxb., Saraca asoca (Roxb.) De Wilde, Clitoria ternata L., Erythrina suberosa
Roxb. (Dhoolohak), Sesbania grandiflora Pers., Callistemon lanceolata DC.
(Bottal Brass), Alastonia scholaris (L.) R. Br., Helianthusannusas L.
(Suraj-mukh), Euphorbia Pulcherrima Willd exKolotz. Ricinus communis L. and Tagetus minuta L. (Genda) etc.
The herbaceous flora include Ranunculus arvensis L.
Alysicarpus bupleurifolius DC, Tephrosia purpurea Pers., Circium aryense (L.)
Scop. (Bhur-bhur), Sonchus oleraceus L. (Pili Dhuti, Dadak), Verbesina
encelioides (Cav.) A. Gay which is poisonous to cattle, Xanthium streumarium L.
(Chota-dhatura), Sphenoclea zeylancia Gaertn., Calotropis procera R. Br. (Ak,
Madar), Solanum nigrum L (Makoo). Heniadel phus polyspermus Nees, Polygonum
glabrarum Willd., Euphorbia granulata Forsk, E. hirta L. etc.
The district is rich in weeds which commonly occur
along the roads, waste places and in cultivated lands and gardens. Among such
weeds are : Chenopodium anbrosioides L., C. murale L. (Bathewa), Croton
bonplandianum Bail., Scoparia dulcis L., Acanthospermum hispidum DC.,
Trichodesma amplexicaule Roth (Nela Karai), Ammi majus L., Vicia griffithii
Baker, Lathyrus sphaericus Retz., Coronopus didymus (L.) Smith Rorippa indica
(L.) Hiern. etc.
A number of aquatic species are found in ponds and
canals. Species of green algae can be collected soon after the rains. They
decay as the climate becomes hotter. In still water, Chara and Nitella are
among the common species. Among the common submerged hydrophytes are
Villisneria, Zannichellia, Ceraphyllum, Hydrilla Potamogeton and Najas etc.
Whereas Potamogeton nodosus Pori., Ipomoea reptans Pori, Sagittaria
Sagittifolia L., Nymphaea nouchali Burm. f. and Marsilea minuta L. are among
the floating species rooted in the mud. L. are among the free floating species
are Aponogeton natans (L.) Engl. & Krause, Lemna paucicostate Hgal,
Spirodela polyrrhiza (L.) Schleid, Trapa natans L. var. bispinosa (Roxb.)
Makino (Singara), Eichhornia crassipes Solms. and Azolla pinnata R. Br. etc. ,
while in moist places slightly away from the canal banks, species like Alhagi
pseudalhagi Desv., Equisetum sp., Grangea maderaspatana Poir., Vetiveria
zizanioides Nash, Polygonum bartbatum L., P. plebejum R. Br., Centella asiatica
Urb. Rorippa indica Hiern. and Ageratum conyzoides L. etc. are commonly seen.
Common grasses found in the district are Cynodon
dactylon (L.) Poir (Doob), Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash (Panni), Andropogon
pumilus Roxb., Paspalidium flaccidum (Burm). A Camus, Lophochloa pumila (Desf.)
Cynodon dactylon (L.) Poir and Andropogon pumilus Roxb. Are much valued as cattle
fodder.
A number of sedges occur in marshy places. These are
: Cyperus difformia L., Cyperus diffuses Vall. C. iria L., Fimbristylis ovata
(Burm.) Kern, Scirpus meritima L. and S. roylei (Nees) Duthie etc. Phoenix
sylvestris (L.) Roxb (Khajiur) is sometimes seen in sandy areas.
There are no reserve forests in the district. Birs
are Government owned lands under the control of the Divisional Forest Officer.
Some of them, have been delcared as Wild Life sanctuaries or converted into
zoological parks. Among the Wild Life sanctuaries, Moti Bagh Patiala, Bir
Bhunheri and Bir Guridyal Pura are worth mentioning.
Certain birs have bave transferred to other
departments e.g. Bir Beran in Nabha transferred to Jail Department. The entire
area of Bir Chhat has been converted into a zoological park.
Afforestation work particularly social forestry was
greatly facilitated due to network of canal system after the independence.
Large number of tree species like Dalbergia sissoo Roxb.(Sissam), Syzygium
cumini (L.) Skeeks (Jamu,), Mangifera india L. (Am), Azadirachta indica Juss.
(Neem), Albizia lebbeck Bth. (Siris), Acacia nilotica (L. Willd. Ex. Del.
