Ganganagar

Ganganagar, also called Sri Ganganagar, is a small city in Rajasthan state of western India. It is the administrative headquarters of Ganganagar District.

The city is named after the Maharaja of Bikaner Maharaja Ganga Singh its founder. It is said that the Maharaja wanted a city based on the design of Paris, a city dear to his heart. So the Maharaja became a leader in the, now well established trend in China and Dubai where small imatation theme cities or islands give their citizens a taste of the world, at least of its architecture and urban planning. Even a brief glance at a map of 'Old Ganganagar City' will remind one of Paris in the days when Bikaner ka Maharaj merited a gun salute of 19-guns on state visits around the world.

Today Ganganagar is divided into small blocks which are well maintained with many Parks and Grounds for its citizens' rejuvenation and enjoyment. The parks also provide ample space for a variety of sports: Cricket, Football, Badminton, etc. The two main Parks are Nehru Park and Indravatika Park. In the town, one will find one or two Parks for every BLOCK. Most of the people lead a simple life style and one can find elder males wearing Kurta - Pyjama (Traditional Dress). The elder females wear Sari while the youngsters of the town are cool and up to date sporting Jeans and T-Shirts.

During the last 2-3 years, there has been a rapid increase in the population of the town, mainly due to the migration of people from the neighbouring small towns and villages where employment is harder to find. The resulting expansion of the town has led to the opening of many stores and where international brands of shoes and clothing, Reebok, Nike, Adidas, Monte Carlo, John Players, Peter England, Cotton County and Sony are sold.

Economy

In a testimony to land transformation barren Desert land has been converted to lush green fields due to the foresight of the Maharaja who brought the Gang canal which carries the excess waters of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the region, resulting in Ganganagar being labeled, "the food basket of Rajasthan".

Climate

The climate of Sri Ganganagar varies extremely. The region is the hottest in India with very hot in the summers (temperatures almost reach 50 degree Celsius). The winter temperatures are quite low almost dropping below 0 degrees Celsius.

Agriculture

Main crops of this area are cotton,wheat and mustard. One thing this area is very famous for is Kinnu(a variant of orange). For the past 10-15 years, farmers of this region are facing tough times. Their main cash crop, cotton has almost collapsed. Although still you can see the long queues of tractor-trollies in the city in winter, but the overall production of food grains has dropped considerably. The decline in the crops is mainly due to a very small insect, "Heliothis"(in local language - sundy) This worm has affected the cotton crops very badly. There are other factors as well like the rates of crops. Rates of cotton are still the same where they were in 1992-1993. Although the other crop wheat has got a hike in rates and has helped people recover to some extent, but still, the overall sale result is not as desired by the farmers . Another problem which affects the farmers of this region is the continuous water tussle with Punjab(the neighbouring state).

Geography

Ganganagar is located at (29.92°N 73.88°E)^[1]. It has an average elevation of 164 metres (538 feet).

Demographics

As per 2001 census by the GOVT of India , Ganganagar had a population of 210,788. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Ganganagar has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 76%, and female literacy is 64%. In Ganganagar, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Educational Institutes

The city has been a center of learning since its early ages. Many notable education institutes include:

Schools:

1. Saint Soldier Public School (7A, outskirts of the city)
2. Guru Harkishan Public School
3. Sri Guru Nanak Khalsa Higher Sen. Sec. School (Since 1939)
4. Bhopal Wala Arya Higher Sen. Sec. School
5. B.S.F Senior Secondary School
6. Good Shepherd Public School
7. Blooming Dales International School
8. Bihani Children's Academy
9. Invention Public School
10. Nosegay Public School
11. Sacred Heart Convent School
12. Tiny Tots Public School
13. S.R.Public Senior Secondary School
14. Education Point Computer Centre, Near Bank Colony

COLLEGES

1. Sri Guru Nanak Khalsa College
2. Sri Guru Nanak Khalsa Law College
3. Govt. Law College
4. Maharshi Dayanand (PG) College
5. Seth G.L.Bihani S.D.(P.G.) College
6. Ballu Ram Godara Girls College

Attractions

This town is famous for its many farms and fields. Main attractions include Gol Bazaar, Sukharia Circle, and the Hindumal Kot Border(Indo-Pak). There are many big and famous temples and Gurdwara's here like The Durga mandir, Hanuman temple, Balajee dham. A very well known and visited Gurudwara Shri Budha Johad (See: Massa Ranghar history) is located about 50 KM from Ganganagar. There are many hotels in the town. You will notice that all of them are located near the Railway Station because a tired traveller finds it easy if the Hotel is near the Station. Famous Hotels Include :

1. Hotel Pagoda(Rated ** by The Govt. Of India)

2. Hotel Sahil

3. Hotel Ashish

4. Hotel Grover

5. Hotel CityCentre

6. Hotel Roseela

There are many Restaurants and Cafe's also in the town of Sri Ganganagar offering you delicious food items and Snacks. The famous one's are "Raj Jeera Corner", "Polka"(Pastries and other snacks and drinks) "Vaishnav National Highway Dhabha"(On the outskirts of Ganganagar), "Chandralok Dhaba", "Basant Mango Bar", "Nagpal Mango Bar", "Raj Mango Bar" and very very famous "Punjab Namkeen Bhandaar" for its chholle bhature and aalu tikki in gol bazaar.

Main Photo Studios

Mehta Studio, Gole Bazar, Gandhi Chowk

Mamta Studio, Ravinder Path

External links

• This is the website created by the Government of India for Sri Ganganagar District