CHAPTER II

HISTORY

The archaeological finds at various places of Rupnagar District yield evidence of Indus Valley Civilization and similar to those of Harappa and Mohenjodaro present day in Pakistan .The signs of this ancient civilization has also been found in Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Kalibangan type (Rajasthan) sherds have also been found at Rupnagar. It clearly indicates that the area of Rupnagar District was a part of the Indus Valley Civilization.

The remains of rich and well-developed civilization have been brought to light by the archaeologists in Rupnagar District. Recent excavations carried out at Rupnagar ,Kotla Nihang, Dher Majra, Bara and at some other places in the district have revealed many things regarding the ancient civilization known as Indus Valley Civilization. The excavation and explorations conducted at Rupnagar indicate that the first civilization folk to settle here were Harappans, who apparently reached the upper Satluj towards the close of the third millennium (Approximately 2000 BC). Proceeding from Indus basin, they established their towns and villages along the riverine course of journey.

Medieval Period

The whole area of present Rupnagar District was included in the then Sirhind Province, hence the history of Rupnagar District is contained in the medieval history of Sirhind Province. During the later half of the tenth century, the area of Rupnagar District alongwith the adjoining area was under the Hindushahi Dynasty.

AD 991-1001 Rule of Raja Jaipal of Hindushahi Kingdom of Punjab.

AD1001-1012 Rule of Raja Anangpal.

AD 1012-1021 Rule of Raja Trilochanpal of Hindushahi kingdom. He shifted his capital from Bathinda to Sirhind. On the death of Trilochanpal and the flight of his son Bhimpal from the region and entire Shahi kingdom formed part of the dominions of Sultan Mahmud Ghazni.

AD 1164 Rajput rose to power after the fall of Hindushahi Kingdom. They first entered Ajmer but it appeared by 1164 they occupied Delhi as well as the entire tract of territory lying between it and the Satluj-Sirhind and Bathinda were the important Military Stations on the northwestern frontier of the Rajput Kingdom.

AD 1192 Prithvi Raj Chauhan the last king of the dynasty was defeated and killed in 1192 by Muhammad Ghori in battle at Tarain.

AD 1206-1210 Reign of Qutab-Ud-din Aibak, who was the first ruler of Slave Dynasty. During his reign, Sirhind was a important administrative unit. Realising the importance of Punjab, he shifted his capital from Delhi to Lahore.

AD 1221 Reign of Iltutmish who was the next ruler of the Slave Dynasty. During his reign, Mongols appeared for the first time in 1221 AD on the bank of the Indus under the celebrated leader Chingez Khan.

After Iltutmish, Raziya was the first woman ruler of India of Slave Dynasty. The proud Turkish Nobles could not reconcile themselves to the rule of a woman and revolted against her. They also offended at the undue favour shown by Raziya to Abyssinia slave Jalal-Ud-Yakut. The first to revolt openly was Altunia who was the Governor of Sirhind at that time . Raziya tried to extricate herself from the critical situation by marrying Altunia, but to no effect.

AD 1240 Raziya and her husband was put to death by her enemies on 12 December 1240.

AD 1245-1287 Balban ruled this country as a Prime Minister of Sultan Nasir- ud-din Mahmud.

AD 1290 Kekubad was the last ruler of Slave Dynasty and the throne of Delhi was usurped by Jalal-ud-din khilzi in 1290 from him.

AD 1295 Jalal-ud-din Khilzi was assassinated at the instance of his nephew, Ala-ud-din on 19 July 1295, who became the ruler.

AD 1298 During the reign of Ala-ud-din the Mongols under Kutlugh Khan, son of Amir Daud Khan invaded the Punjab again but Mongols were compelled to retreat.

AD 1316 Death of Ala-ud-din on 19 December 1316 after a reign of over 20 years.

AD1321-1414 During this period Mohammad Tughlaq and Firoz Shah Tughlaq were the important ruler of Tughlaq Dynasty. Timur invaded India in 1398. It also seems probable from the notes of some historians that some where in the hills, probably at Rupnagar,Rattan Singh, a local ruler opposed Timor but was defeated.

Khizr Khan the founder of Sayyid Dynasty, took possession of Delhi in 1414. Previously he was the Governor of Punjab on behalf of Timur.

AD1419 Sarang Khan in 1419 challenged the authority of Khizr Khan in Punjab. A battle was fought near Sirhind in which Sarang Khan was defeated by Sultan Shah Lodhi, then Governor of Sirhind. He was however able to escape to safety in the Shivalik Hills nearby via Rupnagar. Once again Sarang Khan challenged the authority of Khizr Khan but was again defeated at Rupnagar.

AD1421 Khizr Khan died on 20 May 1421, his son Mubark Shah occupied the throne of Delhi. During his time, the brave Khokhars grew more and more powerful and harassed him more than once. Their chiefs Jasrat confidently aspired the establishment of their supremacy on the ruins of the Delhi Kingdom. He had ravaged the area of Punjab up to Rupnagar and Sirhind.

In October 1421, a wing of the royal army took Jasrat by surprise on his side of the river at Rupnagar. Jasrat slipped through the Royal Army and crossed the river to reach Jalandhar.

AD1432 Jasrat Khokhar attacked Alla Dad, in AD 1432,the Governor of the area from Jalandhar to Lahore. Alla Dad was defeated and driven to seek shelter farther east, probably at Rupnagar. Jasrat seems to have occupied the hilly portions of the present Jammu alongwith some claims to the hilly areas towards the east including the present Anandpur Sahib Tahsil of Rupnagar District.

