Talwara

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name = Talwara | type = city | latd = 31.95 | longd = 75.87
locator_position = right | state_name = Punjab
district = Hoshiarpur
leader_title =
leader_name =
altitude = 326
population_as_of = 2001
population_total = 22580| population_density =
area_magnitude= km
area_total = 10
area_telephone = 01883
postal_code = 144216
vehicle_code_range = PB-54
sex_ratio =
unlocode =
website =
footnotes =

Talwara is a census town in Hoshiarpur district in the Indian state of Punjab.

Description

Talwara is a beautiful modern township in the lap of nature and blessed with very pleasent climate. It gained in importance with the starting of construction of the Pong Dam on the Beas River in 1964. Now it is a flourishing township with multi-purpose Project which includes, apart from Pong Dam, the Shah-Nehar Barrage, Shah-Naher Hydel Channel, and various Power Houses. This township was developed to provide accommodation for the Pong Dam workers. Luckily, the architechts of this township were also the same who designed the City Beautiful Chandigarh.

Talwara is divided roughly into two parts, one is the township area, created and maintained by Bhakra Beas Management Board; other is private area known as Old Talwara comprising Subhash Nagar, Model Town, Indra Colony, Sandpur Mohalla etc and main bazaar. The old one is stereo-type semi-hill town and the modern one is well-planned and is divided into four sectores with underground drainage. Talwara Township area is divided into four sectors following the pattern of Chandigarh. Talwara is a mono-functional town without any industry. Goods are imported usually from other places to meet the daily needs of the residents-mostly employed in Beas Dam or other hydel projects. The township area is inhabited with people from various parts of Indian States. They are employees of BBMB, Shah Nehar, Mukerian Hydel Project and various other government departments viz education, health, forest, local bodies etc.

Attractions

Talwara is situated on the banks of the river Beas and is surrounded with beautiful Shiwalik hills. Surrounded by a river and hills Talwara is a place once having dense forests. Those forests are still visible in its two forest ranges. Talwara is known for world famous Pong Dam, fresh water lakes and its salubrious surroundings and other many natural and religious attractions. Hindu Godess Chintapurni Temple is also near to Talwara. Maharana Pratap Sagar lake, 42 Km long lake is just 8KM away from township. The lake is famous for water sports and bird sanctury. Pong Dam, an earth cum rockfill dam is the highest of its kind in the country. It comprises five tunnels and a power house with an installed capacity of 240 MW (4 units each of 60 M W) in the first instance and 2 more units each of 60 MW at a later state. At present it is under the control of the Beas Project Power Wing. The township itself is well planned and beautiful. The Shah-Nehar-Barrage is constructed at the down stream of Pong Dam situated at the River Beas . The Barrage has 52 gates and thus a huge artificial lake of holding capacity of 3404 acres feet has been created which feeds the Mukerian Hydel Channel.

Rock garden created by Nek Chand("creator of Rock Garden, Chandigarh") of the Talwara has proved to be a major tourist attraction. Many Herbal Garden have been created on wasteland of BBMB at Talwara .

There is an old Shiv temple in village Sri Pandain near Talwara Township. It is said to have been constructed by the Pandavas. There is also a typical well, near the temple said to be constructed by the Pandavas. One has to go 50 steps down to fetch water from this well. The well is still in use. A mela is held at the temple annually on Shivratri Day and is visited by a large number of people.

