- Rupnagar
Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name=Ropar
locator_position=left
latd = 30.9664|longd=76.5331
state_name = Punjab
district=Rupnagar
altitude=262
population_as_of = 2001 | population_total = 48,165| population_density =
area_magnitude=
area_total=
area_telephone=91-1881
postal_code= 140 001
vehicle_code_range=PB 12
footnotes = |Rupnagar is a town and a
municipal council inRupnagar district in theIndia n state of Punjab. It was formerly known as Ropar. The town of Rupnagar is said to have been founded by aRaja calledRokeshar , who ruled during the 11th century and named it after his sonRup Sen . It is also the site of an ancient town of theIndus Valley Civilization . The major cities inRopar District are Morinda,Kurali ,Anandpur Sahib andChamkaur Sahib . The town ofMohali was once part of Ropar District before it became a separate district in 2006. The famousBhakra dam inNangal lies on the boundary with the neighbouring state ofHimachal Pradesh .Rupnagar is nearly 50
km to the north west ofChandigarh (the nearestairport ). It is bordered byHimachal Pradesh to thenorth andNawanshahr district to itswest .Ropar - Witness To Six Ancient Civilizations
Ropar is a 21 metre high ancient
mound overlaying theShiwalik (also spelt Sivalik) deposition on the left bank of the riverSatluj where it emerges into the plains. It has yielded a sequence of six cultural periods or phases with some breaks fromHarappan times to the present day. The excavations were carried out byDr. Y.D. Sharma of theArchaeological Survey of India . The migration of people from Harappa to Ropar has been postulated through the lostSaraswati River to theSatluj as both rivers once belonged to one system.Period IAt Ropar
excavation s at the the lowest levels yielded Harappan traits in Period 1, which falls in theproto-historic period. A major find was astealite seal in theIndus script used for the authentication of trading goods, impressions of seals on aterracotta lump of burntclay ,chert blade s,copper implements,terracotta bead s andbangle s and typical standardisedpottery of the Indus Valley civilization. They flourished in all the Harappan cities andtownship s.The earliest houses at Ropar were built with river
pebble s available in abundance but soon they made use of cut slabs oflime with the same ratio of 4:2:1.Sun bakedbrick s were sometimes used in the foundations. Houses were built to suit climatic conditions. Walls wereplaster ed with water repelling sticky clay. In the north, flat roofs were common but deep-pitched roofs were used along the west coast -Bengal andAssam - due to heavy rainfall.The
dead were buried with the head generally to the north and withfunerary vessels as unearthed incemetery R-37 at Harappa (Sind ,Pakistan ). What led the Harappans to desert the site is not known.Period IIPeriod II belongs to the
Painted Greyware period which followed the Period I. Typical pottery of this period consisted of fine greywarepaint edblack , terracotta bangles,semi precious stone s,glass ,bone arrowhead s,ivory kohl sticks and copper implements. This period is identified as the period belonging to theGreat War Epic -Mahabharata .A new settlement sprang up here by about 600 BC - chronologically Period III at Ropar. Grey pottery of Period II still continued. This period belongs to circa 600 BC to 200 BC. It yielded early
coin s (punch marked and uninscribedcast coins), copper and implements. An important find was an ivory seal inscribed in theMauryan Brahmi script (4th and 3rd century BCE)Minutely
carve d and polished stonedisc s with a figure andmotif associated with the cult of theMother goddess offertility have also been unearthed in the excavations fromTaxila (now inPakistan ),Patna in the state ofBihar and otherMaurya n sites. Houses ofmud andkiln fired bricks were by no means rare. A 3.6 metre wide fired brick wall traced to a length of about 75 metres probably encompassed a water tank which collected water through inlets. The upper levels havesoak well s lined with terracotta rings of theSunga andKushana periods.Period III To VFrom Period III to V there are fairly rich dwelling complexes with houses of stone and mud bricks. Full layouts of buildings could not be exposed owing to the vertical nature of excavations carried out.
Period IVThe next phase, Period IV revealed evidence of the Sunga, Kushan (also spelt as
Kushana ) and Gupta periods. With a hoard of copper coins from the Kushan and Gupta periods being found. This includes a gold coin issued byChandragupta Kumardevi of the Gupta dynasty, which is also known as the golden age in ancient Indian history.A large number of terracotta figurines of the Sunga, Kushana and Gupta periods were also discovered. Among them was a
Yakshi figure withcherub ic expression and a beautiful seated figure of a woman playing thelyre reminiscent ofSamudragupta ’s figure in a similar position on gold coins from the Gupta dynasty. A set ofthree silver utensil s forritual istic purpose with Greek influence depicts the fine craftsmanship of the Gupta dynasty in itschased decoration .The pottery of this period in the upper levels is for the most part
red ware and is frequently decorated withincised motifs. After a short break, there is evidence of a fresh occupation identified as Period V commencing around the early 6th century and continuing for three or four centuries. The coins ofToramana (circa 500 CE) andMihirakula (circa 510CE-40CE) have been recovered from these levels. The spacious brick building of the fifth period were constricted neatly and evidences showed a good measure of prosperity during this period.Probably after desertion, a new town sprang up here around 13th century CE on the same site named Period VI and it continues to flourish to the present day.