1526 Reign of Mughal Dynasty and Babar laid the foundation of Mughal empire in India by defeating the Ibrahim Lodhi in the first battle of Panipat and the whole of Punjab including the area of Rupnagar District fell under the Mughal Rule.

1540-1545 Sher Shah Suri snatched power from Humayun (1530-56) and during his rule the present area of Rupnagar District continued to be included in the province of Sirhind.

Humayun recaptures his empire from the weak successors of Sher Shah Suri and appointed Bairam Khan as the Governor of Sirhind.

1539-1552 During the period of Humayun and Sher Shah Suri, Guru Nanak’s teaching was further developed by Guru Angad Dev. The popularization of Gurmukhi alphabet was a very significant contribution of Guru Angad Dev.

1552-1581 The philosophy was further propagated by Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das and Guru Arjan Dev during the reign of Akbar. As Akbar took various measures to consolidate the Mughal Empire, the Sikh Gurus also took important steps for the establishment and spread of their faith, Guru Amar Das constructed a baoli (well with eighty four stairs) at Govindwal, elaborated the institution of langer (community kitchen) and established Manjis system as separate centres for teaching these (Manjis) were twenty two in number and one such Manji was also established at village Wayun presently in the area of Kharar Tashil of Rupnagar District.

1605 Jahangir occupied the throne at Agra on 3 November 1605 after the death of Akbar. Jahangir was not a tolerant ruler and he regarded with great disfavour the popularity of the new religion during the time of Guru Arjan Dev.

1606 In due course, Jahangir determined to take action against Guru Arjan Dev, tortured him a lot on the plea that the Guru had given shelter to his son, Prince Khusro who revolted against him. Guru breathed his last in 1606 due to this. The Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev provoked his followers to take the martial path. It was Guru Arjan Dev’s Martyrdom which inspired the young Hargobind to follow the policy of Miri and Piri by bearing two swords as emblems of his temporal and spiritual powers.

1605 In due course, Jahagir determined to take action against Guru Arjan Dev, tortured him a lot on the plea that the Guru had given shelter to his son, Prince Khuzrau who revolted against him.

1627 Death of Jahangir in 1627 and he was succeeded by his son Shah Jahan.

1628-36 For some time, the relation of the Shah Jahan with Guru Hargobind continued to be friendly. The new policy of the Guru, however, soon brought him in armed conflict with Mughal throne. He fought four battles with Mughals and then reached in hill States. Raja of Kahlur donated a piece of land to Guru Hargobind, where he built a town named Kiratpur, now in Rupnagar District. Guru Hargobind spent remaining part of his life at Kiratpur Sahib.

Guru Har Rai the seventh Guru of Sikhs was born at Kiratpur Sahib.He was the son of Baba Gurditta, the eldest son of Guru Hargobind.

1645 Guru Har Rai retired to Nahan (Himachal Pradesh) in 1645 in the country of Raja Karam Parkash. He lived there for 12 years. At Nahan, he blessed a poor and hungry Jat boy, Phul, who was to become the founder of the Phulkian family comprising the erstwhile states of Patiala, Nabha, Jind, etc.

1661 Death of Guru Har Rai on October 1661 and Har Krishan was nominated as the eighth Guru.

1664 Death of Guru Har Krishan on 30 March 1664 and was creamated on the bank of River Yamuna. Guru Tegh Bahadur became the ninth Sikh Guru in 1664, who was very closely associated with the history of Rupnagar District. He laid the foundation of Anandpur Sahib. During the period of Guru Tegh Bahadur,Aurangzeb was the ruler of India He put many restrictions on Hindus and ordered to demolish the temples.

1666 Birth of Guru Gobind Singh Ji at Patna 26 December 1666.

1672 Guru Tegh Bahadur purchased for a sum of Rs 5,000, a piece of fallow land from the Raja of Bilaspur. The land was situated at a distance of 8 km to the north below the hill of Naina Devi close to the village of Makhowal on the left bank of the Satluj. He called the town ‘Nanaki Chak’ after the name of his mother.

1673 Guru Tegh Bahadur alongwith his son came to Anandpur Sahib in 1673.

1675 Guru Tegh Bahadur opposed the cruelty of emperor. On hearing this the emperor issued a execution order of Guru in November 1675.

On 11 November 1675 Guru Tegh Bahadur was inhumanly beheaded at Chandni Chowk (in Delhi) by the order of the Emperor Aurangzeb.

After the death of Ninth Guru, Gobind Rai (Guru Gobind Singh) became the Tenth Guru of Sikhs.

1686 Guru Gobind Singh left for Nahan on invitation of King of Sirmaur named Medhni Prakash.

1699 Guru Gobind Singh prepared a plan and issued a general invitation to the Sikhs to muster stronger than usual on the occasion of Baisakhi Festival in the year 1699. He addressed the mass gathering and chose Panj Piyare or ‘Five Beloved’ by administrating ‘Amrit’ (Nectar). He himself took ‘Amrit’ from ‘Panj Piyaras’ and created the Khalsa. He changed his name from Gobind Rai to Gobind Singh.

The first battle of Anandpur Sahib took place between Guru Gobind Singh ji and the Hill Rajas. Aurangzeb had also instructed the Governor of Punjab to take steps to crush the power of the Guru. After the defeat of first battle the Hill Rajas formed a coalition and decided to act in concert with one and another independently of the Mughals. Bhim Chand of Bilaspur became their leader and sent a message to the Guru to vacate Anandpur Sahib but the Guru declined this. On this second battle took place and Kesari Chand of Jaswan and Ghamand Chand of Kangra lost their lives. The survivors fled.

