Patiala district is one of the
famous princely states of erstwhile Punjab. Forming the south-eastern part
of the state, it lies between 29°49’ and 30°47’ north latitude, 75°58’ and
76°54' east longitude.
It is surrounded by the districts of
Fatehgarh Sahib & Rupnagar and the Union Territory of Chandigarh in the
north, Sangrur district in the west, Ambala and Kurukshetra districts of
neighbouring state of Haryana in the east and Kaithal district of Haryana
in the south.
How to reach Patiala ?
By Rail:
From New Delhi, take New Delhi-Bhatinda
Inter City Express or the Shatabdi Express to Ambala, and then hire a taxi
for the drive to Patiala. (Book taxi in advance.)
By Road:
Patiala lies just off the excellent
National Highway #1 (Delhi-Amritsar) and is about 250 Km from Delhi. The
journey via Ambala Cantt. takes about 5 hours. You can also drive to
Patiala from Chandigarh, via Zirakpur (on NH 22), and Rajpura.
Accommodation:
Patiala has a few budget and 3-star
hotels. However, Chandigarh and Ludhiana, both over an hour's drive away,
offer varied options, including deluxe hotels.
For more information please contact :
Patiala : +91-175-2311300,2311301, Chandigarh : +91-172-2548082, New Delhi :+91-11-2463 2267, 2465 2455
People
Patiala district is a predominantly
rural district.. As per the 2001 census, an overwhelming 65% lived in
rural areas and only 35% lived in urban areas.
After the partition of India in 1947, a
large number of refugees from west Punjab came and settled in Patiala
district. The single largest group of refugees was from Bahawalpur. Apart
from this, a sizeable number came from Gujjranwala and Sheikhpura.
According to the 1951 census, the total number of displaced persons in the
district was 1,19,518.
The Sikhs and the Hindus are the
predominant communities in the district. The Sikh form 55% of the
population while the Hindus form 42%, the remaining being the Christians,
the Muslim, the Jains and the Buddhists.
Geographically, Punjab is divided into four
regions, know as Malwa. Majha, Doaba and Puadh. Patiala district falls in
the Puadh region and standard dialect spoken in the district is known as
Puadhi. Although this dialect is almost the same in grammar as the
standard dialect of Punjabi language, the distinguishing character of this
dialect is that ,to a very large extent, it is influenced by Hindi spoken
in the adjoining districts which now a part of Haryana.
Area
Patiala district with an area of
3625 Sq. kms. is the 5th largest district
of the Punjab (area wise) after Ferozepur, Amritsar, Sangrur and Ludhiana
as per 2001 census.
Administrative
Sub-divisions :-
Patiala district is sub-divided into
5 sub-divisons/tehsils, 4 sub-tehsils and 9 blocks. There are in all 1084
villages as per Census 2001 and 1069 panchayats in the district.
| Sr.
No. |
Sub-divisons/Tehsils |
Sub-Tehsils |
Blocks |
No.
of Villages |
| 1 |
Dera
Bassi |
- |
Dera
Bassi |
138 |
| 2 |
Nabha |
Bhadson |
Nabha |
174 |
| 3 |
Patiala |
Dudhan
Sadhan |
Patiala,
Sanaur, Bhunerheri |
358 |
| 4 |
Rajpura |
Ghanaur |
Rajpura,
Ghanaur |
277 |
| 5 |
Samana |
Patran |
Samana,
Patran |
137 |
Topography
The district forms a part of the
Indo- Gangetic plain and consists of three types of region :-
- The Upland Plain.
- The Cho-infested Foothill Plain.
- The Floodplain of the Ghaggar River
Apart from this, the district has a complex
drainage system consisting of canals and rivers. The river Ghaghar is the
most important water channel of the district. It is essentially a seasonal
stream, remaining dry during most part of the year. However, during the
rainy session, it remains in spate, often flooding the adjoining villages,
causing damage to crops, livestock and at times to houses and human lives.
A number of subsidiary rivulets join the Ghaggar River, the most important
ones being the Tangri Nadi, Patiala-Wali-Nadi, Sirhind Choe and the
Jhambowali Choe.
Apart from the natural drainage line, the
district also has three important canals- The Bhakra Main Line canal, the
Nawana Branch, and the Ghaghar Link. These canals provide much needed
irrigation water to the district. Before these canals were constructed,
Patiala district was a water scarce area. These irrigation canals have
helped to transform the parched fields into fertile, double-crop lands.
