Palwal district

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Palwal district
Location of Palwal district in Haryana
Location of Palwal district in Haryana
CountryIndia
StateHaryana
DivisionFaridabad
HeadquartersPalwal
TehsilsPalwal, Hodal, Hathin
Area
 • Total1,359 km2 (525 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total1,042,708
 • Density770/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
 • Urban
236,544
Demographics
 • Literacy70.32%
 • Sex ratio879
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
Major highways
  • 3 (NH-44)
  • KMP Expressway
  • KGP Expressway
Average annual precipitation60–100 mm
Lok Sabha constituenciesFaridabad (shared with Faridabad district)
Vidhan Sabha constituencies4
Websitehttp://palwal.gov.in/

Palwal district was created on 15 August 2008. It is the 21st district of Haryana state in northern India. Palwal City is the headquarters of the district. It is part of the Braj region.

The city is situated 60 km (37 mi) from Delhi, 29 km (18 mi) from Faridabad and 50 km (31 mi) from Gurugram on the Delhi-Agra national highway. The area of the city is 40 km2 (15 sq mi).[1]

Background[edit]

Etymology[edit]

According to legend, the city of Palwal is named for the demon Palwalasur who was said to have ruled during the reign of Pandavas.[citation needed]

History[edit]

Palwal was part of Punjab Province in 1903.

Palwal is supposed to figure in the earliest Aryan traditions under the name of Apelava, part of the Pandava kingdom of Indraprastha, which was later restored by Vikramaditya.[2]

During the reign of Mughal empire, the freedom fighter Kanha Rawat carried forward the legacy of Jat leader Gokula to fight against the oppressive Aurangzeb and his policy of persecuting Hindus, forcible conversion of Hindus to Islam, and high tax rate. After Kanha refused to convert his religion to Islam, Aurangzeb had him buried alive at Rawatpara.[3][lower-alpha 1] A statue of Kanha was unveiled inside the park in February 2014 by Vishvendra Singh - the scion of Bharatpur State.[5][6] Kanha Rawat Memorial Park was constructed around his samadhi at his native Bahin village in Hathin tehsil.

During the British Raj, Palwal was a part of the Punjab Province and Gurgaon district.[7]

Mahatma Gandhi was first arrested at Palwal railway station. The historical building "Gandhi Ashrama" was erected in memory of the incident.[8]

On 15 August 1979, Gurgaon district was divided, with Palwal becoming part of the new Faridabad district.[9] Later, Palwal became the 21st district of Haryana on 15 August 2008.

Administration[edit]

Palwal district comprises of 282 villages, 237 gram panchayats, one municipal council, two municipal committees, three sub-divisions, four development blocks and three tehsils. The sub-divisions are under the control of sub-divisional magistrate while each development block is under the control of a block development and panchayat officer. All the blocks are covered under Swarn Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna and other developmental programmes. Developmental programmes are overseen by the additional deputy commissioner-cum chief executive officer, DRDA Palwal. The district is under the overall charge of the deputy commissioner who is also the chairman of the District Rural Development Agency.

Geography[edit]

Topograpgy[edit]

Palwal is located at 28°09′N 77°20′E / 28.15°N 77.33°E / 28.15; 77.33,[10] between the eastern bank of Yamuna river and the western flank of Aravalli mountain range. It has an average elevation of 195 metres (639 ft).

Forests[edit]

The Forest Department aims to increase forestation for soil conservation in the district, in line with the National Forests Policy of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. According to the plan, about one-third of the geographical area should be under tree cover. In order to achieve this objective, large-scale plantings have been undertaken by the community, panchayat, government and private land over the last 20 years. Saplings of eucalyptus, shisham, neem, and other fruit plants were distributed free of costs to farmers to plant in their fields.

Economy and infrastructure[edit]

Palwal consists of agricultural and commercial areas, and has many temples, schools, colleges and banks. It also contains developed areas like Housing board colony, Kalra colony, New colony, main market, shivapuri, Krishna colony, kailash nagar, shiv colony, camp colony and Huda sector 2. There is a main chowk (English: market) called the Heart of Palwal. The government plans to develop the economy of Palwal in line with nearby cities like Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad, Hodal, Khair, and Mathura.[citation needed]

Transport[edit]

Delhi-Agra national highway passes through Palwal.

People[edit]

Demographics[edit]

Religion in Palwal district (2011)[11]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
79.25%
Islam
20.00%
Sikhism
0.38%
Christianity
0.09%
Jainism
0.09%
Buddhism
0.03%
Not Stated
0.16%

According to the 2011 census, Palwal district had a population of 1,042,708.[12] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 25.49%.[12] Palwal had a sex ratio of 879 females for every 1,000 males,[12] and a literacy rate of 70.3%.[12]

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 95.80% of the population in the district spoke Hindi, 3.59% Urdu and 0.43% Punjabi as their first language. The local language is Brajbhasha.[13]

As of 2011 India census,[14] Palwal city had a population of 235,663. Males constituted 53% of the population and females 47%. Palwal had an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 65%: male literacy was 78%, and female literacy was 67%.

Culture[edit]

Palwal has an annual festival known as "Baldev Chhat Ka Mela" which celebrates the legend of Balarama killing the demon Palwalasur during the reign of Pandavas. There is also a temple dedicated to Balaram near the chowk (marketplace) of the municipal office.

Notable people[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. In accordance with the "al atuba ayat no five" (Surah at-Taubah (Repentance) 9:5),[3] which states "And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakāh, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful."[4]

References[edit]

  1. Palwal Geography Archived 16 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine Yamuna Action Plan official website.
  2. Palwal Town The Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1909, v. 19, p. 375.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Vijay Kumar Pal, INVADERS & Hidden Facts, Rudra Publications, pp55-56.
  4. Quran's Surah "at-Taubah (Repentance)" chapter 9, verse 5.
  5. "Hooda announced sub-tehsil status on Bahin village in Palwal district". Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  6. "Bahin village is sub-tehsil". Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  7. Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman (2008). "1857 ki Jung-e Azadi main Khandan ka hissa". Ḥayāt-i Karam Ḥusain (2nd ed.). Aligarh, India: Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences. pp. 253–258. OCLC 852404214.
  8. "Years of Arrests & Imprisonment of Mahatma Gandhi". gandhiworld.in. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  9. History Archived 2007-10-13 at the Wayback Machine Official website Gurgaon.
  10. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc – Palwal
  11. http://www.census2011.co.in/census/district/228-palwal.html
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  13. 2011 Census of India, Population By Mother Tongue
  14. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.

External links[edit]

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