An archaeological
museum has been set up to house some of the antiquities found along with photographs displaying excavation material.Geography
Rupnagar is located at coord|30.97|N|76.53|E| [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/23/Rupnagar.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Rupnagar] ] . It has an average elevation of 260 metres (853 ft).
Rupnagar district, included in the
Patiala Division of Punjab falls between northlatitude 30°-32' and 31°-24' and eastlongitude 76°-18' and 76°-55'. Rupnagar (formerly known as Ropar) town, the district headquarters is 42 km fromChandigarh , the state capital. The district adjoinsNawanshahar ,Mohali andFatehgarh Sahib Districts of Punjab. The district comprises 3Tehsil s, Rupnagar,Anandpur Sahib andChamkaur Sahib and includes 617village s and 6town s namely Rupnagar, Chamkaur Sahib, Anandpur Sahib,Morinda ,Kiratpur Sahib andNangal . All towns except Chamkaur Sahib haverailway s connections. The Satluj river passes close (2 to 5 km) to the towns of Nangal, Rupnagar and Anandpur Sahib.The climate
The
climate of Rupnagar District is characterized by its general dryness (except in thesouth west monsoon season), a hot summer and a bracingcold winter. The year may be divided intofour season s. The period from about middle of November to February is the cold season. This is followed by the summer season from March to about the end of [June] . The south-west monsoon season commences late in June and continues up to about middle of September. The period from mid September to the middle of November constitute the post-monsoon or transition season. Thetemperature ranges from minimum of 4 °C in winter to 45 °C in summer. May and June are generally hottestmonth s and December and January are the coldest months. Relativehumid ity is high, averaging about 70% during monsoon. The average annualrainfall in district is 775.6 mm. About 78% of the annual rainfall is received during the period from June to September.oils
The
soil s of the District vary in texture generally fromloam tosilt yclay loam except along the Satluj River andcho s where somesand y patches may be found. Chamkaur Sahib andKharar blocks have sodic soils. The soils of Anandpur Sahib and Rupnagar blocks are undulating.Demographics
As of 2001 India
census [GR|India] , Rupnagar had a population of 48,165. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Rupnagar has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 72%. In Rupnagar, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. 95% of Ropar population followsSikhism District Administration
* The Deputy Commissioner, an officer belonging to the
Indian Administrative Service , is the overall in-charge of the General Administration in the district. He is assisted by a number of officers belonging to Punjab Civil Service and other state services.* The Senior Superintendent of Police, an officer belonging to the
Indian Police Service is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order and related issues of the district. He is assisted by the officers of the Punjab Police Service and other Punjab Police officials.* The Divisional Forest Officer, an officer belonging to the
Indian Forest Service is responsible for managing the Forests, environment and wild-life related issues of the district. He is assisted by the officers of the Punjab Forest Service and other Punjab Forest officials and Punjab Wild-Life officials.* Sectoral development is looked after by the district head of each development department such as PWD, Agriculture, Health, Education and Animal husbandry. These officers belong to various State Services.
Important cities and towns
*Anandpur Sahib
*Chamkaur Sahib
*Kiratpur Sahib
*Morinda
*Nangal
*Rupnagar
*KamalpurStatistical Data Of Ropar District
Sr.No.Particulars
AnandPur SahibChamKaur SahibMorindaNurpur BediRoopNagarTotal1No. Of VillagesA)Total12811273110196619B)Populated12510672108190601C)Be-Charag36126182PopulationA)Population Rural114677600556146081740107717425649B)- Rural (Male)5994031856333364243057585225147C)- Rural (Female)5473728199281243931050132200502D)No. Of Families1997196879334143411790571238E)No. Of S.Cs2119020903215091671730770970363WorkersA)No. Of Workers (Agri.)163141146111662160911644671974B)No. Of Workers (Non-Agri.)145615932686265871433748279C)No. Of Literates60918322863456638484602402264944AreaA)Total area (km²)307.41189.64148.56341.22360.331347.16B)Area under forest (km²)53.016.200.84116.0187.97264.03C)Net cultivated area (km²)15636145.92123.201487.55177.882090.91D)Total cultivated area (km²)263.10270.02224.39257.16315.371330.045IndustryA)Small Industries---31518B)Big Industries-1--126Educational InstitutionsA)Primary Schools1398566107165562B)Middle Schools20129141772C)High/Sr.Sec. Schools21810182279D)Degree Colleges11--237HealthA)Primary Health Centers3223313B)Sub-Center22910172482C)Dispensaries9359733D)Hospitals11-1148Animals HusbandaryA)Vet. Hospitals7747934B)Vet. Dispensaries6578935C)Semen Centers911101120619Co-Operative SocietiesA)Agriculture2618172522108B)Others1069475110109494C)Milk Collection Centers386058847531510Yellow Card HoldersA)S.C.2725274925232795355714349B)Non S.C.6200224520066763490122115References
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