Subsp. Indica (Kikar), Prosopis cineraria L. Druce (Jand), Butea monosperma
(Lamk.) (Dhak, Palas), Terminalia arjuna (Roxb.) Wt. & Arn. (Arjan) and
Eucalyptus Species, etc. have been planted in and around the villages
throughout the district. In places
unfit for cultivataion, Diospyros logifolia Roxb. (Kaindu) trees are raised for
fuel wood which gradually reduce the consumption of cow dung which is now
generally employed as manure. Timber of this tree is also used for making good
quality furniture, agricultural implements and for the construction of houses
in the rural areas. Special attention also has been paid for the regular supply
of raw material like Eucalyptus wood, Saccharum spontaneum L. (Kahi kana) and
Vetiveria zizanoides L. Nash (Panny) used in paper industry.
Small mangoose, Indian palm squirrel, common field mouse, hare, jackal,
langur and bengal fox are found in the district. Patridges (back & grey),
pigeons (bengal green and blue rock), doves (Indian ring, red turtle, little
brown and spotted), house sparrow and crow are found in the fields and the
jungle areas of the district.
There is separate wildlife staff posted in the
district, which provides protection to the wildlife in the fields and jungle
areas. The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 has been enforced in the State w.e.f.
1 April 1975, which affords protection to the wild animals and birds. The
public is also being educated by way of various publicity medias like meetings,
conferences, lectures, appeals, distribution of wildlife literature amongst
masses, etc.
There are three wildlife sancturies in the district,
viz. Bir Moti Bagh Patiala, Bir Bhuner Heri and Gurdialpura.
The different zoological types found in the district
are detailed below:
(1) Pisces (Fishes).—There are about 55 species of fishes in the district. The important food
fishes from fisheries point of view are labeo
rohits, labeo calbasu, labeo bata, Cirrhinus mirigala, Cirrhinus reba, Catla
catla, Wallago attu, Aorichthys seenghala, Bagarius yarrelli, etc. The
exotic species like Hypohtha imichthys moltrix, Silver carp, Cyprinus carpic var, specularis, the
Mirror carp have been introduced in the district for their culture.
(2) Amphibians (Frogs
and Toads).—The common frogs toakes, tortises and toads of the
area are ana tigerina {lndian bull frog }. Rana cyanoplyctos {skipping frog },
Rana Limnocharis {paddy –field frog } and
two spacks of toads, viz. Bufo melanostictus and Bufo stomaticus (Common
Indian toad).
(3) Reptiles —The reptilian
fauna of the district comprises snakes, tortoises and lizards. The poisonous
snakes in the district are Bungarus caeruleus (common Krait) or Karayat and
Naga naga naga, spectacled Indian Cobra or Naag. The venom of both these snakes
is deadly poisonous. The non-poisonous snakes like Eryx johni sand be a or (do
mu-sanp) and Typhilina porrectus, (Blind snake or anadha-sanp) are common in
the area. The blind snake is small and worm-like with dark coloured body.
The only species of tortoise found in the district
is Geoclemys hamiltoni (common Kachua). Its shell is dark coloured marked with
yellow spots.
The common lizards found
in the district are Catotes versicolor, (Blood sucker or girgit) and
Hemidactylus Flaviviridis, (House lizard or Chiipkli). The girgit mostly
inhabits the gardens and around bushes. Its male changes to red during breeding
season.
(4) Mammals —The mammals founds in the district
are; Pteropus gigantaus (Indian Flying Fox); Scotophilds healthi (Greater
Yellow Bat); Macaca mulatta (Rhesus macaqus); Presbytis entellus (Langur);
Canus aureus (Asiatic Jackal); Vuipes bengalonsis (Bengal Fox); Herpostes
auropunctatus (Small Indian Mangoose); Funambuisus pennanti Wroughten (Indian
Palm Squirrel); Apodemus sylvatius (Common Fielf Mouse); Lepus migricollis
(Indian Hare).