1700 After some time a strong contingent of the Mughal army was seen advancing towards Anandpur. The Guru intercepted it at Nirmohgarh near Anandpur.Some hill chiefs also joined the Mughals but they were repulsed.

1701 The battle of Bharsali took place in 1701 between the Guru’s force and Wazir Khan, the Governor of Sirhind. The Sikhs suffered defeat and left Anandpur Sahib. The Guru retreated toward Bharsali as all the enteries to Anandpur Sahib were closed.

1702 Mughal Commanders Sayyid Beg and Alif Khan were marching from Lahore to Delhi with a force of about five thousand men. Bhim Chand of Bilaspur joined the Mughals against the Guru and the third battle of Anandpur Sahib took place in 1702. Differences arose between the two generals. After a couple of Skirmishes, Sayyid Beg joined Guru Gobind Singh. This disheartened Alif Khan who retired.

1703 Fourth battle of Anandpur Sahib took place in1703. Raja Bhim Chand was not a man of lose heart he prepared himself for another trial. Raja Bhim Chand alongwith Raja Bhup Chand, Raja Wazir Singh and Raja Dev Saran marched upon Anandpur Sahib. The Sikh met them outside the town. The hill Rajas fell back and dispersed. Bhim Chand again sought help in 1703 from the Mughal Viceroy at Delhi. The Guru came to know of it. Sayyid Beg and Maim Khan joined the Guru. The combined forces of the Mughal and the hill Rajas invaded Anandpur Sahib and fifth battle of Anandpur Sahib took place. In this battle one hill chief and Sayyid Beg were killed. The invading force drove the Sikhs out of Anandpur Sahib and plundered the town. But after some time Sikh returned and recovered Anandpur Sahib.

1704 Sixth battle of Anandpur Sahib took place in 1704 between the Guru’s forces and the Mughal Governors of Delhi, Sirhind, Lahore and Jammu as well as the Rajas of Kangra Hills. In September 1704 Anandpur Sahib was most closely besieged by the Mughal forces. Wazir Khan formed a plan to capture the Guru alive. They requested the Guru’s mother for this and she did attempt to do so. At last Guru agreed to leave Anandpur Sahib and the evacuation began at the dead of night on 20-21 December 1704.

The battle of Vichhora Sahib on the river Sirsa took place on 21 December 1704. In this battle Wazir Khan attacked Guru’s forces. Guru’s mother and his two younger sons were taken by Gangu, an old domestic servant, to his native village Saheri near Morinda. When Guru Govind Singh reached the vicinity of Chamkaur Sahib, he learnt that the enemy was close upon him. He took shelter in a mud-built double storeyed house and the battle took place on 22 December 1704. The Guru offered tough resistance and he lost his two elder sons in this battle. He left the place and reached Machhiwara.

1708 Banda Bahadur came to contact with Guru Gobind Singh in 1708 at Nanded (Maharashtra) and waged a series of battles against the Mughal ruler. He left for Punjab some time in October 1708 with twenty five followers. At the same time Guru Gobind Singh issued decrees to the Sikhs in the Punjab to join Banda Bahadur in his adventure.

1710 Batttle of Chhappar Chiri (near Kharar) took place in May 1710, Wazir Khan the Governor of Sirhind was killed in this battle and the Banda Bahadur took the control of Sirhind. He appointed Baj Singh as Governor of Sirhind.

1726-1753 After the execution of Banda Bahadur in Delhi in 1716, the Sikh were subjected to considerable persecution under the administration of Zakariya Khan (1726-1745), Yahiya Khan (1746-47)and Mir Mannu (1748-1753).

Creation of Dal Khalsa by Nawab Kapur Singh in 1748 was a great land mark in the history of Sikhs.

1757 The invasion of Nadir Shah in 1739 and invasions of Ahmed Shah Abdali (1748-1768) weakened the hold of Mughals over Punjab. Ahmed Shah Abdali snatched a large portion of Punjab up to Sirhind from the Mughals in 1757.

1758 Marathas in collaboration with the Sikhs recapture Punjab from the forces of Ahmed Shah Abdali and made Adina Beg the Governor of Punjab, who appointed Sadik Beg Khan, as a Faujdar of Sirhind.

1760 A Jatha of 400 Sikhs under the leadership of Hari Singh a Virk Jat, of Kaleki near Kasur (now in Pakistan) marched for the pilgrimage of Anandpur Sahib. On his way he had to fight with the Pathan Nawab of Ropar. He won battle and became the ruler of Ropar State.

1761 Ahmed Shah Abdali defeated Marathas in the third battle of Panipat and appointed Zain Khan as a Faujdar of Sirhind including the present area of Rupnagar District. This turned out to be the last Mohammadan ruler of this area.

1763 After the fall of Sirhind a Hindu Chief Garib Dass seized a group of 84 villages in the pargana of Mani Majra and Mullanpur he capture the fort of Pinjore. Kalka was also included in his territory.

Hari Singh, established the Sikh State of Ropar in 1763. Nawab Kapur Singh laid the foundation stone of Hari Mandir Amritasr on 17 November 1763 after it had been destroyed by Abdali.

After the fall of Sirhind, considerable area of present Rupnagar District also came under the Singhpuria Misl. The founder of the Misl was Nawab Kapur Singh.

1764 The Sikhs under the leadership of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia captured Sirhind, after killing Zain Khan, the Faujdar of Sirhind. The spot, where two younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh had done to death, was searched out and a Gurdwara called Fatehgarh (Fort of Victory) was built on it.