History Pages

Talwara as a Fort:The peace of the Punjab was disturbed by an adventured, who appeared at Bajwara and pretended to be Sarang Khan from multan in 1396, a little before Taimur’s invasion. There was a big rising at Bajwara. Sarang Khan was pursued, but he escaped to the Shiwalik Hills. At Timur’s death in 1405 AD. Jasrat Gakhar, ruler of Gakhar Dynasty regained his freedom, returned to the Punjab and reestablished the Gakhar state. Meanwhile Timur's governor Khizr Khan seized the Delhi Sutanate for himself.Khizr Khan’s son, Mubarak Shah, spent much of his reign trying to defend Delhi against the Gakhar ruler Jasrat who was growing stronger. Around AD 1420. Jasrat defeated the army of Kashmir. When Mubarak Shah reached Samana in July 1421, he heard that Jasrat Gakhars had raised the seige of Sirhind and had returned to Ludhiana. Mubarak Shah advanced to Ludhiana in the second half of September and found that Jasrat had abandoned the side of river Satluj. After the rains had ceased, Mubarak Shah also crossed the river a little higher up. Jasrat hastened back to his strongest fort at Talwara. Mubarak Shah followed him and with the help of Raja Bhim of Jammu captured the Talwara fort and razed it, but not before Jasrat had escaped further into the mountains.AD1520-1525 During these years, the Punjab remained disturbed, when Babar, the first Mughal Emperor, started his expeditions against Hindustan. Babar crossed the river Beas opposite Kahnuwan and encamped at the mouth of the Valley of the Shiwalik Hills in which lies the Fort of Malout. Babar took the fort and made Daulat Khan prisoner. Babar marched via Bajwara, Rupnagar, Sirhind and Sunam on way to Delhi. 1530-1556 In 1555, on arriving at Kalanaur in the Gurdaspur District from Lahore, Humayun despatched a strong body of troops under Bairam Khan and Tardi Beg to attack Nasib Khan, the Afghan General, who lay encamped at Panj Bhain near Hariana in the Hoshiarpur District . Bairam Khan pushed on to Hariana, which after a slight skirmish was surrendered by Nasib Khan. Bairam Khan marched to Jalandhar from Hariana via Sham Chaurasi where the afghans had taken up position.e. On 17 December 1557, the imperial forces advanced through Jalandhar to the Shiwalik Hills and encamped at Dasua in the Hoshiarpur District and moved further to Nurpur. The hill Rajas, who had sided with Sikandar Sur, deserted him and submitted to Akbar. After Bairam Khan was defeated by the imperial forces at Gunachaur, he went to Talwara, the capital of Raja Ganesh. There was a great battle fought between the imperialist and Bairam Khan’s troops. The royal troops besieged the fortress at Talwara. Bairam Khan after a brief resistence surrendered at Hajipur in October 1560 and threw himself at the mercy of the Emperor Akbar. He was pardoned by the emperor at Hariana and thereafter, he left for Mecca.After that we don't find any evidence of Talwara and its Fort in History.

Then "Talwara again came into sight in 1960's with the BBMBs Pong Dam project and construction of Talwara township".According to Punjab revenue records, one Talu of Awan Caste owned the land and after his name the village was known as Talwara or Talwara. He died issueless and the village was deserted. Subsequently, a Raja brought certain persons from villages Namoli of Namol got. One Rajput of Jaryal got came and settled in village Budhawar tahsil Dasuya. He married away his daughter to Raja Kamand Chand of Datarpur. The area around Talwara was given by Raja as a jagir to his Rani. She carved out certain areas from the adjoining villages. On account of this, talwara was also known as ‘Barapind’. It was also cynically called as ‘Chandarpind’ as it was the place for which the adjoining chiefs constantly fought. Talwara township was born in 1964.

Location

Talwara is approachable by road only. The work on "Talwara-Nangal rail link" is under construction from few decades now but still a long way to go.Rail link between Mukerian and Talwara township has been removed by the project authorities after completion of the dam.The closest railway stations are:-

Mukerian- 25 km
Dasuya- 32 km

Distance from the main cities:-

Distance from New Delhi:- 440 km
Distance from Chandigarh:- 190 km
Distance from Amritsar:- 110 km
Distance from Pathankot:- 55 km
Distance from Una:- 75 km
Distance from Hoshiarpur:- 84 km
Distance from Jalandhar:- 100 km
Distance from Nangal:- 90km

Education

Major Educational Institutions of Talwara

Govt. Sr. Sec. School Sector 1
Govt. Girls Sen. Sec. School Sector 3
BBMB DAV Public School Sec 2
Saravhitkari Vidya Mandir
Govt. Model High School Sector 2
Sri Guru Harkishan Public School Sec 2
Shivalik school
Vashisht Bharti School
Public High School Old Talwara
Govt. College Talwara
I. T. I. Talwara

Facts

The first mobile court in Punjab was inaugurated at Talwara by Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Vijender Jain and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on October 2,2007 the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The Rock Garden Talwara was inagurated on 16-5-2006

Geography

Talwara is located at coord|31.95|N|75.87|E|. [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/23/Talwara.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Talwara] ] It has an average elevation of 326 metres (1069 feet).

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, [GR|India] Talwara had a population of 22,580. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Talwara has an average literacy rate of 80%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 76%. In Talwara, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.Talwara is suurounded three sides by hills.......shivalik mountains can be seen from here.

External links

Official Website of Talwara:
* http://www.talwara.com/

History of Talwara
* http://hoshiarpur.nic.in/html/history.htm

References