Birds —A list of birds found in the Patiala
District is as under :
Order : Podicipediformes
Family : Podicipediformes
1 Podiceps ruficollis
capensis Salvadori Dabchick
Order : Podicipediformes
Family : Phalacrocoracidao
2
Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis ( Shaw )
Large Cormorant
3
Phalacrocorax niger ( Viellot )
Little Cormorant
Order : Ciconiiformes
Family : Ardeidae
4 Ardeola grayii grayii ( Sykes
)
Indian pond Heron
5 Bubulcus ibis coromandus
( Boddaert )
Cattle Egret
6 Egretta intermedia
intermedia ( Wagler )
Medium Egret
7
Egretta garzetta garzetta ( Linnaeus ) Little Egret
Family : Cinconiidae
8
Ibis leucocephalus ( Pennant )
Painted stork
9
Ciconia ciconia ciconia ( Linnaeus )
White stock
Family: Threskiornithidae
10 Threskiornis
melanocephal
White lbis
11 Pseudibis papillosa
papillosa (Temminck)
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
12
Tadorna ferruginea (Pallas )
Brahminy duck
13
Anas acuta Linnaeus
Pintail
14
Anas crecca crecca Linnaeus
Common Teal
15
Anas poecilorhyncha poecilorhiyncha
Forster
Spotbill Duck
16 Anas platyrhynchos
Linnaeus
Mallard
17 Anas penelop ( Linnaeus )
Wigeon
18 Aythya Ferina ( Linnaeus )
Common Pochard
19 Nettapus coromandelianus coromandelianus (Gmelin)
Cotton Teal
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Accipitridae
20 Elanus Caerulsus Vociferus
(Latham )
Blackwinged Kite
21 Milvus migrans govinda (sykes )
Paraih Kite
22 Haliastur indus indus ( Bodddaert)
Brahminy Kite
23 Accipiter badius dussumieri (Temminck)
Indian Shikra
24 Aquila repax vindhiana (Franklin)
Tawny Eagle
25 Gyps fulvus fulvescens (Hume)
Indian Griffon Vulture
26 Gyps bengalensis (Gmelin)
Indian Whitebacked Vulture
27 Neophron percnopterus percnopterus (Linnaeus)
Egyptial Vulture
Family : Falconidae
28 Falco tinnunculus tinnunculus Linnaeou
Kestrol
Order : Galliformes
Family : Bhasianidae
29 Francolinus Francolinus asiae Bonaparte
Indian Black Partidge
30 Francolinus pondicerianus interpositus Hartert
Grey Partridge
31 Perdicula asiatica Punjaubi Whistler
Jungle Bush Quail
32 Pavo cristatus Linnaeus
Indian Peafowl
Order : Gruiformes
Family : Gruidae
33 Grus grus lilfordi Sharpe
Common Crane
Family : Raillidae
34 Amaurornis phoenicurus chinensis (Boddaert)
Whitebreasted Waterhen
35 Gallinula chloropus indice Blyth
Moorhen
36 Fulica atra atra linnaeus
Coot
Order : Charadriiformes
Family : Charadriidae
37 Vanellus vanellus (Linnaeus)
Green Plover
38 Vanellus indicus indicus (Boddaert)
Redwattled Lapwing
39 Charadrias dudius Scopoli
Little Ringed Plover
40 Iringa erythropus (Pallas)
Spotted Redshank
41 Iringa nebularia
(Gunnenes)
Green Shank
42 Iringa totanus eurhinus
(Oberholser)
Eastern Redshank
43 Iringa glareola Linnaeus
Spotted Sandpiper
44 Iringa hypoleucos Linnaeus
Common Sandpiper
44 Calidris minutus (Leisler)
Little S tint
46 Himantopus himantopus
himantopus (Linnaeus)
Indian Blackwinged stilt
Family : Burhinidae
47 Burhinus dedicnemus
(Linnaeus)
Stone Curlew
Family : Laridae
48
Sterna aurantia J.E. Crey
Indian RiverTerm
49
Sterna acuticauda J.E. Grey
Blackbellied Tern
Order : Columbiformes
Family : Columbidae
50
Ireron phoenicopters phoenicopters
(Latham)
Bengal Green Pigeon
51
Columba livia Gmelin
Blue Rock Pigeon
52
Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldsxky)
Indian Ring Dove
53
Streptopelia tranquebarica (Hermann)
Red Turtle Dove
54
Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli)
Spotted Dove
55 Streptopelia senegalensis
(Linnaeus)
Little Brown Dove
Order : Psittaciformes
Family : Psittacidae
56 Psiiacula eupatria (Linnaeus)
Large Indian Parakeet
57 Psittacuia krameri (Scopoli)
Rosaringed Parakeet
Order : Cuculiformes
Family : Cuculidae
58 Clamator Jacobinus
(Boddaert)
Pied Crested Cuckoo
59 Cuculus varius vahl
Brainfever Bird
60 Cuculus micropterus Gould
Indian Cuckoo
61
Eudynamys scolopacea
Kola
62
Taccocua leschenautii Lesson
Sirkeer Cuckoo
63
Centropus sincnsis (Stephens)
Crow-Pheasant
Order : Strongiformes
Family : Srigidae
64 Bubo bubo bengalensis (Franklin)
Great Horned Owl
65 Athene brama (Temminck)
Spotted Owlet
Order : Caprimulgiformes
Family : Caprimulgidae
66 Caprimulgus asiaticus Latham
Indian NightjAR
Order : Apodiformes
Family : Apodidae
67 Apus affinis affinis (J.E. Grey)
Indian
House swift
Order : Coraciiformes
Family: Alcedinidae
67 Ceryle liugubris (Temminick)
Pied Kingfisher