1783 Fort of Bharatpur was constructed in 1783 which was a strong hold of Singhpuria Misl. This fort after Khushal Singh and Budh Singh came to the share of Sardar Amar Singh, who died issueless.

1785 The territory of Garib Dass was conquered and annexed by the Maharaja of Patiala in 1785.

1792 Raja Hari Singh of Ropar died in 1792 and his estate was divided between his two sons Charat Singh and Deva Singh. Soon after Charat Singh died and his minor son Bhup Singh succeeded him.

1795 Death of Khushal Singh.

British Period

1809 After the treaty of 1809. Ranjit Singh was not allowed by the British to extend his conquest in the Cis-Satluj area, still certain areas here were already under him. Kharar was also under Chief of Maharaja. Under Article 2 of the treaty of 1809, the British imposed condition upon Ranjit Singh that he would never maintain in the territory, which he occupied on the left bank of the river Satluj.

1813 Bhup Singh being a minor was taken by the British in their protection on 8 November 1813. Bhai Bishan Singh, became the advisor of Raja Bhup Singh.

1816 Budh Singh of Singhpuria Misl died in 1816 leaving seven sons behind him. His eldest son, Amar Singh retained possession of Bharatgarh and divided the rest of the territories among his six brothers i.e. Bhopal Singh was given the estate of Ghanauli; Gopal Singh, Manauli; Lal Singh, Bunga; Gurdial Singh, Attalgarh; Hardyal Singh, Bela and Dhayal Singh, Kandhaulla.

1827 Maharaja Ranjit Singh claimed supermacy over Chamkaur and Anandpur Sahib and other places belonging to the Sodhis. The claims of the Maharaja were admitted by the British in1827.

1831 The meeting between the Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Lord William Bentick took place at Ropar on 26 December 1831 on the bank of Satluj.

1832 East India Company and Maharaja Ranjit Singh signed the Indus Navigation Treaty in 1832 for the opening of navigation of River Indus and Satluj.

1839 After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the British began to grab Cis-Satluj area of the Lahore Darbar. As long as Maharaja Ranjit Singh alive, Raja Bhup Singh was safe. Maharaja Ranjit Singh died and the power of the Sikhs declined.

1844 Major Broad foot was appointed as British Agent for the affairs of the Sikhs in November 1844.

1845 The British declared a war against the Sikh State at Lahore in December 1845. Raja Bhup Singh of Ropar did not support the British in the Anglo- Sikh war of 1845. Instead he supported Maharaja Dalip Singh, the minor successor of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. This help given by Raja Bhup Singh to the Lahore Darbar was intolerable for the British.

1847 As a result of this, the Sikh State of Ropar was annexcd by the British in 1847.

The area of present Rupnagar District came under the British control. The Anandpur area became a part of the Una Tahsil of Hoshiarpur District and much of the area now falling in Kharar and Rupnagar Tahsils became part of the Ambala District. However some area of the Rupnagar District remained under the princely states of Nalagarh and Patiala under British protection.

1857 The revolt of 1857 was a great effort to over throw the British power, but it failed. There was an abortive rising at Rupnagar, Which was promptly suppressed. One Mohar Singh, a factor of the chief of Rupnagar, whose attempt to forbid the slaughter of kine had led to some disturbance was executed.

Kuka Movement was started in 1857 by Bhai Ram Singh to expel the British.

1867 The worst was reserved for his (Bhai Ram Singh) visit to Anandpur Sahib on the occasion of Hola Mohalla in March 1867. Mahant Hari Singh of Gurudwara Keshgarh Shaib was adamant that the Kukas must not be admitted into the Holy precincts of Anandpur Shaib on the occasion of Hola Mohalla. But later on when he gave up this obduracy under official pressure, he insisted that he would only allow them to enter the Gurudwara proper on certain conditions. A party of Kukas headed by Ram Singh was granted admission. He accepted the offered money from the Kuka Guru, but refused to pray for him. At the same time, an attack was attempted upon the visiting Kukas at the instigation of the Mahant by a party of armed Nihangs. But for the timely intervention of police on the spot averted the clash.

1882 Birth of Pandit Kanshi Ram on 13 October 1882 in a Brahmin family of village Marauli Kalan, about 2 km from Morinda in the Rupnagar District.

1886 After passing the matriculation examination from Mohindra High School(now Mohindra College) Patiala, Pandit Kanshi Ram was migrated to the U.S.A. in 1896. He was one of the principal propagator of the Ghadar idea and made the treasure of the Ghadar Party.

1913-15 Formation of Ghadar party which aimed to liberate India by force. The rebellion was planned in the United States and Canada. The headquarters of the movement was at San Francisco (U.S.A). Baba Ram Singh Bhakna was the President, Lala Hardayal was the General Secretary and Pandit Kanshi Ram was the Treasure of the Ghadar Party .

On the eve of World War-I (1914), when the Ghadar Party gave a call for return of all patriots to India to join armed insurrection against the British. Kanshi Ram abandoned his flourishing business and returned to India and visited his home village Marauli Kalan. Kanshi Ram was hanged in the Lahore Central Jail on 27 March1915.

1918-19 Anti-Rowlatt Agitation was started by the people against the Rowlatt Act which was passed in March 1919.

1920 Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee was formed in November 1920 to undertake the management of all Gurdwaras and other Sikh religious institutions.

1921 In this year, plan was made to take possession of Gurdwara Nankana Sahib (now in Pakistan) the richest of Sikh Shrine.

The Holocaust at Nankana Sahib, where on 20 February 1921, 130 peaceful Akalis had been mercilessly attacked, killed and burnt stirred the whole country and all the communities of Punjab including the district of Rupnagar expressed their sympathy with those who had suffered.

1925 The Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925 placed all the important Gurdwaras in the Punjab under the control of Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee. The people of Rupnagar District participate activily in this movement. The name of Giani Uday Singh of Bari Haveli of Rupnagar Tahsil is significant. He also played an important role during Jaito Morcha.

1928 Lala Lajpat Rai was severely struck by the Police on 30 October 1928 while leading an Anti-Simon demonstration at Lahore. Death of Lala Lajpat Rai on 17 November 1928, he spent his childhood at Ropar (Rupnagar) where his father Shri Radha Krishan was working as teacher in the Government Primary School.

1930 Congress launched a mass movement called Civil Disobedience Movement. A large number of persons from Rupnagar District were also thrown into the Jails for participating in the movement.

1932 The Civil Disobedience Movement was re-started on the arrest of Gandhi ji on 4 January 1932, on his return from the second Round Table Conference in London and it continued until the middle of 1934.

The people of Rupnagar joined this movement too. The persons arrested from present area of Rupnagar were Mathura Dass Gandhi, Dr Ram Nath Pandit, Lala Gurdas Ram and Lala Jai Krishan Dass.

1940 With the outbreak of World War-II in 1939 the Congress refused co-operation and Congress Ministries in different provinces resigned and this was followed by “Individual Satyagrah”. A large number of freedom fighters from Sialba Majri, Kharar and Sohana participated in this movement.

1942 Congress working committee passed a resolution on 14 July 1942 demanding complete and unconditional withdrawal by British from India. Gandhiji and all the members of the congress working committee were arrested on 9 August 1942. The people of the district took an active part in the movement and wrote “Ouit India” on the milestones from Kharar to Rupnagar(Ropar). The British Government were compelled to grant freedom to the country on 15 August 1947.

1961 S. Baldev Singh of Village Dumna (1902-1961) near Kurali in the Rupnagar District died in 1961. He played an important role in the development of the area of present Rupnagar District. He was the first Defence Minister of India after Independence of the country.

1999 The tercentenary of Khalsa Panth was celebrated from 8 April to 14 April 1999 at Anandpur Sahib with great pomp and show. Five Jathas one each from the birth place of Panj Piyaras participated the celebrations. A large number of devotees from other States and even from the foreign countries visited this place. It is said that between 3 to 5 million pilgrims visited the place during this period on a quest for spiritual renewal.

Distribution of Population by Religion

The distribution of population of the district by religion according to

the 1981 and 1991 Census is given below:

Religion	Population Classified by Religion
	1981			1991
	Total	Males	Females	Total	Males	Females
Hindus	2,99,768	1,61,285	1,38,483	3,46,164	1,85,931	1,60,233
Sikhs	4,05,490	2,17,564	1,87,926	5,53,173	2,94,752	2,58,421
Muslims	7,657	4,187	3,470	11,839	6,574	5,265
Christians	1,281	680	601	1,803	979	824
Budhists	5	3	2	102	71	31
Jains	1,751	978	773	615	321	294
Other Religions	686	374	312	9	5	4
Religions not stated	24	16	8	1,898	1,038	860
	7,16,662	3,85,087	3,31,575	9,15,603	4,89,671	4,25,932

(Statistical Abstract of Punjab, 1985 and Census of India, 1991, Series-20, Punjab, Part IV-B (ii) Religion Table C-9)

Population of Towns

The ratio of population between rural and urban areas in the district in1991 was 74.50:25.50 as against 78.42:21.58 in 1981. The town-wise population of the Rupnagar District as per the 1981 and1991 Census is given below:

Towns 1981 1991 Percentage increase
S A S Nagar(Mohali)	32,351	78,457	142.52
Rupnagar	25,165	37,996	50.99
Nangal Township	25,523	32,003	25.39
Kharar	21,807	26,109	19.73
Kurali	12,637	17,592	39.17
Morinda	13,502	17,440	29.17
Naya Nangal	10,390	12,046	15.94
Anandpur Sahib	8,576	10,674	24.54

(Statistical Abstract of Punjab,1994)

Villages Classified by Population

The number of villages classified by various ranges of population in the Rupnagar District according to the 1981 and1991 Census are given in the following table:-

Villages classified by various ranges of population

Year

Total number of inhabited villages

Less than 200

200-499

500-999

1,000-1,999

2,000-4,999

5,000-9,999

10,000

and above

1981

893

169

294

282

122

1991

895

129

253

301

166

(Census of India, 1981, Series-17, Punjab Part II-A and Part II-B, General Population Tables and Primary Census Abstract and Census of India,1991, Series-20, Punjab Part II-A and Part II-B, General Population Tables and Primary Census Abstract)

Fairs and Festivals

Fairs and festivals provide an index to the cultural, social and domestic life of people of the area. These are a living symbol of our cultural life. For long years they have been exercising unifying influences from under the seeming differences that separate castes and communities.

The main fairs celebrated in the district are described below:

Hola Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib.- The fair is held annually, synchronizing with the general Holi festival, which comes off on the full-moon day of the Bikrami month of Chaitra, falling in March-April. The Hola Mohalla celebrations at Anadpur Sahib are reminiscent of the great plans of Guru Gobind Singh who wanted to infuse Martial Spirit in the masses to face the tyrannies inflicted by the contemporary Mughal rulers. Instead of the Holi festival being an occasion for colour splashing and gay revelry the Guru transformed it into an arena for training in warfare and gave it the masculine name of Hola Mohalla . But, unlike the Holi, it lasts for three days, starting a day earlier and finishing off a day later, than the general festival. As a matter of fact, the fair at Anandpur Sahib is a continuation of the celebrations started earlier at Kiratpur Sahib. The pilgrims to Anandpur Sahib being to pour in after having paid obeisance at Kiratpur Sahib.

The first Hola Mohalla was celebrated in 1700 AD the year immediately following the formation of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh.

Shahidi Jor Mela, Chamkaur Sahib.- A big fair known as Shahidi Jor Mela is held at Chamkaur Sahib in the month of December, to commemorate the martyrdom of two elder sons of Guru Gobind Singh. It lasts for three days and is largly attended.

Besides the above fairs, the religious festivals such as gurpurbs (birthday and martyrs day of Sikh Gurus) are celebrated with great devotion and love. Religious festivals of Shivratri, Holi, Janam Ashtami, Mahavir Jayanti, Rakhi, Dussehra, Diwali, Ram Naumi Guga Naumi, etc. are also celebrated by the people. The seasonal festivals of Lohri, Maghi, Basant and Baisakhi are the common festivals of the people. The Republic Day (26 January), the Independence Day (15 August) and the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi (2 October) are observed as National days of rejoicing.

CHAPTER IV

AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

According to 1991 Census, about 29.40 per cent of the total main workers of the district were labourers and directly dependent on agriculture (cultivators, agricultural labourers and other allied agricultural activities).

The district has made a considerable progress in the field of horticulture as its area under fruits has increased from 2,678 hectare in 1983-84 to 5,812 hectares in 1998-99 but it suddenly decrease to 1351 hectares according to the Actual Census of Fruit Gardens, 1999-2000 conducted by Director, Horticulture, Punjab. According to this Census the area under fruits in the State has also decreased from 93,220 hectares to 30,091 hectares.

Land Utilization

The total area of the district according to village papers during 1999-2000 was 216 thousand hectares out of which 125 thousand hectares was net area sown. The area under forests during 1999-2000 was 52 thousand hectares, which is second highest area under forest in the State after Hoshiarpur District (109 thousand hectares). The land put to non- agricultural use and barani and un-culturalable land was 16 thousand hectares and 13 thousand hectares respectively. The area sown more than once was 85 thousand hectares and the cropping intensity during 1999-2000 was 168 per cent.

The following statement gives the classification of area by land use in the Rupnagar District during the years 1983-84,1988-89,1993-94 and 1995-96 to 1999-2000:-

The Classification of Area by Land Use in the Rupnagar District

(In thousand hectares)

Particulars	1983-84	1988-89	1993-94	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98	1998- 99	1999-2000
Total area according to village papers	213	213	215	216	216	216	216		216
Forests	41	39	52	50	52	52	52		52
Barren and uncultur- able land	..	17	13	15	15	15	14		13
Land put to non-agriculture use	37	19	18	25	18	18	17		16
Culturable waste	..	6	4	4	3	3	2		3
Permanent pastures and other grazing land	..	2	2	2	3	3	3		3
Land under misc. tree crops and groves not included in net area sown	..	-	-	-	-	-	-		-
Current fallow	4	11	8	5	5	4	4		4
Fallow land other than current fallow	-	-	2	-	-	-	-		-
Net area sown	124	119	116	115	120	121	124		125
Area sown more than once	65	78	87	58	84	85	86		85
Total cropped area	189	197	203	173	204	206	210		210

(Statistical Abstracts of Punjab 1984, 1989, 1994 and 1996 to 2000)

Irrigation Facilities

Irrigation plays a very important role in agricultural development of a region. The main source of irrigation in the district is tubewells, which irrigates about 97.90 per cent of the total area irrigated in the district during 1999-2000 which was second highest in the State after Kapurthala.

The net area irrigated through different sources of irrigation in the district during the years 1983-84, 1988-89 and 1993-94 to 1999-2000 is given below:

(In 000 hectares)

Net area irrigated by

Percentage of net area irrigated to net area sown

Year

Government

canals

Tubewells/wells

Other sources

Total

1983-84

1988-89

1993-94

1994-95

1995-96

1996-97

1997-98

1998-99

1999-2000

3.7

3.6

15.2

15.5

15.2

12.7

11.6

1.4

1.3

65.5

75.5

61.2

63.4

73.0

77.8

84.8

89.0

89.3

1.0

0.4

0.8

70.2

79.1

76.4

78.9

88.2

90.5

96.8

90.8

91.4

56.6

66.5

65.9

66.9

76.7

75.0

79.7

73.2

73.4

(Statistical Abstract of Punjab 1984, 1989, and 1994 to 2000)

@ Below 50 hectares

Canals.– Bhakra Canal/Nangal Hydel Channel and Sirhind Canal serve the district. The area irrigated by Sirhind Canal and Bhakra Canal Nangal Hydel Channel in the district during the years 1983-84, 1988-89 and 1993-94 to 1999-2000 is given below:

(in hectares)

Year

Gross area irrigated by Sirhind Canal

Gross area irrigated by Bhakra Canal/ Nangal Hydel Channel

1983-84

1988-89

1993-94

1994-95

1995-96

1996-97

1997-98

1998-99

1999-2000

3,458

3,498

3,948

4,040

4,168

3,894

4,111

4,161

4,101

1,502

1,428

635

665

695

701

714

718

( Source: Executive Engineer, Head Works Division, Rupnagar and Divisional officer, Canals, Bhakra Main Line Division , Patiala )

Tubewells.- The office of the Punjab State Tubewell Corporation Rupnagar was established in August 1991 in the Rupnagar District. It has installed 86 deep tubewells in the district for irrigation purpose which are working in the Kandi Area. The tubewell installed by the Punjab State Tubewell Corporation Ltd, Chandigarh, also irrigate the area of Rupnagar District and it has installed 144 deep tubewells in the district. The area irrigated by the tubewells installed by the Punjab State Tubewell Corporation in the Rupnagar District during the years 1991-92 to 1999-2000 is given below:

(in hectares)

Year	Area Irrigated by Punjab State Tubewell Corporation Rupnagar Chandigarh
1991-92	-	7,506.88
1992-93	129.95	7,860.72
1993-94	1,104.45	7,588.66
1994-95	1,632.79	9,087.44
1995-96	2,029.55	6,892.30
1996-97	2,1 75.70	6,890.28
1997-98	2,379.35	5,134.00
1998-99	2,531.17	5,770.04
1999-2000	6,866.39	6,328.74

(Source: Superintending Engineer, Punjab State Tubewell Corporation ,Rupnagar)

Kandi Watershed and Area Development Project

A number of dams on Chos / Khads have been constructed by the Punjab Government with the aid of World Bank under the Kandi Water – Shed and Area Development Project for irrigation purpose and control of floods in the Rupnagar District. In Rupnagar District three dams i .e . Perch, Mirzapur and Siswan has been constructed for harnessing water for irrigation. The fourth dam at Jainti is under construction. A brief description of these dams is given below:

Perch Dam .- Perch Dam is located on Perch Khad. It is an earth filled dam, 22.2m high from Khad bed and tope elevation of dam is 413.7 mt . It is a flood control- cum- irrigation multipurpose project and completed on 11 November 1993 . With the construction of dam the flood havoc and sediment damage during monsoons has been minimised. The other benefits of this project are to include irrigation, development of fisheries, recharge of ground water in the tract and improvement in cropping pattern and crop yield of 3 villages.

Mirzapur Dam.- Mirzapur Dam is located on Budki Khad. It is an earth filled dam, 13 .9 m high from Khad bed. Completed on 2 February 1996 and provides irrigation facilities to 9 villages .

Siswan Dam.- Siswan Dam is located on Siswan Khad. It is an earth filled dam, 24.0 m high from Khad bed . With the construction of this dam, the flood havoc and sediment damage during monsoon has been minimised. The irrigation channels of this dam have yet to be completed.

The area irrigated by the channels of these dams in Rupnagar District is given below:

(in hectares)

Year	Perch Dam	Mirzapur Dam
1994-95	150	-
1995-96	238	-
1996-97	280	-
1997-98	283	250
1998-99	285	255
1999-2000	285	255

(Source: Chief Engineer, KAD, Irrigation works, Punjab Chandigarh)

Major and Subsidiary Crops.- Rupnagar District as other districts of the State is in the grip of wheat-paddy rotation. Despite the efforts of the Government and experts the interest of the farmers in this rotation remained the same. The area under different crops, their total production in the district is given as under in the following statements:-

Area Under Principal Crops in the Rupnagar District

(In thousand hectares)

	1983-84	1988-89	1993-94	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000
Cereals
Rice	24	28	37	39	40	43	46	50
Jawar	(a)	-	-	1.2	0.2	0.1	-	-
Bajra	0.1	0.1	-	0.1	0.5	-	-	-
Maize	34	34	30	23	27	28	26	28
Wheat	77	78	84	84	82	83	86	87
Barley	1.9	1.4	1.0	1.0	0.4	1	1	(a)
Pulses
Gram	13.4	3.4	7.4	0.7	1.0	1	0.7	0.5
Mash	1.52	1.05	0.6	0.7	1.0	1.0	0.4	0.9
Mung	0.01	0.02	(a)	(a)	0.1	(a)	-	0.2
Massar	0.96	1.22	1.0	1.3	1.0	0.8	0.7	0.5
Oilseeds
Groundnut	2.5	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.1	(a)	(c)
Rape and mustard	2.3	1	1.6	3.4	1.8	1.3	2.0	1.7
Sesamum	1.0	0.8	0.5	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.4	0.4
Lineseed	(a)	(a)	(a)	(a)	(a)	(a)	(a)	(c)
Sunflower	-	-	-	-	-	-	2 -	0.1
Other Crops
Sugarcane	10	11.0	11.5	10.9	13.0	1.7	9.4	9.1
Potatoes	1.9	1.3	1.0	0.9	2.0	0.6	1.3	1.2
Cotton(American)	(a)	-	-	(a)	-	-	-	-
Cotton(Desi)	2.1	0.4	0.1	0.1	0.1	-	0.1	(c)

(Statistical Abstracts of Punjab 1984,1989 and 1994 and 1996 to 2000)

(a) Less than 500 hectares (c) Less than 50 hectares

Production Under Principal Crops in Rupnagar District

(In thousand metric tones)

	1983-84	1988-88	1993-94	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000
Cereals
Rice	83	89	131	123	130	138	128	156
Jawar	-	-	-	1.0	-	0.1	-	-
Bajra	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Maize	51	31	46	38	52	46	52	68
Wheat	208	244	290	284	293	296	325	350
Barley	2	4	2.8	3.1	-	3.0	3.2	-
Pulses
Gram	1	3.1	6.6	0.5	0.7	0.3	0.6	0.3
Mash	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.5	0.4	0.2	0.4
Mung	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0.1
Masaar	0.3	1.0	0.6	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.2
Oilseeds
Groundnut	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Rape and Mustard	2	1	1.8	3.0	1.5	-	2.3	1.8
Sesamum	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.1
Linseed	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Sunflower	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	0.1
Other Crops
Sugarcane	68	71	69	67	71	54	53	50
Potatoes	40.9	27.3	19.6	20.7	45.3	6.4	26.0	24.5
Cotton (American)		-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Cotton (Desi)	0.29	-	-	-	-	-	-

(Statistical Abstracts of Punjab 1984, 1989, 1994 and 1996 to 2000)

Note: Production of Sugarcane in terms of Gur

High Yielding Varieties

Seeds are the most important factor increasing agricultural production. The improved and high yielding varieties of crops sown in the Rupnagar District are given below:

Name of the crops Varieties
Rabi
Rice PR-114,PR-113,PR-108,PR-106,PR-103 Maize Prabhat, Partap, Sartaj, Keshri,
Kharif
Wheat PBW-343, WH-542,PBW-373, PBW-154, PBW-34, HD-2329
Barley	GL769, PBG No 1,C-235
Massar	LN-147, Massar 9-12

(Source: Chief Agricultural Officer, Rupnagar)

Fruit Crops.- Mangoes, Guava, Kinnow and Ber are the important fruits grown in the district of Rupnagar. The district ranked third in area under Mangoes in the state after Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur districts. The area under fruits in the district is given below :

Fruit crops	1983-84	1988-89	1993-94	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000
Kinnow	233	685	1,042	1,084	1,124	1,160	1,288	369
Orange and Malta	14	48	60	71	97	105	105	17
Lemon	98	161	178	185	189	190	191	6
Mangoes	1,586	1,925	2,319	2,501	2,585	2,635	2,691	609
Litchi	33	44	92	122	131	150	169	40
Guava	483	533	609	690	715	760	811	216
Pear	77	132	230	231	234	240	240	23
Peach	57	105	150	182	193	195	202	39
Plum	1	1	1	1	1	2	3	4
Grapes	15	24	30	32	32	30	30	2
Ber	57	61	61	63	63	60	63	11
Misc.	24	44	46	52	54	73	79	15
Total Fruits	2,678	3,763	4,818	5,214	5,418	5,600	5,812	1,351

(Statistical Abstracts of Punjab 1984,1989,1994 and 1996 to 2000)

Co-operative Farming Societies. - The small land holdings are not economic units. The scarcity of labour and its high charges have been compelling the small farmers to pool holdings in the form of a co-operative society to get the benefits of large-scale farming. The number of cooperative farming societies functioning in the district remained constant at 45 since 1981-82.

Fertilizer and Manures

Chemical Fertilizers.- The adoption of water-seed-fertilizer technology resulted as the green revolution in the State. Chemical fertilizers are the most important contents of it and the Punjab State (including Rupnagar District as its part) is the top consumer of fertilizer input in the country. The table given below shows the use of chemical fertilizers in the Rupnagar District during 1983-84, 1988-89, 1993-94 and 1995-96 to 1999-2000: (‘000’ Nutrients Tones)

Station	No.of years of data	Jan.	Feb.	Mar.	Apr.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Aug.	Sep.	Oct.	Nev.	Dec.	Annual
Anandpur Sahib	18 a	43.2	47.7	105.0	16.1	38.7	70.0	300.6	264.8	139.8	19.8	17.2	28.0	1090.9
	b	2.7	3.0	3.2	1.2	2.4	4.2	11.8	10.8	4.5	0.6	0.8	0.2	46.4
Kharar	86 a	39.1	33.4	25.3	12.0	16.5	61.0	224.6	202.1	117.1	20.1	6.4	17.1	774.7
	B	2.8	2.5	2.2	1.1	1.5	3.7	10.0	9.0	4.5	0.9	0.5	1.4	40.1
Rupnagar District	A	41.5	39.3	52.8	13.8	24.6	63.1	259.4	22.6	126.3	19.5	9.9	21.2	898.0
	B	2.8	2.8	2.5	1.2	1.8	3.9	10.6	9.8	4.6	0.9	0.6	1.3	42.8

Tahsil/ District	1981			1991
Tahsil/ District	Total	Males	Females	Total	Males	Females
Anandpur Sahib	39,572	21,568	18,004	50,347	26,878	23,469
Rupnagar	68,632	37,045	31,587	85,767	46,078	39,689
Kharar	66,525	36,265	30,260	88,868	48,175	40,693
District	1,74,729	94,878	79,851	2,24,982	1,21,131	1,03,851

Climate

Humidity.-Relative humidity is high, about 70 per cent during the monsoon season. The driest part of the year is the summer season when in the afternoons the relative humidity is as low as 30 per cent. During winter season, relative humidity is about 75 per cent in the morning.

Cloudiness. -The skies are generally moderate to heavily clouded and occasionally overcast during the monsoon season and for brief spells of a day or two in association with passing western disturbances during the cold season.The skies are mainly clear or lightly clouded during the rest of the year.

TABLE II

Frequency of Annual Rainfall in the District

British Period

Growth of Population

Distribution of Population between Rural and Urban Areas

Population of Towns

Villages Classified by Population

Villages classified by various ranges of population

Fairs and Festivals

AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

Land Utilization

Irrigation Facilities

Net area irrigated by

Kandi Watershed and Area Development Project

Cereals

Jawar

Pulses

Mash

Oilseeds

Other Crops

Production Under Principal Crops in Rupnagar District

Cereals

Pulses

Oilseeds

Other Crops

High Yielding Varieties

Rabi

Kharif

Kinnow

Ber

Fertilizer and Manures